Goals and Outcomes of the Residency
This section outlines the formal training outcomes we pursue. These
outcomes are organized by broader objectives and goals.
Goal I: Preparing professional psychologists to
support quality primary care in integrated approaches to health care
issues.
Objective 1: To
develop in psychology residents general proficiency in clinical
assessment and intervention.
Sub-Objective 1: To train residents in a broad range of
empirically supported assessment strategies.
Outcome:
-
Residents will demonstrate
proficiency in interview assessments by accurately completing a minimum
of four diagnostic interviews, and at least one per rotation. Accuracy
will be judged by the responsible clinical supervisor.
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Residents will
demonstrate proficiency in psychological testing assessments by
accurately completing: (1) three neuropsychological assessment
batteries requiring only minimal corrections by the clinical
supervisors; (2) six PTSD assessment batteries requiring only
minimal corrections by the clinical supervisors; (3) three
integrative personality assessment batteries or six brief
cognitive assessment batteries requiring only minimal
corrections by the clinical supervisors; and (4) for Residents
obtaining specialized training in child/family psychology, five
cognitive and personality assessment batteries. (See
Test Proficiencies
Required).
Sub-Objective 2:
To train residents to become proficient in the implementation of a
broad range of interventions, with an emphasis on empirically
supported treatments.
Outcome:
-
Residents will use interventions that are based on empirical
rationale and will document the basis of their choices on presentation
to their supervisors.
-
Resident competence in implementing these interventions will
be judged by supervisor’s ratings of performance. The
resident must be rated as “competent to implement interventions
independently with supervision and review” (recognizing that
sign-off and minimal review is still required for licensure) by
the completion of each of the residency rotations.
Sub-Objective 3:
To
train residents to become proficient in the implementation of interventions
with a broad range of patient populations.
Outcome:
-
Residents will
successfully complete rotations that include inpatient and outpatient
settings, and general medical settings. Competence in each of these
settings will be determined by supervisor ratings of “competent to
implement interventions independently with supervision and review” by the
completion of each of the rotations.
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Residents will maintain
consultation and therapy logs that verify that they are becoming proficient
in the implementation of interventions with a broad range of patient
populations.
Objective 2: To develop in psychology residents
specific proficiencies in providing clinical assessment and treatment in
integrated approaches to health care issues.
Sub-Objective 1:
To
train residents to apply clinical assessment and treatment strategies in
medical settings.
Outcome:
-
Residents will use assessment and treatment strategies that are based
on empirical rationale and on their applicability to medical settings
and general health care issues.
-
Twice per year residents will submit a written work sample in which a
treatment case formulation and treatment plan is submitted that demonstrates
an empirically based and interdisciplinary approach to treatment as well as
cultural competence. Proficiency of these work samples will be judged by
the responsible clinical supervisor, the Overall Supervisor, and the
Training Director.
Sub-Objective 2:
To
train psychology residents to function effectively in interdisciplinary
teams.
Outcome:
Residents will work comfortably and professionally as a member of at
least three interdisciplinary teams. Proficiency will be judged by the
clinical supervisor.
Sub-Objective 3: To
train residents in consultation assessment strategies in medical contexts.
Outcome:
Residents
will demonstrate proficiency in consultation assessment strategies by
completing a minimum of three consultations in a medical setting.
Proficiency will be judged by the clinical supervisor.
Goal II: Preparing professional psychologists who
have experience with and interest in serving in mental health and medically
underserved areas.
Objective 1: To provide psychology residents
with practicum experiences involving patients from mental health and
medically underserved areas.
Outcome:
-
Residents
will successfully complete clinical practicum experiences involving
inpatient and/or outpatient care of patients from mental health and
medically underserved areas. Proficiency will be judged by the clinical
supervisor.
-
Residents will maintain consultation and
therapy logs that will be reviewed by the Training Director at the
completion of each rotation to verify that residents are becoming proficient
in the implementation of interventions with an adequate representation of
patients from mental health and medically underserved areas.
Objective 2: To provide psychology residents
with educational/didactic experiences involving consumers and providers from
mental health and medically underserved areas.
Outcome:
Residents will
successfully participate in Outreach Educational and Prevention Teams
designed to provide mental health education for consumers and providers in
mental health and medically underserved areas in the Region 5 of the
Georgia’s MHMRSA system.
Goal III: Preparing professional psychologists that
stay abreast of evidence-based practices (Develop the Attitudes of
Empiricism and Reflection in Clinical Practice).
Objective 1: To train residents to systematically gather and
integrate research data, idiographic patient data, idiographic clinician
data, and nomothetic and idiographic cultural data for the purpose of
clinical assessment and treatment.
Outcome:
-
Residents will
demonstrate competence in an empirical approach to clinical practice as
determined by supervisor ratings of “competent to implement interventions
independently with supervision and review” by the completion of each of the
rotations. Clinical case presentations should include demonstration of
knowledge of the pertinent research literature, assessment of the critical
idiographic data and cultural data, and integration of data into workable
treatment plans.
-
Twice per year residents
will submit a written work sample in which a treatment case formulation and
treatment plan is submitted that demonstrates an empirically based and
interdisciplinary approach to treatment as well as cultural competence.
Proficiency of these work samples will be judged by the responsible clinical
supervisor, the Overall Supervisor, and the Training Director.
Objective 2: To train residents to routinize reflective processes in
their clinical practice. These reflective processes include the critical
thinking inherent in scientific experimentation, habits of reflection
outside of direct clinical practice, and the capacity to reflect while in
action.
Outcome:
-
Residents will
demonstrate competence in the reflective process in their clinical practice
as indicated by their supervisors’ ratings of “competent to implement
interventions independently with supervision and review” by the completion
of each of the rotations.
-
Residents will
demonstrate competence in reflective processes in their performance in the
Diagnostic/Treatment Seminar and the Psychotherapy Process Seminar. Instructors will provide ratings of competence in the reflective process at
the midyear and end of year evaluations. Self-evaluations of Residents will
demonstrate a routinization of habits of reflection in their clinical
practice.
Objective 3:
To continue the development of resident research skills
and thinking through the ongoing participation in a research-scholarship
project.
Outcome:
Residents will complete
one research-scholarly project in which there is a written product authored
or co-authored by the residents. Proficiency of the research-scholarly
product will be judged by the responsible project supervisor, the Overall
Supervisor, and the Training Director.
Goal IV: Preparing professional psychologists who aspire to cultural competence in their practice.
Objective 1: To train residents
to be culturally competent.
Outcome:
-
Residents will successfully complete clinical practicum experiences
involving inpatient and/or outpatient care of racial/ethnic/sexual
orientation minority status patients as indicated by their supervisors’
ratings of “competent to implement interventions independently with
supervision and review” by the completion of each of the rotations.
-
Residents will successfully complete Seminars and Workshops devoted
to sensitivity to and understanding of cultural differences and the
implications of these differences in clinical assessment and treatment.
-
Twice per year residents will submit a written work sample in which a
treatment case formulation and treatment plan is submitted that demonstrates
an empirically based and interdisciplinary approach to treatment as well as
cultural competence. Proficiency of these work samples will be judged by the
responsible clinical supervisor, the Overall Supervisor, and the Training
Director.
Goal V:
Cultivating of a professional identity in professional psychologists.
Objective 1: To train residents to maintain an awareness of
the ethical standards of the profession of psychology.
Outcome:
Residents will
demonstrate an awareness of the ethical issues and engage in
appropriate ethical behavior in their clinical activities. This
will be assessed by ratings of the rotational supervisors and
seminar instructors.
Objective 2: To train
residents to constructively participate in the ongoing professional
development of themselves and their colleagues.
Outcome:
Residents will
routinely participate in peer supervision through the Diagnostic/Treatment
Seminar, Psychotherapy Process Seminar and Professional Issues Seminar and
demonstrate competence to provide constructive feedback to their colleagues.
This will be assessed by the seminar instructors.
TEST PROFICENCIES REQUIRED
Currently to fulfill the assessment requirement Residents
must demonstrate proficiency in the following specific psychological tests:
Neuropsychological Evaluation
For Residents completing the ½ day per week
Neuropsychology rotation, the focus will be learning how to do an effective
cognitive screening and when to refer to a Neuropsychologist. The Resident
must become proficient in the use and interpretation of the following
screening instruments:
-
Trail Making Test
-
RBANS
-
Cognistat
For Residents completing a more intensive Neuropsychology
rotation (1-2 days per week), the Resident must become proficient in the use
and interpretation of the following instruments:
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HVOT
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RCFT
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BVMT-R
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TOMM
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WCST
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Stroop
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Personality and Cognitive Evaluation
All Residents must become proficient in the following
personality/cognitive assessment instruments:
-
Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI)
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MMPI-2
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Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory III
-
Beck Depression Inventory
-
Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of
Neuropsychological Status
-
Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence
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Neurobehavioral Cognitive Status Examination (COGNISTAT)
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Mini Mental Status Examination
-
Color Trails Test
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Symbol Digit Modalities Test
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Clinician Administered PTSD Scale
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PTSD Check List
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Mississippi Scale for Combat Related PTSD
Child/Family Evaluation
For Residents obtaining specialized training in
child/family psychology, proficiency in the following assessment instruments
must be demonstrated:
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