Northern California Psychology Internship Consortium (N.C.P.I.C.)

Sonoma Developmental Center

2 Full Time Funded Positions Available

APPIC Membership

Sonoma Developmental Center is a California State run facility located in northern California in the Sonoma Valley. The developmental center serves the northern portion of the state of California and provides services to persons with developmental disabilities and severe challenges requiring 24 hour residential and day services. The residential population at Sonoma Developmental Center is approximately 700 individuals. There are approximately 20 psychologists on staff from which potential supervisors would be available. Within a structured program, there is latitude for the intern to develop a personalized training program that may emphasize different aspects of the provision of psychological services, generally, and to individuals with specific challenges and needs.

The program strives to seek balance between instruction and direct services. We aim for the intern to allocate approximately 25% of the time to education, supervision and seminars, and 75% of the time to learning through direct clinical services. Direct services will include psychological assessment, functional analysis of behavior and the development of expert skills in working with interdisciplinary teams in the provision of psychological services.

The primary goal of the Psychology Intern Program is to prepare pre-doctoral graduate psychology students for entry level practice in professional psychology. Training experiences have this primary goal as their focus and the specific interests and needs of the interns are also considered. A focused and intensive training experience with persons with severe, diverse, complex behavioral and medical challenges in combination with developmental disabilities can provide the intern with opportunities and a foundation for creative and expert psychological services. Our objective is to train generalist psychologists who can apply skills and abilities obtained here to a wide variety of clinical settings. The goal of our training program is to develop entry level competence for the professional psychologist. Generally, at the conclusion of the training year interns will a) be able to function independently as a professional psychologist; b) be able to assess behavioral, emotional and mental disorders and plan interventions on an individual and systems level; c) be capable of administering and interpreting evaluations and test, and writing an integrated assessment; d) be able to prepare and present a comprehensive case presentation; and e) have an understanding of the overall therapeutic process and assume responsibility for adequate accountable treatment. It is expected that the intern will have a keen awareness of ethical and legal issues which relates to the treatment of individuals at the facility. We expect the intern will have developed an appropriate professional and personal identity which will allow the intern to work within the context of the interdisciplinary team.

Training is primarily provided in three areas:

1. rotations on units with individuals with specific and special needs and challenges;

2. seminars and educational endeavors; and 

3. supervision for specific professional skills.

Training Activities:

The first week of the program is the facility employee orientation, which includes introduction to the culture and requirements for persons employed at the facility; including rights and protections for residents, employee rights and responsibilities, legal requirements, confidentiality, CPR, PAST, etc. The second week is a facility orientation to the responsibilities of the psychologist in the organization and to the facility organization. It will include introduction to the psychologists and others critical to the function of the psychologist at the facility. The third week will include orientation to the clinical computer lab with emphasis on the applications that will assist the psychologist in the performance of their jobs. During the fourth week the intern will review and determine the goals for their first rotation, clarify their preferences for supervisors and will be expected to be given their rotation and supervisor.

Stipend:  Stipend for the upcoming year is anticipated at $20,000.

Application Procedure: click here

For more information on Sonoma Developmental Center visit our website: click here

Staff:

• Site Director: Markley Sutton, Ph.D., FPPR
• Markley Sutton, Ph.D., FPPR
  Autism, Developmental Disabilities, Psychopharmacology
• Lloyd Abrams, Ph.D.
  Developmental Disabilities, Behavioral
• Brad Backstrom, Psy.D.
  Behavioral, Developmental
• Cheryl J. Wade, Ph.D.
  Social, Geriatric
• Kenneth Lakritz, Ph.D.
  Behavioral
• Richard Welker, Ph.D.
  Behavioral, Gero-Psychology
• Catherine Bayer, Ph.D.
  Gero-Psychology, Behavioral
• Joan May, Ph.D.
  Developmental Disabilities, Behavioral
• Anne-Sojourner Wendell, Ph.D. 
  Education
• Wayne Padd, Ph.D.
  Social Learning
• Randall Yee, Ph.D.
  Developmental Disabilities, Behavrioal
• William Gamard, Ph.D.
  Behavioral
• Robert R. Hutchins, Ph.D.
  Transpersonal, Narrative Therapy, Nursing
• Paul Robinson, Ph.D.
  Social Learning, Computer Applications
• Mary McLean, Ph.D.
  Transpersonal

California Medical Facility - Vacaville

APPIC Membership

2 Full Time Funded Positions Available

Clinical Settings and Activities:

The California Medical Facility (CMF) is one of the major medical centers for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The population of approximately 3500 male felons includes a wide array of serious physical and psychological disorders. We also have the unique benefit of having the Department of Mental Health inpatient psychiatric facility contained within this institution.

The Mental Health Services Delivery System (MHSDS) at CMF is responsible for providing "outpatient" psychiatric care to approximately 1000 incarcerated men. Our mental health staff of approximately 100 includes psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and psychiatric nursing staff. The intensity of treatment services is determined by the patients’ needs and level of psychopathology. We have a variety of specialized treatment programs

The population is challenging and interesting from many standpoints. The mixture of clinical problems associated with Axis I mental disorders, severe personality disorders chronic substance abuse and frequent head injuries presents unique and fascinating diagnostic challenges. Interns will gain invaluable experience working with this difficult population.

Special Requirements in background or training:

Placement with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation requires background investigation and clearance. Successful interns may have experience working in correctional settings. In this environment safety is the priority and patience and flexibility are valuable personal assets.

The Major Goals of the Training Experience:

The primary goal of the training experience at CMF is to provide a broad exposure to the population and clinical problems routinely faced in correctional mental health service. In order to provide this experience, CMF will offer rotations in the enhanced outpatient programs, case management services, the intake diagnostic unit, and HIV mental health. Interns will provide mental health services under supervision. Efforts will be made to provide each intern with exposure to diverse clinical problems and therapeutic modalities.

SPECIAL NOTE: All offers of internship are contingent upon successfully completing the State of California Application and security clearance process.

Unacceptable Factors: Any history of felony arrests or relatives currently incarcerated at CMF. Any problems with ethical or disciplinary review boards.

Application Procedure: click here

Stipend: $29,004; year plus Health Insurance, Vacation

For more information on CMF visit our website: click here