General Inpatient Psychology Services Training
Fellows are expected to introduce themselves as “Psychology Postdoctoral Fellow” and indicate they are being supervised by a licensed psychologist prior to providing clinical services. All direct patient care must be completed while a licensed psychologist is onsite, and all documentation must be co-signed by a licensed psychologist.
Fellows provide brief individual interventions to adult patients from various clinical units. The rate of referral is variable. Since the mean length of stay for adult patients is approximately 7 days, the nature of individual interventions tends to be brief and problem-focused. Unless a fellow is assigned an assessment, fellows can expect to see 5 patients per day, on average, for individual intervention. Opportunities to provide individual therapy to child and adolescent patients are available, based on fellow’s interests and referral availability. A supervisor should be consulted prior to beginning any therapy referrals; however, consistent with our developmental training model, as fellows become more proficient throughout the training year, they may staff their cases independently and consult with a supervisor afterwards.
CBT, DBT, and ACT skills training groups are offered to patients at UTHealth-BSC. Fellows will have the opportunity to co-facilitate groups with a supervisor and may be given opportunities to independently facilitate these groups under the supervision of a licensed psychologist as their competency development allows during their fellowship year.
Postdoctoral fellows conduct psychological assessments of patients according to the relevant referrals. Assessment opportunities are based on referral volume. Focus of evaluations include differential diagnostic, cognitive screens, and response style. A supervisor should be consulted prior to beginning any assessment. Opportunities to provide assessment feedback to patients and attending physicians are also available, as time permits.
Fellows may attend track-specific Unit Rounds as their schedule permits and this can be arranged with their direct supervisor.
Fellows will have the opportunity to work with patients admitted to the Recovery-Oriented Treatment Program (ROTP), a specialized inpatient unit serving individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and mood disorders with psychotic features. Patients typically remain in the program for 60 to 90 days, allowing fellows to gain experience in long-term, recovery-focused therapy within an inpatient setting. Theoretical orientations include recovery-oriented cognitive therapy, CBT for psychosis, Feeling Safe Programme, and ACT for psychosis. Fellows may engage in a range of clinical activities, including individual therapy, patients’ family and loved one meetings, group interventions, psychological assessment, case conceptualization, and participation in multidisciplinary treatment team meetings. The program also emphasizes collaboration with community systems to support patients’ transition back into the community and promote sustained recovery.
A fellow can expect to complete 3-4 supervised competency to stand trial evaluations per week, which may include conducting neurocognitive, intellectual, and malingering measures when necessary for answering the psycholegal question. Opportunities for treatment engagement are also available including evaluation readiness screenings, individual court education, and brief individual therapy with individuals committed for competency restoration. The length of stay for restoration inpatients can vary based on their commitment order and for those charged with felony offenses, the maximum length of stay cannot exceed 180 days, per the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure § 46B.0095.