Health Psych – Chronic Illness Track

Purpose: The Health Psych - Chronic Illness Track endeavors to provide additional emphasis training in preparing professional psychologists to provide services in interdisciplinary environments for 1) individuals and families affected by HIV/AIDS and 2) LGBTQ patients and family members in primary care settings.

Settings: Medical College of Georgia Outpatient Psychiatry, Augusta University Medical Center Adult Infectious Diseases, Children’s Hospital of Georgia Pediatric Infectious Disease Clinic, AU Health Services-Equality Clinic of Augusta, Augusta.

Faculty:

  • Rebecca Jump, PhD, Overall Supervisor
  • Lara Stepleman, PhD
  • Christopher Drescher, PhD
  • Cheryl Newman, MD
  • Jonell Poe, PA

Goals/Objectives of the Health Psych - Chronic Illness Track:

  1. To develop proficiency in the theory, research, and practice of HIV/AIDS psychology, LGBTQ health, and more generally, in health psychology, chronic illness management, and integrated primary health care delivery.
  2. To train interns to function effectively in interdisciplinary medical settings.
  3. To train interns in consultation assessment strategies in HIV/AIDS medical settings using a biopsychosocial approach.
  4. To train interns in consultation assessment strategies in LGBTQ primary care settings and hormone/surgery readiness evaluations for transgender individuals in outpatient psychiatry.
  5. To develop a working knowledge of HIV transmission, disease course, medications, common co-morbid psychiatric and substance abuse diagnoses, and related psychosocial issues.
  6. To develop a working knowledge of LGBTQ health disparities, related psychosocial issues, and delivery of appropriate medical and mental health care.
  7. To train interns to become proficient in the assessment of a broad range of underserved patient populations (e.g., rural, low SES, racial, sexual, and gender minorities) with emphasis on assessment in primary care settings.
  8. To train interns to become proficient in the implementation of evidenced based interventions with a broad range of patient populations in psychiatric, primary care, and social service settings. Emphasis will be placed on individual therapy, group therapy, behavioral medicine, motivational interviewing, and psychoeducation.
  9. To train interns to provide HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ mental health education to consumers and medical and mental health care providers, particularly in areas of critical need such as in rural and racial and ethnic minoritized communities.
  10. To develop a working knowledge of how culture, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and economic status intersect with HIV/AIDS mental health issues and other health considerations.

Measurable Outcomes Health Psych - Chronic Illness Track:

  1. Interns will work comfortably across a broad array of HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ treatment environments including medical and mental health settings that work largely with medically underserved patient populations.
  2. Interns will demonstrate proficiency in consultation assessment strategies by completing a minimum of 45 brief consultations across Infectious Disease HIV Clinics, and the Equality Clinic. The quality of the consultations will be judged by the responsible clinical supervisor on the basis of the accuracy of the consultation documentation and the effectiveness of communication with the consultee.
  3. Interns will demonstrate knowledge of common psychiatric and medical illnesses associated with HIV/AIDS and related psychosocial issues as determined by the quality of their assessments, consultations, and associated treatment recommendations in ID settings.
  4. Interns will demonstrate knowledge of common health disparities affecting sexual and gender minorities, and related psychosocial issues as determined by the quality of their assessments, consultations, and associated treatment recommendations in LGBTQ primary care settings.
  5. Interns will successfully participate in at least one HIV/AIDS and/or LGBTQ mental health educational program that may include consumer/community presentations, lectures to medical students, and medical/mental health provider continuing education.

Educational Implementation: Interns will spend one four-month rotation plus one full day per week throughout the year in The Health Psych - Chronic Illness Track. The track makes use of the following training environments in an effort to achieve the identified Goals/Objectives of this emphasis track: 

  1. The MCG Adult and Pediatric Infectious Disease Clinics treats close to over 1400 HIV+ individuals and is the recipient of Ryan White funding that provides primary and ancillary medical services to indigent HIV-positive patients. The intern functions as part of a large multidisciplinary primary care team, training and practicing alongside physicians, physician assistants, nurses, treatment navigators, peer educators, fellows, medical students, and social workers. In this setting the intern will gain skills in consultation to physicians and patients, rapid assessment, crisis intervention, motivational interviewing and behavioral interventions.
  2. MCG Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic provides diagnostic evaluation, individual, family, and group psychotherapy for transgender/genderqueer individuals and individuals infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS. In this setting the intern will gain skills in assessment, evaluation, and brief and long term evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions.
  3. AU Health’s Equality Clinic of Augusta is an all-volunteer clinic that provides integrated primary care services to uninsured/under-insured LGBTQ individuals from the CSRA and surrounding regions. The intern functions as part of a large multidisciplinary primary care team, training and practicing alongside physicians, fellows, medical students, dental students, and occupational therapy students. In this setting the intern will gain skills in consultation to physicians and patients, rapid assessment, crisis intervention, motivational interviewing and behavioral interventions.
  4. The intern will participate 4 hours per week in activities that fulfill the research requirement for the internship. This may involve a data-based research project, analysis of an existing data base, writing a critical review, conducting a program evaluation project, or a policy evaluation project.