Adult clinical and health psychology track

Brief outpatient therapy clinic

As an intern, you’ll spend one to two days a week throughout the training year providing evidence-based assessment and intervention in Geisinger’s Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic. Referrals are selected to ensure a varied and somewhat tailored training experience. Supervisors learn about your clinical interests and training needs at the start of each six-month rotation to inform the selection and scheduling of cases. We aim for you to gain experience in providing evidence-based treatment for mood and anxiety disorders, suicidality, posttraumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, insomnia and grief/end-of-life issues. We also distribute a wide variety of clinical health psychology referrals across your schedule, with your interests in mind. These include referrals for chronic pain conditions, chronic illness and related issues, weight management and disordered eating, and functional neurologic disorders.

Oncology

Interns may have the opportunity to do a rotation in one of several multidisciplinary cancer clinics. These clinics begin with a multidisciplinary tumor board to review patients being seen in the clinic and are attended by psychologists, surgeons, pathologists, radiologists, nurses, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists and medical residents/students. Following the meeting, each patient consults with several relevant members of the team and is screened for mental health concerns that could impact treatment decisions or response to treatment.

Patients with positive scores on evidence-based screening tools or with other potential concerns based on chart review and team discussion will meet for a consultation with the psychologist or psychology intern, at which time psychoeducation, treatment recommendations and resources are provided to the patient and family as needed. Patients living locally and seeking a follow-up may be offered services in the brief outpatient therapy clinic or, if available, with our psychosocial oncology providers at the Henry Cancer Center in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

Interdisciplinary specialty care clinic

As part of the adult clinical and health psychology track, you may spend time working as a member of one of the following integrated specialty care clinics. Both experiences will primarily be based in outpatient clinics providing brief consultations and behavioral interventions; however, you will have an opportunity to provide some inpatient consultations as well. 

Adult cystic fibrosis clinic

Funded by a three-year mental health coordinator grant through the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, clinical health psychology provides mood and anxiety screening, assessment and brief intervention to adults attending quarterly outpatient clinic appointments. Our department also offers bedside consultations for patients hospitalized for “tune-ups” and disease exacerbations. As an intern, you’ll be a critical member of this multidisciplinary team, which includes meeting with pulmonologists, a nurse coordinator, a respiratory therapist, a dietitian and a social worker.

Elective clinical opportunities, if available

Functional neurologic condition/psychogenic non-epileptic seizure clinic

All interns will likely get exposure to functional neurologic conditions during the year. If you’re interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the biopsychosocial factors contributing to neurological conditions and evidence-based, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention for their treatment, you can dedicate a half-day per week for six months to working with these referrals from Geisinger neurology’s accredited Level IV Epilepsy Center.

Transdiagnostic acceptance and commitment therapy group

If you’d like a deeper understanding of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and its implementation in a group therapy format, you’ll have the opportunity to co-lead this weekly group for people who have anxiety, depression and other concerns.

Educational seminars

During orientation and monthly didactics, adult track interns attend a series of trainings in clinical skills. These may include the following:

• Motivational interviewing 
• Suicide risk assessment and intervention
• Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTi)
• Cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain
• Cognitive behavioral therapy for psychogenic non-epileptic seizures
• Exposure-based therapies for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Collaborative assessment and management of suicidality (CAMS)

In addition, you will attend eight hours of didactic seminars per month on a variety of clinical topics. Each seminar focuses primarily on adult populations and professional development topics. Topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Cultural awareness
• Ethical and legal practice series
• Psychopharmacology series
• CV preparation, postdoc/job applications, interviews and salary negotiation
• LGBTQ affirmative assessment and therapy
• Acceptance-based therapy approaches
• Healthcare reform
• Neurocognitive screening
• Adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessment and CBT for ADHD Integrated primary care
• The aging brain
• Substance abuse/addiction

Adult clinical and health psychology interns also attend a weekly Biopsychosocial Case Conference designed to discuss challenging clinical cases from a biopsychosocial approach.

Supervision

In accordance with American Psychological Association (APA) accreditation requirements, you’ll have four hours of supervision per week. Adult clinical and health track interns receive at least two hours of individual supervision per week and are assigned a primary supervisor. This supervisor will serve as a program development/research preceptor as well. Additional hours of supervision may be in the form of individual supervision or weekly group supervision. 

As part of the adult clinical and health psychology track, you will spend two mornings per week for six months working as a member of one of the following integrated specialty care clinics. Both experiences will primarily be based in outpatient clinics providing brief consultations and behavioral interventions; however, you will have an opportunity to provide some inpatient consultations as well. 

Adult cystic fibrosis clinic

Funded by a three-year mental health coordinator grant through the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, clinical health psychology provides mood and anxiety screening, assessment and brief intervention to adults attending quarterly outpatient clinic appointments. Our department also offers bedside consultations for patients hospitalized for “tune-ups” and disease exacerbations. As an intern, you’ll be a critical member of this multidisciplinary team, which includes meeting with pulmonologists, a nurse coordinator, a respiratory therapist, a dietitian and a social worker.

Functional neurologic condition/psychogenic non-epileptic seizure clinic

All interns will likely get exposure to functional neurologic conditions during the year. If you’re interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the biopsychosocial factors contributing to neurological conditions and evidence-based, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention for their treatment, you can dedicate a half-day per week for six months to working with these referrals from Geisinger neurology’s accredited Level IV Epilepsy Center.

Transdiagnostic acceptance and commitment therapy group

If you’d like a deeper understanding of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and its implementation in a group therapy format, you’ll have the opportunity to co-lead this weekly group for people who have anxiety, depression and other concerns.

During orientation and monthly didactics, adult track interns attend a series of trainings in clinical skills. These may include the following:

• Motivational interviewing (attended with child and neuropsychology tracks)
• Suicide risk assessment and intervention
• Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTi)
• Cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain
• Cognitive behavioral therapy for psychogenic non-epileptic seizures
• Exposure-based therapies for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Collaborative assessment and management of suicidality (CAMS)

In addition, you will attend eight hours of didactic seminars per month on a variety of clinical topics. Each seminar focuses primarily on adult populations and professional development topics. Topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Cultural awareness
• Ethical and legal practice series
• Psychopharmacology series
• CV preparation, postdoc/job applications, interviews and salary negotiation
• LGBTQ affirmative assessment and therapy
• Acceptance-based therapy approaches
• Healthcare reform
• Neurocognitive screening
• Adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessment and CBT for ADHD
• Integrated primary care
• The aging brain
• Substance abuse/addiction

Adult clinical and health psychology interns also attend a weekly Biopsychosocial Case Conference designed to discuss challenging clinical cases from a biopsychosocial approach

In accordance with American Psychological Association (APA) accreditation requirements, you’ll have four hours of supervision per week. Adult clinical and health track interns receive at least two hours of individual supervision per week and are assigned a primary supervisor. This advisor will serve as a program development/research preceptor as well. Individual supervision is also provided in specific rotations. In addition, the Biopsychosocial Case Conference counts as one hour of weekly group supervision.

The remainder of the supervision is provided in a separate group supervision format. The agenda of the group supervision will be determined by the cohort and led at times by the track coordinator or training director, to discuss general issues related to the internship.

As an adult clinical and health psychology intern, you’re provided four hours of dedicated time per week to participate in an ongoing quality improvement or program development project. You and your supervisor will determine if you’re ready to take on a project once you’ve demonstrated proficiency with clinical and administrative responsibilities.