Rotations
The internship year is divided into three four-month rotations. On each rotation site, the intern works closely with attending psychologists and/or psychiatrists who provide clinical and administrative supervision. Interns provide an array of clinical services and participate in various team activities on each rotation site. The majority of the rotation sites are open to all interns, who rank their preferences during the orientation period in July. The exceptions to this are outlined below.
Adult Psychology Track: Interns in this track may rank their preferences from any of the rotations offered. At least one of their rotations will be on an inpatient unit.
Child and Adolescent Psychology Track: Interns in this track must complete either the Child Inpatient Psychiatry Unit or the Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatry Unit rotation, and a second rotation that is also child or adolescent-focused. They may indicate their preferences for their third rotation from any of the other rotations offered.
Forensic Psychology Track: Interns in this track must both the assessment-focused rotation and treatment-focused rotation on the Forensic Inpatient Psychiatry Service at Bellevue Hospital Center. They may indicate their preferences for their third rotation from any of the other rotations offered.
Adolescent Day Treatment Program
The Adolescent Day Treatment Program (ADTP) is an intensive, non-residential therapeutic program that provides a safe, supportive, patient-centered environment for adolescents aged 12-17 who have been diagnosed with psychiatric disorders. Areas of focus are both clinical (e.g. the stabilization of behavioral problems, the development of age-appropriate coping and social skills) as well as academic (e.g. incorporating direct school observation and collaboration with both family members and Bellevue’s on-site school staff). Psychology interns work as part of a multidisciplinary team and provide services including evaluation, treatment planning, individual, group and family therapy as well as skills-building and appropriate disposition planning and referral.
Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatry Unit
This unit serves patients between the ages of 12 and 16 years who present with a wide range of diagnoses, including psychotic disturbances, mood disorders, burgeoning personality disorders and behavioral disorders. The intern serves as the primary clinician for 3-5 patients, provides group psychotherapy, and conducts psychological assessments. Interns work as part of a multidisciplinary team that includes psychiatry residents, social workers, activity therapists and nursing staff. There is also frequent contact between interns on this rotation and outside agencies, including schools, treatment centers and the Administration for Children’s Services.
Adult Inpatient Psychiatry Unit
This is a 28-bed unit providing acute psychiatric services to individuals who carry with primary Axis I diagnoses, including all subtypes of schizophrenia, schizoaffective and bipolar disorders. While on this unit, interns learn to apply various psychological interventions within the inpatient milieu treating individuals with severe mental illnesses. Interns on this rotation are supervised both by psychologists and psychiatrists, conducting individual and group psychotherapy, as well as brief psychological assessments. The intern also serves as the primary clinician for a small number of patients, collaborating with a psychiatric resident who addresses medication management issues. This unit is the inpatient training unit for the NYU School of Medicine Psychiatric Residency Program; consequently, there are many opportunities to work with other advanced trainees in psychiatry as well as regular didactic presentations.
Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture (PSOT)
This program provides comprehensive medical and mental health care to survivors of war and war trauma. Clients come from over 60 different countries, and the PSOT is committed to providing treatment that is both culturally relevant and appropriate. Interns on this rotation conduct intake interviews with potential new clients, provide individual and group psychotherapy, address crisis intervention needs, and participate in the forensic evaluation of asylum cases. Supervision is conducted according to an array of theoretical orientations including psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral and family systems.
Bilingual Treatment Program Clinic (BTP)
The BTP is a specialized outpatient mental health clinic that is tailored to meet the specific psychological, psychiatric and psychosocial needs of the Hispanic community. Its mission is to provide culturally relevant and competent services to individuals of Hispanic descent. Interns on this rotation work with a wide range of Spanish-speaking patients, conducting intakes and initial evaluations, individual and group psychotherapy, as well as family/couples therapy as conceptualized within a culturally-competent framework. The intern will also perform occasional psychological assessments, utilizing instruments that are culturally-sensitive.
Chemical Dependency Outpatient Clinic
This rotation provides the intern with varied experience in substance abuse assessment and treatment. Working with a population of polysubstance dependent individuals, the intern will gain experience in identifying and treating the psychological, social, cognitive and medical sequelae of substance abuse. Interns on this rotation conduct intake interviews, individual and group psychotherapy, case management and occasional psychological assessments. Interns will also become familiar with the multiple issues related to the treatment of mentally ill chemical abusers (MICA).
Child Inpatient Psychiatry Unit
This unit treats children between the ages of 4 and 11 years, providing psychiatric evaluation, psychological assessment and treatment services related to developmental and psychiatric disorders. This unit also has an autistic classroom for children in this age range. Interns on this rotation conduct assessments, provide psychotherapy and serve as the primary clinician for a small number of patients. There are also frequent opportunities for school consultation as well as interaction with family members.
Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP)
The CPEP is the gateway into the inpatient psychiatric services at Bellevue Hospital Center, evaluating over 700 patients each month. CPEP utilizes a prevention-oriented service model, designed to increase the variety of services available to the community that includes a Mobile Crisis Outreach Team, a 72-hour Interim Crisis Unit and crisis residence services. Interns on this rotation are responsible for conducting diagnostic evaluations, performing mental status examinations and formulating appropriate disposition plans. This rotation provides experience in rapid, in-depth psychiatric assessment, differential diagnosis, crisis management and psychopharmacology.
Dual Diagnosis Inpatient Psychiatry Unit
This is a 27-bed unit that serves patients who present with mental illnesses as well as substance abuse disorders. Interns on this unit serve as the primary clinician for a small number of patients and provide both individual and group psychotherapy. In addition, interns gain exposure to an array of treatment interventions, ranging from spiritually-oriented treatments, such as AA, to purely behavioral interventions such as the token economy, as well as holistic approaches such as yoga and meditation, and the principles of motivational enhancement therapy, relapse prevention strategies, and familial interventions.
Forensic Assessment Rotation
On this rotation, required of interns in the Forensic Psychology Track, the intern spends time at both the Inpatient Forensic Psychiatry Service at Bellevue Hospital as well as the Bronx Forensic Psychiatry Court Clinic. The assessments conducted on the Forensic Psychiatry Service are typically used for the purposes of treatment planning, discharge planning, pre-sentencing evaluation or to aid in the assessment of competency to stand trial. At the Court Clinic, assessments incorporate interview and collateral data for purposes including the placement of offenders in jail diversion programs, assessment of clinical issues such as substance abuse or domestic violence, and for the purpose of gaining insight into adolescent offenders waived into adult criminal court for violent crimes.
Forensic Treatment Rotation
This rotation, required of interns in the Forensic Psychiatry Track, is housed on the Inpatient Forensic Psychiatry Service at Bellevue Hospital, which is a 60-bed service that provides acute psychiatric care to individuals who have been charged with a criminal act. Patients on this unit may be pre-arraignment, awaiting trial or post-conviction. Interns on this rotation work as part of a multi-disciplinary team comprised of a psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, activity therapist and medical student. The intern conducts intake interviews and provides both individual and group psychotherapy services, and also serves as the primary therapist for a small number of cases. Interns on this rotation also have the opportunity to observe evaluations of competency to stand trial.
Inpatient Rehabilitation Medicine
This unit provides comprehensive care to individuals who present with an array of conditions including spinal cord injuries, cerebrovascular accident (stroke), dementia, traumatic orthopedic fractures and neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Interns on this rotation conduct focused neuropsychological assessments and provide short-term psychotherapeutic treatment. Pre-morbid psychopathology, if present, is also assessed and treated as it impacts recovery and rehabilitation. This rotation integrates the intern into a multidisciplinary treatment team which is comprised of physicians, physical and occupational therapists, speech pathologists, art therapists, social workers and psychiatrists.
Neuropsychology Consultation Service
Interns on this rotation gain experience in neuropsychological assessment techniques, working with a wide array of both psychiatric and non-psychiatric inpatients and outpatients. Intensive supervision emphasizes both normative and qualitative interpretation of standard neuropsychological instruments, with particular focus on the integration of neuropsychological results and pertinent psychodiagnostic findings. Interns also participate in a weekly case conference, and there is the opportunity for a one month ‘sub-rotation’ on the Neurology inpatient unit, during which the intern serves as a consultant and gains exposure to neuroimaging techniques.
Pediatric Psychiatry Unit
Interns on this rotation provide psychological consultation-liaison services to outpatients between the ages of 2 and 22 years. This comprehensive mental health clinic serves specialty clinics including Adolescent Medicine as well as the Asthma, Dermatology, Gynecology and Neurology services. Emphasis is on the evaluation and diagnosis of psychiatric problems and psychological reactions to medical illness, and the intern performs intake assessments, mental status examinations, and provides varied consultative services to physicians, families and schools. There are also opportunities for psychological assessment of preschoolers, children and adolescents.
Psycho-Oncology and Palliative Care
Interns on this service treat patients who are receiving care in Bellevue’s Cancer Center and/or who are followed by Bellevue’s Palliative Care Consultation Service. The intern will learn to integrate a biopsychosocial framework into both conceptualization and treatment of patients with psychological and psychiatric needs secondary to cancer and other serious illnesses. Services provided include consultation with patients, families and other care providers, short-term psychotherapy, crisis intervention and grief and bereavement counseling. The intern will work with a variety of other providers on this rotation including physicians, psychiatrists, social workers, nurse practitioners and chaplains.
Recovery Clinic
The recovery clinic is a day treatment program for mentally ill chemical abusing (MICA) individuals. It is structured as a modified therapeutic community (TC) that patients attend for approximately 12-18 months. The majority of patients in this clinic present with co-occurring major mental illnesses as well as polysubstance dependence, and they enter the clinic in varying stages of drug abstinence and psychiatric stability. Interns on this rotation are active members of the multidisciplinary treatment team and conduct extensive intake assessments as well as individual and group psychotherapy. Psychological assessments and case management responsibilities are also incorporated into this rotation.
Virology Program
This rotation provides interns with exposure to the myriad psychological issues encountered by individuals who are infected with the HIV virus, their caregivers, and others who are affected by HIV/AIDS. Interns provide an array of individual, family, couples and group psychotherapy services, working as part of an interdisciplinary team of psychiatrists, psychologists, physicians, nurses, social workers and substance abuse specialists. Treatment is provided to both inpatients and outpatients, and the individuals treated vary widely with regard to age, gender, socio-economic background, sexual orientation and degree of physical health.
