CORE DIDACTIC EXPERIENCES

UBHC and the NJMS-Department of Psychiatry are active training centers with trainees from several disciplines. In addition to psychology interns, there are general and child psychiatry residents and fellows, medical students, and social work students. Many other disciplines contribute to the training program, including psychiatrists, social workers, and nurses.

The required core seminars that interns take are: Orientation to UMDNJ and UBHC, Introduction to the Newark Community; Basic Skills Overview; Psychodiagnostics; Empirically-Based Treatments/Integrated Therapies; and Professional Issues in Behavioral Health (including a major focus on Issues in Diversity). The didactic program is described below.

Orientation to UMDNJ and UBHC (Summer)

This program includes the formal UMDNJ and UBHC orientations, as well as required web-based trainings (compliance, HIPAA, sexual harassment), training in our computer based documentation system (CWS), training in Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI), orientation to the internship, orientation in unit-specific procedures, and talks on possible elective orientations. Interns in both tracks participate and students in other disciplines may be present for some of the classes as well.

Introduction to the Newark Community (Summer)

Interns participate in a discussion of the history of Newark (including a PBS documentary about the Newark Rebellion of 1967), and in two afternoons of visiting various neighborhoods and agencies servicing the community. There are often visits to child protective services and to the courts to introduce interns to these systems. This program is for interns in both tracks and child psychiatry residents.

Basic Skills Overview (summer and early fall)

Classes will include such topics as intake assessments, treatment planning, assessment of homicidality/suicidality, family systems, treatment planning and documentation, violence, and psychopharmacology. A second focus of this series is professional issues seminar, whcih is a discussion of ethical issues in psychology and risk management. Training materials from APA and APAIT in this area will be utilized, and APA guidelines for various specialty populations will be reviewed. This series runs for approximately 6 classes and is led by Dr. Esquilin.

Some classes are specifically for child or adult track interns; some classes are conducted in conjunction with psychiatry residents.

Testing Seminar (full year)

This seminar offers an overview of basic testing issues, ethics in testing, and review of basic instruments. There is emphasis on becoming competent in administration and scoring of a basic test battery, on integrating the data into a well-written report and on interpreting test results to other professionals and to clients and their families. Additional psychological testing opportunities are offered through elective rotations and concentrations.

Diversity Seminar (September-approximately February)

This seminar is required for all interns and meets for 1.5 hours per week. The major focus is on issues of diversity/multiculturalism, which are addressed weekly throughout the year. Included in these discussions are: racism and its impact; issues in the treatment of Latino and African-American individuals and families; transference and countertransference issues; the role of spirituality; GLBT issues; gender issues; ability/disability issues, ageism; impact of socioeconomic class. The seminar includes didactics, movies, group activities, journaling, and reading assignments. The class is led by a team consisting of Dr. Waymon Benton and Dr. Sueli Petry.

Additional Seminars (year round)

Group Supervision: This series rotates between several topics, during which time interns consult with each other as well as with faculty on the training committee. One week is devoted to resolving administrative issues, and providing support to interns in completing both internal and external goals. Two weeks are devoted to discussion on difficult cases. The final week covers other professional issues of interest to psychologists: career development, licensing issues, role of state psychological associations, private practice, varied roles of psychologists. Outside speakers from the NJ psychological community often participate, such as the President of the NJ Psychological Association or the chair of the NJ Board of Psychological Examiners.

In addition, throughout the year a number of seminars are scheduled that cover a range of topics. Special programs and special populations are given some attention; typically there have been classes devoted to infant mental health, children with sexual behavior problems, death, juvenile sex offenders, suicidality and suicide prevention programs, childhood sexuality, divorce, blended families, adoption, and violence prevention programs. These classes are taught by a team of faculty and staff psychologists, as well as some outside speakers. Child Case Consultations from Multiple Perspectives give interns the opportunity to sit in on cases presented by clinicians, or interns may choose to present their own in a group clinicians representing a variety of theoretical perspectives (family therapy, psychodynamic therapy, behavior therapy, cognitive behavior therapy). Interns may present the same or different cases and have the experience of hearing how each perspective might be utilized to approach the case. A number of electives include a didactic component, including dialectical behavior therapy, parent-child interaction therapy, substance abuse.

Other Didactic Experiences

Psychology interns are also encouraged to attend Psychiatry Grand Rounds, as well as training seminars that are often given at UBHC. For example, this year’s talks included discussions on “Clinical Decision Making and the Law” and “Gang Violence”.