In addition to their core rotation, each Psychology Resident spends one day per week within a secondary rotation. Like the core rotations, the secondary rotations have been positioned strategically by the Training Committee. Consonant with the core rotations, the secondary rotations have sufficient variability within the treatment population to allow for adequate experiential exposure toward meeting internship goals. These placements are mostly at Rutgers UBHC. However, given our collaboration with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, there are also opportunities to work with licensed psychologists who are Rutgers RWJMS faculty on clinically-based research projects and on service units affiliated with Rutgers RWJMS. As is the case with the major rotations, intern participation is typically limited to one Psychology Resident per minor rotation. Below is a list of currently available secondary rotations, including a description of each. Please note that availability is subject to change, in particular, in response to unforeseen COVID-19 policies.
Acute Psychiatric Services.
This emergency service department provides crisis assessment and intervention, both on site and through outreach programs. It services all ages. These services are provided to an average of 325 patients per month from the surrounding urban and suburban community. Activities include crisis assessment of patients and families, interdisciplinary consultation, case disposition, and referral to varying levels of care.
First Episode Program (FEP).
The First Episode Program (FEP) is also known as the “Coordinated Specialty Care” Program. It addresses the needs of individuals 15-35 who have experienced an onset of psychosis symptoms within 2 years. It is located in Edison, NJ (https://ubhc.rutgers.edu/x47.xml), a short drive from the UBHC site in Piscataway. Patients at the FEP receive a comprehensive assessment, weekly to biweekly individual and/or family therapy using CBT-P (CBT for Psychosis), weekly group therapy, medication management, peer support and education/employment support. As part of a minor rotation in FEP, a Psychology Resident will receive training in the SIPS (Structured Interview for Psychosis-Risk Syndromes), training in evidence-based interventions for psychosis (CBT-P), the opportunity to co-lead groups, a caseload of 5 clients, weekly participation in team meetings.
Suicide prevention interventions in inpatient psychiatry
Residents who choose this rotation will be involved in: (1) delivering a brief cognitive-behavioral intervention based on the Unified Protocol and (2) a research study that tests the effect of augmenting this in-person psychotherapy with a smartphone app that allows patients to practice the skills learned in therapy in the real world. There are opportunities to deliver this intervention in both adult and adolescent populations to patients presenting with suicide risk as well as a broad range of other transdiagnostic complaints.
In addition to the clinical training opportunities, Dr. Kleiman will serve as a research mentor to residents who choose this minor rotation. Dr. Kleiman’s lab (www.kleimanlab.org) focuses on using technology to predict and prevent suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Residents will be able to learn about how to use technology like smartphones and wearable devices in their research, as well as how to work with the data that come from these technologies.
Edison School-Based Program.
This program is a unique collaboration between Rutgers UBHC and the Edison School District, a large, suburban, culturally diverse school district in central New Jersey. The program is funded through the school district, which allows for the students to receive mental health services within the school at no cost to them. This allows individuals who would otherwise not seek services to receive quality mental health therapy and psychiatry. This opportunity allows the Psychology Resident to see students in the setting where they spend the majority of their day and provides them access to a number of individuals that play a significant role in the child’s life - teachers, counselors, and child study team. This position is not a typical school counseling setting in that the Psychology Resident is not on the child study team. It is a highly clinical role where the Psychology Resident will work with the most at-risk students within the school, providing individual, group, and family counseling, as well as participating in crisis assessments for individuals presenting as suicidal, homicidal or actively psychotic. The program is located approximately 5 miles from the main Rutgers campus. Dr. Suzi Millar is the primary clinical supervisor for this rotation.
Children's Center for Resilience and Trauma Recovery.
The Rutgers Children’s Center for Resilience and Trauma Recovery (CCRTR) is a grant funded program focused on engaging mental health professionals, community members, and caregivers in educational opportunities that increase the knowledge of youth mental health needs and provide the practical evidence-informed skills needed to support youth with mental health concerns. A Psychology Resident on this rotation is provided with training in evidence-informed approaches to trauma, including Attachment, Self-Regulation, and Competency (ARC); ARC Grow- A Caregiver Skill Building Intervention; Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR); and Youth Mental Health First Aid. In addition, the Psychology Resident has opportunities to provide education and consultation and to assist in ongoing trainings. Psychology Residents also develop important science communication skills by writing a monthly article for the CCRTR website and posting to the CCRTR social media accounts. Additional information may be found on their website at: https://rukidsrresilient.org/program/
Integrated Pediatric Primary Care.
This minor rotation is in the Department of Pediatrics, with locations at Pediatrics in Somerset, and the Child Health Institute of New Jersey (CHI) in New Brunswick. As part of a multidisciplinary team of healthcare providers, the Psychology Resident will provide brief assessments and interventions for patients who have behavioral health needs in primary care medical settings. The range of consults will include care for depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, substance use, diabetes management, and lifestyle management around nutrition and physical exercise. Dr. Holly Lister is the clinical supervisor for this rotation.
Children’s Specialized Hospital.
The Children’s Specialized Hospital minor rotation for Psychology Residents is located in an inpatient rehabilitation pediatric hospital for patients with complex medical needs recovering from conditions such as brain injury, neonatal conditions, orthopedic surgeries, cancer treatments, spinal cord injuries, chronic illness and pain syndromes. Patients stay for an average of 4-6 weeks at a time. This is a fast-paced environment where psychology residents have the opportunity to conduct intake diagnostic interviews and psychological testing. There is also opportunity to provide consultation/liaison services and brief psychotherapy interventions, as well as psychoeducational/skills-based group interventions. There is also a strong need for family support in individual and group formats to support caregivers coping with their child’s severe injuries and medical conditions. Each day’s schedule is dependent on patient needs and requires the psychology resident to be flexible and adaptable. Individual supervision with psychology supervisor occurs 1 hour per week. This rotation is a prime opportunity for those interested in health psychology and interested in working in a hospital setting.
Consultation / Liaison (C/L).
A Psychology Resident will have the opportunity to work on the C/L service in Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick working on a multidisciplinary treatment team.
Family Medicine.
This minor track is located in a medical clinic in New Brunswick in affiliation with RWJMS. Adolescent and adult medical patients who are deemed by medical personnel to be at potential psychological risk are referred to a psychologist/Psychology Resident/student team. Services provided by the Psychology Resident include evaluation and treatment planning; crisis screening; individual, and family therapy. The Psychology Resident consults with medical staff as well as psychology graduate students. Please note that as of this writing (August 2023), this availability of this minor rotation for 2024-2025 will be determined at a later date as we determine supervisor availability.
Tobacco Research and Intervention Lab.
Rutgers RWJMS Department of Psychiatry faculty member Marc Steinberg, Ph.D. is the director of the Tobacco Research and Intervention (TRI) Lab. The TRI lab focuses on tobacco use and dependence, including tobacco dependence treatment development, tobacco use in smokers with psychiatric comorbidity, the relationship between smoking and task persistence/distress tolerance, and motivational interviewing as an approach to encourage smokers to make a quit attempt. We have used human laboratory designs to study predictors of initiation of quit attempts (i.e., task persistence / distress tolerance) and clinical trials to develop treatments to encourage and facilitate quit attempts (i.e., variations of cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, and reduction-to-quit strategies). A minor rotation in the TRI lab is dependent upon funding for a clinical trial grant application submitted to the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Steinberg will serve as a research mentor to a Psychology Resident interested in doing their required research on issues related to tobacco or cannabis use disorder regardless of grant funding.
Addiction Psychiatry Division - Nina Cooperman, Psy.D. Research Lab
A psychology resident could receive training in and experience with a group manualized mindfulness-based intervention for opioid use disorder, motivational interviewing, tobacco dependence treatment, and treatment for chronic physical pain as part of large NIH funded clinical trials conducted in methadone treatment and primary care clinics. The intern will have the opportunity to be part of a multidisciplinary team that includes researchers and clinicians. The opportunity for research experience is also available.
Rutgers Health Addictions Center (RHAC). Use Disorder (SUD) Treatment.
Located 20-minutes from New Brunswick, research and training in evidence-based practice is a central part of this center’s mission. The Center has several SUD treatment components and levels of care including inpatient, inpatient withdrawal management, partial hospitalization, outpatient/intensive outpatient, and medication treatment services including for OUD.