Shanna Trott, BA

General Information

The Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus offers four externship training programs in Adult Clinical Psychology. Each externship track provides clinical training experiences, optional didactic seminars, clinical supervision from a licensed provider. Please see track descriptions below for more specifics.

Number of Positions: 4

Time Commitment: About 20 hours per week

For more specific workdays, please refer to the externship training program description below.

Dates: July 3rd, 2023 - June 30th, 2024

*Please note: MANDATORY ORIENTATION is on July 10th, 2023 from 08:00 am – 09:00 am. Block your schedule accordingly, making arrangements with your academic program and personal calendar.

General Requirements:

be enrolled in at least 3rd or 4th year at the time of application. Please note that this is different for each extern training program.
have completed coursework in clinical assessment and treatment
have experience with clinical assessment and treatment
have proof of malpractice coverage: must be provided by the extern’s training institution or by the extern prior to the start date
be available to start the externship on July 3rd, 2023 and will need to be available on the first day of externship for orientation.
be available on July 10th, 2023 for Department of Psychiatry Orientation (08:00 – 09:00)
demonstrated knowledge and value working with teammates and clients from diverse backgrounds

For more information on each program and program track, please take look at our program description.

If you have further questions, please contact us: psychexterns@ucdenver.edu

Application Timeline

All application materials to be submitted by February 1, 2022 at 5pm through the following link: https://redcap.link/gvjtnfk3

February 1, 2023 @ 5pm: Application deadline (early submissions encouraged!)

February 12 – 24, 2023: Interviews scheduled (early interviews available with early, complete submissions)

February 27 2023: Positions offered; prompt confirmation of acceptance/declination requested

This position provides a unique opportunity to join a new, thriving program unified by its mission to further our understanding of effective interventions for early psychosis. The Program for Early Assessment, Care, and Study (PEACS) is a clinical research program that provides intensive assessment and treatment of individuals approximately ages 12-30, who are showing signs of clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR-p) and is one of few specialty CHR programs in the US. The primary objective of this training program is to develop expertise in the early identification, assessment, and treatment of young people showing signs of clinical risk for psychosis spectrum diagnoses (which has at times been called the “prodrome”). Our unique center integrates specialized clinical care, innovative research, and education, as part of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, often with comorbid concerns (e.g., mood, anxiety, trauma, substance use, personality). PEACS offers a range of treatments, including specialized evaluation/feedback, individual and family therapy, psychiatry, care coordination, and school/work “coaching.” This externship provides a unique opportunity to work with a multidisciplinary team to collaboratively conceptualize, plan, and provide treatment for young people with complex and evolving diagnostic presentations, as well as develop the ability to provide consultation to other providers in the community, including schools, other clinicians and psychiatrists, and families. Externs become an integral part of our multidisciplinary team (psychiatry, psychology, licensed social workers, research assistants, and undergraduate volunteers).

Unique qualifications: Applicants who have the following experience are preferred for this program: 1) CBT, 2) psychosis assessment and/or treatment, 3) treatment with children/adolescents, 4) fluency in a language other than English, 4) at least 3rd year doctoral students

Unique schedule requirements: 16-24 hours per week, require Tuesday afternoons (prefer Monday mornings and/or Friday afternoons)

Unique roles:Training, supervision, and practice with the following activities:

Specialized early psychosis consultation and assessment: Structured Interview for Psychosis Risk Syndromes (SIPS), consideration of differential diagnosis for young people who present to the clinic for an assessment of possible CHR-p, reviewing diagnostic feedback with clients/families/providers

Psychosocial treatment: Carry a caseload of individual and family therapy clients with varying symptom presentations. The supervisor works primarily from CBT/CBTp, DBT, and ACT perspectives, and is open to conceptualizing patients from other therapeutic orientations (e.g., interpersonal, psychodynamic). Some clients are seen for time-limited treatment, and some are longer-term clients that trainees may carry for the duration of their training. Family therapy: PEACS emphasizes family treatment, so learning to work with families is an important focus of this externship. Externs work with families of individual clients and may also carry separate family therapy case(s). The supervisor has experience with evidence-based family treatment for early psychosis (e.g., family-focused treatment; FFT).

Rich opportunities for working with youth and families that are richly diverse in ethnicity/ culture, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, and clinical presentation

School support/care coordination: Many clients are experiencing declines in school and/or work functioning, and benefit from supports that may range from writing letters to school, speaking to school staff about options and recommendations for supporting the client, attending IEP meetings, and providing documentation supporting taking a medical leave. Trainees may also be involved in other aspects of clinical care for their clients, including referral to partial hospital programs, involvement in hospitalization, and referral to other services for clients who leave the clinic

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 2023. Six-month placements may be available in special cases. Schedules will consist of 16-20 hours per week.

Track 1: Health Psychology Consultation

Psychology externs will be integrated multidisciplinary team members in the outpatient specialty service Psychiatric Consultation for the Medically Complex (PCMC). Opportunities include foundational training with the specialty adult population of complex medical patients focused on individual psychotherapy, group psychotherapy, and psychological testing. This externship is designed to offer opportunities for students to receive specialized training in clinical health psychology, behavioral health, and integrated care in preparation for internship, fellowship, and an eventual career in academic medicine and other professional paths.

Track 2: General Psychological Testing

The general psychological testing service within CU SMHC provides opportunities for pre-doctoral psychology externs to gain foundational training experience in psychological testing within an interdisciplinary mental health service. This externship is designed to offer opportunities for students to develop competencies to select, administer, and interpret psychological testing as part of clinical treatment for a diverse population of adult patients with a range of physical and mental health conditions.

For more information on the clinic, please visit the UCHealth Outpatient Psychiatry Services Page!

Externs will be asked to commit to a 12-month placement beginning in July or August 2023. 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.

The Department of Psychiatry (DoP) at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (CU Anschutz) is offering either a part-time 12-month externship program with a focus on training in neuropsychological evaluation or a full-time 12-month externship with a focus on training in neuropsychological evaluation and inpatient/outpatient rehabilitation psychology.

A part-time trainee will be based solely in the outpatient neuropsychology clinic.
A full-time trainee will split time between an acute inpatient rehabilitation unit and outpatient neuropsychology clinic.

Settings:

Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit (ARU)*: is a 12-bed unit interdisciplinary unit that offers comprehensive rehabilitation (physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, recreational therapy etc.) for individuals who have experienced major injury or illness. The primary focus is to restore maximum individual function in a holistic and caring manner. As a rehabilitation neuropsychologist on the unit, your role will be to assess and support cognitive, behavioral, and mental health-related concerns. This includes psychodiagnostics evaluations, cognitive screening, individual psychotherapy, family/patient/team psychoeducation, and consistent collaboration with providers. *Full-time only

Executive Functions Clinic (EF Clinic): is an outpatient clinic through which you will be completing neuropsychological evaluations. The core experience gained in this clinic is neuropsychological test administration. Patients will be referred to this clinic from multiple departments in the hospital including the ARU. Patients referred from the ARU provides the unique opportunity to work with the same individual across the full spectrum of care.

Patient Population:The patient’s served most often have experienced some form of physical and/or neurological illness or injury. These include stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, central nervous system cancers, post-amputation care, post-transplant, and other complex medical conditions. As a public academic medical center, the patient’s served are diverse in their bio-psycho-social-cultural presentations making an individualized approach to care essential and emphasized.

Unique qualifications: The ideal candidate will be a trainee with experience administering and scoring a wide variety of cognitive, emotional, and personality measures. The trainee must have experience administering the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS version IV or V). Full-time trainees would benefit from flexibility, being a team-player, and comfort with psychiatric diagnoses as these are vital traits for success in the fast-paced and interdisciplinary ARU.

Unique schedule requirements: 9-24 hours per week; time varies depending on individual interests. Must be available for a full day on Thursdayfor part-time. Full-time must be available full-day Thursday and an additional 1-2 days.

Part-Time Sample Schedule (EF Clinic):

Thursday
8am-9am	Individual Supervision
9am-10am	Patient Feedback
10am-12pm	Test administration
12pm-1pm	Lunch
1pm-3pm	Test Administration
3pm-5pm	Scoring

Full-Time Sample Schedule (EF Clinic + ARU):

*in addition to the part-time schedule above


8am-9am	Individual Supervision
9am-10am	Patient Intake
10am-12pm	Patient follow-up/note writing
12pm-1:00pm	Team Meeting
1:00-2:00pm	Lunch
1pm-3pm	Patient follow-up/2nd intake
3pm-5pm	Team collaboration/family meeting/note writing

Primary Supervisor Information: The primary supervisor for this externship identifies as a minority cisgender female and rehabilitation neuropsychologist. She completed a combination specialty fellowship in rehabilitation psychology and neuropsychology at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on meaningfully addressing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) in supervisory relationships.

Compensation: Given the DoP and primary supervisor’s commitment to DEIB efforts, the selected trainee will receive a stipend of $2500 for a part-time externship or $5000 for a full-time 12-month commitment.

Application Requirements: Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, C.V., assessment-report sample, and a list of cognitive measures you are comfortable administering/scoring.

Shanna Trott, BA

Shanna Trott, BA
Student, Externship, and Postdoc Program Coordinator
1890 N Revere Ct,
Aurora, CO 8004
Email: PsychExterns@ucdenver.edu

Tools & Resources

CU Campuses

CU Anschutz Medical Campus

Department of Psychiatry

School of Medicine

General Information

Application Timeline

Shanna Trott, BA

Psychiatry (SOM)

General Information

Application Timeline

Program for Early Assessment, Care, and Study Psychology Extern Training Program

Outpatient Psychiatry Services Pre-Doctoral Psychology Extern Training Program

Perinatal Resource Offering Mood Integrated Services & Evaluation (PROMISE) Clinic Extern Training Program

PAID Externship Training Program in Adult Rehabilitation Psychology & Neuropsychological Evaluation

Shanna Trott, BA

Psychiatry (SOM)