The Morrison Predoctoral Internship is an American Psychological Association (APA) approved, exempt internship site and has maintained that status since 1963.  This is a full-year, full-time intensive training experience with a child/community focus.  Five predoctoral intern positions are anticipated for the 2006-07 training year.

Areas of Commitment

The internship training program has evolved and changed considerably since its inception in 1957.  This evolution has been influenced by social trends, by the contributions of psychology staff and, most clearly, by the interns themselves.  Each year training staff and interns review the primary features of the program and make revisions when necessary.  However, certain areas of commitment have remained constant:

1. A Commitment to Training. 

In addition to the substantive training activities of the internship, Morrison provides a number of Federation-wide training opportunities, including monthly educational seminars, psychiatric consulting services for staff, as well as some limited training support funds and leave time.  The intern supervisory staff perceives training as a valued opportunity as opposed to an obligation.

2. A Commitment to Scholarship. 

Morrison has been involved in a number of research grants pertaining to child and family mental health.  A Program Evaluation System is central to Federation operations and our accountability standards.  Interns have limited potential opportunities to be active in both grant writing and program evaluation. 

3. A Commitment to Youth and Family. 

Services are limited to families with children who present mental or emotional problems.  The focus is broad in that mental/emotional problems exist within the context of family and community, directly affecting parents/caretakers, siblings or other resident children.  Interns are exposed to a wide variety of clinical populations and community systems within this broad context.  They also are exposed to a variety of theoretical orientations and disciplines.
 
4. A Commitment to Professional Identity. 

Each intern is encouraged to establish an identity as a psychologist which matches or capitalizes on his or her own capabilities, theoretical beliefs, and personality style.  While the emphasis on supervision is on understanding the client, it also focuses on the intern as a developing professional, therapist, consultant, and scholar.  

5. A Commitment to Cultural Competency. 

Morrison and the internship program are committed to providing culturally competent services.    Approximately 10-30% of an intern’s caseload is likely to be ethnic minorities (over the overall course of the internship year).  The populations at the MacLaren and Hillcrest Training School consultation sites average about 25% ethnic minority.   A Multicultural Seminar focuses on issues of delivering psychological services to diverse populations.

Model of Training

Morrison's Internship training approach is based on the local clinical scientist model (Stricker & Trierweiler, 1995). We emphasize learning through direct clinical practice under supervision, within the context of formalized seminars, reviewing professional literature, and consultation or conferences with knowledgeable professionals.  The intent is the application of a scientific attitude, approach, and knowledge base at the local clinical level in ways that can best serve the needs of the particular client within the community.

• Assessment: to produce entry level psychologists with assessment   competencies including reliable and comprehensive diagnostic interviewing skills, knowledge of and skill utilizing valid and appropriate test instruments, and an ability to communicate professionally useful information gathered from the assessment process including diagnosis, case conceptualization, and recommendations.
• Intervention: to produce entry level psychologists who have the necessary knowledge and skills to provide psychotherapeutic services to diverse clients presenting with a range of significant psychological problems.  Interns will use this knowledge and skill with children and families in community based treatment settings and with consultations and groups in juvenile justice populations.
• Treatment Skills: to include diagnosis, case conceptualization, collaborative treatment planning, awareness of interpersonal process issues, attention to legal and ethical factors, and the ability to form a strong therapeutic alliance.  The intern is to develop the skills to function within a treatment team and to prioritize research based practices.
• Supervision/Consultation: to prepare graduates with the necessary knowledge and skills for entry level professional roles of supervisors and consultants.
• Local Clinician Scientists: to produce graduates who understand how empirical findings impact clinical activity.  [Skills include: acquiring, applying and disseminating knowledge and understanding of the clinically relevant research and literature as it applies to the intern’s clinical practice.]
• Diversity: to prepare interns for practice within a diverse cultural community by acquiring knowledge of the histories, cultures, norms and values of diverse groups and adjusting their clinical practice to provide respectful, effective, empathic services to diverse groups, and ultimately to all clients.
• Ethical and Legal Practice: to produce graduates who demonstrate ethical and legal practice by teaching ethical and legal principles and encouraging attention to ethical issues in presentations and the clinical situations that arise.
• Self-Awareness: to prepare interns for the integration of active self-awareness into their psychology practice. [Skills include: acquiring more knowledge of their personal and interpersonal functioning with clients, supervisors, and peers and modifying their professional functioning to become better able to function effectively, genuinely and responsibly.]

Interns will demonstrate the following competencies prior to the completion of the internship year:

Competencies in Assessment:

Evaluation for Psychotherapy:  Interns will be able to clarify referral questions, conduct thorough diagnostic interviews, be attuned to legal and ethical issues and risk, and demonstrate knowledge of test administration and interpretation that leads to concise and accurate evaluations of the bio-psychosocial strengths and weaknesses of children and adolescents within family context and community.  Interns conduct approximately 2–4 full diagnostic intake interviews every month.

Testing/Evaluation/Report-Writing:  Interns will learn to select, administer and interpret test batteries to address a multitude of child and adolescent clinical issues.  Interns will then refine their report writing skills to produce conceptually informative and insightful reports that are clear, concise, and clinically useful to clients and other professionals.  Legal and ethical issues will be addressed if applicable.  Interns will also demonstrate the ability to verbally convey information and interpretations of evaluation results to clients and customers in language that is understandable. Each intern completes 8-10 multi-test batteries, including personality, cognitive, learning disability, and comprehensive evaluations.

Competencies in Intervention:

Differential Diagnosis/Case Conceptualization:  Interns will demonstrate proficiency in applying DSM-IV-TR categories to clients, engage in differential diagnosis during intakes and treatment, conduct thorough diagnostic interviews to establish areas of strength, weakness, and diagnosis.  Interns will have the knowledge and use appropriately established and empirically validated assessment measures to assist in diagnosis and treatment planning.  Interns will formulate comprehensive case conceptualizations that draw upon theoretical and research knowledge.

Treatment Planning/Intervention:  Interns will collaboratively formulate with clients and caregivers treatment goals with measurable objectives and then be proficient at presenting and delivering interventions that address treatment goals, increase client motivation for change, and facilitate client improvement.

Therapeutic Alliance:  Interns will understand and effectively use interpersonal process issues that may arise in therapy.  Interns will be able to form strong therapeutic alliances with their clients to increase client motivation to change and progress in treatment.

Measuring Treatment Progress:  Interns will become proficient at measuring the efficacy of their interventions throughout the treatment process, giving and getting feedback from clients.

Ethical and Legal Issues:  Interns will be attuned to ethical and legal issues that may arise in therapy and seek appropriate consultation as needed.

Competency in Supervision/Consultation Knowledge:  Interns will become proficient in entry-level skills as supervisors and consultants by learning about the legal and ethical distinction between these two areas, participating in case consultation, being available to consult with practicum students, and learning about risk management issues as a supervisor and consultant.  Interns may have opportunities to provide supervision later in the year either in assessment or therapy.

Competencies in Local Clinical/Scientist Model:  Interns will acquire knowledge and understanding of the clinically relevant research and literature as it applies to the areas of practice.  Interns will become proficient in identifying and applying clinically relevant literature to assessment and to treatment planning and implementation.

Competency in Practice in Diverse Culture Communities:  Interns will become sufficiently knowledgeable and culturally competent to adjust their assessment and psychotherapy skills to practice with a range of diverse clients.  Interns’ therapy practice and written work will be monitored for their ability to be sensitive to diversity issues and the special needs of diverse clients.  Interns’ work with ethnic minorities, low-income, gay/lesbian clients and will be monitored to show evidence of sensitivity, adequate self-awareness and respect for the vital significance of diverse values and social status.  Interns will demonstrate awareness and understanding of individual differences with all of their clients, including but not limited to differences in ethnic background, age, sexual orientation, gender and social cases.

Competency in Ethical and Legal Practice:  Interns will become practiced in the application of ethical principles consistent with APA ethical guidelines, statutes regarding the practice of psychology, our mission and values, and the application of these within clinical practice.

Competency in Integration of Self Awareness:  Interns will be able to analyze the interactive dynamics of the therapy relationship and use transference and countertransference (or other theoretically equivalent constructs) as productive aspects of their psychotherapy work. Interns will be able to examine and explore their ability to relate effectively with clients, supervisors, and peers, and be able to identify and correct relationship difficulties.  In addition, interns will be able to assess and address both weaknesses and impairment as well as personal and professional strengths in their practice.

Child and Family Outpatient Therapy Clients:  Under the auspices of a year long supervisor, interns will see a range of child, adolescent and family clients for individual, family, and group therapy. Many of these cases involve consultation and coordination with multiple community systems.

Correctional Setting:  Interns will participate in a year long (8 hours a week) rotation at the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) in which they will conduct psychological consultations and co-lead psychotherapy groups in a juvenile justice maximum security facility.

Residential/Day Treatment:  Two interns will spend 16 hours per week seeing children from ages 6 to 12 who require a higher level of care, providing individual, family, and group therapy along with consultation, case management and team

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