Ochsner Health is a system that delivers health to the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and the Gulf South with a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate.
Adult Track - Ochsner Psychology Doctoral Internship
The OPDI Adult Track consists of a variety of experiences to promote the development of both breadth and depth of clinical skills for psychologists in training. As outlined below, interns on the Adult Track choose 3 rotations during the year (4 months each) where they work with specific populations and within specialized settings to gain exposure to a variety of clinical settings within a medical center. Throughout the internship year, interns also work within the general outpatient setting in several different roles, as described below. There are three positions available on the Adult Track each training year.
Year-Long Experiences
Interns carry 4-6 individual therapy cases at any given time, with cases assigned from the general outpatient psychiatry clinic. Cases can be tailored to the intern’s particular interests and will be supervised by staff psychologists with the goal of exposing interns to an array of therapeutic modalities. Interns have the opportunity to participate in the department's Brief Evidence-Based Psychotherapy (BEBP) Clinic through several rotations and long-term cases.
Interns will facilitate or co-facilitate a minimum of 1 group during their training year. Depending on the intern’s level of experience with group therapy, they will have opportunities to observe groups or co-facilitate with experienced psychologists at the start of the year. There are a variety of group therapy possibilities available to interns, including time-limited CBT groups, support groups for specific populations, or process groups.
Interns are expected to complete 4-6 integrated testing reports throughout the year. The types of reports available include presurgical assessments (bariatric, pain, donor), diagnostic clarity, and adult ADHD assessments. Interns will each participate in a 4-month long assessment rotation which will begin with intern observation of staff psychologist conducting assessments and self-study items, transition to psychologist observation of interns’ assessment administration and report writing, and end with independent intern assessment administration.
Rotations
During the internship year, interns complete three 4-month rotations for approximately 16 hours per week. Matched interns will be asked to choose their first rotation in advance of starting internship, and will be given opportunities to speak to supervisors of different tracks of interest prior to choosing. Interns will choose their second and third rotations during orientation week. Every effort is made to give interns their top three choices. Rotations provide the interns with exposure to different specialties within a large medical center and the opportunity to develop a breadth of clinical skills in these specialties through observation, formal learning, supervision, and direct clinical work. It is expected that interns spend 4 half days per week on their rotations, although each rotation may have important aspects that require some flexibility with scheduling. Interns have a primary supervisor on each rotation who sets up a schedule of training and clinical activities with them. The Co-Training Director over the Adult Track oversees interns schedule to ensure that rotation requirements and required intern training experiences, such as didactics, do not conflict.
All rotations are located at Ochsner Main Campus unless otherwise noted. Available rotations are subject to change based on department staff, but are likely to include:
(Supervisors: Michele Larzalere, PhD and Tracey Murry, PhD) – Located at the Benson Cancer Center, this rotation involves working with inpatients and outpatients with a variety of cancer diagnoses. Clinical opportunities include being on a multidisciplinary team, providing assessments, conducting individual therapy, and providing consultation. The psycho-oncology rotation also may include some research opportunities.
(Supervisor: Jackie Ball, PhD) – This rotation includes training related to assessment/evaluation as well as evidence-based group and individual treatment to women diagnosed with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, as well as pregnancy and infant loss and birth trauma.
(Supervisor: Ariana Mitchell, PhD) – Interns on this rotation work within Ochsner’s Mental Wellness Program (OMW), a rolling admission 10-day intensive outpatient program for patients with a primary psychiatric diagnosis requiring stabilization. The intern’s duties may include: facilitating or co-facilitating groups, providing individual therapy to patients, providing psychological assessment to patients, and being involved on multiple levels with an interdisciplinary team approach.
(Supervisor: Taylor Parks, PhD) – On this rotation, interns learn to assess, diagnose, and treat PTSD using APA’s Clinical Practice Guidelines. They have introductory training for evidence-based trauma treatment of these EBP’s - Prolonged Exposure (PE), Written Exposure Therapy (WET), and/or Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR). Interns are supervised on individual therapy cases using these protocols and have the opportunity to be involved in the provision of CPT group therapy.
(Supervisor: Allison Smith, PhD) – Interns on this rotation learn the four modules of DBT skills in depth and are supervised in implementing DBT skills to treat a variety of presenting problems. Interns learn and teach these modules predominantly in the group setting with some possibility for individual treatment opportunities. This rotation does not teach comprehensive DBT and focuses on learning and teaching core skills.
(Supervisor: Jacklyn Ruhl, PhD) – Interns on this rotation will see patients within the BEBP Clinic (Brief Evidence-Based Psychotherapy Clinic) to strengthen breadth and depth of time-limited manualized treatment protocols. Interns will choose two or more protocols from the following options: CBTi (CBT for Insomnia), CBT for Panic (CBT for Panic Attacks), CBT for Complicated/Prolonged Grief, Brief CBT, and CPT (Cognitive Processing Therapy – only if the intern has prior experience treating PTSD or using this protocol).
