Externship Programs

The University of Chicago Department of Psychiatry offers comprehensive training programs for advanced psychology graduate students. See below for more information.
Externship Programs

Introduction to the Adult Psychiatry Externship Program

The Adult Psychiatry Program at the University of Chicago offers 4 advanced level extern level training positions. These practica provide training in dialectic, behavioral and cognitive-behavioral interventions for individuals presenting in medical settings. Training occurs in the Adult Psychiatry Outpatient Division as well as various inpatient and outpatient medical clinics. Because these are advanced level practica, prior therapy practicum experience is required, with preference given to applicants with cognitive-behavioral training and prior exposure to the area of interest (e.g., addiction clients, eating disorders clients) and/or medical settings. A Master's degree (M.A. or M.S.) or equivalent is a must prior to engaging in this externship training at The University of Chicago.

Training occurs in the Adult Psychiatry Outpatient Division. Externs are expected to spend 1-2 days per week on their practicum, depending on the circumstances. Approximately 4-8 hours weekly are spent in direct clinical contact with patients. Externs can spend additional time in collaborative research. Externs can also attend numerous training didactics including: the Intern Clinical Training Seminar, the Department of Psychiatry Grand Rounds, and the Behavioral Medicine/Adult Psychology seminar.

One hour of direct supervision is provided weekly in either an individual or group format.

Interested clinical psychology students apply by writing directly to the faculty member listed. If you choose to apply to multiple practica, rank-order your preferences clearly in your cover letter. Send a cover letter describing your interests, prior experience, level in graduate school, and slot preference, plus two letters of recommendation, to:

Faculty member (King, le Grange, Vas)
University of Chicago Department of Psychiatry
MC 3077
5841 S. Maryland Ave.
Chicago, IL 60637

The Adult Psychiatry Externship Tracks

Smoking Cessation Practicum

Supervisor: Andrea King, Ph.D.
Number of Positions: 1-2

CALENDAR YEAR July 1, 2007 – June 30, 2008

The extern will gain experience as a primary therapist and diagnostic assessor as part of a NIH-funded smoking cessation trial. The trainee will undergo extensive training and certification as a therapist in the first two months of the externship. Once training is completed, the extern will carry a caseload of 4-6 clients weekly in smoking cessation treatment, and conduct 1-2 modified SCID assessments weekly, as needed in conjunction with the study screening process.
Treatment uses a semi-structured intervention that combines elements of motivational enhancement (MET), cognitive-behavioral (CBT), and twelve-step approaches to addiction. There are six 45-min sessions in the treatment, with two optional sessions, if needed. Therapists will audiotape sessions and engage in both group and individual supervision sessions with Dr. King on a weekly basis.
All clients in the study receive the individual therapy and nicotine patch. They will be randomized to treatment with naltrexone, an opioid antagonist approved for treatment of alcohol and heroin dependence, or identical placebo for three months. We examine biochemically-confirmed smoking quit rates as well as smoking-related weight gain, withdrawal symptoms, and urges to smoke.
Opportunities may be available for trainees to be involved in research, such as co-authoring abstracts, conference presentations, and journal publications, if desired.
For more information on the King lab: http://addictions.uchicago.edu
Core competencies on the completion of the one-year externship include:

Ability to perform comprehensive diagnostic assessment and individual therapy in nicotine dependent adults
Demonstrate mastery of delivering a motivationally-based psychotherapy approach using cognitive behavioral treatment elements and modules
Gain knowledge of addressing both psychological (coping, stress, triggers, etc.) and biological (withdrawal symptoms, craving) processes involved in initiating and maintaining smoking abstinence
Ability to work within a multi-disciplinary clinical research team, and understand the strengths and weaknesses of treatment research
(Optional): involvement in clinical research

Send all materials (CV, cover letter, and two letters of recommendation) in one envelope by February 16, 2007 to the following address:

Andrea King, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Director, Clinical Addictions Research Laboratory
The University of Chicago Medical Center
Department of Psychiatry (MC-3077)
5841 S. Maryland Avenue
Chicago, IL 60637

Applicants will be notified when their completed application is received. Selected applicants will be invited for interviews after Feb 16th. Offers will be made on an ongoing basis.

Questions? E-mail Dr. King directly at: :aking@bsd.uchicago.edu .

Eating Disorders

Supervisors: Angela Celio Doyle, PhD, Eunice Chen, PhD, Renee Rienecke Hoste, PhD, & Daniel le Grange, PhD
Number of positions: 6-7

This service focuses on the provision of assessment and specialized psychological treatment for individuals with a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder. Externs will work with outpatients in either the Eating and Weight Disorders Clinic or in the Center for the Surgical Treatment of Obesity (CSTO). Trainees will develop assessment and diagnostic skills in these patient populations and will be involved in psychological assessment and report writing. All externs are invited to attend the weekly seminars (case presentations, didactics, and manuscript meetings) held at the Eating and Weight Disorders Clinic as well as other departmental educations seminars (e.g., Grand Rounds).

Core competencies on the completion of externship include:

Knowledge of the specific issues involved in the diagnosis and assessment of eating disordered individuals
Knowledge of the standard outpatient treatment approaches in eating and weight disorders
Exposure to the role of psychologists in a multidisciplinary setting, e.g., physicians, psychiatrists, and nursing professionals.

CSTO Psychological Services Externship
On an ongoing basis, we are looking for two to three 3rd- to 4th-year Clinical Psychology doctoral students, with Masters degrees, for a clinical practicum for the assessment and follow-up of clients with severe obesity who seek surgery at the Center for the Surgical Treatment of Obesity. Externs are trained to conduct brief psychological evaluations of potential surgery candidates and follow-up of clients who undergo bariatric surgery. Externs will have the opportunity to work closely with a multidisciplinary team of surgeons, dieticians, nurses, and psychologists. Training includes didactics, modeling of assessment, follow-up skills, training to reliability, vivas and supervision. Externs are invited to attend weekly seminars (case presentations, didactics, and manuscript meetings) held at the Eating and Weight Disorders Clinic as well as other departmental education seminars (e.g., Grand Rounds). there are 6 morning/afternoon clinics per week and externs are required to be available for at least two of these clinics per week. We ask for a commitment of one year at the minimum. One extern will be responsible for co-leading a monthly support group and surgery preparation group.

Please send specific applications for this clinic to Dr. Eunice Chen at chen@bsd.uchicago.edu with these details:

One page letter of intent, including statement of career goals and their relevance to our program, previous externship training, and experience with patients with obesity;
Curriculum Vita (include email address/phone number to facilitate contact);
School transcript;
Phone numbers of three references;
Writing sample: examples include de-identified diagnostic report, psychological assessment, or initial evaluation (or other writing sample if not available).

Offers for this externship are made on an ongoing basis.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy Externship
We are looking for two advanced 3rd- or 4th-year Clinical Psychology PhD student, masters level, externs for a clinical practicum externship using Dialectical Behavioral therapy for individuals with eating and weight disorders with co-occurring disorders. Externs participate in delivering weekly group and individual Dialectical Behavior Therapy, attending a weekly therapist consultation team, and using the 24-hour paging protocol. Training includes didactics, role play, group supervision, and supervision using one-way screening rooms/videotaping. We require a 24-month commitment, given the amount of training involved. In addition to participating in group therapy, the therapist consultation team, and the 24-hour paging protocol, externs will carry 5-6 individual patients at a time.

Please send specific applications for this clinic to Dr. Eunice Chen at chen@bsd.uchicago.edu with these details:

One page letter of intent, including statement of career goals and their relevance to our program, previous externship training, and experience with patients with eating and weight disorders;
Curriculum Vita (include email address/phone number to facilitate contact);
School transcript;
Phone numbers of three references including a former clinical supervisor.

To send materials by mail, please enclose all materials in one envelope and send to:

Eunice Chen, Ph.D.
Eating Disorders Program
Department of Psychiatry
The University of Chicago
5841 S. Maryland Ave., MC 3077
Chicago, IL 60637

Offers for this externship are made on an ongoing basis.

Assessment of Eating and Weight Disorders Externship
We are looking for two 3rd- or 4th-year Clinical Psychology PhD student externs for a clinical practicum involving the assessment of eating and weight disorders in adults and adolescents. Externs participate in one to two assessments per week, each lasting approximately 3 hours. Assessments include the SCID-I, SCID-II, MINI-Kid, and the Eating Disorders Examination. Training includes didactics, audiotape review, role play, and weekly individual supervision. We require a 12-month commitment.

Please send specific applications for this clinic to Dr. Angela Celio Doyle at acdoyle@uchicago.edu with these details:

One page letter of intent, including statement of career goals and their relevance to our program, previous externship training;
Curriculum Vita (include email address/phone number to facilitate contact);
School transcript;
Phone numbers of three references including a former clinical supervisor.
Writing sample: examples include de-identified diagnostic report, psychological assessment, or initial evaluation (or other writing sample if not available).

To send materials by mail, please enclose all materials in one envelope and send to:

Angela Celio Doyle, Ph.D.
Eating Disorders Program
Department of Psychiatry
The University of Chicago
5841 S. Maryland Ave., MC 3077
Chicago, IL 60637

Applications for this externship are currently being accepted for a start date in late Spring/early Summer 2008.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Binge-Eating Disorder (BED) Externship
For each upcoming academic year between 2008-2012, we will be looking for two to three 2nd to 4th year Clinical Psychology doctoral students, with Masters degrees, for a clinical practicum in the delivery of CBT for adults with BED. These patients will be seen as part of an ongoing clinical trial. Therapists will be trained in the delivery of group and individual CBT. This training will include didactics, modeling and role-play utilizing CBT for BED, training to adherence, vivas and supervision. Externs are invited to attend weekly seminars (case presentations, didactics, and manuscript meetings) held at the Eating and Weight Disorders Clinic as well as other departmental educational seminars (e.g., Psychiatry Grand Rounds). Involvement will entail being available for 2 days per week. We ask for a commitment of one year at the minimum.

Please send specific applications for this clinic to Dr. Eunice Chen at chen@bsd.uchicago.edu with these details:

One page letter of intent, including statement of career goals and their relevance to our program, previous externship training. Experience with patients with obesity or eating disorders is preferred.
Curriculum Vita (include email address/phone number to facilitate contact);
School transcript;
Phone numbers of three references. Further letters from referees may be required.

Anxiety, Stress and Trauma Program

Supervisor:Shona N. Vas, Ph.D.
2 Positions
This externship is part of the adult outpatient psychotherapy service in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Chicago for the academic year 2007-2008. Externs will be trained to conduct structured clinical assessments for adults presenting with anxiety related symptoms, including a history of trauma. Externs will carry a caseload of 6-8 outpatient psychotherapy patients who were referred through the anxiety clinic. In addition, opportunities exist to work with other DSM-IV diagnoses (e.g. mood disorders and Axis II disorders). Treatment will be mostly cognitive-behavioral, but externs will also develop skills providing treatment from a more integrated perspective. Externs will gain experience in individual and group psychotherapy. All externs will be expected to participate in departmental training activities and seminars, including weekly team meetings. Externs will also have the opportunity to participate in a brain imaging and affective neuroscience research program investigating the neurobiology of anxiety disorders. Individual and group supervision will be provided by a licensed clinical psychologist. Externs should be enrolled in a doctoral program in clinical or counseling psychology and be available 16-20 hours per week (2-3 days on site). Start date is July 2nd, 2007.

Applications should include the following:

Curriculum Vitae
Cover letter including description of interest, previous therapy experience, and training goals.
Academic transcript
3 letters of recommendation in sealed and signed envelopes

Send all materials (in one envelope) by February 23rd, 2007 to:
Shona N. Vas, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor,
Department of Psychiatry
University of Chicago
5841 S. Maryland Ave, MC 3077
Chicago, IL 60637.

Note: This experience is an ADVANCED externship and all applicants should have at least one previous psychotherapy practicum. Selected applicants will be invited for an interview by March 9th, 2007. Offers will be made on an ongoing basis.
Please e-mail Dr. Vas at svas@yoda.bsd.uchicago.edu with questions.

The Neuropsychology Externship Tracks

The Neuropsychology Track is designed to provide an advanced training experience in neuropsychological assessment for individuals interested in pursuing a career in clinical neuropsychology. The Neuropsychology Track Program is designed to prepare you for an internship that adheres to the APA Division 40 and Houston Conference guidelines for training in clinical neuropsychology.

The Neuropsychology Service at the University of Chicago Hospitals receives inpatient and outpatient requests for assessment and treatment from Neurology, Neurosurgery, Neuropsychiatry, Geriatrics, Pediatrics, Oncology, Inpatient Psychiatry, and General Medicine clinics, as well as from private referral sources and school settings. These referrals span the entire list of neuropathological entities such as aphasia, epilepsy, degenerative disorders, tumors, learning disabilities, and traumatic brain injury. Assessment with both adult and pediatric populations is offered.

The Neuropsychology extern devotes 16-20 hours per week for a full year, starting on July 1st and ending June 30th The extern is required to spend one day per week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday) on clinic interviewing patients, and administrating, scoring, and interpreting neuropsychological test instruments, along with writing reports. All externs must also attend Friday's didactic series. This is an all day series of educational conferences, seminars, and group supervision meeting:

Brain Cutting : which is devoted to the examination of gross brain anatomy, and is geared towards understanding the neuropathology of neurological diseases

Neuroanatomy Series : an 8-10 week seminar series focused on offering a review (or introduction) of neuroanatomy principles and brain behavior relationships.

Clinical Neuroscience Series : is a weekly meeting devoted to special topics and clinical case presentations in neuropsychology and neuropsychiatry

Case Conferences : in the second half of the year, each extern will formally present a case, in the context of relevant literature. They will foster discussion of the data, summary and recommendations.

Neuropsychology Group Supervision : is a weekly meeting which provides the extern with the opportunity to examine data and discuss cases seen in various clinics by other faculty, interns, and postdoctoral fellows. The Extern will also have an opportunity to informally present cases to the group for discussion.

Specific clinic rotations offered within the Neuropsychology Track are detailed below:

Adult Neuropsychology Externship Training Program

Supervisors: Eric R. Larson, Ph.D., Maureen Lacy,Ph.D., Joseph Fink, Ph.D., ABPP/ABCN.

Number of Positions: Open

The Adult Neuropsychology Rotation is geared towards refining skills in the neuropsychological assessment of adult inpatients and outpatients drawn from Neurology, Neurosurgery, Neuropsychiatry, Geriatrics, Oncology, Inpatient Psychiatry, and General Medicine clinics, as well as from private referral sources and school settings. These referrals span the entire list of neuropathological entities such as aphasia, epilepsy, degenerative disorders, tumors, learning disabilities, and traumatic brain injury. The experience focuses on the selection, administration, and scoring of neuropsychological tests, as well as in formulating test interpretations and communicating test results through written reports and oral presentations. Outpatient evaluations are typically conducted in day-long (seven hour) sessions. The intensive nature of these assessment sessions provides an opportunity to learn in a more in-depth fashion about different types of neuropsychological syndromes as well as to participate in case formulation and plan test selection. Externs will also be exposed to intracarotid amytal (WADA) testing used in prospective neurosurgical patients.

The Memory Disorders Treatment Clinic Rotation exposes the interns to patients for whom memory impairment is a major complaint or feature of their cognitive impairment profile. The etiology of the deficits can vary widely, and include patients with primary progressive dementias, vascular dementia, or amnestic syndromes (e.g., alcohol-related illness, traumatic head injury, brain tumor resection, etc.). Interns learn to assess memory functions in a comprehensive way using both wide-ranging standardized memory assessment instruments and those tests that assess aspects of memory function in a more discrete fashion.

Pediatric Neuropsychology Externship Training Program

Supervisor: Scott Hunter, Ph.D.
2-4 Positions

The Pediatric Neuropsychology Rotation offers training in conducting brief and comprehensive evaluations of children and adolescents with suspected or known neurocognitive dysfunction. Referrals are received from inpatient and outpatient services in psychiatry, neurosurgery, oncology, neurology, and general pediatrics. Externs will learn to address referral questions through guidance in test selection, administration, and interpretation. Experience in the communication of results and impressions to families and other professionals will also be obtained.

Interns may apply to either or both tracks in Neuropsychology. In order to apply for the Adult Track, application materials should go to Dr. Lacy. For the Pediatric Track, application materials should go to Dr. Hunter.

In order to apply, students should submit the following in one mailing by March 14, 2006:

Letter of intent, including statement of career goals and interests in our program;
Current curriculum vita;
School transcript;
Two letters of recommendation;
One self-addressed, stamped postcard for notification of application status;

All materials must be compiled by the applicant and sent in one mailing. Recommendation letters should be in sealed and signed envelopes. Send completed application materials to:

Maureen Lacy, Ph.D. or Scott Hunter, Ph.D.
ATTN: Clinical Psychology Externship Selection Committee
Department of Psychiatry, MC 3077
The University of Chicago Medical Center
5841 S. Maryland Avenue
Chicago, IL 60637-1470

Applicants will be notified when their completed application are received. Selected applicants will be invited for interviews in late February and early March. Offers will be made on an ongoing basis. We will not be following the Official "Match Date", but will respect the programs that are following this agreement

Questions about the Adult Neuropsychology Training, E-mail Dr. Lacy directly at: mlacy@yoda.bsd.uchicago.edu

Questions about the Pediatric Neuropsychology Training, E-mail Dr. Hunter directly at: shunter@yoda.bsd.uchicago.edu

Applicants who accept any UC externship should understand that prior to commencing the externship they will be required to successfully pass a required medical examination which includes a drug test. Applicants should also note that some clinical placements require an automobile to gain access to them and that some placements require evening hours.

Externship Programs

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