Psychology Practicum Extern – Santa Rosa

The Santa Rosa Practicum Program is strongly committed to Equity, Inclusion and Diversity. Staff and trainees are encouraged to seek out opportunities to learn, teach and discuss EID as it relates to our field, our work, and our patients. We are committed to life-long learning in Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity, and hope to nurture this value in our trainees. Trainees will have the opportunity to work with a diverse patient population in terms of age, disability status, religion, gender identification, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, race, and cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

At the regional level, our Mental Health Training Program’s Regional Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Committee organizes monthly forums that are designed for trainees only. Forums are held with experts from the community, within Kaiser Permanente, and national leaders on EID topics impacting trainees clinical work and personal development. Examples of forum topics include immigration, micro-aggressions, unconscious bias, Black maternal mental health, white privilege, and gender-affirming care. In addition to the forums, our Regional EID Officers also provide optional monthly consultation sessions for trainees.

Practicum Externs are expected to attend weekly team meetings as a part of their training, depending on their chosen track and training schedule. There will also be opportunities to attend various professional development seminars throughout the year and regular check-ins with their training director. Examples of meetings include:

• Multidisciplinary Team Meetings
• Feedback Informed Care Case Conference
• All Staff Meetings

Telehealth Training

Kaiser Permanente has greatly expanded its’ virtual presence, which will allow residents to fully train and practice in a variety of trailblazing platforms in telemedicine to provide accessible mental health care.

Weekly didactics now organized and administered at the regional level for all KP NorCal trainees. Practicum externs are required to attend the one-hour weekly seminar, which focuses on different aspects of clinical practice. Diversity issues are always integrated into seminar presentations.

Didactic topics include:
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Adverse Childhood Experiences, How Wonder Makes Us Happier, and more.

Our Regional Mental Health Training Program also sponsors professional training courses for continuing professional development. These courses and presentations are offered at select times during the year for all KP mental health trainees and staff at Kaiser Northern California Medical Centers. We bring in national experts and keynote speakers on a variety of cutting-edge topics in mental health treatment and research. Practicum externs are required to attend these monthly regional trainings in addition to the weekly didactic seminars. Training course dates and a list of speakers and topics can be found on the Regional Mental Health Training Programs website. In addition, many of these lectures are recorded and available under the continuing education lecture library.

Each practicum extern is supervised by a licensed psychologist who meets with the extern for one hour a week in individual face-to-face supervision. This supervisor takes the lead role in developing the extern’s learning plan and schedule, supervising their clinical work, and helping them navigating the KP mental health system. This supervisor additionally is responsible for completing the extern’s evaluation after gathering input from other staff members who have worked with the extern. At some practicum training sites, externs may receive supplemental individual supervision from Psychology Postdoctoral Interns and Residents.

Practicum externs also receive 1 hour of group supervision per week for case presentation and consultation. Depending on the training site, externs may also participate in group supervision for psychological testing/ADHD assessment and in a cultural conversation/diversity seminar. Group supervision allows for vicarious learning and modeling as well as giving and receiving feedback. These experiences help the extern to develop both the collegial and supervisory aspects of their professional identity.

Practicum externs at will conduct ADHD assessments as part of their clinical work. Externs will receive training and weekly group ADHD assessment supervision.

The Adult Team Track offers externs the opportunity to work on a multidisciplinary treatment team utilizing evidence-based and multimodal treatments with adults. Externs are assigned cases from a diverse patient population presenting with a range of treatment issues. Externs will evaluate and diagnose mental health conditions based on DSM-5 and ICD-10 criteria, develop treatment plans, and learn how to articulate those plans to their patients.

The psychology extern will utilize evidence-based interventions within a feedback informed care model and will utilize individual and group supervision for case formulation and treatment planning. The extern will provide individual psychotherapy under supervision and will have the opportunity to co-facilitate groups with licensed staff.

The Child Team Track offers externs the opportunity to work on a multidisciplinary treatment team utilizing evidence-based and multimodal treatments with children. Externs are assigned cases from a diverse patient population presenting with a range of treatment issues. Externs will evaluate and diagnose mental health conditions based on DSM-5 and ICD-10 criteria, develop treatment plans, and learn how to articulate those plans to their patients.

The psychology extern will utilize evidence-based interventions within a feedback informed care model and will utilize individual and group supervision for case formulation and treatment planning. The extern will provide individual psychotherapy under supervision and will have the opportunity to co-facilitate groups with licensed staff.