Psychology Internship Training Program Overview and Specializations - New York City — Montefiore-Einstein

Montefiore Hospital on the Moses Campus

We view the internship year as a pivotal time in a graduate student’s career, and pride ourselves in being able to offer a rigorous and stimulating training program that affords students from the full range of graduate programs the opportunity to develop further their profession-wide competencies in health service psychology, which ultimately enables them to function autonomously in variety of clinical settings, while also demonstrating the ability to critically evaluate and disseminate research.

One of the great strengths of the Psychology Internship Training Program at Montefiore Medical Center is our ability to offer four different specializations (Adult, Child and Adolescent, Combined, and Neuropsychology), each with its own goals, objectives and core major rotations (see below) while being guided by a singular overarching philosophy: that the internship should provide interns with a broad set of high quality clinical experiences designed to strengthen the profession-wide competencies noted by the APA, using a process that is sequential, cumulative, of graded complexity and , that can be flexibly customized (via a wide variety of clinical electives ) to fit the unique backgrounds and experiences, as well as the evolving interests and training goals of each intern.

In addition, we believe that the internship year should provide opportunities for interns to demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate and disseminate research (another APA profession-wide competency) or other scholarly activities independently. As such, the Psychology Internship Training Program requires interns in all four specializations to pair up with a faculty mentor who is either conducting research or can assist the intern in making a scientific contribution to the field through a scholarly project (e.g., invited article or chapter, conference submission, etc.). This scholarly project is frequently focused on applied clinical research pertaining to the disadvantaged and culturally diverse population who we serve, which leads to enhanced learning of the impact that issues of diversity and social determinants of health may play on the implementation of evidence-based treatments, as well as of the unique clinical challenges and needs faced by patients in the Bronx.

Thus, interns in all four specializations are able to complete clinical rotations and electives as well as research and other scholarly activities in a variety of settings in the system, affording them the chance to further their learning through the observation of, and collaboration with medical professionals in other disciplines (e.g., transplant, sleep medicine, behavioral health integration, etc.), frequently to the benefit of the intern, the institution, and the patients we serve. Interns in all four specializations also have access to the same clinical faculty and share many of the same academic activities throughout the year. This allows our interns to learn and receive support from both the faculty and the interns in the other specializations. As a result, our interns graduate with high confidence in their ability to function as independently as a health service psychologist and with an already-established professional network of peers and colleagues.

Note: While we offer a “standard package” of core clinical rotations for our Adult, Child and Adolescent, Combined, and Neuropsychology Specializations, the following “templates” are only meant to illustrate the sequence and structure of each track. It is important to note that the order and length of many of these rotations can be adjusted to create a customized internship experience that fits the unique needs of each intern.

Note: Candidates may only apply to only one specialization!

Adult Specialization (4 Positions - Moses Campus)

Dr. Laurie Gallo, Associate Director of Psychology Training, with Adult Specialization graduates, Drs. Anne-Valerie Pierre-Canel, Kahlil DuPerry, and Vincent Corcoran at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, New York City.

The goal of the Adult Specialization is to build the profession-wide competencies (i.e., research; ethical and legal standards; individual and cultural diversity; professional values, attitudes, and behaviors; communications and interpersonal skills; assessment; intervention; supervision; and consultation and interprofessional/interdisciplinary skills) in interns wanting to work primarily with diverse range of adult patients who are economically challenged and often have comorbid medical, substance-related and/or addictive disorders.

In order to do achieve this goal, interns in the Adult Specialization are provided with opportunities to work with adult patients, individually and in groups, presenting with the full array of psychiatric disorders, using a variety of different approaches and interventions, while in a number of different roles, in outpatient and inpatient (emergency room and consultation-liaison) settings. Adult track interns with an interest in inpatient populations can also elect to rotate through our 22-bed, adult acute psychiatric unit (“Klau 2”) within the main medical center.

Interns in the Adult Specialization typically spend 6 months, full-time, in the Adult Outpatient Psychiatry Division and 6 months, splitting time between the Psychiatry Consultation Service (consisting of the Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison Service and Transplant Psychology) and the Psychiatric Observation Suite. Interns also spend the equivalent of one day per week for at least 4 months developing and carrying out a scholarly project. Thus, the “standard package” of core clinical rotations for our Adult Specialization consists of:

Adult Outpatient Psychiatry Division (AOPD)

The AOPD for our Adult Specialization is a general, catchment-area clinic located on the ground floor of the Klau Pavilion on the Moses Campus. It serves a heterogeneous group of approximately 1,600 adult outpatients who are presenting with a variety of psychiatric disorders—including mood and anxiety disorders, personality disorders, psychotic disorders, and psychiatric disorders associated with chronic medical conditions and infectious diseases—as well as those who must contend with numerous psychosocial and environmental stressors. Patients are seen in individual, group, couples, or family therapy, and many receive psychopharmacologic treatment as well.

Interns are responsible for all phases of outpatient psychiatric care, including structured diagnostic intake evaluations (interns complete at least five evaluations over the course of the six-month rotation), treatment planning and the provision of psychotherapy—which often includes the sharing of care responsibilities with psychiatrists or psychiatry residents who are prescribing medications (when necessary). Interns in the AOPD rotation typically see approximately 16 patients for weekly appointments during this six-month rotation, but they also carry two to three AOPD patients when off-service, for longer-term care.

There is no single therapeutic approach or orientation in the AOPD. Interns receive comprehensive, one-on-one supervision from licensed psychologists with expertise in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), psychodynamic (PD) therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), mindfulness, integrative perspectives and more. Interns may request supervisors with expertise in a specific theoretical orientation. Otherwise, interns are assigned to a variety of supervisors so that they may be exposed to a range of therapeutic approaches.

During this rotation, interns also co-lead one group, attend a weekly case conference and complete at least one neuropsychological assessment. Interns are also assigned to a multidisciplinary treatment team led by an attending psychiatrist, with an attending psychologist, social workers, and psychiatry residents all part of the team. They also participate in the Adult Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Program (via attending a weekly DBT consultation team meeting) and have the option to receive individual DBT supervision, serve as primary therapist for individual DBT cases, and co-lead a DBT skills group as part of the Adult DBT Program in the AOPD.

Adult Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program

The Adult Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program at the Moses Campus is a specialty program housed in the AOPD that provides DBT for adults with behavioral and affect dysregulation. Individuals participating in the program may be diagnosed with a range of disorders, including mood and anxiety disorders, trauma and stress-related disorders and substance-use disorders. Interns will co-lead DBT skills group with Dr. Denise Guarino and participate in weekly DBT consultation team meetings. Interns also may serve as the primary therapist for one more DBT cases.

Trauma Healing and Resilience in Vulnerable Environments (THRIVE)

Trauma Healing and Resilience in Vulnerable Environments is a specialty clinic housed within the Moses Adult Outpatient Psychiatry Department, dedicated to providing evidence-based therapy for trauma-related disorders. Directed by Dr. Laurie Gallo, THRIVE is where interns learn to conduct a comprehensive trauma assessment and make stage-based, individualized treatment recommendations. Interns will serve as the primary therapist for individuals who are experiencing trauma-related stress including PTSD complex trauma, racism related stress and trauma, traumatic stress related to gender expression, and traumatic bereavement. Interns have the opportunity to conduct evidence-based trauma treatments, including cognitive processing therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation plus Modified Prolonged Exposure (STAIR/MPE), prolonged exposure (PE) and dialectical behavior therapy and prolonged exposure (DBT-PE). Interns can elect to co-lead a group such as the Beginning Recovery from Trauma Group, REACH Group (Racial, Ethnic and Cultural Healing), Complicated Grief Group and Trauma Sensitive Yoga. Interns also have the opportunity to participate in scholarly activities, including conducting research, program development, co-authoring articles and presenting at conferences.

Becoming an Emerging Adult at Montefiore (BEAM) Program

The Becoming an Emerging Adult at Montefiore Program is a multisite specialty program that offers developmentally informed, evidence-based interventions for emerging adults with a wide range of presenting concerns. The program offers assessment, treatment, consultation, education, and training to improve our ability to meet the needs of emerging adults as they present to and transition among clinics across our health system. Interns who participate in this elective will receive specialized training in the unique developmental needs of emerging adults in both child and adult outpatient settings and how to adapt their treatment appropriately. Interns will serve as the primary therapist for individual emerging adults and will have the opportunity to participate in scholarly activities, including authoring articles, leading training sessions for staff throughout the hospital and presenting at conferences. Supervision is provided by Dr. Sandra Pimentel and Dr. Amanda Zayde.

Psychiatric Observation Suite (POS) - Psychiatric Emergency Room (ER)

The Psychiatric Observation Suite is a five-bed unit within the psychiatric emergency room of the Emergency Department (ED) at the Moses Campus. It constantly ranks as one of the country’s busiest EDs and is the most visited in the State of New York! Patients are seen either in the POS or as a psychiatry consult in the medical or pediatric ER. Patients, most of whom are acutely ill, are seen for immediate evaluation, crisis intervention and disposition. The length of stay in the ED is largely dependent on bed availability for admission, which could be as little as a few hours or at most a few days. As such, interns learn to diagnose patients quickly, make triage and referral decisions, perform suicide and violence potential assessments, and do crisis interventions. Patients are assigned to interns by the medical director, Rebecca Klein, MD, and are supervised closely by Dr. Klein and the other attending psychiatrists. Interns also work closely with the Chief Resident, ACUTE Postdoctoral Fellow, nurses, and social workers and attend daily rounds and meetings.

Psychiatric Consultation Service

The Psychiatric Consultation Service rotation consists of experiences in Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison Service and Transplant Psychology.

The Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison Service provides the interns exposure to collaborating with medical teams and to enhance skills in the overall management and treatment of medically and/or psychiatrically compromised patients. Psychological consultation may be requested for a number of concerns. Some of these include: pre-existing psychiatric issues, current illness-related distress, wide-ranging adjustment issues, behavioral management strategies, poor adherence to treatment, and to address capacity issues to provide informed consent and/or clearance for hospital discharge. Psychology Interns will learn the rapid assessment of medically compromised patients, and the ability to render a diagnosis, provide brief evidenced based treatment, and decide on disposition in medical areas that require rapid decision-making and follow-up.

Interns will also learn how to screen for substance use disorders, differential diagnosis (e.g., delirium versus toxicity), withdrawal management, use of appropriate psychotropic medications, pain management in the addicted patient, and how to formulate and implement an appropriate treatment plan for patients with co-occurring medical and substance use issues. Specific evidenced-based interventions that are modeled and taught include Motivational Interviewing. A busy and visible teaching service, interns are part of a team that includes Psychiatry Residents, Addiction and Psychosomatic Fellows, and medical students, and interact with a range of other disciplines and treatment teams throughout the hospital. The service averages 200-300 patients per month, and interns typically conduct 10-15 written consultation reports and 2-3 follow up visits with each patient during the hospital stay.

Interns will also work with the transplant team to assess for psychological contraindications to liver and kidney transplantation and living donation, as well as provide consultations for patients hospitalized post-transplant and presenting with a variety of psychological concerns, including addictions, depression, and anxiety. Interventions used with transplant patients are based on CBT, motivational interviewing, and mindfulness. Interns are part of a multidisciplinary team including surgeons, hepatologists, nephrologists, social workers, and nurses. There are opportunities to participate in multidisciplinary team meetings with the transplant team. Drs. Brett Simpson and Lisa Teh provide supervision of interns in their clinical evaluation of patients, as well as in their consultative role to other providers.

Research

All interns are required to participate in research and will have protected research time for a minimum of one day per week for four months (or the equivalent), with the option to extend for up to the entire internship year.

The psychology faculty at Montefiore are currently involved in research in a number of different areas, including anxiety and depression, personality disorders, behavioral health services utilization, psychological assessment, cognitive behavior therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, adolescent suicide and eating disorders. Interns may select a faculty member from our Research Mentor List or request an alternate mentor (e.g., a professor from the intern’s graduate institution) with whom the intern already has—or would like to form—a mentor-mentee relationship.

Research mentors provide a minimum of one hour per week of supervision to the intern during the research rotation. Mentors may help the intern develop and carry out a new project or may have an existing project to which the intern can contribute in a substantial way. Examples of scholarly projects include hypothesis-driven studies, descriptive studies (e.g., chart reviews, questionnaire administration), secondary analyses of existing data sets and literature reviews. Surveys, QI projects, or program design, implementation and evaluation projects that benefit our patients or services also will be considered. Regardless of the type of project, the intern should be able to take ownership of a significant aspect of it, and it should lead to a “deliverable" (e.g., a manuscript suitable for journal submission or an abstract suitable for conference submission) at the local (including the host institution), regional or national level by the end of the internship year.

Interns in the Adult Specialization also carry two adult outpatients during the six months when they are not in the Adult Outpatient Psychiatry Division. This allows the interns to see at least two patients for longer-term therapy (i.e., during the entire 12 months of the internship). In addition, as noted previously, interns in the Adult Specialization may adjust the length and/or intensity of any of the above rotations, or choose to add electives for up to 1 day/week for up to 8 months of the year.

Interns in the Adult Specialization may also choose to complete certain clinical electives, including working with patients in our Child and Adolescent Outpatient Psychiatry Division (COPD), which includes the Anxiety and Mood Program (AMP), Adolescent Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program (A-DBT), Eating Disorders Program at Montefiore (EDPM), Arts and Integrated Medicine (AIM) in Psychiatry, Becoming an Emerging Adult at Montefiore (BEAM), and the Racial, Ethnic, and Cultural Healing (REACH) program.

Click Here to View a Weekly Schedule of One of Our Previous Adult Track Interns

Take the Psychology Internship Adult Specialization Training Program Virtual Tour See why so many applicants choose Montefiore-Einstein Launch Tour

Child and Adolescent Specialization (2 Positions - Moses Campus)

Dr. Sandra Pimentel, with Child and Adolescent Specialization graduates, Drs. Rachel Terry and Carolyn Spiro at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, New York City.

The goal of the Child and Adolescent Specialization is to build the profession-wide competencies (i.e., research; ethical and legal standards; individual and cultural diversity; professional values, attitudes, and behaviors; communications and interpersonal skills; assessment; intervention; supervision; and consultation and interprofessional/interdisciplinary skills) in interns wanting to work primarily with diverse range of under-resourced children, adolescents, and emerging adults (ages 4-21) and their families, presenting with the full array of psychiatric disorders in an outpatient setting, individually and in groups, using a variety of evidence-based short- and long-term psychotherapies, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for youth with anxiety, trauma, and mood disorders, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for self-harming and suicidal adolescents and behavioral (e.g., parent management training) interventions for externalizing disorders, while also learning how to liaison with schools, foster care agencies, the Committee on Special Education, and other relevant organizations in the area. Interns can also receive training in our Arts and Integrated Medicine (AIM) Youth Empowerment Series, Racial, Ethnic, and Cultural Healing (REACH) Program, and the Eating Disorders Program at Montefiore (EDPM).

In order to do achieve this goal, interns in the Child and Adolescent Specialization complete the following core rotations simultaneously throughout the year (i.e., during the week interns provide services to all three programs, which are housed in the same location on the Moses Campus):

Child Outpatient Psychiatry Division (COPD)

Interns in the COPD serve as primary therapists for individual and family cases (patients will be assigned across all ages and diagnoses) as well as co-therapists for group therapy, and they will conduct evaluations of children, adolescents, and emerging adults. During this yearlong rotation, interns receive intensive training and supervision in family therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, psychodynamic therapy, and group therapy. Interns participate in multidisciplinary team meetings and learn how to liaise with schools, foster care agencies, the Committee on Special Education, and other relevant systems.

Anxiety and Mood Program (AMP)

The Anxiety and Mood Program (AMP) at Montefiore Medical Center’s Child Outpatient Psychiatry Division is a specialty program that offers evidence-based interventions for children, adolescents, and emerging adults with primary and comorbid anxiety, trauma, mood, and related disorders. AMP serves children, adolescents and emerging adults, ages four to 21 years old, and families from the surrounding Bronx communities. Interns will learn to conduct comprehensive intake assessments (e.g., ADIS) and will serve as primary therapists for youth experiencing anxiety (e.g., social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety, separation anxiety disorder, panic disorder, phobias, OCD, PTSD), depression, tics, trichotillomania, and related concerns. During this rotation, interns will provide individual and family-based cognitive behavioral treatments (e.g., Coping Cat, exposure/response prevention, trauma-focused CBT, comprehensive behavioral intervention for tics, parent management training) and can elect to serve as co-leaders in cognitive behavioral group therapy for socially anxious adolescents, Youth Empowerment Series (YES) groups or ADHD skills groups. Interns will participate in multidisciplinary team rounds and will collaborate with teachers, school personnel, pediatricians or other providers who may be involved in the child’s or teen’s care. Interns also have the opportunity to participate in scholarly activities—including authoring articles, presenting at conferences, conducting research, and leading workshops—and in community service events for local groups.

Adolescent Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program (A-DBT)

The Adolescent Dialectical Behavior Therapy (A-DBT) Program is a specialty outpatient program within the Anxiety and Mood Program at the COPD that serves depressed and suicidal teens and emerging adults (ages 12–21) and their families. Adolescents in the DBT program often present with comorbid mood and anxiety disorders, borderline personality disorder, trauma and stress-related disorders, and substance-use disorders. During this rotation, interns will participate in a weekly DBT consultation team meeting with attending psychologists and other trainees, co-lead a multifamily skills group, and will provide both individual DBT therapy and 24/7 phone coaching to patients in the program. Interns also learn to conduct semi structured diagnostic interviews (e.g., ADIS, SID-P) and intervene intensively as primary therapists for individual and family cases using dialectical behavior. Interns will gain significant experience in suicide assessment and crisis intervention. Interns also may have the opportunity to participate in academic activities, including authoring articles, presenting at conferences, leading staff training sessions throughout the hospital and conducting research.

Child and Adolescent Assessment Service

The Child and Adolescent Assessment Service within the COPD helps interns develop proficiency in child/adolescent psychological and neuropsychological testing. At a minimum, interns administer five comprehensive psychological evaluations during the year, with more available for those interested in developing special expertise. Referral questions typically include assessing for the presence and type of learning disabilities, assessing for the presence of a wide range of diagnoses (and the potential need for medication), differential diagnosis and evaluating the presence of neuropsychological deficits. Supervision highlights comprehensive formulation on the impact of health determinants, development, cultural factors, language and bilingualism, and ongoing formulation. Exposure to more traditional instruments as well as to newer, empirically driven and computerized instruments is offered. Training in the cross-battery approach to defining learning disabilities is integrated along with more conventional theories.

Becoming an Emerging Adult at Montefiore (BEAM) Program

The Becoming an Emerging Adult at Montefiore Program is a multisite specialty program that offers developmentally informed, evidence-based interventions for emerging adults with a wide range of presenting concerns. The program offers assessment, treatment, consultation, education, and training to improve our ability to meet the needs of emerging adults as they present to and transition among clinics across our health system. Interns will receive BEAM cases and specialized training in the unique developmental needs of emerging adults in both child and adult outpatient settings and how to adapt their treatment appropriately. Interns will serve as the primary therapist for individual emerging adults and have the option to co-lead college-readiness groups offered to graduating seniors at our COPDs. Interns also will have the opportunity to participate in scholarly activities, including authoring articles, leading staff training sessions throughout the hospital and presenting at conferences.

Arts and Integrative Medicine (AIM)

The Arts and Integrative Medicine Program integrates evidence-based and evidence-informed arts interventions, mindfulness practice and technology as part of a person’s comprehensive mental health treatment plan. AIM also targets health disparities through community engagement and attention to our patients’ environment of care. AIM currently includes the Youth Empowerment Series (YES): YES PhotoVoice Trauma Group, YES Art, YES Pride (Our Stories, Our Lives), YES Garden, YES Hear Your Song, and the YES Art Gallery. Interns can co-facilitate a YES group at the COPD with AIM/YES Director Dr. Jenny Seham. Supervision examines multi-traumatized and socially marginalized communities and provides a theoretical background to support integrative interventions for complex trauma. Interns also may have the opportunity to participate in program development, curriculum writing, and academic activities related to AIM programming. Current AIM research includes studies of the impact on mood of publicly displayed YES participant art and the impact of the YES Garden on the environment of care.

Racial, Ethnic, and Cultural Healing (REACH) Program

The Racial, Ethnic, and Cultural Healing (REACH) program was launched by Dr. Ryan DeLapp in Summer 2020 in response to the rise of social justice protests across the U.S. and seeks to promote antiracist therapeutic spaces for the Bronx community via program development, program evaluation, and training/teaching. Interns will have the opportunity to participate in a group intervention that promotes self-acceptance by helping youth explore and foster acceptance towards the complexities within their identity, empowerment by helping youth expand their sense of agency in their pursuit of personal goals and values, and healing from the emotional by-products of systemic oppression and racism by using 3rd wave CBT interventions. Interns can also participate in other REACH programming, including for example, “REACH – Uplifting Parents” (REACH-UP), which seeks to understand how parents are currently discussing racism-related topics with their children and trying to understand how the REACH program can support these efforts. All interns, along with other child psychology and psychiatry trainees, will receive training in the REACH model and consultation on their COPD cases via the biweekly integrated didactics and Health Advocacy Series.

Research

All interns are required to participate in research and will have protected research time for a minimum of one day per week for four months (or the equivalent), with the option to extend for up to the entire internship year. The psychology faculty at Montefiore are currently involved in research in a number of different areas, including anxiety and depression, personality disorders, behavioral health services utilization, psychological assessment, cognitive behavior therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, adolescent suicide and eating disorders. Interns may select a faculty member from our Research Mentor List or request an alternate mentor (e.g., a professor from the intern’s graduate institution) with whom the intern already has—or would like to form—a mentor-mentee relationship. Research mentors provide a minimum of one hour per week of supervision to the intern during the research rotation. Mentors may help the intern develop and carry out a new project or may have an existing project to which the intern can contribute in a substantial way. Examples of scholarly projects include hypothesis-driven studies, descriptive studies (e.g., chart reviews, questionnaire administration), secondary analyses of existing data sets and literature reviews. Surveys, QI projects, or program design, implementation and evaluation projects that benefit our patients or services also will be considered. Regardless of the type of project, the intern should be able to take ownership of a significant aspect of it, and it should lead to a “deliverable" (e.g., a manuscript suitable for journal submission or an abstract suitable for conference submission) at the local (including the host institution), regional or national level by the end of the internship year.

As is the case for interns in the other specializations, interns in the Child and Adolescent Specialization may extend or contract the length of the above rotations or choose electives as a substitute for up to one day /per week of the Child Outpatient Psychiatry Division rotation.

Interns in the Child and Adolescent Specialization may also choose to complete certain clinical electives, including carrying 2-3 adult outpatients during the entire 12 months of the internship (with caseloads adjusted accordingly) from our Adult Outpatient Psychiatry Division and/or one couples case though the Supporting Healthy Relationships Program.

 Click Here to View a Weekly Schedule of One of Our Previous Child and Adolescent Track Interns

Take the Psychology Internship Child Specialization Training Program Virtual Tour See why so many applicants choose Montefiore-Einstein Launch Tour

Combined Specialization (2 Positions - Wakefield Campus)

Dr. Amanda Zayde, with Combined Specialization graduates, Drs. Adella Nikitiades and Lillian Polanco at the 16th World Association for Infant Mental Health Conference in Rome, Italy.

The goal of the Combined Specialization is to build the profession-wide competencies (i.e., research; ethical and legal standards; individual and cultural diversity; professional values, attitudes, and behaviors; communications and interpersonal skills; assessment; intervention; supervision; and consultation and interprofessional/interdisciplinary skills) within interns who want to work primarily in an outpatient clinical setting with a diverse economically challenged population of patients across the entire lifespan.

In order to achieve this goal, interns in the Combined Specialization are provided with opportunities to focus intensely on outpatient psychotherapy, delivered individually and in groups, using a variety of approaches and techniques, including Mentalization-Based Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Throughout the year, interns work with children, adolescents (as well as their families), emerging adults, and adults presenting with a wide range of psychiatric disorders. Many patients are from ethnoracially minoritized groups, are economically challenged, and may have comorbid medical, substance-related and/or addictive disorders. Within this specialization, interns learn how to liaison with schools, foster care agencies, the Committee on Special Education, and other relevant organizations in the area as part of their work with the child and adolescent cases. Interns are invited to participate in research being conducted in the Connecting and Reflecting Experience (CARE) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Programs.

Interns in the Combined Specialization complete the following core rotations simultaneously throughout the year (i.e., during the week interns provide services to both programs):

Take the Psychology Internship Combined Specialization Training Program Virtual Tour See why so many applicants choose Montefiore-Einstein Launch Tour

Adult Outpatient Psychiatry Division (AOPD)

The AOPD for our Combined Specialization is located in the Farrand building, just minutes from the entrance to the Wakefield Campus. It serves a heterogeneous group of adult outpatients who are presenting with a variety of psychiatric disorders, including mood and anxiety disorders, personality disorders and psychotic disorders. Patients are seen in individual and/or group therapy, and many receive psychopharmacologic treatment and/or have comorbid substance-abuse issues. Interns are responsible for all phases of outpatient psychiatric care, including structured diagnostic intake evaluations, treatment planning and the provision of psychotherapy—which includes “sharing care” with psychiatrists who are prescribing medications (when necessary). Interns in the AOPD rotation will typically see adult outpatients for weekly appointments, co-lead a DBT skills group, participate in weekly DBT consultation team meetings, and administer psychological testing for patients in the AOPD (as needed) as well as patients on the adult inpatient unit (as requested). Interns in the Combined Track will treat patients in the AOPD for the entire year while simultaneously seeing patients in the Child Outpatient Psychiatry Department (see below). Interns receive comprehensive, one-on-one supervision from licensed psychologists with cognitive behavioral, dialectical behavioral, psychodynamic and integrative perspectives. Interns may request supervisors with expertise in a specific theoretical orientation. Otherwise, interns are assigned to a variety of supervisors so that they may be exposed to a range of therapeutic approaches. Interns attend a weekly staff meeting (which often includes either an educational component or a case conference) and are assigned to a multidisciplinary treatment team led by an attending psychiatrist, an attending psychologist, and social workers.

Adult Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Program

The Adult Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program at the Wakefield Campus is a specialty program providing DBT for adults with behavioral and affect dysregulation. Individuals participating in the program may be diagnosed with a range of disorders, including mood and anxiety disorders, trauma and stress-related disorder, and substance-use disorders. During this rotation, interns will co-lead a DBT skills group with Dr. Katrina McCoy and participate in weekly DBT consultation team meetings. Interns may also serve as the primary therapist for a DBT case. Interns have the opportunity to contribute to research conducted within the Multisite DBT Clinical Research Collaboration.

Child Outpatient Psychiatry Division (COPD)

The COPD for our Combined Specialization is also located in the Farrand building. The COPD treats a heterogeneous group of children, adolescents, and emerging adults (ages four to 21) with diagnoses ranging from disruptive behavior disorders (e.g., ADHD, ODD, CD), anxiety, adjustment and mood disorders, complex trauma, personality disorders and psychotic disorders to learning disabilities. Interns will conduct intake evaluations of children, adolescents and emerging adults and will administer psychoeducational assessments for patients as needed. Interns in the Combined Track will treat patients in the COPD for the entire year while simultaneously seeing patients in the Adult Outpatient Psychiatry Department (see above). Interns in the COPD will serve as the primary therapist for individual and family cases (patients will be assigned across all ages and diagnoses). During this rotation, interns will co-lead a mentalizing-focused parenting group and have the opportunity to lead a BEAM college-readiness group with Dr. Amanda Zayde. Interns will receive comprehensive training and supervision from licensed psychologists with expertise in psychodynamic psychotherapy, family therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, mentalization-based therapy, play therapy, group therapy and parent management training. Interns will be assigned to a variety of supervisors so that they may be exposed to a range of therapeutic approaches. Interns also learn how to liaise with schools (e.g., review IEPs to make sure the patient has appropriate academic accommodations at school), foster care agencies, the Committee on Special Education, and other relevant organizations, and they are assigned to a multidisciplinary treatment team led by an attending psychiatrist, an attending psychologist, social workers, creative arts therapists, and a psychiatric nurse practitioner.

Connecting and Reflecting Experience (CARE) Program

CARE is an innovative specialty program that offers a mentalizing-focused group intervention to ethnoracially diverse parents and other primary caregivers who experience parent-child relational stress. This bigenerational, transdiagnostic program integrates perspectives from attachment theory and developmental psychopathology and serves caregivers of children enrolled in outpatient services, typically ranging in age from 6 to 18. In initial studies, CARE has been found to reduce parenting stress, improve caregiver reflective functioning, and strengthen youth-reported attachment security Interns will be provided with specialized training in attachment science and the development and implementation of mentalizing-focused parenting interventions. Supervision is provided by Drs. Amanda Zayde and Olivia Derella. Interns also have the opportunity to contribute to treatment-outcome research conducted within the CARE program run by Dr. Amanda Zayde.

Becoming an Emerging Adult at Montefiore (BEAM) Program

The Becoming an Emerging Adult at Montefiore Program is a multisite specialty program that offers developmentally informed, evidence-based interventions for emerging adults with a wide range of presenting concerns. The program offers assessment, treatment, consultation, education, and training to improve our ability to meet the needs of emerging adults as they present to and transition among clinics across our health system. Combined track interns will serve as the primary therapist for at least one emerging adult and will receive specialized training in the unique developmental needs of emerging adults and how to adapt their treatment appropriately. Interns will have the opportunity to participate in scholarly activities, including authoring articles, leading staff training sessions throughout the hospital and presenting at conferences. Supervision is provided by Dr. Sandra Pimentel and Dr. Amanda Zayde.

Research

All interns are required to participate in research and will have protected research time for a minimum of one day per week for four months (or the equivalent), with the option to extend for up to the entire internship year. The psychology faculty at Montefiore are currently involved in research in a number of different areas, including anxiety and depression, personality disorders, behavioral health services utilization, psychological assessment, cognitive behavior therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, adolescent suicide and eating disorders. Interns may select a faculty member from our Research Mentor List or request an alternate mentor (e.g., a professor from the intern’s graduate institution) with whom the intern already has—or would like to form—a mentor-mentee relationship. Research mentors provide a minimum of one hour per week of supervision to the intern during the research rotation. Mentors may help the intern develop and carry out a new project or may have an existing project to which the intern can contribute in a substantial way. Examples of scholarly projects include hypothesis-driven studies, descriptive studies (e.g., chart reviews, questionnaire administration), secondary analyses of existing data sets and literature reviews. Surveys, QI projects, or program design, implementation and evaluation projects that benefit our patients or services also will be considered. Regardless of the type of project, the intern should be able to take ownership of a significant aspect of it, and it should lead to a “deliverable" (e.g., a manuscript suitable for journal submission or an abstract suitable for conference submission) at the local (including the host institution), regional or national level by the end of the internship year.

As is the case for interns in the other specializations, interns in the Combined Specialization may extend or contract the length of any of the above rotations or choose electives as a substitute for up to one day/week of their Adult/Child Outpatient Psychiatry Division rotations. Interns in the Combined Specialization may also choose to complete certain clinical electives, including rotating through our Psychiatric Consultation Service or Psychiatric Observation Suite.

Click Here to View a Weekly Schedule of One of Our Combined Track Interns

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Neuropsychology Specialization (1 Position - Moses Campus)

The Neuropsychology Specialization is housed within the Neuropsychology Assessment Service (NAS), an outpatient assessment program located in its own building on the Moses Campus that sees approximately 450 patients each year. The goal of the Neuropsychology Specialization is to build the profession-wide competencies (i.e., research; ethical and legal standards; individual and cultural diversity; professional values, attitudes, and behaviors; communication and interpersonal skills; assessment; intervention; supervision; and consultation and interprofessional/interdisciplinary skills) in interns wanting to work with a heterogeneous group of individuals across the lifespan utilizing a variety of neuropsychological assessment approaches.

In order to achieve this goal, interns in the Neuropsychology Specialization are provided opportunities to work with a diverse range of children (ages five and up), adolescents, adults, and older adults with a variety of medical/neurological/psychiatric conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, mild cognitive impairment, stroke, traumatic brain injury/concussion, Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, anoxic brain injury, HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), sickle cell disease, brain tumors and other types of cancers/treatments associated with cognitive changes (e.g., leukemia and breast cancer treatments), ruptured aneurysms/arteriovenous malformations, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and specific learning disorders. Interns will be will part of a team that includes the three neuropsychology attendings, a post-doctoral fellow, and three externs and will be responsible for all phases of outpatient neuropsychological care, including conducting intake interviews, administering, scoring, and interpretating neuropsychological test batteries, report writing, and conducting feedback sessions. Interns will also have the opportunity to supervise junior trainees.

Interns in the Neuropsychology Specialization complete the following core rotations throughout the year:

Neuropsychology Assessment Service (NAS)

The interns will spend 75% of their direct patient care time in the NAS, and they will be responsible for seeing two neuropsychological assessment cases per week throughout the year. Interns are supervised (individual and group) on all their activities.

Clinical Electives

For their remaining 25% direct patient care time, interns in the Neuropsychological Specialization will spend 12 months (1 day/week) completing other electives within the Psychology Internship Training Program, including (but not limited to) the Adult Outpatient Psychiatry Division (AOPD), Child Outpatient Psychiatry Division (COPD), Psychiatric Observation Suite (i.e., psychiatric emergency room), and the Psychiatric Consultation Service. Interns will receive individual supervision on these clinical rotations.

Click here for a full list of available electives.

Neuropsychology Didactics

In addition to direct patient care, interns will participate in neuropsychology and hospital-wide didactics (including departmental grand rounds, the intern lecture curriculum, brain cutting seminars, and stroke, epilepsy, and general neurology rounds).

Research

Finally, all interns are required to participate in research and will have protected research time for the equivalent of one day per week for four months. Faculty in the NAS are currently involved in research in a number of different areas, including the screening, assessment, and characterization of neuropsychological sequelae of sickle cell disease, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, SLE, and COVID-19. In addition, the psychology faculty at Montefiore are currently involved in research in a number of different areas, including anxiety and depression, personality disorders, behavioral health services utilization, psychological assessment, cognitive behavior therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, adolescent suicide and eating disorders. Interns may select a faculty member from our Research Mentor List or request an alternate mentor (e.g., a professor from the intern’s graduate institution) with whom the intern already has—or would like to form—a mentor-mentee relationship. Research mentors provide a minimum of one hour per week of supervision to the intern during the research rotation. Mentors may help the intern develop and carry out a new project or may have an existing project to which the intern can contribute in a substantial way. Examples of scholarly projects include hypothesis-driven studies, descriptive studies (e.g., chart reviews, questionnaire administration), secondary analyses of existing data sets and literature reviews. Surveys, QI projects, or program design, implementation and evaluation projects that benefit our patients or services also will be considered. Regardless of the type of project, the intern should be able to take ownership of a significant aspect of it, and it should lead to a “deliverable" (e.g., a manuscript suitable for journal submission or an abstract suitable for conference submission) at the local (including the host institution), regional or national level by the end of the internship year.