Brown Psychology Training Consortium
Clinical Psychology Predoctoral Internship
Adult Track
Lisa Uebelacker, Ph.D., Track Coordinator
The focus of the Adult Clinical Track is on the application of empirical behavioral science to the understanding and treatment of adult behavior disorders. The general goals are to promote the achievement of adequate levels of proficiency in the assessment and treatment of adult psychiatric disorders, and to prepare interns for careers that integrate clinical research with clinical practice. Interns are exposed to a broad spectrum of problems, ranging from mild to severe psychopathology, and develop skills in both assessment and intervention with a particular focus on cognitive-behavioral interventions. In addition, interns be-come familiar with biological components of adult psychopathology and acquire an awareness of the utility of psychotropic medications commonly used in the treatment of severe psychopathology. Interns also receive specialized training in one or two treatment interventions (i.e., cognitive therapy, exposure-oriented behavior therapy, dialectical behavior group therapy) suitable for outpatient cases. Issues relevant to the ethical and professional practice of psychology are stressed.
For research and clinical interests for the faculty listed below please click here.
The Adult Clinical Track is composed of the following rotations:
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Clinical Program
Dept. of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Faculty Supervisors: William Unger
The intern functions as a member of the PTSD clinic on this rotation. The clinic is an outpatient service designed to provide assessment and treatment for veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder associated with their military experiences as well as other traumatic life experiences. These may include physical and sexual assault as well as accidents and natural disasters. The interns' duties include becoming involved in the delivery of a state of the art assessment for PTSD consisting of structured clinical interviews, self report inventories, and psychophysiological assessment procedures. The intern is also responsible for the delivery of short term psychotherapy of patients diagnosed with PTSD. Treatment may include individual, family or group psychotherapy. Psychotherapy groups are provided for special needs including Ex-Pow's, combat debriefing, Persian Gulf Veterans, Women's Issues, Sexual Trauma, Police Officers, and Combat Medics. Clients may present with a variety of other concerns (substance abuse, alcoholism, marital issues). The intern may also be involved in several ongoing research protocols.
Substance Abuse Treatment Program
Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Faculty Supervisors: Jayne Kurkjian, Mary Ann Gnys, John McGeary
This rotation is designed to allow the intern to develop skills in the psychological treatment of chemically dependent patients taking into account the particular need for holistic, integrated health care in this population.
The Substance Abuse Treatment Program (SATP) is a multifaceted outpatient program housed in the Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences Service of the Medical Center directly providing or having access to services that encompass the entire continuum of care in the treatment
of addictive behaviors including comprehensive day treatment rehabilitation and aftercare programs. Patents treated in SATP typically present with a wide range of moderate to severe Substance-Related Disorders, often carry multiple psychiatric diagnoses, and typically have concomitant physical conditions that directly relate to their Substance-Related Disorder.
The intern functions as a full member of the SATP interdisciplinary team. Duties include: comprehensive intake assessment and disposition, individual and couples psychotherapy, anger management group, aftercare group, women's aftercare group, participation in treatment team
meetings, and program evaluation activities. Training and supervision are provided using direct observation and co-therapy formats.
Women's Dialectical Behavior Therapy Partial Hospital Program
Butler Hospital
Faculty Supervisor: Ellen Costello
The Women's Dialetical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Partial Hospital Program rotation at Butler Hospital offers training in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of women experiencing emotional and behavioral dysregulation. The clinical population served includes women with chronic suicidality and self-injury, affect dysregulation and skills deficits that interfere with functioning, cause multiple psychiatric hospitalizations, and/or a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. Most clients have some combination of affective, anxiety, dissociative and eating disorders. The intern functions as a member of a multidisciplinary team and receives training in DBT. Treatment modalities include individual and group skills training with additional exposure to family therapy, medication management and nutrition education. The intern has opportunities to observe individual therapy conducted by psychologists/psychiatrists in the partial hospital program. The intern is responsible for providing individual psychotherapy and overseeing the case management of three clients per week. The majority of the interns' time is spent leading skills groups. The intern also participates in the inpatient psychological consultation program and provides psychological evaluations that address a diverse range of consultation questions (e.g. intellectual functioning, suicide risk, personality, differential diagnosis). In addition, the intern spends one half day a week evaluating clients for admission to the hospital.
Alcohol and Drug Treatment Services Program - Butler Hospital
Faculty Supervisor: Richard A. Brown
The Alcohol and Drug Treatment Services Rotation at Butler Hospital offers intensive training in the treatment of patients with alcohol and drug use disorders and their families. Interns participate as integral treatment team members in a social learning-oriented day hospital program for the treatment of patients with alcohol and drug use disorders. Responsibilities include carrying a small caseload of individual patients and leading or co-leading cognitive-behaviorally oriented group treatment sessions related to coping skills for achieving abstinence and recovery. In addition, there are opportunities to provide treatment for patients in the Alcohol and Drug Outpatient Treatment Program emphasizing individual, couples, family and group treatment. Interns also participate in the Butler Hospital Psychological Consultation Program regarding substance abuse issues and differential diagnosis, and along with psychiatry residents, evaluate clients for hospital admission one-half day per week. The latter component provides exposure to working with a more general inpatient psychiatric population.
Mood Disorders Program - Rhode Island Hospital
Faculty Supervisors: Jeffrey Wincze, Gabor Keitner
The Mood Disorders Rotation at Rhode Island Hospital provides training in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of adult psychiatric inpatients, with a special emphasis on patients with mood disorders. The intern functions as a member of a multidisciplinary team, which has an explicit "biopsychosocial" orientation. Combinations of different treatment modalities are typical and are tailored to specific patient problems. The intern is responsible for coordinating the treatment of three to four inpatients per week and providing individual psychotherapy to these patients, as well as providing follow up individual treatment to one to two patients per rotation on an outpatient basis. The intern also receives additional exposure to biological and family treatments. Weekend coverage may be required approximately once per month.
Psychiatric Partial Hospital & Consultation Program - Butler Hospital
Faculty Supervisors: Christopher Kahler, Gregory Stuart, Paul Lieberman
The Partial Hospital Programs at Butler Hospital provide comprehensive treatment to patients with a variety of emotional problems and psychiatric disorders. Treatment is multidimensional and may involve combinations of individual, group, family, and couples psychotherapy and psychopharmacological treatment. The intern participates as a member of the multidisciplinary treatment team, attends treatment team meetings, maintains a caseload of 2 to 3 patients per week, provides individual cognitive-behavioral interventions, participates in family/couple assessment and therapy services, and co-leads groups. The intern provides services primarily in the cognitive-behavioral track but may occasionally see patients in the eating disorders program, women's trauma program, or the thought disorders program. The intern also participates in the psychological consultation program, providing psychological evaluations that address a wide range of consultation questions (e.g. intellectual functioning, suicide risk, personality, differential diagnosis). In addition, the intern spends one half day per week evaluating clients for admission to the hospital. This experience provides additional exposure to diverse forms of psychopathology.
Clinical-Research focused 12 month experience Addictive Behaviors, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies
Faculty Supervisors (Primary): Robert Miranda and Peter Monti
Clinical-research focused experiences, unlike the 4-month rotations described above, are 12 month long experiences providing concentrated clinical-research training in a specialty area. During the 1st 8 months of training, time is spent as follows: 50% addiction focused clinical research, 15% adult substance abuse treatment, 25% adolescent substance abuse treatment, and 10% didactics. In the last 4 months of training, time is spent as follows: 60% addiction focused clinical research, 40% out-of-track clinical experience.
The focus of the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies’ clinical-research rotation is on the application of behavioral science to the understanding, assessment, and treatment of individuals with substance use disorders. Through intensive training, the goals of the rotation are to develop proficiency in the assessment and treatment literature on alcohol and other substance use disorders, understand the empirical evidence supporting the efficacy of psychological and pharmacological interventions for substance use disorders, and to develop competence in the comprehensive assessment and treatment of adolescents and adults with alcohol and other substance use disorders and their families. Although addiction will be emphasized, the rotation will provide exposure to diverse forms of psychopathology. Interns will gain experience with the full spectrum of clinical activities that may be required of a psychologist functioning in clinical as well as community settings. Responsibilities include conducting individual and group cognitive-behaviorally oriented treatment sessions for addiction and conducting comprehensive assessments that address a wide range of functioning. In addition, the intern is expected to carry a caseload of long-term individual patients that may involve couples or family treatment. Over the course of the rotation, the intern is expected to develop the following specific skills: (a) comprehensive assessment of substance use disorders in adolescents and adults and their families; (b) individual and group empirically-based cognitive-behavioral therapy with adolescents and adults with substance use disorders; (c) psychological consultation for psychiatric and behavioral problems in a clinical and community setting; and (d) function effectively as a member of multidisciplinary clinical and research teams.
Clinical-Research Focused 12 month experience
Outpatient Psychiatry MIDAS Project
Rhode Island Hospital
Faculty Supervisors: Mark Zimmerman, Diane Young, Iwona Chelminski, Rendueles Villalba, Mark Elliot
Clinical- research focused experiences, unlike the 4 month rotations described above, are 12 month long experiences providing concentrated clinical-research training in a specialy area. In the 1st 8 months of training, time is spent as follows: 50% MIDAS Project clinical research, 20% Rhode Island Hospital Outpatient psychiatry clinical practice, 20% Rhode Island Hospital Partial Hospital Program, and 10% didactics. In the last 4 months of training, time is spent as follows: 60% MIDAS Project clinical research, 40% out-of-track clinical setting.
The focus of the Methods to Improve Diagnostic Assessment and Services (MIDAS) project research-focused rotation is on the study of diagnosis, assessment, and outcome in routine clinical practice. Through intensive training, the general goals of the rotation are to provide broad training in the area of psychiatric assessment and diagnosis; to provide experience in scale development; to provide knowledge about diagnostic research by participating in grant-funded projects; to provide opportunities to publish from our large clinical epidemiological data bases of general psychiatric outpatients, pathological gamblers, candidates for bariatric surgery; to provide exposure to grant proposal development; and to provide experience working within a multidisciplinary psychiatric team by joining weekly case study conferences, journal club, and research team meetings. The MIDAS project is an ongoing study, with grant-funded research projects of diagnosis, assessment, and outcome in routine clinical practice. The first 3 months are devoted to training in our assessment protocols. Interns are exposed to a wide range of psychopathology as it presents in routine clinical practice. Supervised clinical experiences in a partial hospital program and outpatient psychotherapy are provided to ensure breadth of training.
For additional information on the MIDAS project, including a list of publications please click here.