The intern’s experience of direct provision of clinical services occurs in conjunction with regular, ongoing (individual and/or group) supervision by a faculty member. It is generally preceded by opportunities for observational learning and guided participation by the faculty member. In addition, the clinical and supervisory experiences are supplemented with yearlong didactic experiences that address theories and methods of assessment/diagnosis and consultation, psychological interventions and their efficacy (including empirically supported treatment), ethics and professional behavior, and issues of cultural and individual diversity.
Modeling and guided participation typify the primary teaching methods used at the onset of each quarterly assessment/consultation rotation. Each faculty supervisor reviews the intern’s prior training related to the primary focus area of the rotation so as to gauge the level and type of supervisory guidance required to meet the intern’s training needs.
At the outset of the rotation, the faculty typically will model the clinical skills that the intern is expected to learn or hone during the course of the rotation. The faculty may also assign supplementary readings to assist in preparation for training. Through guided participation, the faculty member will allow the intern to assume greater degrees of clinical responsibility with appropriate feedback about the intern’s performance.
By the conclusion of the rotation, it is generally expected that the intern will be able to demonstrate a substantial increase in the ability to carry out the assessment/consultation skills that comprised the primary focus of training for that rotation. In many but not all cases, it is expected that the intern’s performance of the assessment/consultation skills will be at or near the level judged by the faculty supervisor to represent competent entry-level professional practice. An example of an exception to this rule would be the case of an intern completing a first rotation in neuropsychological assessment