The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences offers specialty training for psychology trainees of varying training levels. All positions include high quality clinical training, supervision, and didactic experiences, and many include an opportunity for research involvement as well.
Psychology Internship/Residency
The psychology doctoral internship/residency is a one-year, American Psychological Association-accredited, full-time training program that fulfills the internship requirement for doctoral programs in health services psychology. The program includes three tracks: health psychology, neuropsychology, and child/adolescent/pediatric psychology. Detailed information can be found on our program website.
How to apply
Contact information
Psychology Practicum/Externship Positions
Practicum/Externship positions are available for graduate students in PhD and PsyD programs in the Chicago area.
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Advanced Child and Adolescent Therapy and Assessment Practicum
Externs provide both therapy and assessment services within the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic. This clinic provides quality care to 5-18 year old children and adolescents presenting with a wide array of behavioral, mood and anxiety disorders. Although our families come from an array of socio-economic backgrounds, the majority come from a lower SES, minority population. Externs carry a caseload of between 5-8 patients per week and complete 10-12 assessments over the course of the training year. They receive weekly supervision in both aspects of their training along with a weekly rotation of case conferences, seminars and journal clubs.
Anticipated availability for 2022-2023
Yes (two positions)
How to apply
Please send a cover letter, CV, two letters of recommendation (at least one letter from a current clinical supervisor) and sample assessment report (de-identified) to Jon Goldner, PhD.
Contact information
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AARTS Center Psychology Practicum
The Autism Assessment, Research, Treatment, and Services (AARTS) Center offers an advanced practicum for clinical psychology trainees seeking experience related to neurodevelopmental disorders. The AARTS Center serves individuals on the autism spectrum and their families across the lifespan, from infancy through adulthood. Trainees participate in multidisciplinary diagnostic evaluations for individuals with concerns related to autism and neuropsychological evaluations for children with complex medical history. Advanced trainees also have opportunities to gain treatment experience in parent training, individual psychotherapy, and group therapy as well as to support ongoing research at the AARTS Center.
Anticipated availability for 2022-2023
Yes. Practica are scheduled to begin in July 2022.
How to apply
Applications should include a cover letter, CV, writing sample (e.g., deidentified report) and two letters of recommendation.
Contact information
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Early Childhood Behavioral Health
The Building Early Connections (BEC) Center offers an advanced practicum for clinical psychology trainees seeking experience related to young child behavioral health and integrated pediatric primary care. BEC seeks to improve systems of care within Rush and the larger West Side community for the most common social-emotional, behavioral, and developmental concerns in children 8 years old and younger. Children referred for BEC services present with a wide array of externalizing, internalizing, social-communication, and developmental challenges.
Trainees deliver short-term (1-6 sessions) parent-focused behavioral therapy, co-facilitate evidence-based parenting groups, and hold a small caseload of long-term child therapy patients. Trainees will receive weekly supervision, both live and outside of sessions, along with weekly didactic experiences (e.g., clinical rounds/case conference, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Grand Rounds, teaching seminars).
Anticipated availability for 2024-2025
Yes (1 position available). Externships are scheduled to begin in July 2024.
Trainee Requirements
Must be in 3rd or 4th year of graduate training.
How to apply
Applications should include a cover letter, CV, and two letters of recommendation (at least one letter from a current clinical supervisor). Please send application materials in one email to BEC’s Lead Psychologist, Dr. Emily Wolodiger, at Emily_Wolodiger@rush.edu.
Contact Information
Emily Wolodiger, PhD
Emily_Wolodiger@rush.edu -
Neurobehavioral Psychology
Practicum positions are available through the Rush NeuroBehavioral Center, which specializes in the clinical assessment and diagnosis of a variety of mental health, neurological, and developmental disorders, such as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), ADHD, individuals with concussions, seizure disorders, hydrocephalus, chromosomal abnormalities, learning disabilities, behavioral and emotional disorders, and speech and language disorders. The assessment battery is individualized to each child to explore the child’s strengths and weaknesses. The evaluation battery typically includes assessment related to intellectual functioning, academic achievement, various aspects of attention, memory, executive functioning, receptive and expressive language, and emotional and behavioral functioning.
RNBC is committed to providing a comprehensive and supportive training experience for doctoral level students across the Chicagoland area. Practicum students are provided with a steady caseload of patients, live supervision, dedicated individual and group supervision, and weekly didactics tailored to each practicum cohort across areas of neuropsychology and therapy practice. Patients served include children ages 2 through young adulthood with a wide variety of developmental, psychological, and medical needs.
Learn more about the position in our practicum information brochure.
How to apply
Interested students can apply online.
Contact information
For general questions and inquiries about the program, please contact Nicole Summers, PsyD, by email at nicole_summers@rush.edu.
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Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Care Program
The PD-MDC is an interdisciplinary, specialized care clinic with several centers of excellence for people with movement disorders, such as Parkinson disease, Lewy Body dementia, Huntington disease, Parkinson-plus/FTD syndromes (i.e., corticobasal syndrome, multiple system atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy), dystonia, and other rare conditions. PD-MDC Neuropsychology focuses on the diseases’ non-motor symptoms, including neurocognition and behavioral-psychological symptoms. Batteries range in length depending on referral, and may involve same-day result communication with movement disorder neurologists. Beyond rounding in the same clinic space, there are interdisciplinary teams (e.g., DBS & focused ultrasound intervention team, HDSA team) with dedicated meeting times. Furthermore, there may be referrals from general neurology, geriatrics, primary care to include stroke/vascular cognitive impairment, Alzheimer disease, ADHD, pre- and post-surgical patients, genetic conditions, and psychiatric or functional neurologic conditions to round out trainee experiences.
The practicum focuses on developing applied (e.g., referral clarification, test selection-administration-scoring, transdisciplinary communication, integration-report writing, feedback) and knowledge-based (e.g., disease presentation, comorbidities, neuroanatomy, cultural & individual differences) competencies in clinical neuropsychology. Although most germane to movement disorders, the competencies developed in this neuropsychology practicum will generalize to other populations.
Beyond individual supervision, didactic opportunities include neurological sciences grand rounds, phenomenology video rounds, teams’ case discussions, and other miscellaneous rounds. Although the focus of the practicum is on neuropsychological assessment, there may be opportunities for research, intervention/support group involvement, and Spanish-language supervision depending on 1) trainee interest, skill, and time, and 2), opportunity availability for the semester. These opportunities are considered supplementary to the assessment focus.
How to apply
Please send a cover letter, CV, two letters of recommendation, transcript (unofficial okay), list of tests administered, and sample assessment report (de-identified) to Drs. Anderson and Gonzalez.
Contact information
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Supportive Oncology
Availability for 2023-2024
2 Positions
Supervisors
- Yasmin Asvat, PhD
- Pallavi Babu, PhD
- Patricia Fank, PsyD
- Elizabeth Kacel, PhD
- Lauren Rynar, PhD
Overview
This is an advanced health psychology externship designed to provide training experiences in Psychosocial Oncology. The Psychosocial Oncology team is an integral part of the RUSH University Cancer Center Supportive Oncology Program, which is a comprehensive suite of services designed to improve the quality of life, quality of care, and outcomes for patients with cancer and their caregivers. The mission of the supportive oncology program is to: 1) decrease distress and improve quality of life using evidence-informed practices; 2) connect people with the resources they need; and 3) decrease symptom burden associated with cancer or its treatment.
The Psychosocial Oncology team works to accomplish this mission via the delivery of consultation, liaison, evaluation, and psychotherapy services in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. Specifically, externs will work in two main capacities during the training year: 1) inpatient consultation for hematology/oncology patients who are hospitalized and who have been referred by the primary medical team for psychological evaluation and psychosocial support. 2) outpatient psychotherapy with a focus on coping with cancer and its physical and psychological impact. In caring for patients, externs will work in a multi-disciplinary setting including, but not limited to, to oncology, surgery, internal medicine, social work, psychiatry, palliative care, and nursing.
Externs will apply assessment and evidence-based intervention skills to the management of: 1) psychosocial concerns including adjustment disorders, depression, anxiety, end of life issues, disease-specific quality of life concerns, treatment non-adherence, and providing support to patient’s caregivers and 2) behavioral symptom management of issues such as pain, sleep difficulties, nausea, and cognitive complaints Externs frequently have opportunities to work closely with other Supportive Oncology providers (psychiatry, chaplaincy, dietetics, acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine, massage therapy, social work) to provide patients with comprehensive and integrated services. Externs may also have the opportunity to co-lead supportive and/or skills training groups and perform clinical activities with the Bone Marrow Transplant team.
Requirements
- Able to devote 2-3 full-days on site (16-24 hours per week). Current enrollment in an APA-accredited doctoral program in clinical psychology.
- Completion of Master’s degree at time of application.
- At least 2 previous practicum experiences, with a preference for previous experience in health psychology.
- Training runs from 7/1/2025 to 6/30/2026.
Expectations
- Outpatient caseload of approximately 4-5 patients per week
- Inpatient consultation caseload will vary, with approximately 50% of dedicated rotation time
- 1 hour of individual supervision per week
- 1 hour of group supervision per week (Mondays at 4 pm)
- 1-2 hours of didactic seminars per week in-person or via Webex (Health Psychology didactics, Clinical Psychology resident didactics, Psychiatry Grand Rounds). Didactic training may also include review of assigned readings and training materials
- 2 hours per week dedicated for chart review, documentation, and other ancillary tasks
Application
Students interested in applying for the Psychosocial Oncology Externship should send the following materials to Nayeli Panek via email (Nayeli_Panek@rush.edu) by January 24, 2025.
- Letter of interest
- Current CV
- Current transcript
- Two letters of recommendation (one must be from a clinical supervisor, one from a current faculty member at your training program). Letters should be emailed directly to Nayeli Panek.
Applications will be open January 2-24, 2025 and virtual interviews will begin February 3, 2025. Offers will be made on a rolling basis starting February 3, with all offers made by March 1, 2025. Students will only hold one offer a time and immediately inform externships that they are declining an offer or canceling interviews after accepting an offer. If an applicant receives an offer from a less preferred externship site, they are encouraged to reach out to this program to inquire about their standing. We request that applicants refrain from holding multiple offers simultaneously. Please note we do not follow ACEPT guidelines.
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Veteran/Trauma Psychology
The Road Home Program: The National Center of Excellence for Veterans and Their Families at RUSH offers an advanced practicum for psychology doctoral trainees seeking treatment and assessment experience with Veterans and their families. Road Home provides individualized care on an outpatient basis to Veterans and their loved ones to help heal the invisible wounds of war. Further, Road Home is part of the Warrior Care Network as a Midwest regional center for the treatment of PTSD through a two-week accelerated treatment, or intensive outpatient, program focused on combat and military sexual trauma. Externs will receive training in the assessment of PTSD, individual therapy, and potential opportunities for group therapy with emphasis on evidence-based treatments including Unified Protocol and Cognitive Processing Therapy. Supervision and professional development are ongoing through didactics as well as individual and group supervision.
Anticipated availability for 2025-2026
Two externship positions are scheduled to begin in July 2025.
How to apply
For a complete application, please submit a cover letter that describes your career goals and how RHP can facilitate your continued professional development, CV, unofficial transcript, and two letters of recommendation by January 24, 2025 with interviews to be conducted virtually.
Contact information