Southern California Psychology Internship Consortium (S.C.P.I.C.)

2 Full Time Funded Positions Available
Fairview Developmental Center (FDC) is one of five state-operated developmental centers operated by the Department of Developmental Services. FDC is a state residential. Multi-disciplinary facility with approx 650 people, 13 - 88 years of age. Clients have developmental disabilities including mental retardation, autistic disorder and with severe behavioral and/or psychiatric challenges. We have 22 psychologists. Our internship objective is to train generalist psychologists who can apply skills learned here in a wide variety of clinical settings. 25% of intern time is allocated to supervision, education and seminars; 75% to direct clinical
services. The internship can be individualized.

In 1941, the California Youth Authority (CYA) became in existence, by law, but it wasn't until 1943 that the agency began to operate "reform schools," providing institutional training and parole supervision for juvenile and young adult offenders. It is the largest youthful offender agency in the nation. In a massive reorganization of California corrections in 2005, the CYA became the Juvenile Justice Division (DJJ) under the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). As part of the State's Juvenile Justice system, the DJJ works closely with law enforcement, the courts, prosecutors, probation, and a broad spectrum of public and private agencies concerned with and involved in the problems of youth.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation-Division of Juvenile Justice (CDCR-DJJ) -Southern Youth Correctional Reception Center and Clinic (SYCRCC) (formally the California Youth Authority) is located in Norwalk, California, approximately 15 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. CDCR-DJJ-SYCRCC is a State operated corrections facility for youthful offenders. SYCRCC is an all male juvenile/young adult offender facility with approximately 230-250 wards between the ages of 12-25 years old, however the majority of wards are 18 years old or younger.

Mission & Justice Philosophy
The mission of the Division of Juvenile Justice is to protect the public from criminal activity by providing education, training, and treatment services for youthful offenders committed by the courts; assisting local justice agencies with their efforts to control crime and delinquency; and encouraging the development of state and local programs to prevent crime and delinquency.
In addition to providing education, training, and treatment services for youthful offenders, the Department is broadening its focus to include the needs of victims and communities. It is the Department's intention to address the needs of victims and communities through the provision of direct services as well as programs targeting youthful offenders.

The clinical psychology internship program supports the overall mission is “to protect the public from criminal activity by providing education, training, and treatment services for youthful offenders committed by the courts; assisting local justice agencies with their efforts to control crime and delinquency; and encouraging the development of state and local programs to prevent crime and delinquency.” Interns will provide/conduct a variety of psychological services to youthful offenders including psychological assessment/evaluation/treatment and consultation, crisis intervention/suicide assessment, short-/long-term individual psychotherapy, neuropsychological screening, treatment planning including identifying specific treatment objectives/goals, and co-facilitate psychotherapy groups, etc. A wide variety of psychiatric conditions are present in this population including Conduct Disorder, Thought Disorders, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, impulse control problems, and various Personality Disorders.
Interns will work collaboratively with a multidisciplinary team including mental health professionals (psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers/casework specialists), medical staff (doctors, nurses, psychiatric technicians), security staff (i.e. youth correctional officers/counselors, sergeants, lieutenants, etc.), educational staff, etc. Interns will rotate in their program assignments in order to allow them the opportunity to gain a variety of clinical experience. Rotations will include Diagnostic/Intake Section, Core Program/General Population, the Sex Offender Treatment Program, the Specialized Counseling Program and the Intensive Treatment Program. Interns will participate in interdisciplinary treatment team meetings, clinical/mental health meetings, case conferences, in-service trainings, etc. in order to enhance treatment interventions for incarcerated youth. Interns will also participate in facility professional psychology group meetings, medical staff meetings, and/or professional pharmaceutical presentation meetings.

Training Objectives and Goals
The overarching goal of our internship program is to produce competent pre-doctoral psychology clinicians, with varied training experiences that meet the professional standards for psychologists, and the requirements for the Southern California Psychology Internship Consortium (SCPIC).

Specific training goals include to: 1) demonstrate competency in psychological assessment, evaluation and report writing, 2) demonstrate competence is the use of individual therapy techniques and interventions, 3) demonstrate competence in the use of group therapy techniques and interventions, 4) develop profession specific skills as a psychologist, 5) demonstrate understanding and adherence to the professional ethics of psychologists, 6) demonstrate competent diagnostic skills/utilization of DSM-IV-TR, 7) demonstrate competence in the area of interviewing, assessment and intervention in crisis/suicide risk situations and 8) demonstrate awareness of possible cultural influence with regard to assessment, diagnosis, treatment interventions/recommendations.

Didactic Training
Interns will participate in didactic training at least two hours, weekly. Didactic training may include case conferences/presentations, in-service training, seminars and lectures, attending Board Hearings (i.e. Annual Reviews, Parole Hearings, etc.) as well as new employee orientation and various staff trainings.

Supervision
Under the direction of the Senior Psychologist (Specialist), interns will receive direct, face-to-face, clinical supervision by licensed, psychologists as well as group supervision and didactic training. There will be at least two hours of individual supervision each week, provided by a primary/designated licensed psychologist(s); the total number of hours of supervision (combination of individual and group supervision) each week will be at least ten percent of the number of internship hours worked.

Stipend: The stipend for the internship program is TBA. Health insurance, vacation, and sick time are also provided.

In 1941, the California Youth Authority (CYA) became in existence, by law, but it wasn't until 1943 that the agency began to operate "reform schools," providing institutional training and parole supervision for juvenile and young adult offenders. It is the largest youthful offender agency in the nation. In a massive reorganization of California corrections in 2005, the CYA became the Juvenile Justice Division (DJJ) under the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). As part of the State's juvenile justice system, the DJJ works closely with law enforcement, the courts, prosecutors, probation, and a broad spectrum of public and private agencies concerned with and involved in the problems of youth.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation-Division of Juvenile Justice (CDCR-DJJ) (formally the California Youth Authority) –Heman G. Stark Youth Correctional Facility (HGSYCF) is located in Chino, California, in San Bernardino County, and houses approximately 500-600 male wards ages 18 to 25 in living units comprised of individual rooms. Lyle Egan High School at HGSYCF provides instruction in basic skills, remedial classes, Special Education, GED prep, high school and college classes that can lead to an Associate or Bachelors of Arts Degree. Vocational programs are offered, with certification available in many areas. The Free Venture Program provides wards with opportunities to work in a variety of industries.

HGSYCF houses an Intensive Treatment Program (ITP), a Specialized Counseling Program (SCP), an inpatient Correctional Treatment Center (CTC), a Sexual Behavior Treatment Program (SBTP), an Intensive Behavioral Treatment Program (IBTP), a Behavioral Treatment Program (BTP) and a residential Substance Abuse Treatment Program (SATP), in addition to “outpatient” mental health services to the general ward population.

The clinical psychology internship program supports the overall mission of the Department of Juvenile Justice “to protect the public from criminal activity by providing education, training, and treatment services for youthful offenders committed by the courts; assisting local justice agencies with their efforts to control crime and delinquency; and encouraging the development of state and local programs to prevent crime and delinquency.” Interns will provide/conduct a variety of psychological services to youthful offenders including psychological assessment, evaluation, treatment, consultation, crisis intervention/suicide assessment, short-/long-term individual psychotherapy, neuropsychological screening, and treatment planning, including identifying specific treatment objectives/goals, and co-facilitating psychotherapy groups, etc. A wide variety of psychiatric conditions are present in this population including Thought Disorders, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, impulse control disorders, and various Personality Disorders.

Interns will work collaboratively with a multidisciplinary team including mental health professionals (psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers/casework specialists), medical staff (doctors, nurses, psychiatric technicians), security staff (i.e. youth correctional officers/counselors, sergeants, lieutenants, etc.), and educational staff, etc. Interns will rotate in their program assignments in order to allow them the opportunity to gain a variety of clinical experience. Rotations may include the Core Program/General Population, the Sexual Behavior Treatment Program (SBTP), the Specialized Counseling Program (SCP), the Intensive Treatment Program (ITP), the Intensive Behavioral Treatment Program (IBTP), and the Correctional Treatment Center (CTC). Interns will participate in interdisciplinary treatment team meetings, clinical/mental health meetings, case conferences, in-service trainings, etc. in order to enhance treatment interventions for incarcerated youth. Interns will also participate in facility professional psychology group meetings, medical staff meetings, and/or professional training and/or presentation meetings.

Clinical Psychology Internship:
Ventura Youth Correctional Facility (VYCF) has nine psychologists, and several openings for clinical psychology intern and practicum students. Our internship objective is to train generalist psychologists who can apply skills learned here in a wide variety of clinical settings. At least fifty percent of their time is allocated for direct clinical services. This internship program is part of the Sourthern California Psychology Internship Consortium (SCPIC). SCPIC has four internship sites, and is one of four consortia that comprise the Golden State Psychology Internship Association (GSPIA). The internship can be individualized.

VYCF is a State-operated facility under Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), under the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). Currently, the population is approximately 150 female offenders from the ages of 12 to 24 years. VYCF is in the process of expanding and within a year will increase by admitting an additional 150 male juvenile offenders. Also, treatment modalities at the facility are expanding to include reorganized CBT and DBT modalities, and a developing sex offender treatment program. Current training may be partially tailored to the intern’s interest, and may include work at the intake center, the drug treatment program, or the Intensive Treatment Program (ITP).

Job duties of an intern will include psychological and educational testing, individual and group therapy, consultation, interdisciplinary team meetings, and shadowing psychologists.

Schedule: This is a 12-month, full-time internship program. Interns are expected to be on site at VYCF four days per week, and spend one additional day away from the facility participating in didactic training. Locations of the didactic training vary. Internship starts on the last Friday in July, at the Fresno Campus of Alliant International University at 5130 E. Clinton Way, Fresno CA.

***GSPIA: For more information on Golden State Psychology Internship Association, please go to the website www.alliant.edu, then click on Campus/Fresno (on left), then Community Services (on right), then GSPIA (middle). VYCF is a member agency of Southern California Psychology Internship Consortium (SCPIC). SCPIC is currently an APPIC member.

* Development of psychological assessment and diagnostic skills with a forensic population.
* Crisis intervention procedures.
* Multidisciplinary team building.
* Development of a variety of treatment skills and various therapeutic approaches.
* Development of forensic psychological testing and report writing.

Scheduled group supervision is coordinated between the training directors and the primary clinical supervisors. A minimum of two hours of individual face-to-face clinical supervision each week and two hours of group supervision each week will be provided.

Interns will rotate through different assignments to give them a broad range of clinical experiences from the initial diagnosis and assessment of the patient, to treatment of the patient, to parole release planning. Opportunities to work at a variety of custodial levels of care are provided.