University of Wisconsin—Department of Psychiatry ­Clinical Psychology Training Program

The primary training method is experiential with conscientious attention to didactic exposure, mentoring, modeling and supervisory/consultative guidance. Clinical experiences are structured in order to achieve a balance between ongoing activities throughout the internship year (e.g., outpatient psychotherapy) and activities that change according to predictable time frames (e.g., 3, 4 or 6 month rotations and elective experiences). All clinical activities are carefully supervised according to the required needs and desires of the individual intern. Special attention is given to training in and provision of evidence-based practice in all training activities. Professional and ethical conduct as well as the highest standards for quality of care are also highly emphasized.

Health psychology track training activities include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Medical-Surgical Consultation Service (12 months)
2. Pediatrics (1/2 day for 6 or 12 months)
3. Health Psychology Outpatient Service (2 clinical contacts per week)
4. Primary Care Behavioral Health -Access Community Health Center (12 months)
5. Elective Rotations (1 half day for 12 months)
6. Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic (1 half day for 12 months)
7. Case consultation with psychology practicum trainees
8. Seminars
9. Supervision: Individual and group as well as case consultation
10. Research elective
11. Journal club (monthly)

An intern in the health psychology track can expect 3 hours of individual face-to-face supervision per week. Additional weekly supervision activities may include 1 hour of Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic (individual), 1 hour of case consultation supervision (group), and 1 hour of peer supervision (group).

Inpatient Medical-Surgical Consultation Service.

Interns provide evaluation and consultation to numerous multidisciplinary services throughout the hospital (e.g., neurology, burn unit, orthopedics, trauma, rehabilitation medicine, palliative care, and transplant) serving adult medically ill patients with a range of mental health issues. Typical referral questions relate to anxiety management, depression, adjustment to disability, coping, loss, terminal illness, and mental status. Short-term behavioral interventions are offered as needed although extended follow-up outpatient care may also be provided when appropriate. Interventions are consistent with evidence-based clinical practice for these patients although it is important to appreciate the limits of our knowledge base in this arena. Interns also provide outpatient pre-transplant patient/donor assessments. Patients are ethnically and economically quite diverse.

Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH).

Access Community Health Center (ACHC) offers exposure to PCBH via a model which fully integrates the behavioral health professional (called a Behavioral Health Consultant) into the primary care team (medical home). Trainees learn to assess and intervene efficiently in brief patient encounters for a variety of behavioral health and mental health issues. Supervision is dynamic, utilizing shadowing and real-time case review. Interns benefit from close working relationships with 7 staff psychologists, 10 trainees and over 20 medical professionals. Skills developed include real-time communication skills in a medical setting, managing diverse patient presentations, exposure to electronic medical records and databases, population-based care management, psychopharmacology training, and brief intervention skills in a step-wise care model. Interested interns may review -primarycareshrink.com for more on the PCBH model as well as ACHC.

Pediatric Consultation Service.

Interns work with patients from infancy through young adulthood providing evidence-based individual and family intervention as well as consultation to numerous multi-disciplinary teams throughout UW Children’s Hospital (e.g., endocrinology, neurology, orthopedics, trauma, rehabilitation, hematology/oncology, transplant, pulmonary, and cardiology). Typical referral questions relate to behavior and mood management, pain regulation, adjustment to disability, medical treatment non-adherence (e.g., pill swallowing, diabetes care) coping, grief/loss, terminal illness, and mental status. Intervention are provided in the form of individual, family, and group psychotherapy (e.g., CBT, IPT, play therapy). In addition, interns provide psychological evaluations, mental status evaluations, and cognitive screening. Follow-up outpatient treatment is provided when appropriate. Patients served come from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds and length of stay varies from brief to prolonged with a number of patients repeatedly returning for hospital-based care.

Outpatient Health Psychology Service.

Seminars covering a broad range of topics are offered throughout the training year. In addition, the General Psychology and Health Psychology tracks offer didactic activities specific to each track.

Clinical Science and Consultation: Includes guest speakers, faculty presentations, and presentations by interns on various topics, including research, ethics, diversity issues, and psychopharmacology for nonmedical providers.