Pre-Master’s Mental Health Internship – South San Francisco

At Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health Services, we strive to put Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity into action and value every patient’s experience with the goal of providing culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and compassionate care. Our clinic provides an opportunity for trainees to be part of a multidisciplinary team who proudly serve a diverse patient population representing a range of cultural backgrounds and mental health experiences. Supervisors work closely with their trainees to develop their cultural and clinical awareness and nurture their growth as critical and curious thinkers. To further foster this personal and professional growth, trainees attend bi-weekly Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity seminars, a space to have conversations about what’s happening in their practice, their lives, and the world around topics like authenticity, power, microaggressions, intersectionality, cultural humility, gender, sexuality, and privilege.

Interns will attend didactic seminars within their clinics and have opportunity to attend regional seminars organized by Mental Health Training Programs as their schedules permit. Didactics will cover a range of clinical and professional development topics as well as explore culturally responsive care. Interns will have access to both live and asynchronous exposure to various speakers and topics which are designed to meet their developmental needs over the course of the training year.

Interns may attend all-staff department meetings, treatment team meetings, and weekly feedback informed care case consultations.

All interns are supervised by licensed mental health professionals who are responsible for overseeing the direct delivery of clinical services. The supervisor takes a role in developing the intern’s learning plan, monitoring their progress, and evaluating their training schedule. The supervisor is also responsible for completing the intern’s evaluation.

Interns will receive a minimum of one hour of individual supervision a week. Two hours of individual supervision will be provided for every 20 hours of service provision at minimum. Interns will also receive at least one hour of group supervision per week which may include case consultation, and topics related to professional development, interdisciplinary communication and systems issues, and multicultural competence and diversity awareness.

Kaiser Permanente Accelerate Program for Anxiety provides care for patients experiencing moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety, with diagnoses of generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, specific phobia, panic disorder, and other anxiety disorders. Patients attend weekly individual therapy, group therapy and an orientation class. Medication management may also be part of a patient’s treatment plan. Evidence-based treatment and interventions include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, as well as Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy. Trainees will be part of a multidisciplinary team and provide individual therapy, group therapy, and attend a weekly case consultation.

KP Accelerate Program for Depression provides care for patients experiencing moderate to severe symptoms of depression, with diagnoses of major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder, and other depressive disorders. Patients attend weekly individual and group therapy as well as an orientation class. Medication management may also be part of a patient’s treatment plan. Evidence-based treatment and interventions include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Interpersonal Therapy. Trainees will be part of a multidisciplinary team and provide individual therapy, group therapy, and attend a weekly case consultation. Track Name: KP SSF Adult Mental Health Services Crisis Program

Adult Mental Health Services Crisis Program provides care for patients experiencing suicidal ideation and/or self-harm behaviors, or patients in acute crisis needing urgent services. Patients attend weekly individual and group therapy. Evidence-based treatment and interventions include The Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality framework, Cognitive Therapy for Suicidal Patients, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Medication management may also be part of a patient’s treatment plan. Trainees will be part of a multidisciplinary team and provide individual therapy, group therapy, as well as attend a weekly case consultation.

KP SSF Adult Mental Health Services Trauma Pathways Program provides care for patients experiencing moderate to severe symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Patients attend weekly individual therapy, group therapy and an orientation class. Evidence-based treatment and interventions include Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation, Written Exposure Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. Medication management may also be part of a patient’s treatment plan. Trainees will be part of a multidisciplinary team and provide individual therapy, group therapy, as well as attend a weekly case consultation.

Focused Therapy provides care for patients experiencing moderate to severe symptoms of a range of mental health challenges, including adjustment disorders, grief and bereavement, work stress, family stress, and relationship stress. Patients participate in weekly individual, couples, or family therapy. Evidence-based treatment and interventions include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Solutions Focused Therapy, Problem-Solving Therapy, and Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Medication management may also be part of a patient’s treatment plan. Trainees will be part of a multidisciplinary team and provide individual, couples, or family therapy, and attend a weekly case consultation.

The Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) is a partial hospitalization program that provides the highest level of outpatient care for Adult Mental Health Services. During IOP, patients attend group therapy and have individual check-ins for therapy and case management. Evidence-based treatment and interventions include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Compassion Focused Therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Medication management may also be part of a patient’s treatment plan. Trainees will be part of a multidisciplinary team and provide intake assessments, individual check-ins, group therapy, and attend IOP team huddles.

Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health Services is home to La Clinica; a therapist-led program that provides culturally sensitive services to our Spanish speaking community. La Clinica therapists take time to honor the patient’s story and consider the impacts of culture, language, oppressive systems, and historical context in providing care.

Patients receiving care in La Clinica are experiencing a range of mental health challenges and diagnoses. The patients attend both individual and group therapy. Evidence-based treatment and interventions include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, relational and processing therapies, and family systems therapy. Medication management may also be part of a patient’s treatment plan. Trainees will be part of a multidisciplinary team and provide individual or group therapy, attend bilingual case consultations and attend La Clinica team meetings.

Outpatient Case Management Services provides support and resources to the Serious Persistent Mental Illness Community seeking care with Adult Mental Health Services. Patients attend individual case management sessions and group therapy while in the program. Evidence-based treatment and interventions consist of recovery-oriented approaches, including Social Skills Training and Illness Management and Recovery. Trainees will be part of a multidisciplinary team and provide individual case management sessions, group therapy, and attend a weekly case consultation.