THE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER DIFFERENCE

What makes CHC's residency program different?

Health care is rapidly changing. To continue delivering high-quality care in a way that meets each patient’s individual needs, Community Health Center, Inc. (CHCI) has adopted a model of team-based, integrated care in which behavioral health clinicians, primary care providers, dentists and pharmacists all work closely together, sharing the same electronic health record, working under the same roof, and often seated together in the same pod. Designated a Patient Centered Medical Home at the highest level (Level 3) by NCQA in April 2011, CHCI is committed to providing effective, efficient, and elegant behavioral health care in the primary care setting. The Postdoctoral Psychology Residency program provides comprehensive training in the provision of psychological care to uninsured and underserved populations under this patient-centered medical home model, with a focus on positive client outcomes and building healthy communities. We believe this is the future of psychology and are looking forward to training the next generation of behavioral health providers in our model.

The postdoctoral resident will have the unique opportunity to:

• Work closely with medical and dental providers as part of CHCI’s model of integrated care
• Develop clinical and assessment skills with clients of all ages in a variety of settings, including in primary care settings, licensed outpatient mental health clinics, schools, homeless shelters and domestic violence shelters
• Gain or build upon experience using electronic health records and other state-of-the-art technologies to manage and deliver care
• Complete psychological assessments to assist primary care providers and members of the behavioral health team in clarifying diagnosis and developing care plans
• Participate in a range of training seminars and supervision covering individual, family and group treatment and behavioral health within primary care

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Where are training and services provided?

Community Health Center, Inc. delivers service in more than 200 locations across Connecticut. Behavioral health services are provided in 13 licensed clinics, more than 20 school based health centers, and 8 programs in domestic violence and homeless shelters. The headquarters is located in Middletown, CT. Primary training locations include the Clinton, Middletown, Meriden, New Britain, Norwalk and Stamford sites, with some service delivery possible at other sites. Through state-of-the-art teleconferencing technology, CHCI is able to provide face-to-face supervision to our residents and full-time access to the training director and supervisors.

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THE RESIDENT EXPERIENCE

Opportunities and Rotations:

The Postdoctoral Clinical Psychology Residency program includes the following opportunities:

• Integrated co-located behavioral health care in a primary care setting
• Individual/family psychotherapy
• Group treatment
• Psychodiagnostic assessments
• Intake assessments
• Clinical team meetings
• After-hour on-call duties

Rotations are available in the following specialized settings:

• Primary care behavioral health (integrated care co-located with medical providers)
• Clinic based outpatient behavioral health care
• School-based behavioral health care
• Shelter-based behavioral health care in homeless and domestic violence shelters
• Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT)

All residents will be expected to focus on outpatient clinical treatment in the primary care and behavioral health clinic settings with all age ranges. Specialized rotations, including shelter-based and school-based work, are available at most sites.

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Goals and Objectives of Training:

The goal of the Postdoctoral Psychology Residency program is to train the next generation of psychologists in the Patient Centered Medical Home model. Through weekly seminars, group and individual supervision and clinical work with diverse, underserved populations, residents will fine-tune assessment and therapy skills. Objectives of the program are as follows:

• Increase knowledge in use of diagnostic assessment tools
• Learn Clinical Microsystems and the Dartmouth Approach to Performance Improvement
• Learn to provide elegant, effective and efficient behavioral health care to clients across the lifespan
• Develop skills in working collaboratively with medical staff, dental staff, psychiatrists, schools, and other clinicians
• Learn the benefits and challenges of working within the Patient Centered Medical Home model
• Obtain training in the use of eClinicalWorks to maintain patient records
• Attend regular seminars hosted by interdisciplinary providers specializing in topics such as suicide assessment, ethics, evidence based interventions, and other areas involving the integration of primary care and behavioral health
• Use experience and knowledge gained in graduate training to develop and implement positive changes to the practice, in collaboration with CHCI staff
• Upon completion of the program, residents will have the necessary supervised clinical experience to qualify to sit for the EPPP and CT state exam for psychology licensure

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Expected Competencies:

The psychology resident will be expected to gain the following competencies during his or her training year:

• The Patient Centered Medical Home model including interdisciplinary collaboration
• Clinical assessment including psychodiagnostic interview technique and the utilizations of psychological assessment tools in a primary care setting
• Providing outpatient behavioral health care to underserved populations
• Evidence-based therapies (such as TF-CBT)
• Use of electronic medical record and other healthcare systems technologies
• “Wherever You Are” clinical care including ability to work in non-traditional treatment environments such as domestic violence shelters
• Developing and implementing effective group curricula
• Clinical Microsystems and Dartmouth Approach to Quality and Performance Improvement

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Supervision and Didactic Training:

Supervision and didactic training includes:

• Weekly individual supervision as required by Connecticut licensing law
• One-hour group supervision for all postdoctoral residents
• Program-specific clinical team meetings
• Weekly didactic training seminar
• Training in the use of an integrated electronic health record
• Training in Performance Improvement Processes

CHCI is a multi-site agency with locations across Connecticut. Residents are given a “home office” location at a fixed clinic site and rotate through schools, shelters, and other non-traditional treatment settings. The resident’s supervisor works at the fixed-site location. Residents meet weekly in-person for group supervision, seminars and on an as-needed basis for other training opportunities, such as orientation and Grand Rounds. Our Fairfield County site requires additional travel time, and the resident at the Fairfield County site attends seminar and group supervision in-person twice monthly, at a central Connecticut site and is reimbursed for travel. CHCI has an excellent video conferencing system that allows staff from all of our sites to meet for meetings as needed. When residents are not meeting in person, they are able to meet face-to-face via our statewide Codian Videoconferencing System.

Throughout the year, MyEvaluations.com will be utilized to maintain an ongoing evaluation of residents’ experiences and growth, as well as evaluation of the program and individual seminars. We have institutional policies in place for due process in the event of a grievance.

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The Training and Supervisory Staff

Supervision is provided by psychologists licensed by the state of Connecticut. These psychologists work at our sites across Connecticut. Each resident will have a primary supervisor affiliated with the site where he or she is located. Secondary supervisors may work at other locations. Residents may be asked to drive to other sites for meetings with their secondary supervisors or for didactic training. Didactic training is provided by the multidisciplinary team at CHCI, including but not limited to psychologists, social workers, medical doctors, and advanced practice registered nurses.

The leadership team for the residency program consists of Tim Kearney, Ph.D., Julie Nash, Ph.D., David Guggenheim, Psy.D., M. Victoria Ramos, Psy.D., Kerry Bamrick, MBA

Tim Kearney, Ph.D. serves as the Chief Psychologist for the residency program in addition to his role as the Chief Behavioral Health Officer for the CHCI. Dr. Kearney completed his undergraduate work at Yale University and graduate work at Fuller Theological Seminary where he earned his MA (Theology) from the Graduate School of Theology and his Ph.D. (Clinical Psychology) from the Graduate School of Psychology. He has also completed the post graduate Primary Care Behavioral Health training program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester. While he has much experience working with the entire age range, Dr. Kearney specializes in work with children and adolescents, especially young children. He has received additional training and certification in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). Dr. Kearney is the author of “Caring for Sexually Abused Children: A Handbook for Families and Churches.”

Julie Nash, Ph.D. serves as the Training Director in addition to her role as the Foster Care Clinic Coordinator. Dr. Nash finished her graduate work at Fairleigh Dickinson University. She is a Registered Play Therapist and is certified to provide TF-CBT. Dr. Nash has experience working with the entire age range with specialization in work with children and adolescents. She has authored peer-reviewed research-based articles and multiple book chapters on play therapy. She has presented regionally and nationally to train professionals in play therapy, and is on the board of the New England Chapter of the Association of Play Therapy. Dr. Nash also teaches graduate courses in human services through Post University in Waterbury, CT.

David Guggenheim, Psy.D. serves as the On-Site Behavioral Health Director of the Fairfield County sites. He completed his graduate work at American School of Professional Psychology in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles. Dr. Guggenheim became certified to provide TF-CBT during his postdoctoral year at CHCI. He has a strong interest in work with children and adolescents, as well as research experience and clinical work with sexual minority clients. Dr. Guggenheim enjoys working with clients dealing with anxiety disorders from a cognitive-behavioral framework. He also teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in human services through Post University in Waterbury, CT.

M. Victoria Ramos, Psy.D. serves as the psychological assessment coordinator at CHCI. She finished her graduate training at the University of Hartford and completed her post-doctoral work with the Wheeler Clinic’s Diagnostic Assessment and Referral Team (DART) in Plainville, CT. Dr. Ramos prefers working primarily with adults and adolescents and has a special interest, as well as a strong background, in psychological assessment. She also teaches graduate courses at Union Institute and University. Additionally, Dr. Ramos is bi-cultural and bilingual and provides therapy services in Spanish to our large Hispanic population.

Kerry Bamrick, MBA serves as the program coordinator for CHCI’s postdoctoral residency training program and nurse practitioner residency training program. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing and coordinating all aspects of both training programs. In addition to this role, Kerry serves as the Senior Program Manager for the Weitzman Center for Innovation in Community Health and Primary Care. Kerry is also the IRB administrator for CHCI. Kerry has an undergraduate degree from Merrimack College and Masters Degree in Business Administration from Western New England College.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What makes the CHC program unique?
The Community Health Center, Inc. has been given the highest recognition by NCQA as a Level 3 Patient Centered Medical Home. PCMHs are the future of health care. Our Behavioral Health program operates as a part of the primary care service delivery system at CHCI and residents will be trained to provide care in this model.

CHC is a multi-site agency. Where is the training program located?
Community Health Center, Inc. delivers service in over 200 locations across Connecticut. Behavioral health services are provided in 13 licensed clinics, more than 20 school based health centers, and eight programs in domestic violence and homeless shelters in central Connecticut. The headquarters is located at 675 Main Street in Middletown. Primary training locations include the Clinton Middletown, Meriden, New Britain, Norwalk and Stamford, with some service delivery possible at other sites.

When does the training program begin?
The postdoctoral residency is a full-year program that begins in September 3, 2013 and continues through August 31, 2014.

Is the postdoctoral program full-time?
The postdoctoral resident is required to work 40 hours per week. Residents receive paid time off and holidays.

Is there a stipend?
A stipend of $40,000 is offered for the year. Residents are hired as one-year contracted employees of CHCI with insurance benefits and paid time off.

Resident Benefits?
The residency is a 12 month, full-time salaried position. Residents enjoy the full and competitive benefit package of CHC employees, including the following:

• Top-notch group medical, dental and health insurance
• Company-paid short-term disability, long-term disability and life insurance
• 403(b) retirement plan with substantial discretionary employer match and contribution
• Paid time off program
• Stipend to attend a national conference during residency
• License reimbursement benefit
• Wellness programs
• Supplemental vision, disability, accident and life insurance

Are there any particular days or hours required?
Residents are expected to be at CHCI five days per week, at least one evening per week until 7 p.m. and a minimum of one Saturday per month to meet the needs of our working clients. The seminar schedule will also dictate the resident’s schedule. Some after-hour on-call responsibilities are required.

Is there some flexibility in the kinds of activities/opportunities that the postdoctoral resident will have?
All residents will be expected to focus on outpatient clinical treatment in the primary care and behavioral health clinic setting. Specialized rotations, including shelter-based and school-based work, are available at most sites and may be required.

Is there a language requirement?
While Spanish language proficiency is preferred for all sites, it is essential for some. Residents will be expected to use the phone-based translation service to provide care to clients whose preferred language is not English. All treatment rooms are equipped with speaker phones.

Does CHC utilize an electronic health record?
Yes. Residents will be trained in the use of eClinical Works, CHCI’s integrated electronic health record, which allows access to clients’ medical, behavioral health and dental records.

Will I be eligible for state licensure after completing the residency program?
Upon completion of the program, residents will have the necessary supervised clinical experience to qualify to sit for the EPPP and CT state exam for psychology licensure.

Is this residency program eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs?
No. Psychologists must be licensed to qualify for the National Health Service Corps loan forgiveness programs. CHCI is qualified as a site for this program for licensed psychologists.

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APPLYING TO CHCI’S RESIDENCY PROGRAM

Applicants must have completed an APA/CPA accredited doctoral program. We do not require that applicants completed an APA/CPA accredited doctoral internship, although the internship experience should meet APPIC standards.

All requirements for the doctoral degree must be completed before starting the postdoctoral training program and these requirements will be verified by CHCI staff.

Please complete the online application by clicking here. Applicants should also send an email with their CV and two de-identified psychological evaluations attached to PostDoc@chc1.com. within 24 hours of submitting their application. Applications should arrange to have 3 letters of references sent to this email address. Each letter should come from the email address of the person making the recommendation.

As a Psychology Resident, the successful applicant will be hired as a full time contracted employee of Community Health Center, Inc for the postdoctoral year. In addition to the above information, we will require our standard employment application be completed and a contract signed. Residents will be introduced to some of the benefits offered to full time employees by our Human Resources department, including paid time off, medical insurance, and due process/grievance procedures.

The application cycle will be open through February 1, 2013. Interviews will be conducted on March 4th and March 8th, 2013. Applicants accepted to the residency program will be informed by mid March.

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CONTACT US

Please e-mail Postdoc@chc1.com with any questions or call at 860-347-6971, Extension 3780.

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