Doctoral Internship

The Kaiser San Rafael Training Program has a long-standing commitment to Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity.  Diversity training and consultation is a major component of our training tracks and curricula, encouraging our staff and residents to foster cultural humility, understanding, and competence.

Our Kaiser San Rafael Training Program provides a Cultural Diversity Case Consultation for all trainees twice a month.   The goal of the cultural diversity case consultation is to provide trainees with a safe environment where they can bring in clinical cases and practice case conceptualization and treatment planning from a cultural diversity lens.

At the clinic level, Kaiser San Rafael also has a Diversity and Inclusion Committee where all staff are encouraged to attend monthly meetings designed to identify, problem-solve, and implement plans for addressing various diversity issues in our workplace and service system.  The Diversity and Inclusion Committee also hosts advanced trainings for all staff on topics designed to promote cultural competence and cultural sensitivity in the workplace.

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.

Example of forum topics include immigration, micro-aggression, 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.

Regularly scheduled weekly didactic seminars, formerly held at the consortium level, are now organized, and administered at the regional level for all KP NorCal trainees. Doctoral Interns are required to attend the two-hour weekly seminar, which focuses on aspects of clinical practice that the residents may not regularly encounter. Diversity issues are always integrated into seminar presentations. Seminar topics include:

Frontiers in Trauma Treatment; Advanced Risk Assessment; Updates in Substance Abuse Research & treatment; Advancements in Psychopharmacology; Cognitive Processing Therapy; Technology and Mental Health; Trans/Nonbinary Mental Health; Building a Better Brain through Exercise, Nutrition, Sleep and Stress Management, and Self-compassion.

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.

Doctoral interns 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

Doctoral interns participate in weekly multidisciplinary team meetings, Feedback Informed Care case conferences, once-a-month all staff meeting, and a monthly all-staff ed series.

Supervision for doctoral interns include both individual and group supervision.  All interns have a primary and secondary supervisor that they meet individually with for one hour each weekly.

Interns also have 3 hours of weekly group supervision, including group supervision for clinical cases, assessment, community benefit projects, and program evaluation.  In addition, doctoral interns, along with postdoctoral residents, practicum students, and postmaster fellows, participate in a cultural diversity case consultation that takes place twice a month.

Reflecting Kaiser Permanente’s core commitment to mental health and wellness in our communities, each intern is required to spend at least 32 hours during their training year on a Community Partnership Project that focuses on improving mental health in the local community beyond our Kaiser Permanente patient members. The scope and focus of the projects are site specific, reflecting the unique opportunities available in each community to develop meaningful partnerships.

Projects are developed in conjunction with the site training director and can take a wide range of forms. Many Community Partnership Projects entail psychoeducational programs at local high schools or community centers, with emphasis in such areas as mindfulness, stress reduction, parenting education, anger management or communication trainings. Other projects have involved staff consultation at county or non-profit agencies (e.g., homeless shelters, community mental health clinics, prisons, etc.).

Doctoral interns at Kaiser San Rafael are required to complete, at a minimum, four psychological assessments during their training year to meet competency for assessments.

Two of the assessments will be full battery and two of the assessments will be shorter evals (e.g., ASD or ADHD assessment).  Interns will receive weekly assessment supervision from our team of assessment supervisors.

12-month track

Doctoral interns on the Adult track will work in a multi-disciplinary team including therapists, psychiatrists, RNs, and pharmacists to treat patients, 18 years and above on a wide range of diagnosis and presenting problems.  Interns will provide a range of clinical services including individual intake assessments and 1:1 therapy, assessment, and co-facilitation of groups.

We host over 50 groups each week for various populations and presenting problems including Depression and Anxiety management, Trauma Recovery, DBT, Bipolar, Mindfulness, Couples Work, Self-compassion, ACT, and many more!  Assignment of groups will be based on the interns’ areas of interests and clinical need.

12-month track

Doctoral interns on the Child track will work in a multi-disciplinary team including therapists, psychiatrists, RNs, and pharmacists to treat patients, 18 years and younger on a wide range of diagnosis and presenting problems.  Interns will provide a range of clinical services including intake assessments, 1:1 and family therapy, assessment, and co-facilitation of groups.

There are over 20 Child groups each week for various populations and presenting problems including Depression and Anxiety management, DBT, Stress Management, Parent Support group, and many more! Assignment of groups will be based on the interns’ areas of interests and clinical need.

12-month track

Kaiser Permanente San Rafael Addiction Medicine and Recovery Services (AMRS) is an outpatient treatment program providing recovery services for adults and adolescents with substance use disorders and co-occurring psychiatric disorders.

We work closely with the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) team as well as Kaiser’s nearby hospital emergency department, chronic pain center and medical offices.

Adult Programming

Outpatient Abstinence-based Program (OP), Psychoeducation and Relapse Prevention, Continuing and Long-Term Recovery, Harm Reduction and Controlled Use Support, Dual Diagnosis, Men’s & Women’s Recovery, Codependency/Family Support

Adolescent Programming 

Teen early intervention, harm reduction, and abstinence-based programs; Family therapy and psychoeducation

Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) 

Detoxification and withdrawal, Anti-craving (Naltrexone, Camphral, Antabuse, Buprenorphine), General psychiatric medication support

Addiction Medicine doctoral interns receive advanced training, supervision, and clinical experience in assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of substance use disorders. Interns work four 10-hour days, typically with Wednesdays off.  Approximately 20 hours per week are dedicated to direct patient care through individual and group therapy and psychological assessment.