The EVMS Clinical Psychology Internship is organized around major, minor and outpatient rotations. The educational model requires that psychology interns concentrate their activities in their primary area of emphasis while on their major rotations in Adult Medical Inpatient, Adult Psychiatric Inpatient or Pediatric Behavioral Medicine. Major rotations can be supplemented with minor rotations (i.e. concentrated experiences in specialized areas) if desired. Lectures and activities at the outpatient training clinic one half-day per week round out the total internship experience.
Our curriculum reflects the real-life skills a psychologist will need to conduct an ethical and effective professional practice. Interns provide evidence-based assessments, interventions and consultations within integrated healthcare models. Our supervised clinical experiences allow for the consolidation of the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for entry-level practice of professional clinical psychology that adheres to the professional, legal and ethical standards of the field. All aspects of training are designed to promote awareness, understanding and sensitivity to issues of multicultural diversity.
Interns are expected to develop leadership and consultative skills and learn to function effectively in interprofessional relationships. Interns have the opportunity for professional development through attendance at lectures, seminars and workshops and optional opportunities for involvement in clinical research projects during the training year.
We assign interns to major rotations, one or more minor rotations (if possible) and outpatient therapy training to ensure breadth of experience. Assignments are made based on the expressed interests of interns following matching into the program.
Major rotations
Major rotations reflect particular training focuses in Adult Medical Inpatient, based at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital (SNGH); Pediatric Behavioral Medicine located at the Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters (CHKD); or Adult Psychiatric Inpatient, with services provided at Eastern State Hospital (ESH). All major rotations provide a variety of brief therapy experiences, interdisciplinary team collaboration, consultation and opportunities for conducting mood, personality, cognitive, intellectual and/or neuropsychological assessments. Depending on the site, the relative balance and nature of these activities will vary.
The adult inpatient experiences at SNGH focus on the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Unit and the Consultation Liaison service, while the focus of the adult inpatient experience at ESH is in Acute Admissions and Forensics. The pediatric behavioral medicine training occurs within inpatient and outpatient clinics at CHKD.
Interns are assigned to one of the following major rotations/units:
- Adult Psychiatric Inpatient - 160711 (psychiatric-hospital based population) at Eastern State Hospital
- Adult Medical Inpatient - 160712 (medical-hospital-based population) at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital
- Pediatric Behavioral Medicine - 160713 at Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters
The intern spends approximately 24-32 hours per week on the major rotation. The major rotations provide opportunities for completing consultations; conducting personality, intellectual and neuropsychological assessments; participating on interprofessional teams; providing group, family and/or individual psychotherapy; and program development.
All interns also carry a limited outpatient caseload (generally 2-3 cases at any given time) at EVMS Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in Hofheimer Hall. Efforts are made to assign supervisors based on the intern's interests with respect to therapeutic modality and patient population.
Minor rotations
Minor rotations are training experiences that are eight hours per week in an area of interest to trainees. By opting for a minor rotation, interns can have more breadth in their training year. Minor rotations have included inpatient integrated primary care psychology, outpatient integrated primary care psychology, child and adolescent neuropsychology, adult neuropsychology, pediatric rehabilitation medicine, eating disorders, bariatrics, sleep disorders, geriatric integrated primary care psychology and clinical research projects. Minor rotations can only occur if the site funding the intern's position allows for the opportunity.
Lectures, case conferences and seminars
Lectures and case conferences are offered throughout the year in areas such as behavioral medicine, primary care psychology, multicultural diversity, child and adolescent assessment and psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy, sleep disorders, neuropsychology, ethics, professional development and advanced personality assessment.
Full-time and community faculty hold hourlong seminars on a variety of topics each Wednesday morning. While parts of the series are determined by the Internship Training Committee, parts of the series vary year-to-year depending on intern and faculty interests. Seminars in recent years have included:
- Advanced Personality Assessment
- Behavioral Case Conference
- Biofeedback
- Child and Family Interventions
- Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy
- Competency Assessment
- Ethical Case Conference
- Forensic Assessment
- Forensic/Expert Witness
- Multicultural Psychotherapy
- Neuropsychology
- Patients with Disabilities
- Play Therapy
- Primary Care Psychology
- Primary Care Rounds
- Professional Development
- Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
- Psychopharmacology
- Psychotherapy for Gay and Lesbian Clients
- Sleep Disorders
- Suicide Assessment and Crisis Intervention
The seminar series for the current academic year is included in Appendix 2 of the training manual.
