Overview and Specializations

Montefiore Hospital on the Moses Campus

We view the internship year as a special and 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, and to prepare them to function autonomously in a wide variety of settings.

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). While each track has its own goals, objectives and core major rotations (see below), all four are 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 identified by the APA, using a process that is sequential, cumulative, of graded complexity, that can also be customized using a wide variety of clinical electives, in order to fit the unique backgrounds, experiences, and the evolving interests and training goals of each intern.

Although we are a primarily a clinical site, 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.

In addition, interns in all four specializations complete their core clinical rotations and research projects, often with one or two additional clinical electives, in a variety of settings in the system. This affords 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.

Of 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. Frequently, the order and length of many of these rotations is adjusted to create a customized internship experience that fits the unique needs of each intern, while balancing the needs of each cohort.

Please note that candidates may only apply to only one specialization!

Adult Specialization (4 Positions - Moses Campus)

Dr. Laurie Gallo, Former Associate Director of Psychology Training, with Adult Specialization graduates, Drs. Anne-Valerie Pierre-Canel, Kahlil DuPerry, and Vincent Corcoran (absent: Dr. Cristin Pontillo) 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, psychiatry consultation-liaison service, transplant psychology service) settings. Adult track interns with an interest in working with 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 Liaison Service, Montefiore Einstein Center for Transplantation’s Transplant Psychology Service, and the Psychiatric Observation Suite. Interns also have protected time for developing and carrying out a scholarly project, and typically choose to protect 2-3 hours per week over the course 6-12 months for their research time.

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 an Article 31 Clinic located on the ground floor of the Klau Pavilion on the Moses Campus. The Moses AOPD serves a heterogeneous group of approximately 1500 patients, representing 25,000 visits per year. Patients are seen in individual, group, or family therapy, and many receive psychopharmacologic treatment as well. There is no single therapeutic approach or orientation in the AOPD since different clinical supervisors (including off-service supervisors) recommend different therapeutic approaches. Interns may request specific supervisors if they wish. Otherwise, we assign interns to a variety of supervisors so that they may be exposed to a range of therapeutic approaches. All interns are assigned to a treatment team led by an attending psychiatrist and attending psychologist, and also includes social workers and psychiatry residents. Each intern in the AOPD will be assigned to their own office with a computer, internet access, phone line and extension, and hospital email.

Interns in the AOPD rotation see a full caseload of patients (approximately sixteen visits/week if not adding any electives) as well as one group. The AOPD is licensed as a telehealth provider, so interns will get experience in conducting telehealth in addition to traditional in person visits. Since many patients do not attend each week, the total number of patients assigned is higher than the weekly number of attended visits. While several of these cases may be transferred to the intern from a previous intern, interns will also be assigned to an intake clinic, in order to build/maintain their caseloads. Interns are expected to complete five initial diagnostic evaluations, one of which will be an evaluation for gender affirming medical procedures for Transgender and Gender nonbinary patients. In addition, they will complete one neuropsychological testing case. Interns are also required to attend a weekly case conference (with the psychiatry residents) and present at least one case (including the write up) at one of the weekly case conference meetings. Interns are required to attend a bi-monthly staff meeting, a weekly TGNB Consultation Meeting, and choose to be a member of either the DBT Consultation Team or THRIVE consultation Team.

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.

All patients must be registered in the AOPD. When a patient applies for treatment in the AOPD, s/he/they are given an intake packet to fill out for registration. The initial appointment is considered the intake, and an initial evaluation and treatment plan is completed. Most patients are covered by insurance such as Medicaid and Medicare. A few patients pay a sliding scale fee, which is determined using a sliding scale, and ranges from approximately $30 to $160 per visit.

Each intern is assigned an administrative supervisor who is responsible for ensuring that the case is presented in the team meeting, for charting and documentation, for utilization review (i.e. medical necessity and appropriateness of treatment, authorization by managed care companies). Dr. Held serves as the AOPD Lead Psychologist and Associate Director for the Adult Specialization, which includes overseeing the assignment of all patients, maintaining the intern’s full patient load, and for case transfer and disposition. Interns should address any and all administrative questions to their administrative supervisor and discuss caseload issues with Dr. Held. At the beginning of the rotation, interns will be given a copy of the AOPD Policy and Procedures Manual.

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. Originally founded by Dr. Laurie Gallo and currently Directed by Dr. Regina Musicaro, 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)

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, as well as Dr. Kahlil DuPerry, a licensed clinical psychologist. Interns also collaborate closely with the Chief Resident, ACUTE Postdoctoral Fellow, nurses, and social workers and attend daily rounds and meetings.

Psychiatry Consultation Liaison Service

The Moses Psychiatry Consultation Liaison Service rotation provides psychological consultation services in one of the largest teaching hospitals and public safety-net medical centers in New York City. Given the diversity of treatment units covered, a full range of medical and psychiatric issues are encountered on this fast-paced service. This also lends itself to a wide range of cultures and international communities that are represented in our patient population. Thus, interns are required to incorporate diversity and cultural awareness throughout all aspects of service delivery. The C/L service provides the interns exposure to collaborating with a vast array of hospital based 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, the ability to render a diagnosis, and provide brief bedside evidenced based treatment in medical areas that require rapid decision-making and follow-up. The rotation also provides learning and exposure to multiple health psych and behavioral medicine training opportunities within a medical inpatient setting. Dr. Brett Simpson and the team of attending psychiatrists provide supervision of interns in their clinical evaluation of patients, as well as in their consultative role to other providers. This services also provides opportunities learn alongside medical students, psychiatry residents, and C/L fellows.

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.

Montefiore Einstein Center for Transplantation - Transplant Psychology Service

The Montefiore Einstein Center for Transplantation is a Center of Excellence in kidney and liver transplantation. We pride ourselves in providing state-of-the art multidisciplinary care for patients undergoing kidney, pancreas, and liver transplantation, as well as kidney and liver living donation. The psychology and psychiatry services are fully integrated into the transplant program and highly regarded across disciplines. Interns will work within the transplant team to assess for psychological contraindications to liver and kidney transplantation and living donation, as well as provide inpatient assessment and therapy for patients hospitalized post-transplant and presenting with a variety of psychological concerns, including alcohol/substance use disorders, depression, and anxiety. Interventions used with transplant patients are based on CBT, motivational interviewing, and mindfulness. Interns will collaborate closely with members of the multidisciplinary team including surgeons, hepatologists, nephrologists, social workers, and nurses to provide high-quality integrated care for transplant recipients and living donors. There are opportunities to participate in multidisciplinary team meetings with the transplant team. Clinical supervision and consultation will be provided by Drs. Teh, Simpson, Cho, and Spyrou.

Research

All interns are required to participate in research and will have protected research time. While this can be configured in a number of different ways, most interns choose to protect 2-3 hours per week over the course 6-12 months for their research time.

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 conduct 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. A Research Mentor-Mentee Contract is completed and signed, ideally by the end of the first month of the year, and the mentee provides quarterly progress reports and a project summary by the end of the training year. Interns are also encouraged to present their work during the Department’s annual “PRIME Research Day” that takes place in May each year.

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, Dr. Shaneze Gayle Smith and Dr. Maria Alba in the Moses COPD backyard, Bronx, New York.

The goal of the Child and Adolescent Specialization is to build the profession-wide competencies in interns wanting to work primarily with a diverse range of under-resourced children, adolescents, and emerging adults 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 have the ability to engage in community partnerships (e.g., Project Bravo Food Pantry) and interface with advocacy agencies (e.g., Bronx Defenders).

Interns can also receive training in our Arts and Integrated Medicine (AIM) Youth Empowerment Series, and the Eating Disorders Program at Montefiore (EDPM).

In order to do achieve this goal, interns in the Child and Adolescent Specialization complete core rotations simultaneously throughout the year in the Child Outpatient Psychiatry Division (COPD) on the Moses Campus.

Child Outpatient Psychiatry Division (COPD)

The Child Outpatient Psychiatry Division (COPD) is a New York State Office of Mental Health licensed community clinic for a heterogeneous group of children and adolescent patients (ages 4-21) with diagnoses ranging from disruptive behavior disorders, anxiety and depressive disorders, and psychotic disorders to adjustment disorders and learning disabilities. Interns in the COPD will serve as primary therapists for individual and family cases (patients will be assigned across all ages and diagnoses), co-therapists for group therapy, and conduct evaluations of children, adolescents, and emerging adults. During this rotation, interns receive intensive training and supervision in cognitive behavior therapy, family therapy, psychodynamic psychotherapy, and group therapy. Interns have the opportunity to co-lead youth and parent groups. Interns also learn how to liaison with schools, foster care agencies, the Committee on Special Education, and other relevant organizations.

Anxiety and Mood Program (AMP)

The Anxiety and Mood Program (AMP) at Montefiore Medical Center’s Moses Child Outpatient Psychiatry Division offers evidence-based interventions for children, adolescents, and emerging adults with primary and comorbid anxiety, mood, and related disorders. AMP serves children and adolescents, ages 4 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 serve as co-leaders in Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy for socially anxious adolescents. Interns will participate in multidisciplinary team rounds, and collaborate with teachers, school personnel, pediatricians, or other providers who may be involved in the child or teen’s care. Interns also have the opportunity to participate in academic activities, including authoring articles, presenting at conferences, conducting research, and leading workshops at local schools regarding youth anxiety, depression, and related topics.

The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program for Adolescents (DBT-A)

The DBT-A Program is a specialty outpatient program within the Anxiety and Mood Program that serves suicidal and emotionally dysregulated teens (ages 13-18) and their families. Many of these youth have experienced trauma and have comorbid anxiety, substance-related, personality and disruptive behavior disorders. During this rotation, interns learn adherent DBT-A serving as primary therapists for individual patients and co-leaders for multi-family skills group. Interns also learn crisis intervention skills and assessment for borderline personality disorder (BPD) diagnosis and features. Some patients receive concomitant psycho-pharmacological treatment.

The Eating Disorders Program at Montefiore (EDPM)

The Eating Disorders Program at Montefiore (EDPM) is a multidisciplinary, outpatient program in the Moses COPD and the Department of Adolescent Medicine at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore. This service provides evidence-based care for children and adolescents presenting with anorexia, bulimia, avoidant-restrictive food intake disorder, other eating disorders. During this rotation, interns serve as individual and family therapists using Family Based Treatment (FBT) and CBT interventions for eating disorders, including DBT. Interns may collaborate closely with the multidisciplinary team, including the physician, psychiatrist, social worker, and dietician. Over the course of the year, interns will be able to conduct assessments specific to eating disorders and have the option to carry an eating disorder case. Opportunities to participate on the inpatient medical stabilization service may also be possible.

Arts and Integrative Medicine (AIM) in Psychiatry

Arts and Integrative Medicine (AIM) in Psychiatry provides programming that integrates evidence-based and evidence-informed arts interventions, community and environmental engagement, mindfulness practice and technology as part of a person’s comprehensive mental health treatment plan. AIM encompasses programming utilizing the arts (dance, visual arts, improvisational theater), yoga, and gardening. Over the course of the year, interns will have the opportunity to participate in varied capacities (e.g., co-lead, volunteer, clinically observe if their patients are participants) of AIM programming including the Youth Empowerment Series (YES) Art Gallery, YES Garden Project, PhotoVoice, HearYourSong, and Behavior Regulation Movement Groups performances.

Child and Adolescent Assessment Service

The Child and Adolescent Assessment Service within the COPD helps interns develop proficiency in comprehensive child/adolescent psychological and diagnostic assessment. At a minimum, interns administer five comprehensive diagnostic evaluation assessments during the year, with more available for those interested in developing special expertise. Referral questions typically cover a wide range of diagnoses and presentations and often include making differential diagnoses and assessing for the need for medication. Interns will also complete two full neuropsychological assessments evaluating the presence of neuropsychological deficits and learning issues. Supervision highlights the impact of health disparities, race-based trauma, cultural differences, and bilingualism, and employs a developmental framework.

Becoming an Emerging Adult at Montefiore (BEAM) Program

The Becoming an Emerging Adult at Montefiore (BEAM) 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 aims to offer 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. We work across our medical system in partnership with Moses AOPD and Wakefield COPD and AOPD. Interns will have the opportunity to provide assessment, intervention and transition services to these emerging adults and their families. Interns will also have the opportunity to co-lead a College Readiness Group, which aims to prepare our college-bound patients. Interns will have the opportunity to participate in scholarly activities, including authoring articles, leading staff training sessions throughout the hospital and presenting at conferences.

Research

All interns are required to participate in research and will have protected research time. While this can be configured in a number of different ways, most interns choose to protect 2-3 hours per week over the course 6-12 months for their research time. 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. A Research Mentor-Mentee Contract is completed and signed, ideally by the end of the first month of the year, and the mentee provides quarterly progress reports and a project summary by the end of the training year. Interns are also encouraged to present their work during the Department’s annual “PRIME Research Day” that takes place in May each year.

 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 primarily ethnoracially diverse, financially vulnerable 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 financially vulnerable, and may have comorbid medical and/or substance-related 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 on the Wakefield Campus. It serves a heterogeneous group of approximately 1500 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 approximately four adult outpatients for weekly appointments, co-lead a DBT skills group and participate in weekly DBT consultation team meetings for 6 months, 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 on the Wakefield Campus. The COPD treats a heterogeneous group of approximately 250 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 consult 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 theory and the facilitation 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 (BEAM) 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. We work across our medical system in partnership with Moses AOPD and Wakefield COPD and AOPD. 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.

Research

All interns are required to participate in research and will have protected research time. While this can be configured in a number of different ways, most interns choose to protect 2-3 hours per week over the course 6-12 months for their research time. 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 conduct 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. A Research Mentor-Mentee Contract is completed and signed, ideally by the end of the first month of the year, and the mentee provides quarterly progress reports and a project summary by the end of the training year. Interns are also encouraged to present their work during the Department’s annual “PRIME Research Day” that takes place in May each year.

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 four 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)

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. Our program utilizes a rotation system whereby interns will switch between working with sets of different attendings every three months.

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), the Child Outpatient Psychiatry Division (COPD), the Psychiatric Observation Suite (i.e., psychiatric emergency room), the Psychiatric Consultation Service, and the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Neuropsychology at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital. 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

All interns are required to participate in research and will have protected research time. While this can be configured in a number of different ways, most interns choose to protect 2-3 hours per week over the course 6-12 months for their research time. 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 conduct 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. A Research Mentor-Mentee Contract is completed and signed, ideally by the end of the first month of the year, and the mentee provides quarterly progress reports and a project summary by the end of the training year. Interns are also encouraged to present their work during the Department’s annual PRIME Research Day” that takes place in May each year.