Electives & Seminars

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Group (adult-focused)

The ACT Group involves assessment and treatment of anxiety and depression using ACT-based principles for adults. Specific clinical activities include evaluating appropriateness for group, coordinating care with referring providers, leading of group sessions, and providing individualized skills coaching. Interns will have the opportunity to learn functional-based assessments and case conceptualization from the ACT framework. Previous experience with ACT is not required. Supervisor: Daniel Dickson, PhD. Location: WisPIC.

ACT-Intensive Transdiagnostic Group (child-focused)

Participation in this rotation will involve 10 weeks of group therapy with high school students experiencing anxiety, depression, dysthymia, panic, trauma/PTSD, and/or OCD. The intern and facilitator will work collaboratively using Acceptance and Commitment (ACT) approaches coupled with Motivational Interviewing, CBT, DBT, and mindfulness skills. Sessions are structured to be experiential using multimedia approaches to support engagement, participation, and fun! Interns will have the opportunity to conduct group intakes using ACT case conceptualization and measures on psychological flexibility, learn and implement ACT approaches with adolescents, and lead and participate in experiential exercises and group discussions. Previous work with ACT is not required. Supervisor: Aisha Rosh, PhD, NCSP. Location: WisPIC.

Behavioral Sleep Medicine (adult-focused)

Interns have the opportunity to assess and treat adults with sleep disorders who are appropriate for cognitive-behavioral interventions. Depending on the interest and experience level of the intern, the rotation includes opportunities for behavior sleep medicine consultation and cognitive-behavior therapy for insomnia, light therapy for delayed sleep phase disorder, and other evidence-based cognitive-behavioral interventions for sleep disorders. Prior experience in sleep disorders is not needed. Supervisors: Meredith Rumble, PhD, and Daniel Dickson, PhD. Location: WisPIC.

Child Therapy Training Clinic (child-focused)

This is an elective opportunity for interns on the pediatric track. Led by child psychologists, this opportunity also includes child psychology post-doctoral fellows and child psychiatry fellows. Therapy demonstrations are presented behind a one-way mirror by child therapists in the department, and group supervision of cases is conducted. The group has diverse training backgrounds and expertise. Supervisors: Jason Horowitz, PhD, and Aisha Rosh, PhD, NCSP. Location: WisPIC.

Eating Disorders (child- and young adult-focused) 

Interns will have the opportunity to assess and treat adolescent and young adult clients with eating concerns. The intern will learn about multidisciplinary approaches to care for the complex psychological and physical health issues that individuals with eating disorders may face and will work to coordinate care with nutrition, physician, and psychiatric providers. Focus will be on application of behavior therapy for eating disorders, including family-based treatment and acceptance and commitment therapy. Prior experience with eating disorder treatment is not necessary. Supervisor: Katherine Schaumberg, PhD. Location: WisPIC.

FND Clinic (child-focused).

The outpatient Pediatric Functional Neurological Disorders (FND) clinic is a half-day rotation wherein trainees learn how to provide psychoeducation to families and use evidence-based treatment (CBT and ACT) for children and adolescents who are experiencing Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures (PNES) and/or functional movement and weakness under the FND The trainee will learn to collaborate and educate school staff and other treatment providers in the community to support a broad-reaching intervention at both the individual and community levels. Trainees will also participate in a monthly cross-discipline Clinical Care Group involving psychology, psychiatry, inpatient rehab, and PT/OT. Previous work with patients with FND is not required. Supervisor: Aisha Rosh, PhD, NCSP.  Location:  WisPIC.

Health Psychology (adult-focused)

Interns will assess and treat adults with a variety of medical conditions. Interns will practice biopsychosocial evaluations focusing on intersection of medical / health conditions and psychological function to improve health and medical treatment outcomes. Interns will also gain experience treating a range of patient concerns, including adjustment to health condition / disability, anxiety and depression related to medical conditions, difficulty with treatment adherence or health practice changes, and will learn and practice behavioral interventions for fatigue, pain, and sleep disturbance. Previous health psychology experience is not required. Supervisor: Erin Costanzo, PhD.  Location: WisPIC.

Inpatient Adult Medical/Surgical Consultation Liaison (adult-focused)

Interns provide psychological assessment, intervention and consultation to adult patients hospitalized at University of Wisconsin Hospital. Patients are seen to address adjustment to hospitalization, coping with new medical diagnoses, processing poor prognosis, non-pharmacological pain management, grief, baseline mental health concerns exacerbated by medical issues and hospitalization, psychosocial stressors impacted by medical presentation, etc. We provide consultation to services across the hospital including Hematology/Oncology, Trauma Surgery, Cardiothoracic units, Neurosurgery, Neurology, Intensive Care Unit, Heart/Kidney/Liver/Lung/Bone Marrow Transplant services, Vascular Surgery, among others. Interns will also have the opportunity to participate in multidisciplinary team meetings and medical rounds. Supervisors: Heidi Sigmund, PsyD, Kara Mayer, PsyD, Alison Peters, PsyD, and Brian Leitzke, PhD.  Location:  UW Hospital.

Inpatient Pediatric Consultation Liaison (pediatric-focused)

Interns provide psychological assessment, intervention and consultation to children and families hospitalized in the American Family Children’s Hospital (AFCH). Routine consults are seen for the following services: Hematology/Oncology, Rehabilitation, Pulmonary, Endocrine, NICU, Trauma, BMT, and a wide variety of other medical populations. Interns will have the opportunity to participate in multidisciplinary team meetings, including medical rounds and family conferences, as well as medical specialty rounds, such as hematology/oncology, rehabilitation, pulmonary and Neonatal ICU. Supervisors: Stephanie Farrell, PhD, Emily Schweigert, PhD, and Julia Benjamin, PhD. Location: AFCH.

Mindfulness for Anxiety (child-focused)

The mindfulness for anxiety elective involves assessment and treatment using mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for anxiety disorders in children ages 9-12. The assessment process includes interviews with the child and parents, administration of questionnaires and rating scales, and consultation with UW Psychiatry child clinic staff. Patients who meet specified criteria may then participate in an 8-week mindfulness-based group. Interns would have the opportunity to participate in the assessment and serve as co-facilitator of the group that involves both children and parents. Supervisor: Stephanie Steinman, PhD. Location: WisPIC.

Neuropsychology (pediatric-focused)

Clinical experience includes learning about neuropsychological assessment measures and approaches to assessment with a focus in an adult and/or pediatric population. Interns will staff cases in the clinic with faculty, participate in medical record review and clinical interview, and review and interpret test results with faculty and relate to pertinent literature. Patients are referred from throughout the medical center. Supervisors: Alanna Kessler-Jones, PsyD, and Hayley Crain, PsyD. Location: Waisman Center.

Parent-Infant & Early Childhood Clinic (child-focused) 

Participation in this half day clinic serving very young children (0-5 years) with a range of challenges regulating sleep, feeding/eating, emotions and behavior is available for one or two semesters. Interns will receive training and supervision in conducting intakes and assessing very young children within the context of their primary caregiving relationships and providing parent-infant or parent-child dyadic psychotherapy. Clinic focus incorporates the role of caregivers’ mental health – including perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMAD’s) – and early relational history/trauma as it relates to addressing parenting strengths and challenges in the present. Prior experience with infants/toddlers is not necessary. Supervisor: Kathleen Hipke, PhD. Location: WisPIC.

Primary Care Behavioral Health (adult-focused)

Interns complete this rotation at a federally-funded clinic, which uses a Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) model. The PCBH model is an emerging model of integrated care that places the mental health professional directly alongside the primary care provider to intervene. Cases are varied, including smoke cessation, depression, ADHD, or a range of medical issues. Interns learn how to perform brief functional consults and communicate recommendations both to the PCP and patient effectively and efficiently. The supervision is immediate as students are paired with a staff member, which means that the trainee works right alongside a psychologist and learns how to present cases efficiently. Supervisor: Meghan Fondow, PhD. Location: Access Community Health Center.

Research Elective (adult- or child-focused)

Interns may choose to engage in additional research time through an elective either with one of our core training faculty in their research or another researcher of interest at UW. Our core training faculty offer research in areas such as psychosocial oncology (Erin Costanzo, PhD), understanding and treating trauma-related mental illness in youth (Ryan Herringa, MD), and neurobiological basis of fear, anxiety, and depression (Ned Kalin, MD). Location: Varies.

School-based Psychotherapy (child-focused)

Interns who participate in the Madison Metropolitan School District rotation will spend one day at week at Sandburg Elementary School on Madison’s northeast side. Sandburg serves a diverse and high-need population and provides dual-language immersion programming for children from 4K to 5th grade. Priority for participation is given to students without health insurance or with significant barriers to obtaining health care.  Supervisors: Jason Horowitz, PhD. Location: Sandburg Elementary School.

Sex Therapy (adult-focused)

Sex therapy is a specialization that addresses sexual health conditions and the impact of these conditions on mental health. In this elective, interns will improve comfort talking about sex and challenge biases to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. Interns will learn how to appropriately assess, diagnosis, and treat psychogenic conditions, which might include erectile disorders, low sexual desire, and out-of-control sexual behavior. Interns will also increase understanding of paraphilias, polyamory, and BDSM/kink and how to maintain a sex positive approach when presented in psychotherapy. Collaboration is an essential component of sex therapy and interns will learn when to refer to other specialties, such as urology, gynecology, and pelvic floor physical therapy. There will be opportunities to observe sex therapy sessions and depending on interest, provide sex therapy under supervision. Supervisor: Madelyn Esposito, LPC, NCC, CST. Location: East Park Medical Center.

Tic Clinic (child-focused)

The Pediatric Tic Clinic offers Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics in a time-limited, outpatient format.  Interns will learn how to provide this brief behavioral intervention with patients who tend to be middle childhood.  Supervisors:  Mara Esber, PsyD and Jason Horowitz, PhD.  Location: WisPIC.

VA PTSD (adult-focused)

The PTSD Clinical Team (PCT) at the Madison VA Hospital provides outpatient treatment to Veterans with PTSD, regardless of whether the trauma originated during military service (e.g., combat, sexual trauma) or prior to service (e.g., childhood abuse). Both group and individual treatments are offered. Interns will receive didactic training in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy. Interns will also have the opportunity to learn a number of other treatments for PTSD such as Anger Management, Behavior Activation for PTSD, and PTSD Class for Couples. Interns on this rotation will receive individual and group supervision within the interdisciplinary PCT setting. Prior experience with exposure-based treatments is preferred but not required. Supervisor: VA faculty. Location: Madison VA Hospital.