Required Rotation Training Experiences for Health Service Psychology Tracks:

  • Psychological Treatment Outpatient: This is a service designed to hone skills in delivering evidence-based psychological services in the CAMC Department of Behavioral Medicine. Interns may participate in treatment programs including DBT, the Disordered Eating Clinic of Charleston, child and adolescent psychology clinic, transhealth clinic or CBT program. There are also opportunities to see patients in a private practice setting through Medallion Psychological Associates. Interns on the Health Service Psychology Track are welcome to work with both adults and children/teens on this rotation. 
  • Psychological Assessment: This experience is designed to enhance psychological and neuropsychological assessment skills, as well as increase knowledge of psychometric properties. It is important to note that the majority of the referrals are neuropsychological in nature, particularly for adults and geriatric patients. 
  • Adult Psychiatry Inpatient: The internship experience on the inpatient psychiatry service is designed to provide broad, active participation in the multidisciplinary treatment of adult psychiatry inpatients. Working closely with the team, psychology interns participate in diagnosis, treatment planning, rounds and discharge planning daily, and provide direct services to selected patients in the form of brief psychological psychotherapy. They participate as co-leaders of the daily 1:15 p.m. group therapy session, under supervision of psychology faculty. 
  • Consultation Liaison: Interns will work with a team of residents and psychiatry attendings to provide consultation services for patients with psychological concerns admitted for medical conditions. This rotation helps interns gain experiences in health psychology as well as working with an interdisciplinary team.

 

Optional Rotations:

  • Additional Assessment Rotation Options:
    • Forensic Psychological Assessment: This rotation is an option for interns who have already completed their required assessment rotation. It is important to note that this rotation is not designed to prepare you to specialize in forensic psychology but simply will provide you with the opportunity for exposure to forensic psychological assessment. The intern will work closely with forensic psychiatrists and the forensic coordinator. 
    • General Psychological Assessment: If an intern is interested in having some additional assessment training after their required rotation, then the intern can extend the length of their rotation. This will follow the same training opportunities as the required rotation. 
    • Neuropsychological Assessment: This rotation provides extensive training in clinical neuropsychology. This rotation is ideal for interns who are planning careers in the field of clinical neuropsychology. Interns will have the opportunity to collaborate with additional training sites for didactics. 
  • Cardiac Rehabilitation: On this rotation interns will have the opportunity to participate in individual and/or couples therapy with cardiac patients, depending on patient need. Interns can participate in intake screening and diagnostic assessment pertinent to a cardiac population. They can co-lead or lead psychoeducational classes for rehabilitation participants and families. Interns can observe cardiac surgery if desired. Interns will become part of a close-knit multidisciplinary team while on this rotation. 
  • Child and Adolescent Outpatient Psychology: Interns would primarily be providing specialized, evidence-based treatments in the CAMC Behavioral Medical Department. These would include Parent Child Interaction Therapy, Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Family Based Treatment, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for Adolescents and working on interprofessional teams (e.g., eating disorders, DBT).
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Training: This rotation provides interns with the opportunity to enhance their CBT skills. Traditional CBT and "third-wave" approaches are incorporated. More in-depth study and implementation of cognitive-behavior therapy also occurs through participation in weekly CBT supervision group, in which members each have at least one case they follow. 
  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy Services Program: The CAMC DBT Services Program rotation provides broad and in-depth specialty training in all components of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) under the supervision of DBT program faculty. 
    • The Comprehensive DBT Rotation: This option is a 12-month/year-long rotation designed to develop full competency in all modes of treatment in DBT. Interns on the Comprehensive DBT rotation maintain a training caseload of at least 2 DBT patients (which may be adults, adolescents or both). As part of training, interns (1) conduct pre-treatment consultations to determine the appropriateness of DBT for referred patients; (2) provide individual DBT/DBT-A to patients; (3) provide telephone skills coaching to their individual patients (Note: DBT telephone skills coaching is provided based on the intern's own individual limits; we strongly encourage interns observing limits to manage their well-being and DO NOT require interns to be available 24/7 for skills coaching); co-lead DBT Skill Training Classes/Groups, including leading didactic segments of skills training classes, helping to manage behavior during skill classes and reviewing patients' homework; (4) participate in and periodically lead weekly DBT consultation team meetings. 
    • The DBT Skills Training Rotation: This option is for interns who are interested in a basic introduction to DBT by learning more about some components of DBT. This rotation is for interns who are NOT interested in learning the full DBT model. This rotation consists of a commitment of either eight or 16 weeks, during which interns co-lead at least two adult and/or adolescent skills training class modules and attend weekly consultation team meetings. The emphasis is on exposure to the skills taught in DBT and to the inner workings of a DBT consultation team. 
  • Disordered Eating Center of Charleston (DECC): The DECC rotation offers interns the opportunity to deliver evidence-based treatment to youth with eating and feeding disorders in the context of an interprofessional treatment team. 
  • Integrated Primary Care: The Integrated Primary Care rotation offers a variety of training opportunities. Interns have the option to participate in both urban and rural primary care clinics. They are welcome to tailor their rotation experience to include an preferred combination of the following settings: CAMC Department of Family Medicine (urban), Clendenin Health Center (rural) and Sissonville Health Center (rural). The rural primary care track of this rotation is an extremely valuable opportunity to address the needs of a population of patients who have been characteristically underserved. Such patients often have difficulty accessing mental health facilities for care and are more likely to find comfort in behavioral health interventions offered in an integrated primary care setting. Interns are expected to precept during Family Medicine resident clinic hours and during the clinic day at rural health centers. Precepting affords the intern a unique opportunity to collaborate in patient care and to teach medical professionals what they know about human behavior. While precepting, interns will also learn more about the referral process for patients with behavioral health problems and will provide a valuable resource for patients at the Family Medicine and health centers. 
  • Research Rotation: The Research Rotation provides interns with an opportunity to participate in a variety of ongoing clinically oriented research projects in the WVU Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry or departments with which we partner in WVU and CAMC. Interns may participate at any level of the research process ranging from data collection in experimental studies and serving as assessors or project therapists in clinical trials, to management of research databases and presentation of research results. Interns are expected to prioritize the completion of their dissertation research and typically do not participate in a research rotation before their work with their dissertation is complete.