For additional information about the UCHSC
Psychology Predoctoral Internship, please call or write:
Clinical Psychology
UCHSC
Box C258-48
4200 E. 9th Ave.
Denver, CO 80262
(303) 315-8848
AMERICAN INDIAN TRACK
The American Indian Track of the University
Colorado Health Sciences
Center, established in 1988, was the first internship
in the United States to train American Indian, Alaska
Natives, and others to serve Indian and Native communities. Through this
track, trainees obtain the substantive knowledge and skill areas necessary
to adequately serve American Indian urban and reservation children and
adolescents. The training opportunities salient to urban Indian families
are particularly strong. Urban Indian families face the sequelae
of separation from tribal people and homelands; relocation can be recent
or as far back as two generations ago. Urban families often face the
challenges of interracial marriage and the struggle to develop identities
within the young that honor their Indian and non-Indian heritage. This
training allows for greater understanding of the complexities and problems
associated with living in an urban environment, and there are also opportunities
to witness the strength and resiliency that urban Indian families develop.
American Indian trainees are strongly encouraged to apply to this unique program. Non-Indian candidates will also be considered for this training if they demonstrate an interest in a career serving American Indians or Alaska Natives and have had previous experience with Indian or Native communities.
Goals of the training program:
The American Indian Track is a university-based and community-based training program with a commitment to the following goals for psychology trainees:
1. to provide predoctoral trainees with intensive and specialized training with a focus on the needs and strengths of emotionally disturbed children and adolescents;
2. to provide psychotherapeutic and consultation experiences and training with American Indian families with children and adolescents living in urban and rural communities;
3. to provide opportunities to understand the critical issues faced by Tribal, State, and Federal mental health systems that serve emotionally disturbed children and their families;
4. to provide opportunities to understand substance abuse services developed for American Indian adults with an emphasis on dual diagnosis; and
5. to provide trainees opportunities to enhance their health psychology knowledge.
Objectives of the training program:
1. The psychology intern will assess the psychosocial functioning of Indian children, adolescents and their parents or guardians, utilizing information from other sources such as school and social services staff, as appropriate.
2. The psychology intern will learn to develop and implement intervention plans for Indian individuals and families that are culturally appropriate and psychotherapeutically effective.
3. The psychology intern will provide consultation to family members and other service providers on behalf of Indian clients.
4. The psychology intern will learn how a public school system responds to the unique needs of Indian families.
5. The psychology intern will learn about the delivery of mental health services on the two Colorado Indian reservations.
6. The psychology intern will learn about the assessment and treatment of co-occurring disorders (substance abuse and mental health) in a residential setting.
Site Descriptions:
The following sites were developed in partnership with urban
and rural Indian communities under the auspices of the
The major rotation training is offered in the following sequence:
| September-February: |
Counseling Services, Denver Public Schools |
| March: |
|
| April-May: |
Counseling Services, Denver Public Schools |
| June-August: |
Counseling
Services, DPS (2-3 cases) and Eagle Lodge, |
Counseling Services, Project for Indian Education, Denver Public Schools:
The Denver Public Schools (DPS) established the Project for Indian Education
in 1975 as a way to administer federal funds provided to the school district
to support education to Indian students though the Johnson-O’Malley Indian
Education Act. In the Denver Public Schools over 900 Indian students
have been identified. The DPS is currently organizing the enrollment
of Indian students into several focus schools (3 elementary schools, 3
middle schools, and 1 high school), thereby making the provision of services
(tutoring, establishment of Indian clubs, counseling, etc.) more effective.
Interns will have the opportunity to become part of the Project’s team
and DPS’s Psychology Services team to offer
school-based counseling services to students, consultation with faculty
and staff, and family support services. Every August, a flyer announcing
the counseling Services provided by the intern is mailed to the homes
of the Indian students enrolled in DPS. The large proportion of referrals to the Counseling Services are self-referrals;
parents, guardians, and other family members are often very involved with
the treatment. The Counseling Services are generally provided September
through May, although occasionally families may elect to continue services
through the summer months. (Candace Fleming, Ph.D.
and
Behavioral Health Programs, Ute Health Centers, Ignacio & Towac, CO: The Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Tribes have medical centers on their reservations that are administered by the Indian Health Service. The two Behavioral Health Programs offer an array of clinic-based and community-based services. The intern will have an excellent opportunity to witness firsthand culturally sensitive delivery systems at work in service of Ute people who have maintained the beauty and strength of their traditional cultures. During the month-long rotation (typically March), trainees will provide direct service (in-patient and out-patient) in the form of evaluations, intakes, and consultations to staff of the Health Centers. Local mentors will share how human service systems have developed on the Ute Reservations. The internship pays for all expenses (travel, food, and lodging) related to this rotation. (Myrna Jacobson, Ph.D., Andrew Czopek, Ph.D., and Candace Fleming, Ph.D.)
Behavioral Health,
Eagle Lodge,
Inc., Denver, CO: Eagle Lodge, Inc. was established in 1972
to provide culturally appropriate substance abuse in-patient and out-patient
treatment to American Indian adults living in the
Specific Training Activities:
Required Activities:
Mental health evaluation: Across the sites, the intern will conduct intake interviews to develop formulations and treatment recommendations for individual children and families. Formal psychological assessment of children, adolescents, and/or adults will be part of the intern’s work.
School consultation: Each month the intern will attend the meeting of the Parent Advisory Committee for the Project for Indian Education (Denver Public Schools). The intern can have an active role in promoting educational opportunities for Indian and Native children.
Psychotherapy: Across the sites, the intern will treat a number of therapy clients, ranging in age from young children to adults, presenting with a variety of problems. Family treatment predominates, and group treatment with children is a possibility. Leading psychoeducational groups can be an intervention strategy available to the intern.
Case management: Indian families who are referred often are involved with one or more health and human service agencies. The intern will work collaboratively with other professionals to support the therapeutic plan developed with the clients.
Health Psychology: The intern will create a Health Psychology Project within the major rotation.
Educational activities at sites: The intern is expected to attend clinic meetings, supervisory sessions, lectures, courses, and special workshops as scheduled.
Theoretical Approaches:
A developmental orientation and family systems perspective are the major ways of understanding Indian clients, although the faculty at the sites also hold other theoretical orientations, including dynamically-oriented clinical psychology and cognitive-behavioral psychology. The overarching philosophy is to provide culturally competent, family-focused interventions that consider the community contexts that are salient to the Indian families.
Types of Clinical Approaches:
· Family therapy
· Child and adult individual psychotherapy
· School and community consultation
· Psychological diagnostic services
· Cognitive-behavioral therapy groups
Population of Clients:
Counseling Services of the Project for Indian Education is
the major rotation of the Indian Track and was established for Indian
families whose children (grades K-12) are enrolled in the Denver Public
Schools. The tribal nations most numerous in the
Supervision:
The intern receives supervision for all clinical activities, including psychological assessment, psychotherapy, and case consultation. Casework for the Counseling Services of the Project for Indian Education is reviewed by one supervisor for the entire year. Additional on-site supervision at the various training sites is also provided.
Supervisors:
The key faculty represents a range of disciplines in addition to psychology, drawing upon the UCHSC Department of Psychiatry’s considerable cross-cultural expertise. The other disciplines include medical anthropology, psychiatry, and pediatrics. Faculty members with primary roles in this internship training program follow:
Candace M. Fleming, Ph.D. (Kickapoo/Cherokee/Oneida) is a
psychologist who received her degree from the
Spero M. Manson, Ph.D.
(Pembina Chippewa) is a medical anthropologist who received his degree
from the
Andrew Czopek, Ph.D., ABPP is a psychologist who graduated from the
Myrna Jacobson, Ph.D.
is a psychologist who graduated from
Robert Currier,
Psy.D. is
a psychologist who graduated from the
Jeff King, Ph.D. (Muscogee Creek)
is a psychologist who received his degree from
