For more information, please visit the PEACS Education & Training page.

 

Externs will be asked to commit to a 12-month placement beginning in July or August 2024. Schedules will consist of 16 hours per week.

UCHealth offers a psychology externship training program in the PROMISE Clinic in the Department of Ob/Gyn. The PROMISE Clinic supports pregnant and postpartum women who are patients of UCH’s five obstetric and midwifery practices and are currently experiencing mental health symptoms. Combined, the obstetric and midwifery practices deliver approximately 3,000 babies annually and it is estimated that 10%-20% of these mothers have mental health symptoms. Patients are referred by their provider due to a wide range of medical and mental health diagnoses such as gestational diabetes, hyperemesis gravidarum, miscarriage/fetal loss, preterm labor/delivery, adjustment to pregnancy, mood disorders, anxiety, OCD, and PTSD. Patients are also identified for integrated behavioral health consultation by the PROMISE team based on a variety of risk factors (adolescent pregnancy, history of fetal loss, mental health history, high risk pregnancy, psychosocial stressors). PROMISE offers integrated behavioral health services, co-located psychotherapy and psychiatry, and pregnancy and postpartum support groups. PROMISE utilizes a multidisciplinary approach and is staffed by providers from psychology, psychiatry, obstetrics, midwifery, and nursing.

Unique qualifications: Psychology doctoral students who are in their 3^rd or 4^th year of training who have completed coursework in adult assessment and treatment and have an interest in perinatal mental health. Trainees from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. 

Unique schedule requirements: 16 hours per week on site.

Unique roles:

• Increase knowledge and competence in treatment of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders
• Learn to effectively communicate and coordinate patient care on a multidisciplinary team within busy obstetric and midwifery practices
• Provide brief mental health consultation to perinatal women within the context of obstetric visits.
• Co-facilitate virtual support groups, therapy intake and return visits, and mental health consultation (Supervising psychologists will be on site in clinic with patient for the duration of patient's time in the rotation).
• Attend weekly staff meetings in which case presentation and article discussions will occur.
• Collaborate with nurses, MAs, OBGYNs, midwives, medical residents and fellows, and psychiatrists, psychiatry residents and fellows in vivo.

For more information, please visit the PROMISE Clinic Page.

DAWN BH is considered a secondary training opportunity. Trainees average 5-15 hours per week depending on supervisor availability.

DAWN (Dedicated to Aurora’s Wellness and Needs) Health is an interdisciplinary student-run free clinic that serve uninsured patients from the Aurora community. Our goals are two-fold: to provide the best healthcare possible to our neighbors in need, and to provide an opportunity for University of Colorado students to collaborate with and learn from each other while serving the community surrounding the Anschutz Medical Campus. The clinic was created as a joint venture between the Fields Foundation and Primary Care Progress. The clinic serves uninsured adult patients, primarily living in Original Aurora.

DAWN Behavioral Health follows a primary care model of psychology: providing brief behavioral therapy often co-visiting with an inter-professional team (medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, etc.) and following up with patients as needed. Trainees are primarily scheduled for Primary Care night (Tuesday evenings), from 5:30-9:00pm.

Trainees can opt into other specialty nights, depending on supervisor availability:

• Monday evenings for Diabetes Education
• 3^rd and 4^th Wednesdays for Women’s Health and Reproductive Health night,
• Other Wednesdays for Specialty services, including cardiovascular health.  

Description of Clients Served: Patients are eligible to receive services at the DAWN clinic who are:

• Adults, older than 18
• Do not have health insurance (including Medicare / Medicaid)

Many of our patients identify as Latino/a/x, have recently immigrated, and/or left their home country as a refugee or asylum seeker. The majority of patients seen at DAWN Health are Spanish speaking only and utilize language interpretive services.

Duties of Psychology Trainee: Integrate into multidisciplinary medical team; offer consultation/assessment and brief behavioral therapy for mood management and health behavior change.

On Diabetes Education nights (Mondays):

• Develop and deliver behavioral health modules covering topics such as stress management and health behavior change, alongside other trainees of various health-related professions (e.g., medicine, pharmacy).
• Implement appropriate care coordination to specialty mental health settings in the community for longer-term therapy.
• Consult around behavioral health problems to provide support to medical colleagues.
• Clear and concise documentation in the electronic medical record.

   

  On Primary Care/Specialty Care nights (Tuesdays/Wednesdays):

• Application of brief assessment and screeners for behavioral health concerns (e.g., anxiety, depression, insomnia)
• Deliver brief interventions in a short-term model using evidence based behavioral health interventions (e.g., brief cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain).
• Provide psychoeducation and general knowledge of behavioral health treatments, including psychotropic or other relevant medications to patients and medical colleagues.
• Provide psychoeducation on the relationship between physical health and mental health issues to patients and medical colleagues.
• Facilitate risk assessment and safety planning.
• Appropriate care coordination to specialty mental health settings in the community for longer-term therapy.
• Consult around behavioral health problems to provide support to medical colleagues.
• Engage in warm-hand offs to provide same-day behavioral health care.
• Participate in multi-discipline patient visits alongside medicine, pharmacy, and other health professions.
• Clear and concise documentation and treatment plans in the electronic medical record.
• Brief review of medical charts to facilitate treatment planning.

Number of open positions: 2-4 (depending on supervisor availability)   

Student suitability: Previous experience with integrated behavioral health/ behavioral medicine preferred, either coursework or clinical experience. Must be interested in health psychology or integrated medical settings. Must be willing to work on interdisciplinary team.

Number of hours/week trainee works:  5-15 (depends on supervisor, trainee, and patient availability)

Website: https://www.dawnhealth.org/ 

Agency Address: Anschutz Health and Wellness Center, 12348 E Montview Blvd, Aurora, CO 80045                        

Phone:  303-800 9677                                                                                      

Contact for Applications: Noy Phimphasone-Brady, Ph.D. – Director of Behavioral Health and primary supervisor (noy.phimphasone-brady@cuanschutz.edu)

Supervision format: Precepting model - consult with supervisors during and immediately after patient encounters (45-60 minutes on primary care and specialty nights; ~120 minutes per week); Group supervision (30 minutes total on primary care and specialty nights; ~60 minutes per week).                                                       

Overview of training and services provided at DAWN Health:

Type of Setting		Services Provided	Population Served
Integrated Primary Care             Integrated Specialty Care           Latinx (>25%)		Administration   Assessment Consultation                  Psychotherapy              Telehealth	Adults                             Multi-lingual population      (bilingual services or interpreters used)   Top 3 languages of clients? -        Spanish -        English -        Amharic   African American.            11% Asian American                2.6% Latinx                             48.8% LGBQ                             ___% Transgender                   ___% Native American             <1% Patients with disabilities   ___% Underserved/ Health equity challenges  100%   ­­­­­­­­­