ROTATIONS

1.  The Uptown VA General Practice Rotation

At the Uptown VA Medical Center we have developed a broad-based clinical training experience designed to maximize both the range of patient diagnostic categories and the variety of clinical training experiences. During the 4-month General Practice Rotation, Residents will have opportunities for development of their psychological assessment skills, training in crisis intervention, co-leadership of time-limited groups and weekly support groups, individual, couple, and family psychotherapy. Residents will gain experience in assessing and treating various mood, psychotic, and dementing conditions, as well as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, adjustment to serious injury and substance abuse problems. The Residents will also take an active role in treatment planning as part of an interdisciplinary team.

Psychology and Psychiatry treatment at the VAMC is provided in the context of multidisciplinary teams. Within Mental Health there are two General Psychiatry teams, and two specialty teams – PTSD and Substance Abuse – that, together, offer the bulk of Residency training in the VA General Practice rotation. Additional behavioral medicine and trauma training opportunities are offered through two Medical Rehabilitation units.

General Psychiatry Teams 1 and 2
While working with these teams, Residents will see patients diagnosed with a range of disorders including, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, various cognitive disorders and personality disorders. With these teams, Residents will spend the bulk of their time conducting psychological evaluations. These are used to diagnose, help with treatment planning, assess cognitive styles and determine cognitive impairments. The Resident will, in consultation with the supervising psychologist, select appropriate evaluation measures for a particular patient problem, administer, score and interpret the test results, write the report, and provide feedback to the patient. Instruments frequently used include the WAIS-III, WMS-III, other brief measures of intelligence and cognitive functioning, MMPI-2, MCMI, PAI and the Rorschach. Patients range in age from 18 to 80+ and frequently have multiple psychiatric diagnoses. Residents will have opportunities for brief individual, group and marital psychotherapy with these patients. Consultation/interaction with a multidisciplinary team is a typical component of the rotation as is exposure to a range of psychopharmacological interventions.

 

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment Team
The comprehensive PTSD treatment team serves male and female veterans who have encountered a variety of psychologically traumatic events. In addition to incidents occurring during war or other dangerous military assignments, treatment can focus on sexual assault, criminal assault, accidents, disasters, and child abuse. Program elements include crisis intervention (inpatient and outpatient), time-limited skills training groups, exposure therapy, supportive groups, and case management.

 

Rehabilitation Units
This VA has a unique 60-bed rehabilitation unit for active duty soldiers, injured in Iraq. These soldiers have various blast injuries, head injuries, severe limb injuries and some are struggling with the early stages of combat stress reactions. There is also a separate Medical Rehabilitation unit for veterans dealing with problems that require physical rehabilitation (e.g., stroke, TBI, amputees).

 

Substance Abuse Treatment Team
Patients seen by this team have a complex mix of co-occurring disorders that include Axis II, substance use, other Axis I disorders, and medical problems. Residents will work closely with psychiatry, medical and other allied health staff coordinating care for these complex patients. Psychoeducational group experiences are also available that follow cognitive-behavioral or AA formats. Residents can observe inpatient detox admissions and psychiatric medication evaluations. In addition, one psychologist on the team directs the VA’s smoking cessation program.

During the course of the General Practice Rotation, Residents will receive training and will be expected to become proficient in the use of the following psychological assessment instruments:

Beck Depression Inventory

Clinician Administered PTSD Scale

Color Trails Test

Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory III

Mini Mental Status Examination

Mississippi Scale for Combat Related PTSD

MMPI-2

Neurobehavioral Cognitive Status Examination (COGNISTAT)
Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI)
PTSD Check List
Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status
Symbol Digit Modalities Test
Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence

2.  The Medical Psychology Rotation
The Medical Psychology Rotation focuses on the delivery of psychological services in a medical-surgical hospital. The settings for the Medical Psychology rotation are in the Downtown (medical-surgical) Division of the VAMC, the Augusta Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Center, the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) Infectious Disease Clinic, and the MCG Children’s Medical Center. This rotation focuses on acquiring a knowledge base that will enable the psychology residents to apply fundamental psychological principles to health care settings, with a goal of training residents to function independently in interdisciplinary health care settings. Rotational requirements include: (1) behavioral medicine interventions for veterans suffering from chronic pain syndromes, anxiety-based disorders, or psychophysiological disorders, (e.g., biofeedback); (2) consultation with the Augusta Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Center – providing comprehensive interdisciplinary care for people of all ages with MS; (3) consultation with the MCG Children Medical Center - providing diagnostic and brief intervention services for the Children’s Medical Center; (4) clinical service for individuals living with HIV/AIDS in an interdisciplinary team providing consultation, rapid assessment, motivational interviewing, behavioral interventions, individual, family and group therapies in HIV and HIV related environments; (5) neuropsychological assessment; and (6) rehabilitation psychological services in the interdisciplinary Spinal Cord Injury Service. In the training of neuropsychological assessment skills, Residents will receive training and will be expected to become proficient in the use of the following assessment instruments:

	Trail Making Test	HVOT
	WAIS-III	RCFT
	WMS-3	BVMT-R
	BNT	TOMM
	COWAT	WCST
	CVLT-II	Stroop
	Finger Tapping/Grooved Pegboard

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SPECIALTY TRACKS ROTATIONS

Track Rotations and weekly track days (Wednesdays) are devoted to specialty training. This allows Residents to accumulate a specific expertise that is often quite marketable upon graduation. Residents select one specialty training track in which the training will occur during a 4- month rotation and each Wednesday of the week (for the entire year). Note that when applying via APPIC, Residents will see and select from four Track choices:

1. Health Behavior Track
2. Child and Family Track
3. Medical Psychology HIV/AIDS Track
4. Psychology of Women Track

Once accepted, Residents who applied for the Health Behavior Track will have the opportunity to specialize further within this Track by selecting one of three subspecialties:

     Health Behavior Track subspecialties:

1. Chronic Pain Neuropsychology and Spinal Cord Injury
2. Trauma/PTSD
3. PTSD/Women's Issues

Thus, we have six different specialty training options: 1) Child and Family, (2) Health Behavior- pain/neuro/spinal cord, (3) Health Behavior - Trauma/PTSD, (4) Health Behavior – PTSD/Women’s Issues (5) Medical Psychology-HIV/AIDS specialization, and (6) Psychology of Women.

Depending upon funding availability we select one Resident for the Child and Family track, one Resident for the Medical Psychology HIV/AIDS Track, one Resident for the Psychology of Women Track, and three Residents for the Health Behavior Track. Residents may apply for any or all of the four tracks on their APPIC match forms.

1.  The Child and Family Track.  This track provides specialty training in preparing professional psychologists to provide services for children and their families who represent diverse populations in regard to socioeconomic, cultural, racial and ethnic characteristics. This track makes use of the following educational components: (A) Providing assessment and treatment services in the MCG Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic and the Children’s Medical Center; (B) Participation in weekly Child, Adolescent, and Family Psychiatry interdisciplinary intakes and follow-up clinics; (C) The family therapy seminar involving didactics, live supervision, and the use of an interdisciplinary reflecting team; (D) The Child Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison Service that entails consultative services for the MCG Children’s Medical Center and pediatric liaison services for pediatric specialty clinics; (E)Pediatric neuropsychological assessment training.

2.  Health Behavior Track

     A.  Health Behavior Track - Chronic Pain, Neuropsychology and Spinal Cord Injury Specialization. This track provides specialty training in the delivery of psychological services (including chronic pain assessment and treatment, and neuropsychological assessment) to patients in a general medical-surgical hospital and clinics and a Center for Spinal Cord Injury. This track makes use of the following educational components: (1) Consultative services in the VAMC and Center for Spinal Cord injury. (2) Leading groups in the management of chronic illness/pain. (3) Interdisciplinary treatment planning in the Center for Spinal Cord Injury. (4) Neuropsychological assessment training. (5) Resident presentations on behavioral medicine issues to VAMC staff and MCG trainees. (6) Behavioral medicine and rehabilitation psychology didactics.
      B. Health Behavior Track -Trauma Specialization. This track provides specialty training in the assessment and treatment of patients with many varieties of post-trauma symptoms. The Resident will gain experience with childhood trauma, chronic trauma, male and female sexual trauma, and combat trauma spanning a range from Vietnam veterans with long-standing PTSD to active duty Iraq soldiers with acute stress disorders. Some of these patients will have complex, co-occurring Axis I and Axis II psychopathology. Some will also have medical problems associated with their trauma symptoms such as substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, hypertension, diabetes, hepatitis or dementias. In the context of an interdisciplinary health care team, residents will do inpatient crisis stabilization, diagnostic assessments, psychoeducational groups, brief psychotherapy, group therapy and individual therapy.
      C. Health Behavior Track –PTSD/Women’s Issues. The PTSD/Women’s track optional experience provides specialty training in the effects of trauma upon adult women ranging in age from 20-65. In addition the experience provides an opportunity to address gender differences in PTSD. The provision of services across settings emphasizes women’s psychological, social, cultural, and developmental issues.

 

3.  Medical Psychology - HIV/AIDS Track.  This track provides specialty training in preparing professional psychologists to provide services in interdisciplinary environments for individuals and families infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. This track makes use of the following educational components: (A) Clinical service in an interdisciplinary team providing consultation, rapid assessment, motivational interviewing, behavioral interventions, individual, family and group therapies in HIV and HIV related environments including the MCG Infectious Disease Clinic, C.A.R.E., Inc., and MCG Outpatient Psychiatry. (B) Provision of psychological assessment and care for patients with substance abuse, neuropsychological disorders, and pain disorders. (C) The development of clinical skills relevant to issues of psychology of women, palliative care, and behavioral medicine.

4.  Psychology of Women Track. This track provides specialty training in the recognition of psychological, social, and cultural issues unique to women and the provision of culturally competent psychological services to women from diverse socioeconomic, cultural, racial, and ethnic populations. Residents work at the MCG Outpatient Clinic and the VA Medical Center conducting intake evaluations, psychological assessment, and individual psychotherapy with women presenting with a broad range of problems including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, PTSD/sexual trauma, chronic illness/pain, reproductive issues/infertility, developmental issues, and borderline personality disorder. Group psychotherapy opportunities include, DBT Skills Training Group, CBT for sexual abuse survivors, chronic illness/chronic pain group, and an eating disorders group. Residents are provided training experience in consultation/liaison services to the OB/GYN department’s OB clinic for women with high-risk pregnancies.

Purpose: The Child/Family Track endeavors to provide specialty training in preparing professional psychologists to provide services for children and their families who represent diverse populations in regard to socioeconomic, cultural, racial and ethnic characteristics.

Settings: Medical College of Georgia Hospital and Clinics, Medical College of Georgia Children’s Medical Center, Georgia MHMRSA East Central Georgia Region Board Linkages and the Columbia County and Richmond County Departments of Juvenile Justice, Healthy Grandparents Project of Augusta

Faculty:

·        Alex Mabe, Ph.D., Director

·        Morris Cohen, Ed.D.

·        Bernard Davidson, Ph.D.

·        Catherine Davis, PhD

·        Donna Londino, M.D.

·        Eric Lewkowiez, M.D.

·        Dina O'Brien, Ph.D.

·        Dale Peeples, M.D.

·        Judith S. Salzer, RN, MS, CPNP, MBA

·        Sandra Sexson, M.D.

·        Frank Treiber, Ph.D.

1.  To train Residents to function effectively in Child Psychiatry and Pediatric interdisciplinary settings.

2.  To train Residents in consultation and psychological assessment strategies in child psychiatry and pediatric contexts to include developing understandings of the key patient, family, and system issues. In regard to psychological assessment skills Residents must exhibit the following proficiencies:

      A. Pediatric Neuropsychological Assessments. The Resident will become proficient in the use and interpretation of the following instruments:

WISC-IV or WPPSI-I

Differential Ability Scales (DAS)

WIAT-II or WRAT-4

GORT-4

TOWL-3

NEPSY

PPVT-III

DTVMI

Finger Taping/Grooved Peg Board

CMS

BASC-2

     B. Cognitive and Personality Assessments. The Resident will become proficient in the use and interpretation of the following instruments:

WISC-IV or WPPSI-III
WIAT-II
BASC-2
MMPI-A
CDI
CRMAS
Comprehensive Genogram

3.  To develop a working knowledge of common child psychiatric and pediatric illnesses and their associated psychosocial issues.

4.  To train Residents to become proficient in the assessment of a broad range of patient populations in child psychiatry and pediatric settings.

5.  To train Residents to become proficient in the implementation of interventions with a broad range of patient populations in child psychiatry and pediatric settings. Emphasis will be placed on family therapy, parenting training, and psychoeducational treatment approaches to child and adolescent problems.

6.  To train Residents to provide mental health education involving child-related areas for consumer and providers in mental health and underserved areas.

Clinical Training Components:
The Child/Family Track makes use of the following educational components in efforts to achieve the identified Goals/Objectives of this specialty track:

1.  For Child/Family Track Residents, the preponderance of the clinical education experience will be completed in the MCG Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic and the Children’s Medical Center providing assessment and treatment services through the Child, Adolescent, and Family Psychiatry Program. Activities in this program will include traditional outpatient intakes, assessments, and interventions. Residents will participate twice per month in the Child Psychiatry Interdisciplinary Case Consultation meeting. This consultation meeting provides an opportunity for psychology and psychiatry trainees to present assessment/ treatment cases from a biopsychosocial perspective and obtain supervision from an interdisciplinary team consisting of health care professionals representing education, nursing, psychiatry, psychology, and social work.

2. In addition to the individual supervision provided by the psychology faculty, Residents will have opportunities to participate in interdisciplinary supervision with a child psychiatry resident and attending along with the psychology faculty supervisor. This interdisciplinary supervision offers the opportunity to develop skills in interdisciplinary thinking and service delivery. As part of these outpatient experiences, Residents will also have the opportunity to participate in a weekly family therapy seminar involving didactics, live supervision, and the use of an interdisciplinary reflecting team. This seminar will focus on grounding the resident in the principles and practice of Family Psychotherapy from a contemporary systemic framework.

3.  Child/Family Track Residents will participate in the Family Solutions Program (FSP) for one of the 10-week program cycles during the year. The FSP project is a federally funded joint endeavor with MCG and the State and County Departments of Juvenile Justice. The primary intent of FSP is to serve first offenders and at risk youth and their families in Columbia and Richmond Counties. The FSP brings together youth, parents, siblings, extended families, professional group leaders, and adult volunteer facilitators with the purpose of conducting a 10-week structured multiple family group intervention program to alter chronic conflict patterns in families. Service providers for this program involve psychologists, social workers, and other DJJ personnel.

4.  Child/Family Track Residents will participate in the Healthy Grandparents Project of Augusta which is a program supported by the Georgia Department of Human Resources Safe and Stable Families Program and the MCG School of Nursing. This program promotes health and wellness in grandparent-headed families, assists families to access available resources, and facilitates maintaining the children in a stable home. The Residents will provide on-going consultation for the project staff and psychoeducational interventions for grandparents in this program throughout the year.

5.  Child/Family Track Residents will be assigned to various Child Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison Services throughout the year. Specifically, the Resident will be on-call for consultation to the pediatric inpatient services at the Children’s Medical Center for a minimum of 4-6 months during the year and the Resident will participate in a liaison activity with one of the pediatric specialty outpatient clinics for a minimum of 4 months.

6.  The Resident may elect to participate in consultation-liaison services with the General Pediatric Outpatient Clinic in the Children’s Medical Center. This setting affords residents an opportunity to work along side general pediatricians and assist in the management of various pediatric health, mood, behavior, and learning problems commonly identified by the child's primary physician. Residents assume an active role in the evaluation and management of these patients through formal clinical interviews, assessments, and therapeutic interventions. Residents also collaborate with multidisciplinary staff and gain proficiency in providing feedback/education to pediatricians and medical residents regarding child development, behavior, and mental health issues. Opportunities also exist for residents to participate in a parent-training group, and facilitate presentations to medical housestaff.

7.  During the Medical Psychology Rotation, the Resident is required to obtain pediatric neuropsychological assessment training through the MCG Department of Neurology (Pediatric Neurology section) at the Children’s Medical Center.

8.  For research activities, Child/Family Track Residents are provided the opportunity to devote a significant portion of their research efforts to working with the Georgia Prevention Institute in their on-going child research activities.

9.  Child/Family Track Residents will participate in Outreach Educational and Prevention Teams providing at minimum two presentations to mental consumers and/or providers in Georgia.

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Health Behavior Track

Chronic Pain, Neuropsychology and Spinal Cord Injury Specialization

Purpose: The Health Behavior Track -- Chronic Pain, Neuropsychology, and Spinal Cord Injury Option centers on the delivery of psychological services (including chronic pain assessment and treatment, and neuropsychological assessment) to patients in a general medical-surgical hospital and clinics and a Spinal Cord Injury Unit. It focuses on the resident acquiring a knowledge base that will enable him or her to apply and expand the application of basic psychological principles to a environment traditionally outside the realm of psychology, with a primary goal of training the resident to function independently in an interdisciplinary health care setting.

Settings: VA Medical and Surgical Hospital and Clinics, VA Center for Spinal Cord Injury and the Medical College of Georgia Hospital and Clinics

Faculty:

Goals/Objectives of the Health Psychology Track -- Chronic Pain, Neuropsychology, and Spinal Cord Injury Specialization:

1.  To train Residents to function effectively in general medical and surgical hospital and clinics and a spinal cord rehabilitation interdisciplinary setting.

2.  To train Residents in consultation assessment strategies in medical contexts to include developing understandings of the key patient, family, and system issues.

3.  To develop a working knowledge of common neurological, pain and spinal cord disorders and their associated psychosocial issues.

4.  To train Residents to become proficient in the assessment of a broad range of patient populations in a general medical and surgical hospital and clinics and spinal cord rehabilitation setting. Assessment emphasis will be placed on: (a) psychological assessment of individuals with depression, anxiety and anger secondary to a chronic medical illness, as well as those with chronic pain and other psychophysiological disorders; (b) psychophysiological assessment of individuals with chronic pain and anxiety; (c) neuropsychological assessment of both general medical and spinal cord injured patients.

5.  To train Residents to become proficient in the implementation of interventions with a broad range of patient populations in general medical and surgical hospital and clinics and spinal cord rehabilitation setting. Treatment emphasis will be placed on (a) cognitive-behavioral treatment of chronic pain, anger, anxiety and depression; (b) psychophysiological interventions such as relaxation therapy, biofeedback, and hypnosis; (c) brief family and interpersonal therapy; and (d) stress reduction training.

6.  To train Residents to provide mental health education involving health psychology areas for consumer and providers in mental health, medical and underserved areas.

Clinical Training Components:
The Health Psychology Track -- General Medical/Surgical and Spinal Cord Injury Option makes use of the following educational components in efforts to achieve the identified Goals/Objectives of this specialty track option:

Consultation: For the Health Psychology Track -- Chronic Pain, Neuropsychology, and Spinal Cord Injury Option Residents, the preponderance of the afternoon clinical education experience throughout the year will be completed in the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center Hospitals and Clinics and the Center for Spinal Cord Injury, providing assessment and treatment services through Psychology consultative services. Activities in these programs will include inpatient and outpatient intakes, assessments, and interventions.

Groups: Approximately one afternoon a week will be spent at the Medical College of Georgia Hospital and Clinics with Dr. Lara Stepleman, being a co-therapist in chronic pain and chronic medical illness groups.
Treatment Team Meetings: For the entire year, the Resident is required to participate in a weekly Spinal Cord Injury Sustaining Care Interdisciplinary Staffing meeting, and a weekly Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Staffing meeting.
Neuropsychology: For the entire year, the Resident will be assigned to liaison with the consult source at the VA, and provide education and feedback to the referral source.

Teaching: The resident will be required to teach a class at least twice every quarter to either: (a) general VA Medical Center Staff (such as a class on stress management, relaxation), (b) specific VA Medical Center Staff (such as a class on pain management to primary care staff and residents, neuropsychological assessment to neurology and neurosurgery staff and residents, or a class on depression/substance abuse in spinal cord injured patients to the Center for Spinal Cord Injury Staff) or (c) Medical College of Georgia students (such as a class on stress management to second year Physician’s Assistant students, a class on psychological approaches to chronic pain to first year Physical Therapy students, or a class on relaxation/biofeedback to third year Psychiatry Residents).

Outreach: Residents will participate in Outreach Educational and Prevention Teams providing at minimum two presentations to mental consumers and/or providers in Georgia.

Applied Training Seminar: This seminar will introduce the resident to the basics of health psychology techniques. Selection of topics to some extent will be based on the resident’s interests and skill levels. The seminar will generally include the following: (i) biofeedback training; (ii) relaxation therapy; (iii) psychophysiological assessment; (iv) hypnosis; (v) cognitive therapy of anger, anxiety, depression and pain; (vi) stress management; (vii) neuropsychological assessment, (viii) psychological issues in spinal cord rehabilitation.

Selected Readings: The resident will be provided with continually-updated research-oriented articles relevant to the topics discussed in supervision and the applied training seminar, as well as articles specifically relevant to the clinical populations being served.

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Health Behavior Track - PTSD Specialization

Purpose:
Residents selecting the PTSD option will gain experience with a wide range of problems adjusting to psychological trauma, to include PTSD, depression, panic disorder, and substance abuse. The clinical population consists of veterans with PTSD, or who have significant PTSD symptoms but below threshold for the full diagnosis. Traumatic events primarily involve war-related events or sexual assault, but may also include motor vehicle accidents, life-threatening accidents, and physical assaults. War-related events may span a range from World War II to the present military action in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Some of these patients will have complex, co-occurring Axis I and Axis II psychopathology. Some will also have accompanying medical conditions that can complicate treatment, such as HIV/AIDS, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, hypertension, diabetes, hepatitis, or dementia. In the context of an interdisciplinary health care team, residents will do diagnostic assessments and evidence-based psychological treatment, in addition to crisis stabilization.

Settings:
VA Medical Center and Medical College of Georgia Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic

Faculty:

J. William Albrecht, Ph.D.

Lorraine Braswell, Ph.D.

Jennifer Cercone, Ph.D.

Juan DeLecuona, M.D.

Gary Hann, Psy.D.

Ramanujuam Mohan, M.B.B.S.

C.W. Nichols, Ph.D.

Goals/Objectives of the Health Behavior Track PTSD Specialization

To develop competence in:

• Treating patients with many varieties of post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD), emphasizing empirically-supported treatments.
• Treating patients with multiple, sometimes chronic, psychiatric disorders.
• Selecting and using psychometrically sound assessment methods.
• Writing clinically useful reports describing history, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment recommendations.
• Managing patient care in interdisciplinary hospital teams.
• Adjusting treatment models as needed for patients with different racial and cultural backgrounds.
• Choosing and administering treatment outcome measures that are cost-efficient and clinically useful.
• Providing PTSD treatments to underserved patient populations.

Clinical Training Components
The PTSD Option in the Health Behavior Track makes use of the following educational components in an effort to achieve the identified objectives of this specialty track:

1. Residents in this option will primarily see patients followed by the PTSD Specialty Treatment Team at the VA Medical Center. Supervisors are licensed psychologists with experience in the treatment of these disorders. Patients are all veterans of military service. Some are still active duty soldiers from Iraq. Many are members of minority groups. Many are from underserved counties.

The PTSD Team follows 1200 patients and offers inpatient crisis hospitalization, outpatient medication management, diagnostic assessments andevidence-based psychological interventions such as Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy. All hospital disciplines collaborate in the treatment of these veterans. Residents divide their time primarily between assessments, crisis management, psychoeducation and psychotherapy.

2. Residents may also see patients with substance abuse disorders and or with PTSD through other VA general psychiatry clinics or through the MCG Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic where patients are either from the community or are employed by MCG and seen through the Employee Faculty Assistance Program.

3. Residents will also encounter medical problems that result from chronic PTSD as well as medical problems that simply co-occur, but that compound PTSD symptoms.

4. Psychology Residents regularly interact with medical residents, physicians, social workers, nurses and other allied health professionals in the course of normal team-based treatment. Each discipline surveys the clinical problem from their perspective in a joint intake and treatment planning process. Treatment problems are discussed as a team daily. From this Residents learn the shared working knowledge base of the team and gain an understanding of the range and limits of each professional’s expertise.

5. PTSD Option Residents will participate in Outreach Educational and Prevention Teams.

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Health Behavior Track - PTSD/Women's Issues

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Medical Psychology - HIV/AIDS Specialization Track

Purpose:
The Medical Psychology HIV/AIDS Track endeavors to provide additional specialty training in preparing professional psychologists to provide services in multidisciplinary environments for individuals and families infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.

Settings:
Medical College of Georgia Outpatient Psychiatry, Medical College of Georgia Adult and Pediatric Infectious Disease Clinics, and the Veteran Affairs Medical Center

Faculty:

Lara Stepleman, Ph.D., Track Director

Nettie Albrecht, Ph.D.

Amy House, Ph.D.
Dina O’Brien, Ph.D.
Cheryl Newman, M.D.
Peter Rissing, MD

Avis Smily-Harris, RN

Goals/Objectives of the Medical Psychology HIV/AIDS Track

1. To develop proficiency in the theory, research, and practice of HIV/AIDS psychology, and more generally, in health psychology and chronic illness management.

2. To train Residents to function effectively in interdisciplinary medical settings.

3. To train Residents in consultation assessment strategies in HIV/AIDS medical settings using a biopsychosocial approach.

4. To develop a working knowledge of HIV transmission, disease course, medications, common co-morbid psychiatric and substance abuse diagnoses, and related psychosocial issues.

5. To train Residents to become proficient in the assessment of a broad range of patient populations with emphasis on assessment in primary care settings.

6. To train Residents to become proficient in the implementation of interventions with a broad range of patient populations in psychiatric, primary care, and social service settings. Emphasis will be placed on individual therapy, group therapy, behavioral medicine, motivational interviewing, and psychoeducation.

7. To train Residents to provide HIV/AIDS mental health education to consumers and medical and mental health care providers, particularly in areas of critical need such as in rural and African American communities.

8. To develop a working knowledge of how culture, race, religion, sexual orientation, economic status and gender diversity intersect with HIV/AIDS mental health issues.

Measurable Outcomes Medical Psychology- HIV/AIDS Track
1. Residents will work comfortably across a broad array of HIV/AIDS treatment environments including medical and mental health settings that work largely with medically underserved patient populations.

2. Residents will demonstrate proficiency in consultation assessment strategies by completing a minimum of 30 brief consultations to the Infectious Disease HIV clinic. The quality of the consultations will be judged by the responsible clinical supervisor on the basis of the accuracy of the consultation and the effectiveness of communication with the consultee.

3. Residents will demonstrate knowledge of common psychiatric and medical illnesses associated with HIV/AIDS and related psychosocial issues as determined by the quality of their assessments, consultations, and associated treatment recommendations.

4. Residents must complete a minimum of four integrated assessment reports of HIV/AIDS cases in which the Resident provides pertinent data for the purpose of a clear formulation of the case, demonstrates a thorough conceptualization of the case consistent with the theoretical model used, provides a treatment plan that effectively follows from the conceptualization of the case, and includes evidence of empirical support for the treatment plan devised.

5. Residents will demonstrate proficiency in at least two evidenced based interventions. The responsible supervisor will judge the quality of these interventions.

6. Residents will successfully participate in at least one HIV/AIDS mental health
educational programs that may include consumer/community presentations, lectures to medical students, and medical/mental health provider continuing education.

Educational Implementation
Residents will spend one four-month rotation plus one full day per week throughout the year in The Medical Psychology HIV/AIDS track. The track makes use of the following training environments in an effort to achieve the identified Goals/Objectives of this specialty track:

1. The MCG Infectious Disease Clinic treats close to over 900 HIV+ individuals and is the recipient of Ryan White Title II and III funding that provides primary and ancillary medical services to indigent HIV+ patients. The resident functions as part of a large multidisciplinary primary care team, training and practicing along side physicians, physician assistants, nurses, fellows, medical students, and social workers. In this setting the resident will gain skills in consultation to physicians and patients, rapid assessment, crisis intervention, motivational interviewing and behavioral interventions. The Pediatric Infectious Disease Clinic provides similar services to the adult clinic but on a smaller scale due to the small caseload in this clinic. The resident will also spend more time in consultation with parents and families of HIV-positive children and may also participate in the clinic support groups. MCG Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic provides diagnostic evaluation, individual, family, and group psychotherapy for individuals infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS.

2. Residents will chose from other MCG and VA clinic options to augment their HIV/AIDS experience including substance abuse, neuropsychology, chronic pain, trauma, psychology of women, pallative care, and other chronic illness populations.

3. Residents have the option to participate in HIV prevention services to through MCG’s HIV outreach team.

4. Residents will participate in at least one HIV/AIDS mental health educational programs that may include consumer/community presentations, lectures to medical students, and medical/mental health provider continuing education.

5. The resident will participate 4 hours per week in activities that fulfill the research requirement for the residency. This may involve a data-based research project, analysis of an existing data base, writing a critical review, conducting a program evaluation project, or a policy evaluation project. The resident’s research project will be relevant to the Medical Psychology but may or may not be directly related to HIV.

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Psychology of Women Track

Purpose:
The psychology internship year is often a time when psychology trainees seek to consolidate their clinical skills and pursue specialization in an area consistent with their career goals. The purpose of the Psychology of Women Track is to produce professional and racially/ethnically diverse psychologists who are well prepared for and seek out careers that serve the mental health needs of women and advance the knowledge base in the psychology of women. This track experience provides specialty training in the recognition of psychological, social, and cultural issues unique to women and the provision of culturally competent psychological services to women from diverse socioeconomic, cultural, racial, and ethnic populations. Special emphasis is given to training experiences in women’s health psychology in multidisciplinary settings, and to experiences with women who typically have limited access to mental health and medical services.

Settings: Medical College of Georgia Hospital and Clinics and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Psychology of Women Faculty:

Amy House, Ph.D., Track Director

Lorraine Braswell, Ph.D.

Adelina Emmi, M.D.
Rebecca Jump, Ph.D.

Christian Lemmon, Ph.D.

Lara Stepleman, Ph.D.

Primary Goals/Objectives of the Psychology of Women Track

1.  To train Residents to recognize and understand cultural and societal influences on women and their contribution to women’s experiences of both psychopathology and normal psychological development, including such phenomena as:

  A.  MCG Outpatient Clinic and VAMC Outpatient Services

• Outpatient intake evaluations
• Psychological assessment
• Individual psychotherapy with women presenting with a broad range of problems including:
  • Depression