Clinical Practica Available to Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Students

Psychological Services Center (PSC)

The Psychological Services Center (PSC) is located within the Psychology Department at the University at Buffalo. Students in the clinical psychology Ph.D. program conduct individual psychotherapy and assessments with adult clients starting in their second year of training and until they leave for the clinical internship. Clients include individuals affiliated with the university (students, faculty, staff members) and community members who may present with a wide range of psychological problems, including mood disorders, eating disorders, somatic disorders, and personality pathology. The facility has video-recording capabilities and students receive extensive supervision by full members of the clinical area faculty. (Additional practica in child psychotherapy and group therapy are available within the PSC, but not required as part of the training program.)

 

Erie County Medical Center (ECMC)

There are two practicum available at Erie County Medical Center (ECMC). The first involves co-leading cognitive-behavioral treatment groups for adolescents (ages 13-18) who are admitted to the inpatient psychiatric unit. The manualized prevention treatment involves teaching cognitive-behaviorally based coping skills in the areas of communication, resisting social pressures, mindfulness, and mood regulation (typically a 1-year practicum). Students work with individuals who present with psychopathology on the severe end of the spectrum including substance abuse/dependence, psychosis, personality pathology, mood disorders, and suicidality. This practicum is supervised by Sarah Taber-Thomas, Ph.D., and Rebecca Schaeffer, M.D.

The second opportunity is a motivational interviewing (MI) practicum for adults with substance dependence. Students meet with one patient each week and use MI techniques to encourage utilization of 12-step self-help programs (e.g., Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Women for Sobriety) upon discharge from the 30-day inpatient program. The practicum is supervised by Jennifer Read, Ph.D., and Jennifer Barry, M.S.

 

Buffalo VA Medical Center

The Veteran’s Health Association of Buffalo offers externship positions working with US Veterans in behavioral health primary care settings. Practicum students have the opportunity to serve as a study therapist on a four-session Behavioral Activation intervention delivered in primary care. This practicum is supervised by Laura Buchholz, Ph.D., Laura Wray, Ph.D., and Jennifer Funderburk, Ph.D.

 

Erie County Holding Center (ECHC), Adult Forensic Mental Health Clinic

The practicum at ECHC offers experience in conducting assessments and intervention with inmates who suffer from severe mental health issues (e.g., schizophrenia spectrum disorders, mood disorders with psychotic features, personality disorders, severe substance dependence). Clinicians administer intelligence (WAIS-IV), personality (PAI), and diagnostic assessments (e.g., MINI) and write integrated reports. Treatment on the Residential Treatment Unit (RTU) involves individual and group therapy. This practicum is supervised by Daniel Antonius, Ph.D., Forensic Psychologist, and Corey Leidenfrost, Ph.D., Forensic Psychologist. Opportunities to assist with clinical competency assessments under Criminal Procedure Law §730 (which must be supervised by a licensed forensic psychologist) and research opportunities are also available.

 

 

Quitting Using Integrative Treatment (QUIT) Group Program

The QUIT Group Program is a smoking cessation treatment developed to help moderate and heavy smokers quit smoking. This flexible and individualized program provides the opportunity to co-lead seven group therapy sessions that take place over the course of three weeks. The QUIT Group Program emphasizes use of nicotine replacement therapy, in addition to skills learned within the treatment setting (e.g., psychoeducation, avoiding and managing smoking triggers, maintaining social support, rewarding oneself for staying quit, and coping with negative thoughts that arise during the quit attempt). This practicum is supervised by Stephen Tiffany, Ph.D.

Additional Practica

• Roswell Park Cancer Institute
• Child/Adolescent practicum at UB Psychological Services Center (PSC)
• Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo

 

 

Current and Past Clinical Experiences in Research Laboratories and Courses

Assessment Peer Supervision

Advanced clinical psychology Ph.D. students have the opportunity to supervise first-year clinical students as they learn to administer psychological and neuropsychological assessments, including the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV), Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT4), and Benton Visual Retention Test (BVRT). Peer supervisors, who serve as Teaching Assistants for the Psychological Assessment course, watch video tapes of first-year students and provide detailed feedback on their practice testing administrations. This practicum is supervised by Leonard Simms, Ph.D.

Personality Disorder Assessment

Graduate students working with Leonard Simms, Ph.D., on this project have had the opportunity to conduct face-to-face personality, symptom, functional, and narrative interviews with an outpatient clinical sample.

PTSD Assessment

Under the supervision of Jennifer Read, Ph.D., students have conducted structured diagnostic interviews for individuals likely to meet DSM-IV criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among a college-aged sample.

SCID Assessment for DSM-IV

Under the supervision of John Roberts, Ph.D., students have had the opportunity to receive formal training in administering structured SCID interviews for the assessment of major depressive episodes, manic and hypomanic episodes, and psychotic symptoms. For some students, this involved the opportunity to gain experience in supervising peers.