Psychology Internship Program - Inpatient and Outpatient Tracks - Paid

SCP Psychology Internship Program

Sutter Center for Psychiatry (SCP) is a freestanding not for profit inpatient and outpatient psychiatric hospital located in Sacramento, California, and is part of Sutter Health, Northern California’s largest healthcare system. The Psychology Internship Program is APA Accredited as part of the California Psychology Internship Consortium and provides training and professional development through generalist based tracks in clinical psychology.

About the Program

The Internship Program provides the knowledge and skills necessary for assessment, diagnosis, and intervention with a variety of clients in both an inpatient and partial hospitalization setting. Doctoral Interns have the opportunity to provide psychological testing, group therapy, individual therapy, and consultation utilizing a recovery centered approach, emphasizing strength based, client-focused, and trauma informed care.

The program utilizes a practitioner-scholar model and utilizes empirically based psychotherapy treatment modalities including: Dialectical Behavioral Therapy skills training, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Seeking Safety, and mindfulness based approaches. Interns are trained in the theory, technique, and implementation of these modalities. Interns also gain knowledge and competence in brief psychological assessment including administration, scoring, and interpretation of various cognitive, personality, and diagnostic measures. In addition they provide consultation as part of their work with a collaborative multidisciplinary team. Interns attend biweekly didactic seminars, have weekly individual and group supervision, and have the opportunity to be involved in some program development and presentations. Throughout the year interns are trained in professional conduct, ethical and legal matters, and the necessary skills to become an independent clinical psychologist.

The SCP Internship Program offers full-time positions within 2 training tracks. Each track works with a broad spectrum of ages and clinical presentations. The tracks are based within acute mental health settings including an inpatient psychiatric hospital and partial hospital program. The full training year is spent within one of these tracks rather than implementing “rotations” in order to gain expertise within these specific settings. The training program lasts for one year, starting in July, and adheres to the licensing requirements for the California Board of Psychology, APA guidelines, and all ethical, legal, and professional standards. During the training year interns will accrue 1,500 hours of supervised professional experience.

Inpatient Track

Interns provide evidence-based group psychotherapy, psychological assessment and consultation, working with children, adolescents and adults on the Child and Adolescent unit (C/A), the Adult Care Unit (ACU), and the Adult Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

• Child/Adolescent Unit: Doctoral Interns provide group psychotherapy utilizing the evidence-based therapies including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). In addition they participate in multidisciplinary team meetings and provide individual therapy, and consultation and psychological assessment to children and adolescents. The C/A unit is comprised of 23 beds, which include both children (ages 5 to 12), and adolescents (ages 13-17).
• Adult Care Unit: Doctoral Interns provide group psychotherapy utilizing the Seeking Safety curriculum, which is an evidence-based therapy for co-occurring Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Substance Abuse disorders, as well as other behavioral health conditions. In addition, Interns provide individual therapy, psychological assessment and consultation, and participate in daily multidisciplinary team meetings. The unit is comprised of 35 beds.
• Intensive Care Unit: Doctoral Interns provide group psychotherapy utilizing evidence-based therapies including CBT, DBT, and ACT. Interns also provide individual therapy, and psychological assessment. The ICU is comprised of our most acute adult population and contains 15 beds. Interns are able to develop the skill of integrating multiple evidence based interventions within group and individual settings depending on the need of the individual(s) they are working with. Interns also gain extensive knowledge and experience providing brief individual interventions as well as crisis stabilization. Interns work within a multidisciplinary team comprised of Psychiatrists, LCSW’s, RN’s, Recreation Therapists, Pharmacists, and Utilization Review staff, among others.

Interns are able to develop the skill of integrating multiple evidence based interventions within group and individual settings depending on the need of the individual(s) they are working with. Interns also gain extensive knowledge and experience providing brief individual interventions as well as crisis stabilization. Interns work within a multidisciplinary team comprised of Psychiatrists, LCSWs, RNs, Recreation Therapists, Pharmacists, and Utilization Review staff, among others.

Partial Hospital Program/Intensive Outpatient Program Track

As part of the PHP/IOP track, interns provide extensive group therapy treatment, psychosocial assessments, and support staff with risk assessment and safety planning when appropriate. Interns work with adolescents and adults in our PHP and IOP programs.

• Adolescent PHP/IOP: Interns gain knowledge and experience utilizing DBT as the core of the group therapy interventions. They also integrate other evidence based treatments including CBT and ACT. Interns work with adolescents in the daytime PHP and evening IOP, providing both psycho-educational group therapy, as well as process-oriented groups. Interns may also participate in the weekly multi-family meeting, where parents come for a joint session with the adolescents.
• Adult PHP/IOP: Interns provide evidence-based treatments including DBT, CBT, ACT, and Seeking Safety in working with adults in our daytime PHP and evening IOP, providing both psycho-educational group therapy, as well as process-oriented group therapy.

Interns work within a multidisciplinary team comprised of Psychiatrists, LCSWs, RNs, LVNs, and MFTs. Interns participate in daily morning meetings, flash rounds, daily huddles and case conferences with the team.

Salary and Benefits

The SCP Internship is a limited term non-exempt position that pays an annual salary of $25,000 plus a full benefits package.

Benefits include full medical coverage, access to low cost dental and vision coverage for the employee and family, life insurance, health savings account, and retirement plans.

We offer paid time off at the rate of 8 hours for every 80 hours worked. On Sutter observed holidays, interns and employees must use paid time off.  Sutter observes the following nine holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, the day after Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.  After holiday use, each intern will have approximately 15 days (3 weeks) of paid time off to use throughout the year.