Grad School External Practicum Placement experiences

[AryaStark]

Hey All,
I was just thinking about what I want to do for the next few years in terms of practicum in my program that is outside of our graduate school clinic. I figured It'd be interesting to see (generally) what other people have going on out there in the world of clinical psychology phd programs! It may also be a sneaky way to see what I'm up against, but shhhh. Without going into too much detail about your placements what types of practicum experiences are you getting? What's your role?

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[erg923]

Well this obviously depends on what is available within your geographic area. For example, VAs opps are popular and very plentiful here in California, but may not be so in more rural areas of the country.

My practicums have been 1.) the in-house university clinic 2.) Full service academic VA med center 3. Academic medical school psychosis and depression research clinic (ongoing) 4. County hospital (rehab 6 months and inpatient/outpatient psychiatry 6 months).

The VA was neuropsych (memory disorders clinic and some C&Ps). The med school research clinic is clinical research: SCIDs, rating scales, writing psychodiagnotic reports to justify study inclusion. The county hospital has been garden variety psychtherapy, lots of structured B-med stuff, one substance abuse group, and assessments given (ie., MMPI, MCM-III, RBANS WAISs and lots of coping skills questionnaires) primarily for treatment planning rather than differential diagnosis.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I've been fortunate in that my program is both well-connected within the state in terms of practicum site relationships and very accommodating of its students' training goals. Off the top of my head, some of my rotations have included: 1) in-house university clinic doing predominantly psychoeducational testing, 2) state-run developmental center screening individuals with intellectual disabilities for dementia, 3) state forensic facility administering all sorts of cognitive and psychological assessments, 4) private practice neuropsychology clinic, 5) community mental health clinical (inpatient and outpatient SMI; largely a treatment-oriented role), and 6) indigent care medical center handling neuropsychological testing and psychological assessment/treatment.

 

[erg923]

I've been fortunate in that my program is both well-connected within the state in terms of practicum site relationships and very accommodating of its students' training goals. Off the top of my head, some of my rotations have included: 1) in-house university clinic doing predominantly psychoeducational testing, 2) state-run developmental center screening individuals with intellectual disabilities for dementia, 3) state forensic facility administering all sorts of cognitive and psychological assessments, 4) private practice neuropsychology clinic, 5) community mental health clinical (inpatient and outpatient SMI; largely a treatment-oriented role), and 6) indigent care medical center handling neuropsychological testing and psychological assessment/treatment.

As long as supervision is appropriate, I'm sure you cant go wrong with any of those. However, I dont think we are allowed (in my program) to do formal practicums in someones private practice.

Obviously, pick the ones that fit your interests and would be beneficial for preparing your for the type of internship you want to get. Also, dont fall into doing 2 or 3 similar practicums. For example, I dont care how into npsych you are, you shouldn't do 3 years of npsych assessment and report writing.

 

[KayJay85]

My experiences have been similar to those listed. I have had 2 practicum experiences at our local VA (one neuro and one in trauma); a stint at a community-based HIV clinic; and am currently completing a practicum in our university-sponsored dual diagnosis clinic (SMI case management and substance dependence). My roled have been primarily in assessment, diagnositic interviewing, and report writing, but I did have the opportunity to do individual therapy at the HIV clinic. In fact, I am still carrying 2 of those cases along with my therapy patients from the student clinic.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

As long as supervision is appropriate, I'm sure you cant go wrong with any of those. However, I dont think we are allowed (in my program) to do formal practicums in someones private practice.

Obviously, pick the ones that fit your interests and would be beneficial for preparing your for the type of internship you want to get. Also, dont fall into doing 2 or 3 similar practicums. For example, I dont care how into npsych you are, you shouldn't do 3 years of npsych assessment and report writing.

That definitely differs from program to program, yes. Many of our students here will rotate through their professors' clinics for additional training opportunities at some point, but it of course would not be an option were appropriate supervision unavailable.

I would make the argument that three years of something like neuro could be very beneficial given the complexity of the specialty and the sheer number of tests and conditions with which it's possible to gain familiarity; however, it would benefit you more to have a variety of placements/settings during those three years rather than to have done them in the same location if at all possible. And you also would want to avoid pigeonholing yourself exclusively into your specialty during grad school (whether it be neuro, substance abuse, trauma, or anything else) at the expense of receiving at least some exposure to other areas of assessment and treatment.

 

[arsesta]

My program (university-based PhD program) didn't have a clinic until recently so 100% of my practicum experiences were done off site (with clinical supervision provided by faculty and phd-level psychologist at the site). I am in a big metro area with tons of externship sites, and you are expected to apply each year in January and compete against other regional grad applicants.

I have worked in: 1) hospital-based mental health outpatient clinic (I was the primary therapist with a caseload of 5-8 clients), 2) public hospital (1 year in an integrated trauma clinic, inpatient adult, substance abuse day treatment); 3) forensic psychiatry unit at the city courts

I think these experiences have been great in terms of exposing me to diverse populations. You're also thrown into "real world" situations and have to juggle case management responsibilities as well as large system problems.
I believe it gave me an edge over other internship applicants who have only worked in an academic setting or at their university clinic (I am applying to internship now. I have a good number of interviews, and many interviewers have commented on my work at these hospitals). If you have an opportunity to do an externship or off-site practicum, I highly recommend it!!

That definitely differs from program to program, yes. Many of our students here will rotate through their professors' clinics for additional training opportunities at some point, but it of course would not be an option were appropriate supervision unavailable.

I would make the argument that three years of something like neuro could be very beneficial given the complexity of the specialty and the sheer number of tests and conditions with which it's possible to gain familiarity; however, it would benefit you more to have a variety of placements/settings during those three years rather than to have done them in the same location if at all possible. And you also would want to avoid pigeonholing yourself exclusively into your specialty during grad school (whether it be neuro, substance abuse, trauma, or anything else) at the expense of receiving at least some exposure to other areas of assessment and treatment.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

External sites can offer more of a variety of experiences, though it is important for them to be vetted so students don't get pulled into a "cheap labor" situation. My university had an on-site clinic which was the site for the majority of students, though I found better matches at the external placements. Traveling to the sites required a bit more planning, but it paid off in the end. Some of the sites had "protected" spots for the program, though most of the others were open to neighboring programs.

 

[psychmama]

I just want to add that getting at least one externship at a hospital is very helpful when the time comes to apply to internships and postdocs. In my experience, employers view hospitals as some of the most challenging places to work, and assume if you've trained in one you've developed good coping skills and distress tolerance.