Psychology Internship Curriculum
Excela Health Family Medicine Residency Program Internship Site
Our faculty aim to train future health service psychologists to meet the individual and collective mental health needs of all persons, with attention to diversity of gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, nationality, social class, sexual orientation, religion/spirituality, age, and abilities using comprehensive, evidence-based interventions. We work in collaboration with primary care physicians, psychiatrists, and other health professionals in an effort to provide person-centered, interdisciplinary, health care services. We seek to train culturally informed psychologists to be leaders, advocates, clinicians, educators, and supervisors, as part of this internship experience. Interns will share a commitment to scholarship and the application of research methodologies in order to develop their assessment, intervention, teaching, and supervision philosophies and approach.
Developmental and Sequential Learning
The internship training program at Excela Health is developmentally planned and sequentially organized. The internship program operates under the assumption that most interns will have little experience in the delivery of services within a medical system and specifically within the primary care setting. Interns begin by participating in a comprehensive orientation which is aimed at helping them transition into the Family Medicine Residency Program and to identify with the role of an Intern. Interns are introduced to the importance of the psychologist/physician collaboration, the medical culture, community-based resources, and person-centered health care. Interns appreciate the rich diversity among patients and colleagues, and learn to develop assessments, interventions, supervision, and teaching modalities within the framework of social justice and equality.
Consortium Internship Orientation
The first two to three weeks of the internship, interns participate in various meetings and seminars to introduce them to the internship, the consortium, and basic theory, techniques, and issues related to the providing services in which they will be participating. Much of the orientation will involve all consortium interns attending the same seminars; however some seminars will need to be site specific, such as the policies and procedures specific to the internship site.
Modalities
- Orientation
- Didactic seminar sessions
- Participation in case conferences
- Observation of supervisors and seasoned psychologists and colleagues
- Providing direct services
- Videotaping direct services for increased self-awareness
- Developing teaching styles and strategies consistent with the family medicine residency program objectives
- Developing supervision theory and skills
- Participation in quality improvement projects/scholarly activity
- Participation in family medicine resident wellness initiatives
- Evaluation and formative feedback from supervisors and training committee
More information can be found on the Chatham University website. Please feel free to contact us if you have questions regarding this internship experience.
