The intern works as part of a multidisciplinary team to promote physical and emotional healing from the trauma of burns. Both activities provide training and diverse experience in providing psychological assessment and intervention to medically ill patients and their families, as well as consultation to their healthcare providers. The intern has the opportunity to tailor a part of the internship experience to special interests. For example, an intern might choose to spend the elective period working on a medical patient consultation service, a drug abuse unit, a neuropsychological service, a community mental health service, or any of the many other facilities affiliated with the Upstate Medical University. The intern might also be involved in research during the elective period.
Interns take turns presenting audiotapes of ongoing cases.
The same case is followed for a period of time ranging from a few weeks to several months. Issues in psychotherapy are discussed and approaches to therapy are taught that extend and enlarge what is learned during individual supervision. Discussion of a developmental psychodynamic approach to personality theory, psychopathology, and assessment. The seminar will include presentations on objective, projective and neuropsychological approaches to testing. In the screening clinic, patients are interviewed by psychology interns and faculty.