Title: Psychology Internship Program Program Type: Internship Program University at Buffalo, Department of Psychiatry University Psychiatric Practice 11th Floor, 462 Grider St. Buffalo, NY 14215 Contact Number: 716-898-4221 Email Address: alexcogs@buffalo.edu coreylei@buffalo.edu Website: https://medicine.buffalo.edu/departments/psychiatry.html Brief Description Our program seeks to improve access to quality behavioral health, including trauma-informed care and substance-related treatment, prevention, and recovery in the Buffalo and Western New York area. In this project we propose to expand our existing internship program of two trainees, to additional, GPE-funded interns with 1 intern in Year 1, 2 in Year 2, and 3 in Year 3. GPE-funded interns will learn, train, and work with a diverse array of trainees, including other interns, psychology externs, medical students, psychiatry residents, psychiatry fellows, and other mental health students. At least 25 percent of their experiential training will occur in a hospital-based inpatient detoxification unit and outpatient clinics focused on OUD and other SUD treatment, prevention, and recovery. Interns will serve as mental health consult/liaisons and work with individuals with substance use issues to better serve their holistic needs. They will also offer psychological assessment, individual and group psychotherapy, and family work. Clinical priorities of this project include working with populations that struggle with substance use problems. We will leverage and expand existing community partnerships, particularly with the Erie County Medical Center for these experiential training sites, all of which are sites in high demand and high need areas. Our project will focus on four primary measurable objectives. 1) Increasing the number of interns with 1 intern in Year 1, 2 in Year 2, and 3 in Year 3; 2) Providing annual tele-behavioral health training to interns through GPE funds as offered by a r
eputable provider leading to certification; 3) Enhancing training and education in provider resiliency and trauma-informed care through at least 4 hours of didactics/seminars, and providing at least 6 hours of didactics/seminars in culturally sensitive OUD and other SUD prevention, treatment, and recovery. This goal will also leverage academic partners, including the University at Buffalo Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions; 4) Enhanced training for faculty in provision of culturally sensitive OUD and other SUD prevention, treatment, and recovery, with a focus on evidence-based practice. All of the above training will occur annually. All project activities will be coordinated by the Project Director, the Associate Project Director, and the Project Administrator, who will maintain primary responsibility for all aspects of implementation. Key stakeholders within the program, including the Chief of the Division of Psychology and Department Chair are commitment to ongoing support. Recruitment of GPE-funded interns will be overseen by the Project Director. Evaluation, monitoring, and required reporting will be overseen by the entities identified above, and will primarily be accomplished by the Project Administrator. Supervision of interns at experiential training sites is completed by program/project faculty and staff working for our community partners at ECMC. We are requesting GPE funds to assist in provision of additional training. All potential experiential training sites, except one (Depew, NY-still within a five mile radius) are located in the City of Buffalo, in Erie County. We believe that our project qualifies for funding priority and preference.