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Psychology Externship/Practicum Training
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center is a field-placement (extern) training site for several local Clinical Psychology training programs. All students applying to be externs at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center must do so through the training directors' offices at their respective educational institutions. Externship applicants whose applications are not pre-approved by their training directors will not be considered, and their applications will not be reviewed.
Externships are currently offered in:
- Adolescent Cognitive-Behavior Therapy
- Adult Cognitive-Behavior Therapy
- Adult Psychiatry Assessment
- Behavioral Medicine
- Child Psychological Assessment
- Child and Adolescent Trauma Therapy
- Dual Diagnosis Treatment Program
- Neuropsychology
- Pediatric Clinics: Psychological and Developmental Testing
- TIES for Adoption: Psychological Assessment and Therapy
ADOLESCENT COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY
Nature of Setting and Population Served
This clinic provides training in evidence-based, cognitive-behavioral treatment for adolescents (ages 12-18). Modalities include individual and group therapy.
Direct/Indirect Services
The clinic focuses on teenagers with depressive symptoms, non-suicidal self-injury, and suicidality. Treatment also addresses the high degree of co-morbidity of disorders typically seen in these youth, as well as adapting treatment approaches for use with community populations. Treatment models include cognitive therapy, general cognitive-behavioral models, and dialectical behavior therapy. The DBT portion of the clinic offers both individual therapy and DBT skills groups to adolescents with suicidality/self-injury who exhibit emotional dysregulation and traits associated with Borderline Personality Disorder.
Supervision and Training
Trainees will receive both individual and group supervision. Primary supervision is provided by licensed clinical psychologists or postdoctoral fellows. Required courses include at the CBT Core course (Thursdays 9:00-10:30) and the DBT Case Consultation Team meeting (Mondays 1:30-3:00). The extern will be provided with a two-day required training in DBT at the beginning of the year and a year long monthly didactic training in DBT. Opportunities for other seminars and courses are available.
Required Days
Externs are required to be on site a minimum of 16 hours a week. Attendance is required at the CBT Core course (Thursdays 9:00-10:30) and the DBT Case Consultation Team meeting (Mondays 1:30-3:00).
Additional information
Students applying for this position may have had previous psychotherapy experience providing direct services to adults. Completion of a course and/or experience in CBT is preferable, but not required.
ADULT COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY
Nature of Setting and Population Served
Externs rotate between both inpatient and outpatient settings including the Adult Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic, the AMI/ABLE services program, Sunnyside Step Down inpatient program and the acute inpatient unit. Externs provide cognitive behavioral therapies to adults in both individual and group formats. All settings are interdisciplinary and patients are seen for empirically validated treatment.
Direct/Indirect Services
The externship is divided into two six-month rotations. The AMI/ABLE rotation provides the extern with intensive CBT training with the severely and persistently mentally ill. Externs lead inpatient and outpatient CBT/DBT groups on symptom management, substance abuse and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. Externs also typically carry 3 individual CBT patients and 1 DBT patient in the outpatient clinic while they are on the AMI/ABLE rotation.
The second six-month rotation is in the Adult Outpatient Clinic. Externs typically carry 4-6 individual CBT patients and one DBT patient. Externs also lead 2-3 outpatient CBT-DBT groups including CBASP for chronic depression, DBT skills training group and CBT groups for panic, bipolar disorder, PTSD and OCD. Externs also do phone screenings for the clinic, and serve on an interdisciplinary team where they present cases and make initial treatment recommendations.
For both rotations, externs have the opportunity to be the teacher’s assistant for the CBT course, serve as assistant editor of several international cognitive therapy newsletters and serve as assistant listserve coordinator for the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy.
Supervision and Training
Primary supervision is provided by licensed clinical psychologists or postdoctoral fellows. Required courses include the CBT course, the DBT team consultation and the psychology case conference. The extern will be provided with a two day required training in DBT at the beginning of the year and a year long monthly didactic training in DBT. Opportunities for other seminars and courses are available.
Required Days
Externs are required to be on site a minimum of 16 hours a week. Attendance is required at the CBT Core course (Thursdays 9:00-10:30) and the DBT Case Consultation Team meeting (Mondays 1:30-3:00).
Additional information
Students applying for this position may have had previous psychotherapy experience providing direct services to adults. Completion of a course in CBT is preferable, but not required.
ADULT PSYCHIATRY ASSESSMENT
Nature of Setting and Population Served.
Externs work on the adult outpatient clinic and the inpatient psychiatric wards of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Typical inpatient stay ranges from 3 days to 4 weeks. Patients, primarily from the Southwest area of Los Angeles County, are acutely mentally ill and in need of intensive treatment. Most have schizophrenia or major affective illness. Also represented are serious personality disorders and substance abuse. The patient population includes adult men and women from a variety of ethnic groups.
Direct/Indirect Services
Externs administer, score and write the equivalent of 12 full test reports during the one year practicum. A typical comprehensive battery consists of a WAIS-III, a Rorschach, a TAT, and an MMPI. If desired, neuropsychological testing experience is also provided. Although this is primarily an assessment placement, opportunities also exist to participate in the group therapy program on the ward and to treat outpatients in individual psychotherapy.
Supervision
Primary individual supervision is provided by postdoctoral fellows or licensed psychologists. Additional supervision is available from other faculty.
Training
There are weekly teaching conferences and rounds on the ward. A year-long course in advanced psychological testing (Thursday 1:30 – 2:30 pm) is required. A year-long course in Neuropsychology (Thursday 10:30-11:45am) is recommended for this position.
Preferred/Required Days
Required: Thursdays (9:30am – 4:30pm). Preferred: one or more other days, for a total of 12 hours minimum on site weekly. Additional time for scoring, interpreting, and writing reports may be necessary, but need not be done on site.
Additional Information
This track requires relatively quick turn around time for assessment results. Students should enter the practicum with a good grasp of testing procedures and basic interpretation as well as an understanding of psychopathology and personality theories.
AMI/ABLE INTEGRATED SERVICES PROGRAM
Nature of Setting and Population Served.
The AMI/ABLE Integrated Services Program was created as the result of a partnership between the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, the Department of Psychiatry at Harbor-UCLA, and the South Bay Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, which is a “grassroots” advocacy and support organization run primarily by family members of persons with severe mental illnesses. As the first of only two ISAs directly operated by the LACDMH, the AMI/ABLE program has been an innovative leader in providing services in a psychosocial rehabilitation model to members diagnosed with severe and persistent mental illness who are high utilizers of psychiatric emergency and inpatient services. A primary feature of AMI/ABLE is that a multidisciplinary treatment team serves as the single fixed point of responsibility for enrolled clients or program “members.” This means that, to the extent possible, the AMI/ABLE team retains primary clinical responsibility across time (24 hours per day, 365 days a year) and settings (inpatient, outpatient, and psychiatric emergencies). The fixed point of responsibility also extends across virtually all domains of a program participant’s life. Thus, the team attends not only to psychiatric symptoms, but also to helping members meet their needs in physical health, dental care, co-morbid substance abuse, housing, finances, education, work, social relationships, recreational activity, legal, and transportation. This approach to service provision enhances continuity of care and helps insure that clinical decision-making always has the benefit of relatively complete and up-to-date information about the service recipient.
Direct/Indirect Services
Externs will be part of an interdisciplinary treatment team providing psychosocial rehabilitation services and DBT/CBT therapy for 2-3 ABLE members. Externs will have the opportunity to co-facilitate a number of groups offered at ABLE, including CBT format Healthy Living. In addition, Externs will participate in the DBT consultation team meetings, and the CBT seminar. Depending on client enrollment in DBT program, externs may also be involved in leading DBT skills group.
Supervision
Primary supervision is provided by a licensed clinical psychologist and postdoctoral fellows. Required courses include DBT team consultation and the CBT seminar. Recommended conference is Psychosocial Rehabilitation Case Conference. In addition, the extern will be provided with a two day required training in DBT at the beginning of the year and a year long monthly didactic training in DBT. Opportunities for other seminars and courses are available.
Training
There are weekly teaching conferences and seminars. A year-long Psychosocial Rehabilitation Case Conference (Tuesdays 1:30-3:00). A year-long course in CBT (Fridays 9:30-11:00). A year long DBT Consultation team meetings (Mondays 1:30-3:00)
Preferred/Required Days
Externs are required to be on site a minimum of 13-16 hours a week for the duration of the year. Required: Mondays (9:30-5:00) Thursday or Fridays (9:30am – 2:30). Recommended Tuesdays 1:30-4:30. Attendance is required at the CBT Core Course (Thursday or Fridays 9:30-11:00) and the DBT Case Consultation Team meeting (Mondays 1:30-3:00). Attendance is recommended at the Psychosocial Rehabilitation Case Conference (Tuesdays 1:30-3:00).
BEHAVIORAL MEDICINE
Nature of Setting and Population Served
This practicum provides training in psychotherapy and psychodiagnostic assessment in behavioral medicine, specifically with outpatients seen on HIV Mental Health Services, and in the Obstetrics/Gynecology and Family Medicine clinics. Opportunities for brief Consultation/Liaison experiences with inpatients in the main hospital may also be available.
Externs provide behavioral medicine treatments to medical patients presenting with primary psychiatric conditions and/or psychiatric sequelae impacting their illnesses; presenting problems range in severity from minor adjustment distress to major psychiatric disorder. This practicum serves poverty medicine patients and all settings are multidisciplinary in nature. The ethnic backgrounds of the patients seen reflect the diversity in Los Angeles County.
Direct/Indirect Services
The practicum focuses on delivering outpatient psychotherapy, psychodiagnostic assessment, and behavioral medicine treatments to patients from the following services:
- HIV Mental Health Services: A unique mental health clinic for patients infected with HIV, who range in illness from asymptomatic HIV seropositive to patients facing death from their illness. Patients include gay men, injection-drug users, and women.
- The Riley High School (RHS) for Pregnant Teens: One of three Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) campuses for pregnant adolescents. Family Medicine at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (HUMC) has partnered with LAUSD in providing health services to these pregnant teens.
- Tumor (Gynecologic Oncology [Gyn-Onc]) Clinic: Women undergoing medical evaluation, treatment, and pre-operative work-up for gynecologic cancer are seen in the Obstetrics/Gynecology (OB/GYN) Tumor Clinic one day per week.
- The Medical Foundation, Inc. (MFI) Obstetrics (OB) Clinic: The MFI OB Clinic is a State of California certified Comprehensive Perinatal Service Program (CPSP) provider. Like other CPSP providers, the goals of the MFI OB Clinic are (1) to improve the outcome of every pregnancy and (2) decrease the incidence of low birth weight infants by providing Medi-Cal eligible women prenatal care, health education, and psychosocial support during the prenatal period and up to 60 days after the delivery of their infants.
- General OB/GYN Inpatient Floor: The OB/GYN Inpatient wards house all hospitalized low and high-risk obstetrics patients (labor and delivery, antepartum, and postpartum), Gyn-Onc patients, and other critically ill patients with gynecologic and obstetrical problems.
Supervision and Training
Primary supervision and training is provided by licensed clinical psychologists with specialties in health psychology and behavioral medicine, as well as postdoctoral fellows undergoing specializations in these areas. Trainees will receive both individual and group supervision. Externs will also interact with physicians and other medical staff who will act as preceptors.
Focus of training is on the provision of behavioral medicine treatments using empirically validated modalities and brief therapies. Additionally, externs will be expected to train in applicable psychodynamic approaches. Externs will be required to attend a two day Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) training at the beginning of the year along with other County and Hospital trainings. Opportunities for other seminars and courses are also available.
Required Days
Externs are required to be on site a minimum of 16 hours per week. Preferred attendance is Monday through Thursday. Schedules will be arranged on the need of the program and student’s availability.
Additional Information
Fluency in Spanish is highly desired for one position. Students applying to this position should have prior experience in providing direct services to adults and good writing skills. A TB test will be expected.
CHILD PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT
Nature and Setting and Population Served
Externs provide cognitive and personality assessment batteries to children and adolescents within the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic. Assessments of Spanish-speaking individuals are available to those externs who speak fluent Spanish.
Direct/Indirect Services
Externs administer, score, and write reports for approximately 8 children per year. Each battery involves an individually tailored set of assessment instruments. Typical referral questions involve cognitive functioning, assessment of Pervasive Developmental Disorders, or differential diagnostic issues. Typical administrations involve a clinical interview, at least one test of cognitive functioning, a test of academic achievement, youth self- and adult-report instruments of children’s functioning, and some projective or personality instruments. School observations and attendance at IEP meetings are encouraged. Feedback sessions to referral sources (e.g., psychiatrists, therapists) and parents/guardians are required.
Supervision and Training
Supervision is conducted by Dr. Janine Shelby and post-doctoral fellows. Supervision of cases conducted in Spanish may be supervised by a member of the adjunct faculty. Attendance at the weekly psychology assessment seminar (Thursday mornings) is required.
Required Days
Thursday, Psychological Assessment Seminar (8:00-9:30 am). Schedules are flexible, but trainees are expected to provide at least 16 hours per week of total work time, including test administration, scoring, and report-writing.
Prerequisites
Students need to have good writing skills and working knowledge of the WISC-IV, and other tests.
CHILD AND ADOLESCENT TRAUMA THERAPY
Nature of Setting and Population Served
This clinic provides training in evidence-based and evidence-informed treatments for traumatized youth (ages 2-18) and their parents or guardians (ages 12-18). In addition to client cases referred from the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic, clients are also referred from both the inpatient pediatrics unit of the hospital and the Child Crisis Center, where children receive forensic medical examinations and/or interviews. Treatments involve a variety of treatment approaches and modalities, including individual trauma-based CBT and/or play therapy, collateral therapy for caregivers, and family therapy.
Direct/Indirect Services
The clinic assists youngsters who have survived traumatic events, including physical and sexual abuse, community violence, motor vehicle accidents, natural disasters, or trauma-related bereavement. The overarching treatment model is Prescriptive Posttraumatic Play Therapy, in which the child’s symptoms are matched to the corresponding evidence-based treatment. In the clinic, all clients receive a thorough assessment of coping resources prior to developing a treatment plan, and later, as the treatment progresses. Thus the treatment is dually focused on both alleviating posttraumatic symptoms and on expanding coping repertoires.
Supervision and Training
Trainees will receive both individual and group supervision. Primary supervision is provided by Dr. Janine Shelby. Required courses include the Treatment of Common Childhood Disorders course (Mondays 8:30-9:30) and the Trauma Treatment Seminar (Mondays 10:45-11:45). Individual supervision includes live supervision of select cases and weekly individual meetings. Opportunities for other seminars and courses are available.
Required Days
Externs are required to be on site a minimum of 16 hours a week. Attendance is required at the above-described courses (Mondays 8:30-10:45).
Additional information
Students applying for this position must be psychologically prepared to tolerate their own exposure to children retelling tragic histories of child abuse. Support and supervision are provided to assist the trainees in addressing their own reactions to children who have been abused.
DUAL DIAGNOSIS TREATMENT PROGRAM
Nature of Setting and Population Served
The externs will work on the Dual Diagnosis Treatment Program (DDTP) at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. This is a comprehensive treatment program that provides care for patients who suffer from both psychiatric and substance abuse disorders. The patient population includes adult men and women from a variety of ethnic groups.
Direct and Indirect Services
Externs will do weekly individual psychotherapy and co-facilitate several groups. They will also provide psychoeducation in groups and individual settings (topics include dealing with stress, job interview, relationship, and maintenance of healthy habits). They will also have the opportunity to perform initial dual diagnosis intakes and assessments.
Supervision
Primary individual supervision is provided by postdoctoral fellows or licensed psychologists. Additional supervision is from program psychiatrists, as well as, psychiatric residents.
Training
The program has daily teaching rounds from 9:30 to 10:00 a.m.
Preferred/Required Days
Externs are required to be on site on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
