PSYCHOLOGY SERVICES AT CARON
Psychology at Caron Treatment Center, PA includes a team of licensed psychologists and one administrative support staff. Half of our current team members were trained through the former pre-doctoral internship or the current post doctorate training program. Clinical specialties entail an array of dual diagnosis conditions such as addiction with trauma, personality disorders, mood/affective disorders, thought disorders as well as anxiety, depressive and executive functioning disorders. We practice with a variety of evidence-based modalities such as CBT, DBT, psychodynamic, CPT, IFS, EMDR and more. The psychology team in conjunction with our interdisciplinary team of medical, health and wellness, spiritual, dietary, counseling professionals work 365/366 days of the year to help individuals and families primarily impacted by addiction. Caron works with a population of individuals ranging in age from 18 to older adult and from various vocational backgrounds. Units are gender, age, and stage of recovery specific. Other areas of treatment and specialized services include the family program, a partial hospitalization program, sober living, neurofeedback services, research, and chronic pain programming.
Current programming within the psych department includes psychological testing and assessment, specialty group programming and trauma services. Psych services are typically dispensed in group or individual format. All patients are assessed and those identified as having dual diagnosis are provided a psychological treatment plan and followed throughout the course of the treatment stay. Upon discharge dual diagnosis patients are provide after care recommendations to support the mental health aspect of recovery.
The psychology team at Caron takes pride in maintaining a group with high morale and great character. For the psychology team, we provide individual and group supervision to support staff and ensure each staff member employs a healthy work/life balance. We also provide training and other didactic needs to meet licensure requirements and enhance the provision of service. Great moral, healthy, well-balanced providers and remaining current with the latest research and best practices in the field ensures we provide excellent psychological services to patients.
Pre-doctoral interns will be fully engaged in all three phases of the psychology department’s current structure including psychological testing, trauma, and specialty programming. For requirements such as research and outreach programs, students will have the opportunity to engage with other departments within the Caron family to enhance their training experience. We have a fully functioning research program and various outlets of community outreach and engagement to make Caron an exciting place to train.
Trauma Services Rotation
Our treatment team focuses on how traumatic events or situations, such as PTSD, are affecting recovery from substance abuse. In the context of a substance use disorder (or addiction), identifying trauma is the first step in treating it. We use measures such as PCL-5, a symptom checklist for PTSD, and the Trauma Symptoms Inventory (TSI), to identify a trauma response or PTSD.
If trauma symptoms or PTSD is identified, our trauma team, which includes on-site, full-time psychologists, works closely with the patient and the primary treatment team to incorporate trauma therapies into the treatment plan. The therapies used will depend on symptoms and needs. Those therapies may include:
- Evidence-based treatments to address PTSD and trauma symptoms, which include eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and cognitive processing therapy (CPT), gold standards in treating PTSD based on a significant amount of research that proves its efficacy and effectiveness.
- Specialty cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) groups to address coping skills for anxiety and depression.
- Trauma-sensitive yoga, with certified instructors, provides a safe and gentle way to relearn how to be “in” your body and explore how that feels.
- Mindfulness meditation.
- Neurofeedback, a noninvasive therapeutic intervention that can reinforce recovery and help to manage moods and emotions.
Interns will participate in a six-month rotation that focuses on trauma and specialty group therapy. The trauma program offers psychoeducational and coping skills groups, trauma expressive art therapy, and trauma sensitive yoga to patients experiencing post-traumatic stress symptoms across the lifespan. The specialty group are additional therapeutic groups designed for patients with co-occurring mental health needs, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy groups for Depression and Anxiety. Group assignments are sensitive to patient diversity, specifically age, gender, and socioeconomic status. On this rotation, Interns will
- Be actively involved in the assessment and referral process.
- Participate in the weekly multidisciplinary case consultations.
- Facilitate and/or co-facilitate the weekly psychoeducational and coping skills groups.
- Observe the expressive art therapy and trauma sensitive yoga.
- Have educational opportunities in various trauma treatment modalities, such as Cognitive Processing Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy, and/or Internal Family Systems.
- Facilitate and/or co-facilitate weekly Cognitive Behavioral Therapy groups for Depression and Anxiety.
- Participate in crisis response/management across campus which includes risk assessments, crisis interventions, treatment and safety planning, and communication with the multidisciplinary treatment team.
- Have the opportunity to observe other specialty groups such as chronic pain, LGBTQIA+, body image, etc.
Psychological Testing Rotation
Patients who come to Caron for the treatment of substance use disorders often have an array of mental health symptoms. These concerns can stem directly from their substance use or may be related to other co-occurring disorders like depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress. Additionally, other pre-existing factors may be unrelated to the substance use disorder yet mimic the symptoms, contribute to substance use, and complicate the diagnostic picture — often the case for those struggling with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or older adults with cognitive decline, for example.
To successfully treat patients and make informed aftercare recommendations, staff at Caron strive to understand the root causes of each patient’s symptoms to create a comprehensive treatment plan. In some cases, that may require psychological testing to clarify the diagnosis and better understand the relationship between substance use disorder and a patient’s mental and cognitive health.
The psychology department at Caron offers testing and assessment as part of our comprehensive treatment programming for adolescents, adults, and older adults. Psychological testing is available, as needed, to address specific referral questions. These may include, but are not limited to:
- Comprehensive ADHD testing.
- Neuropsychological testing to assess cognitive functioning and identify deficits.
- Assessing personality characteristics and functioning.
- Evaluating emotional health and well-being.
- Accurately identifying psychiatric illnesses.
- Identifying and suggesting evidence-based methods and treatments to address areas of concern.
Participation in psychological assessment provides the patient an opportunity to develop a greater understanding of his/her cognitive and psychological functioning. Most importantly, testing helps to identify areas of concern and target evidence-based interventions that will guide the treatment plan.
Interns will participate in a six-month rotation with a focus on psychological testing and assessment. Interns will have the opportunity to learn, administer, score, and interpret self-report, projective, neuropsychological, and cognitive measures. They will be exposed to the role that psychological testing plays on a variety of units and patient populations within Caron’s continuum of care. Interns are required to complete at least two integrated testing batteries/reports and attend weekly testing consultation and supervision meetings. Interns will utilize testing results to provide feedback and recommendations to patients, their families, and the interdisciplinary treatment team, which includes physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors, nurses, and other disciplines.
INTERNSHIP TRAINING PHILOSOPHY
Our pre-doctoral internship program’s philosophy of training endorses a scientific attitude as psychologists to observe, assess, and intervene in all professional capacities such as testing, consultation, therapy, and research within a multidisciplinary treatment approach. In essence, an essential goal is to train interns to think like psychologists and to expand their level of observation, assessment, and intervention beyond the level of the “individual identified patient” to all relevant bio-psycho-social systems (especially the family system) that impacts the patient’s recovery. The highest standards of professional conduct and ethics as well as a maturing sense of professional identify as a psychologist are required of our pre-doctoral interns as they are the foundations of our beliefs.
The internship training program at Caron trains pre-doctoral level clinical psychologists, in accordancewith a practitioner-scholar model. The primary goal of the program is to provide high quality training thatwill prepare pre-doctoral psychology students for the independent practice of professionalpsychology. Upon completion of the program, pre-doctoral interns are expected to be able to function as competent, ethical, responsible, autonomous, entry-level psychologists able to provide professional psychological services in a variety of clinical settings and especially within a substance abuse treatment center.
CHECKLIST FOR INTERN
As outlined in the Site Affiliation Agreement with Agency, the College/Consortium of each Intern is required to attest to current and primary verification of the following documents. All documents are to be housed at the College/Consortium; however, Agency requests the right to access copies at our request. These are required by Agency prior to any Intern beginning his/her observation. The psychology department admin staff will also maintain a copy of these documents.
- Evidence of current certified CPR / First Aid
- Evidence of Mantoux Test administered within the past 12 months.
- Positive test evidence of standardized practice follow through
- Commonwealth of Pennsylvania child abuse/ sex offender history clearance (Act 33) completed and no existing record
- Acceptable drug screening result upon hire
- Recent County criminal background check completed
- FBI clearance completed within the past 12 months and cleared to work with adolescents
- Graduate training license to practice medicine within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, if applicable
- Provide full coverage of health, professional and privacy liability insurance
- Verification of degree
- Copy of DEA certification, if applicable
- Proof of physical exam and influenza inoculation
Administrative, Clerical, and Technical Support
The psychology team is supported by the department administrative assistant. Department administrator will assist with the scheduling of groups and some psych testing services. The intern will be responsible for electing and maintaining all patient appointments with the use of the electronic record and outlook. Pre-doctoral interns will be provided a viable workspace and trained on the use of caron technology to include the medical record, phone, and dictation system as well as other tools and systems required for the position. Psychology interns are responsible for maintaining appropriate documentation in the electronic record of all patients. Caron has a fully functioning IT department that can be utilized to provide as needed support for technology during regular business hours and after hours in an emergency. The facilities department manages office space and equipment outside the electronic resources in all office space. The intern will be provided with access and information governing facilities and office equipment. Caron utilizes a switchboard system for outside and internal communication systems. The operators assist with on-campus emergencies and general communications across campus. The intern will be oriented to all caron’s systems utilized to provide support to the required duties and the provision of services.
Site Interviews
Potential candidates will be invited in for in person interviews that will take place on Tuesdays. Interviews will include a variety of assessment and observational modes to include writing samples and group interaction as well as a traditional interview format.
Covid-19 Considerations
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Caron has maintained in person treatment at our residential PA facility. We adhere strictly to CDC guidelines that includes encouraging vaccination/ boosters, masking, testing as needed, remaining home with any upper respiratory symptoms or those most closely linked to the covid-19 virus or variants. Staff complete personal screening daily and the Covid Task force at Caron provides the status of the virus in our area which dictates our level of mitigation strategies. For example, the use of KN95/double masking is dictated by those status updated. Interns will be held to the same standards as our staff including self-monitoring and reporting instances of exposure and symptoms. In the event of credible exposure or symptoms interns will contact their assigned rotation supervisors. Remote work will be provided by the assigned supervisor when appropriate.
Patients are monitored and constantly tested with exposure or symptoms. Infected patients are isolated and quarantined on the Caron PA campus if they are healthy enough to do so. Caron provides text and email communication whenever there is community spread or credible exposure. Assigned personnel will follow contact tracing procedures. All questions pertaining to Covid-19 should be directed to the interns assigned rotation supervisor.