Psychology Internship Our Program

Trainings

The program at UT Health Science Center trains interns in health service psychology within an Integrated Behavioral Health (primary behavioral health) model, emphasizing breadth and depth of training in intervention in an integrated care model. Psychology interns learn how to blend psychology into medical culture, providing psychological care that addresses the needs of, and is integrated into, medical care. Experiences include consultation, collaboration, assessment, and intervention within primary care settings. The Integrated Behavioral Health experience focuses on both short-term and long-term intervention and consultation in both health and mental health areas, with opportunities for assessment of pain, pre-surgical readiness, adult and child ADHD, memory screens, and other concerns as needed.

Outpatient group therapies have included depression and smoking cessation. Interns are invited to promote new groups as well. Further, interns have opportunities to provide group therapy to psychiatric inpatients on psychiatric units on our campus as well as at the local State hospitals.

One day a week is spent at the local State psychiatric hospital, where interns participate in treatment team meetings and provide psychotherapy and assessment for those with severe and persistent mental illness. Interns will have opportunities to participate in forensic and neuropsychological testing. Supervision of Master’s level students at U.T. Tyler is an additional experience.

Training experiences include:

• Integrated Behavioral Health interventions (psychotherapy and consultation) throughout the hospital and in the Family Medicine Residency Clinic, North Tyler Clinic, and the Internal Medicine Residency Clinic
• Brief consultations (“warm handoffs”) throughout the health center, including inpatient medical floors, Emergency Room, and outpatient clinics
• Interventions with the Palliative Care team, in Oncology, and other settings
• Testing referrals for memory screens, pre-surgical evaluations, ADHD, and pain evaluations
• Group therapy on acute and subacute psychiatry (in-house) units
• Psychotherapy and testing one day per week at the State Hospital
• Psychotherapy and testing in on-site child and adolescent psychology
• Supervision of Master’s level students in their practical experiences at our sister campus, UT Tyler
• Scholarly activity in Quality Improvement and other projects

Supervision & Didactics

• Individual supervision is provided by full-time faculty, yielding a minimum of two hours per week
• Additional supervision is available with part-time faculty as well
• Group supervision involves psychology interns and faculty for two hours per week
• Two hours of didactics occur Wednesday afternoons. Psychology didactic seminars will focus on a range of topics. A sample of such topics includes:

UT Health Science Center also offers a Cancer Conference on Thursdays and Grand Rounds didactics on Fridays. Medical student presentations occur twice a month in Family Medicine, and serve as an invaluable instructional experience for psychology interns, not only in content area, but also in the process of medical case presentation.