Mission, Goals and Objectives

The mission of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health is to improve lives through behavioral health care, clinical care, advocacy, research and education. This mission includes:

  • Providing the finest care currently available to patients
  • Training residents, fellows, medical students, psychology interns, externs and post-doctoral fellows and social work interns and nursing students to prepare them to work in a broad spectrum of academic and practice settings and with diverse patient populations
  • Conducting research in neuroscience, psychiatry, and psychology

Our psychology internship training program emphasizes evidence-based care and recognizes the importance of clinical science training and practice. All of our tracks adhere to this model. As such, our training goals and objectives are as follows:

Enhance competence in evidence-based assessment and treatment and their integration into clinical practice.
As educated consumers of empirical research who are competent in empirically supported methods of assessment and treatment, interns will apply scientific knowledge to clinical interventions.

Function as a member of an inter-professional team that integrates behavioral health as a part of patient care in an academic medical center setting.
Interns will communicate the results of diagnostic evaluations, consultations, interventions and recommendations in written and verbal forms to team members in a professional manner. These communications will reflect their ability to provide evidence-based assessment and interventions or make appropriate referrals for specialized or emergency services. Interns will become skilled at documenting their findings in the electronic medical record in compliance with Wexner Medical Center standards as well as ethical and legal standards.

Enhance awareness and sensitivity to cultural and ethnic diversity and health disparities.
Interns will be able to tailor treatment to meet the needs of individuals who vary in age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identification, religion, disability status, immigration and generational status and/or socioeconomic status or background. In addition, trainees will increase awareness of issues related to health and mental health disparities.

Develop professional identity and skills as psychologists through participation in didactic training, supervision, faculty mentoring and modeling of clinician-scientist values and practices.
Interns will develop an enhanced appreciation and understanding of the role of a psychologist and how a psychologist functions in an academic medical center reflected in competence in consultation, program evaluation and supervision and their use of mentoring. Interns will also be able to identify areas for their future growth and development.