Education & Training | Psychology Pre-Doctoral | Training Sites | CT Mental Health Center | Hispanic Clinic

Hispanic Clinic (APPIC # 118318)

One predoctoral psychology intern is selected for a 12-month primary placement at the Hispanic Clinic. This training option is structured with a secondary placement at either The Consultation Center, Outpatient Services, or West Haven Mental Health Clinic. Based on the intern's training interests and needs, the secondary placement can be tailored to offer specialized training experiences with Latino populations. The Hispanic Clinic also is a secondary placement option for interns applying for primary placement in another clinical setting. As all clinic clients are monolingual, fluency in Spanish is a requirement for working within this multi-service, specialty clinic.

Placement at the Hispanic Clinic provides a rare and exciting opportunity for the intern to receive intensive clinical training and preparation for working with an under-served and growing Latino population. Specific skill development is offered that is relevant to assessment, intervention, consultation, and clinical research with this population.

About the Internship Setting

  • The Hispanic Clinic of the Connecticut Mental Health Center is a community mental health and addictions treatment provider that serves the Hispanic monolingual population of Greater New Haven and surrounding areas. The site is organized as a satellite clinic of the Connecticut Mental Health Center and is part of the Center's Outpatient Services.
  • The Hispanic Clinic is staffed by a multidisciplinary team of bilingual-bicultural clinicians that provide a comprehensive range of services to an adult population. These services range from diagnostic evaluation, pharmacotherapy, and psychotherapy in mental health, addictions, and co-occurring disorders.
  • Based at the Hispanic Clinic is the Connecticut Latino Behavioral Health System (CT LBHS) which represents a regional initiative designed to expand the accessibility and quality of behavioral health services to the monolingual Latino community. The overarching goal of CT LBHS is to improve access to behavioral health care and to promote culturally relevant treatment alternatives.

Internship Overview (Primary or Secondary)

  • The intern is expected to gain proficiency in the conceptualization of clinical issues based on a comprehensive and culturally informed assessment. Particularly, the training year will provide an opportunity for the intern to acquire further skill in the following:
    • Knowledge of diagnosis and psychopathology and differential diagnosis based on cultural nuances;
    • Ability to adapt evidence-based interventions in a culturally specific manner; and
    • Interpreting the results of various types of assessments taking into account cultural and linguistic issues.
  • The intern will apply an understanding of relevant system, organizational, and faith-based issues to establish and maintain effective relationships through the utilization of cultural constructs with service recipients and partners.
  • The intern will work in conjunction with the clinical interdisciplinary team and provide clinical services within the Ambulatory Specific Adjunctive Program (ASAP), a program designed to provide intensive clinical care within a group treatment modality. The intern will also provide individual psychotherapeutic services.
  • The intern will have the unique opportunity to learn about issues related to the development of a broader system of care through participation in the CT LBHS.
  • The intern will have opportunities to participate in ongoing research projects based within the clinic as well as within the broader context of the Connecticut Mental Health Center.
  • The intern will have opportunities to participate in seminars focusing on cross-cultural issues, addictions treatment, co-occurring disorders, community-based intervention, and prevention. Additional mentoring and supervision related to the development of culturally-competent clinical research skills can also be arranged.

Supervision and Evaluation

  • Ample supervision is provided for all aspects of the intern's work in both English and Spanish.
  • The intern receives ongoing feedback during the internship from their advisor and supervisors.
  • Quarterly formal evaluations are completed that serve as opportunities to review progress on training goals and address progress toward core competency areas.

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