Rotations

• Behavioral Cardiology

  Interns will spend six months working on the cardiology service, providing treatment to individuals with both acute and chronic cardiac conditions that are having a negative impact on their quality of life. Interns will round with and are part of the interprofessional Heart Failure Service (e.g.,faculty cardiologist, advanced nurse practitioners, physician assistant, cardiology fellow, residents. pharmacologist, and a faculty psychologist). Trainees see patients who are hospitalized at the Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital. Interns will provide short-term interventions for inpatients and assess whether outpatient follow-up is needed. We emphasize the use of evidence-based interventions to reduce depression and/or anxiety associated with coronary conditions.
  
  In addition, interns will use behavioral interventions to facilitate the patient’s adherence to medical and dietary interventions aimed at promoting lifestyle change. Interns will observe various aspects of assessment and treatment of heart disease (e.g., interventional cardiology such as cardiac catheterization, ECG, treadmill testing) provided by faculty members from the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine.
  
  In addition to clinical activities, interns can participate in lectures and meetings offered at the Ross Heart Hospital/Division of Cardiology. Interns receive a minimum of one hour per week of individual supervision.

• Pain and Mental Health Rotation

  During the six-month rotation in Pain and Mental Health, psychology interns will learn skills related to the epidemiology, assessment, diagnosis, conceptualization and treatment of chronic non-cancer pain and related psychiatric and substance use comorbidities. In the outpatient setting, interns will complete initial psycho-diagnostic assessments of psychological comorbidities within the context of chronic pain. Interns will also play a role in integrating brief psychotherapy, relaxation and behavior modification into patients’ pain management with the goal of restoring patient functioning in physical and social areas. Additionally, interns will have exposure to providing pre-surgical psychosocial evaluations for patients in consideration for intrathecal pain pumps as well as spinal cord stimulators. Service delivery will be provided primarily through individual psychotherapy; however, some group opportunities may be possible.  

  Interns can expect to work alongside a team that includes physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians, physical therapists, radiologists, neurologists and pain specialists/anesthesiologists. Trainees will play an essential role in helping patients navigate the different aspects of their pain management and, in particular, will work closely with patients needing to address challenges in pain medication management.

  Common presenting problems include depression, anxiety, PTSD, difficulty managing physical health symptoms and treatment side effects, medical decision-making, and challenges in communication with medical teams and family. Interns will learn to adapt CBT and other manualized interventions to chronic pain setting.

• Transplant Psychology

  During the six-month transplant psychology rotation, interns will learn to become proficient in pretransplant psychosocial assessments for transplant recipients and living kidney donors, and in treating post-transplant patients with appropriate psychological interventions. This rotation will be primarily an outpatient experience.
  
  Interns can participate in weekly organ transplant patient selection meetings. In addition, they may participate in ongoing research or help initiate a new project based on their interest.
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

• Women's Behavioral Health

  Women’s Behavioral Health is an interprofessional Academic Center of Excellence providing care to women experiencing stress or stress-related illness during life events that are unique to women. We provide state-of-the-art care for mood and anxiety disorders, sexual health and stress, with a special emphasis on pregnancy, the postpartum period, gynecologic and breast cancers, menopause and the menstrual cycle.
  
  During this six-month rotation, interns are integral members of a treatment team that includes psychologists and psychiatrists. Emphasis is on enhancing skills in sexual health interventions, psychotherapy to cancer patients and psychotherapeutic interventions for mood and anxiety disorders in the peri-partum. Clinical experiences are primarily outpatient, with some possibility of consultation-liaison work in Labor and Delivery.
  
  Psychology interns are expected to participate in bimonthly team meetings for discussion of cases, clinical matters and research. Once an intern has successfully defended their dissertation, they are eligible to take part in ongoing research projects, work with existing datasets or initiate new projects at the discretion of their supervisor.