Psychology internship

Appointment: Full-time (40 hours per week); 12 months
APPIC program name: Spectrum Health Internship in Prof Psychology
APPIC program code: 2309

Welcome to the website for the Spectrum Health Internship Program in Professional Psychology (SHIP³). We appreciate your interest in our doctoral internship program, and we hope that our information helps you determine whether you are a good fit for our program.

Our mission is to prepare interns to pursue careers as clinical scientists and leaders in academic medical centers, community hospitals, and other integrated care settings. The Spectrum Health System is the largest integrated medical center in West Michigan. Our internship program is located on the northeast side of Grand Rapids and administratively housed within the Primary Health Department. We emphasize breadth and depth of training through evidence-based psychological assessment and care. We provide training opportunities in integrated care settings such as psychological evaluations, bariatrics, and outpatient psychotherapy. We accept outpatient referrals from primary and specialty care medical providers and offer psychological services for a wide range of behavioral health concerns.

Our goals and objectives focus on intern competency development in 7 foundational and 4 functional domains, as described by Fouad, et.al (2009) and consistent with recommendations from the Council of Clinical Health Psychology Training Programs (CCHPTP).

A strong emphasis on clinical training is at the core of our curriculum. Each intern will receive a weekly minimum of two hours of individual supervision, two hours of group supervision, and two hours of didactic seminars. Supervision is provided by our fully-licensed faculty, all of whom are either fellowship-trained or ABPP board-certified. Interns will also be provided with two hours of individual professional development time weekly, which can be used at the intern’s discretion to advance their career, such as reading professional texts or completing their dissertation.

Our foundational competency goals include increasing interns’ (1) Professionalism, (2) Reflective practice and self-care, (3) Scientific knowledge, methods, and applications, (4) Professional relationships, (5) Awareness and sensitivity to individual/cultural diversity, (6) Ethical/legal decision-making, and (7) Awareness of interdisciplinary systems.

Our functional competency goals include increasing interns’ skills in: (1) Psychological assessment, diagnosis, case conceptualization, and treatment planning (2) Evidence- based psychological interventions (3) Supervision, and (4) Integrated care practice.

Spectrum Health’s vision is to be the national leader for health by 2020, and we are on the right track. Spectrum is the largest not-for-profit health care system in West Michigan with 12 hospitals, 181 service locations and 2,075 licensed beds system-wide. We are the largest employer in West Michigan with more than 24,000 employees and 1300 physicians and advanced practice providers. Spectrum Health has been ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report in its Best Hospitals 2017-18 rankings. It also was recognized as high-performing in five medical specialties.

Grand Rapids was named as the top U.S. travel destination in 2014 by Lonely Planet, the world’s largest travel guide publisher. We have the most vibrant downtown between Chicago and Cleveland, a world-renowned art scene, world-class breweries, semi-pro sports teams, fascinating museums, and easy access to Lake Michigan’s gold coast (with 300 miles of beautiful beaches, soaring sand dunes, and spectacular sunsets). Metropolitan Grand Rapids has a population of just over one million people, with mild traffic and safe communities. It is a great place to live, work, raise a family, and have fun.

The bariatrics rotation will be located at 4100 Lake Drive, Suite B01 and will be supervised by Dr. Rebecca Preston. Interns will conduct comprehensive and efficient pre-surgical psychological evaluations for patients pursuing bariatric surgery. The assessment will include a comprehensive clinical interview, a standardized personality measure, and validated symptom assessments (e.g., PHQ-9, GAD-7, and Binge Eating Scale). Interns will complete written reports based on a synthesis of available data and provide tailored feedback to each patient, both verbally and in writing. The intern will also learn how to work collaboratively within an interdisciplinary team, providing clear and effective recommendations to the treatment team (e.g., physician assistants, surgeons, dietitians, medical assistants) best patient outcome. Additionally, the intern may have the opportunity to observe a bariatric surgery during this rotation. This rotation will be two days per week for half of the internship year. 

The psychological evaluation rotation will be located at the Corewell Health Grand Rapids Hospitals Care Center - 2750 East Beltline Avenue NE. Interns will learn evidence-based methods for conducting psychological assessments, including pre-surgical and complex diagnostic psychological evaluations. Depending on prior experience, interns will be able to learn basic to advanced skills on this rotation. Evaluations may include bariatrics, solid organ transplantation, plastic surgery, pain procedures, AD/HD, complex diagnostic presentations, and others. The recommended textbook for this rotation is Presurgical Psychological Screening by Block & Sarwer (2012). This rotation will be two days per week for the full year.

The outpatient psychotherapy rotation will be located at the Corewell Health Grand Rapids Hospitals Care Center - 2750 East Beltline Avenue NE. Interns will perform psychological diagnostic assessments and intervention for a range of behavioral health concerns, including depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, and trauma and stress-related disorders. Interns will also have an opportunity for enhanced training in their supervisor’s specific areas of expertise, including substance use disorders, trauma, health psychology, or pediatrics. Because this rotation is year-long, interns will have the opportunity to utilize both extended and brief psychotherapy treatment models. The recommended textbook for this rotation is Clinical Handbook of Psychological Disorders: A Step-by-Step Treatment Manual (5th Edition) by Barlow (2014). This rotation will be two and a half days per week for the entire internship year.

For additional information about the internship program, please download our Internship Training Manual.

All applicants are required to be enrolled in an APA- or CPA-accredited doctoral program in clinical, counseling, or school psychology and are expected to have completed by the internship's starting date: all doctoral course work; qualifying examinations; and required practica (a minimum of 500 direct hours and 1000 total hours). The dissertation proposal must be approved before the ranking deadline.

• A cover letter articulating how you believe your learning goals would be met through our internship at Spectrum Health. 
• A completed APPI, including a letter of recommendation from your Director of Clinical Training. 
• Curriculum Vitae. 
• At least two additional letters of recommendation using the APPIC Standardized Reference Form (SRF), including one from your primary advisor/mentor. At least one of the letters should describe your recent clinical skills. It is acceptable to send three letters of recommendation if desired.

Please contact Dr. Lyndsay Volpe-Bertram with questions regarding the program or the application.

To learn more, visit the APPIC website.

Lyndsay Volpe-Bertram, PsyD, ABPP (C), Director of Clinical Training, Supervisor 
Education: PsyD in Clinical Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Chicago Campus. Pre-doctoral internship at the Youth Opportunity Center in Muncie, IN; post-doctoral experience at Child Focus, Inc. in Cincinnati, OH. 
Theoretical Orientation: Cognitive-behavioral 
Interests: Trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder, ADHD evaluations, mood disorders

Jared L. Skillings, PhD, ABPP (C, CH, CBT), Chief Psychologist, Supervisor
Education: MA, PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Toledo. Predoctoral internship at the University of Miami (FL)/Jackson Memorial Hospital; Postdoctoral fellowship in Clinical Health Psychology at the Consortium for Advanced Psychology Training through Michigan State University College of Human Medicine 
Theoretical orientation: Cognitive-behavioral with humanistic philosophical roots 
Interests: Pre-surgical evaluations, Solid organ transplantation, Evidence-based assessment and psychotherapies

Rebecca Preston, PsyD, Psychologist, Supervisor 
Education: PsyD in Clinical Psychology at Loyola University Maryland. Pre-doctoral internship (Clinical Psychology) at Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago, Illinois and post-doctoral fellowship (emphasis in Integrated Care/Behavioral Medicine) at Edwards Hines, Jr. VA Hospital in Hines, Illinois. 
Theoretical Orientation: Cognitive-behavioral, interpersonal 
Interests: Bariatric surgery, weight loss and weight management interventions, adjustment to chronic health conditions

Lisa Vroman, PhD, Supervisor 
Education: PhD in Clinical Psychology at Michigan State University in East Lansing. Pre-doctoral internship in clinical health psychology at West Virginia University School of Medicine, Charleston Division, Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry; post-doctoral experience in pediatric behavioral sleep medicine and child psychology at Spectrum Health Division of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine in Grand Rapids, MI. 
Theoretical Orientation: Cognitive-behavioral 
Interests: Child and adolescent psychotherapy utilizing individual and parent guidance approaches to the treatment of both internalizing and externalizing behavior disorders, child and adolescent assessment, pediatric behavioral sleep medicine.

Kiran Taylor, MD, Psychiatrist, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Division Chief 
Education: MD at University of Michigan Medical School. Residency in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan Health System. 
Theoretical orientation: Cognitive-behavioral, acceptance and commitment therapy, meaning-centered therapy 
Interests: Psycho-oncology and supportive care

Leisha Cuddihy, PhD, CBSM, Psychologist 
Education: MA, PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Arizona in Tucson; pre-doctoral internship in behavioral medicine at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Providence, RI; post-doctoral fellowship in behavioral sleep medicine at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI. 
Theoretical Orientation: Cognitive-behavioral, motivational interviewing 
Interests: Sleep and sleep disorders, cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia, motivational interviewing, acceptance and commitment therapy, mindfulness

Shawn Hondorp, PhD, ABPP, Psychologist 
Education: MS, PhD in Clinical Psychology at Drexel University in Philadelphia; pre-doctoral internship and post-doctoral fellowship in clinical health psychology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL. 
Theoretical Orientation: Cognitive-behavioral
Interests: Weight management including surgical (i.e., bariatric surgery) and behavioral approaches, treatment of stress-related and/or binge eating

Allison Ilem, PhD, BCBA, Psychologist
Education: MA in Behavior Analysis at Western Michigan University, PhD in Clinical Psychology (with curricular emphasis in Geropsychology) at University of Colorado at Colorado Springs; pre-doctoral internship (Clinical Psychology) and post-doctoral fellowship (Geropsychology) at VA Puget Sound Health Care System, American Lake Division. 
Theoretical Orientation: Cognitive-behavioral, interpersonal 
Interests: Non-pharmacological approaches to managing challenging behavior in persons with dementia, aging and disability, end-of-life care, interdisciplinary teams

Sylvia Malcore, PhD, Psychologist 
Education: MA, PhD in Clinical Psychology at Detroit Mercy in Detroit, MI, pre-doctoral internship at John D. Dingell VA Medical Center in Detroit, MI, and post-doctoral fellowship in clinical health psychology at Genesys Regional Medical Center through the Consortium for Advanced Psychology Training program associated with Michigan State University/Flint Area Medical Education (MSU/FAME) in Flint, MI. 
Theoretical Orientation: Cognitive-behavioral 
Interests: Pain management, coping with chronic health conditions, and psychological pre-surgical evaluations.

Antú Shamberger, PsyD, Psychologist 
Education: PsyD in Clinical Psychology at Roosevelt University in Chicago. Pre-doctoral internship in clinical psychology at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee, WI; post-doctoral fellowship in health psychology at the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center in Detroit, MI. 
Theoretical Orientation: Cognitive-behavioral, interpersonal 
Interests: Health psychology, health promotion and disease prevention, pain management, multiculturalism, Spanish-speaking population