School of Medicine

Section of Clinical Psychology

SAMPLE SPECIALTY ROTATIONS

*Possibly subject to change each training year depending on the needs in the community. 

**Interns typically choose two rotations to complete for the training year. One occurs for the first six months and the other for the second six months of the year.

University Hospital Inpatient Trauma Psychology

The Norman E. McSwain, Jr, MD, Spirit of Charity Trauma Center at University Medical Center (UMC) New Orleans is the only level 1 trauma center serving the greater New Orleans and Mississippi Gulf Coast areas. At UMC, the Trauma Recovery Team (TRT) is made up of psychologists, psychiatry residents, psychology trainees, and social workers. Our team’s mission is to foster resilience in patients/survivors, healthcare workers, and our community by increasing awareness of trauma and providing pathways to psychological healing. Supervised by Drs. Erika Rajo and Sandy Hyatt, psychology interns will have the opportunity to engage in the proactive screening of patients seeking treatment for traumatic injuries at UMC. Using a Stepped Collaborative Care Model, interns will have the opportunity to support patients recovering from a wide array of physical injuries including but not limited to motor vehicle accidents, gunshot wounds, work-related injuries, injuries resulting from community violence, and other accidental injuries. During their weekly Trauma Psychology shift, interns will see patients and their loved ones on the Trauma Intensive Care Unit and step-down medical floors to provide screening and brief intervention for trauma-related distress, depression, alcohol/substance use, and risk of violence-related reinjury. Interns will provide consultation to a multidisciplinary team including consultation-liaison psychiatry, trauma surgery, orthopedic surgery, physical/occupational/speech therapy, and nursing staff, as well as link patients to the UMC Trauma Recovery Center, Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program, and other community resources based on their specific needs. Depending on availability and interest, interns on the Trauma Psychology specialty rotation may also participate with research projects, community outreach efforts, trauma-related presentations and trainings, and the biweekly Trauma Survivors Support Group. For more information about UMC and the Trauma Center visit http://www.umcno.org/

University Hospital Burn Center
The psychology clinic at the Burn Center at University Medical Center, New Orleans is a specialty service under the umbrella of the UMCNO Trauma Psychology team. Our Burn Center, we are proud to report, is the Gulf South's only Burn Center verified by the American Burn Association. In brief, that means that we provide a high standard of care to individuals with serious burn injuries. The Burn Psychology team is currently comprised of Dr. Nathan Brown (Burn rotation supervisor), LSUHSC faculty psychologist, though he collaborates closely with the Trauma Center mental health providers as well as the multidisciplinary burn team (i.e., burn surgeons, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, pharmacists, speech therapists, dieticians, and more). This rotation shares some similarities with the trauma rotation; for example, we provide inpatient psychological screening and short-term interventions for our hospitalized patients. However, the experience will differ from the trauma rotation because, in contrast to the Trauma Center, the Burn Center is contained in a relatively small 16-bed unit and patients are often hospitalized for up to several months. Therefore, interns will have the opportunity to work with a consistent team of burn staff and to follow patients on an inpatient basis for a relatively longer period of time.  In sum, psychology interns will have the opportunity to provide psychological screenings, brief interventions, and individual and family psychotherapy treatment for inpatients at the Trauma Center. Depending on availability and interest, interns may also participate in the Burn Center's weekly multidisciplinary team meetings, monthly educational conference, burn research projects, biweekly Burn Survivor Support Group, and observe burn surgeries.  For more information about UMC and the Burn Center visit https://www.umcno.org/programs-services/burn-center/

University Hospital Bariatric Clinic
The Center for Weight Loss and Bariatric Surgery is a clinic within University Medical Center providing vertical sleeve gastrectomy and Roux-en-y bypass surgery to the morbidly obese. During this rotation, interns will have the opportunity to learn about and conduct psychological evaluations required for clearance for bariatric surgery. Interns will additionally have the opportunity to provide screening and brief interventions, manualized treatment for binge eating disorder, and post-operative health and behavior assessments. The bariatric behavioral health team works closely with social work, nursing, dieticians, and bariatric surgeons on a multidisciplinary team to ensure optimal weight loss success and improvement in quality of life. This rotation is supervised by Dr. Lindsey Poe. 

School-Based Consultation
Since 2006, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Department of Psychiatry (LSUHSC) has worked collaboratively to meet the psychosocial and educational needs of students and families in various schools in and around the New Orleans area.  The purpose of the school rotation for psychology interns is to improve the interns understanding of the role a clinical psychologist plays in a school setting. More specifically, the intern learns how to provide effective consultation services to school administrators and teachers regarding challenging students at school and managing difficult behaviors. Interns will also learn about techniques and treatment styles that are different in a school setting from an outpatient setting. Interns will conduct classroom observations, create functional behavior assessments and behavior intervention plans. Clinical psychologists do not always get to experience a child population in a school setting whereas trainees who are seeking specialization in school psychology will be well versed in this aspect of training. It is important for clinical psychology trainees to gain experience working with children in a school setting because children spend most of their day at school. The relationships children build with peers and teachers are important aspects of their development.  This rotation is under the supervision of Dr. Michelle Moore.

Opportunities Academy
Opportunities Academy (OA) is a rigorous, post-secondary full day program for scholars with neuro-developmental disabilities aged 17-22. During this rotation, interns will have the opportunity to be an integrated member of the school's mental health team, participating as a member of the IEP team. They will have the opportunity to complete integrated Louisiana Bulletin 1508 compliant psycho-educational evaluations in conjunction with related services providers and will have the opportunity to conduct Functional Behavior Assessments and create Behavior Intervention Plans for scholars with a variety of intervention needs in conjunction with teachers and job coaches. Opportunities are also available to provide individual and group therapy, social skill trainings, and provide professional development trainings on topics related to mental health to OA program teachers and staff. Dr. Kristin Callahan provides supervision during this elective.

CrescentCare
CrescentCare is a Federally Qualified Health Center specializing in the care of people living with HIV and members of the LGBTQ community. CrescentCare provides integrated care, including primary medical services, behavioral health, and preventative services, regardless of income or insurance status. Interns will provide individual therapy services within the Behavioral Health Department for people living with HIV. Patients present with a wide range of psychological conditions, including severe mood disorders, PTSD, and substance abuse. The intern will work as part of a multidisciplinary team and under the supervision of Dr. Andrea LaPlante.

HIV Outpatient Clinic at UMC
An intern's role at the HOP Clinic is primarily conducting neuropsychological assessments and 1-2 sessions of individual psychotherapy with patients diagnosed with HIV and hepatitis. Referrals come from other providers within the clinic. For assessments, referrals are typically added to the intern's schedule at the request of other providers who are looking to quickly seek information about patients' suitability for simulant medications or questioning changes in cognitive status as a result of a neurodegenerative process. Intakes and assessments are conducted within a single visit so results can be provided to the referral source prior to patients' next visit with them, which is often within the next 14 days.  This rotation is under the supervision of Dr. Shane Bierma.