Psychology Internship Overview

Located on the northern edge of Tyler, Texas, the University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center is the only academic health science center in Northeast Texas. As such, the hospital serves a catchment area that includes Tyler proper as well as the rural inhabitants of the surrounding areas. Northeast Texas is a rural state region characterized by 1) low income and below-state-average education level, 2) older average age, 3) high rates of chronic illness, 4) high rates of mental health problems, and 5) underutilization/limited access to mental health resources. With a mental health provider to citizen ratio of 1:25,000, Northeast Texas suffers from a significant shortage of mental health resources.

The UTTHSC includes an emergency department, inpatient medical unit, four inpatient psychiatric units, and various outpatient clinics including family medicine, internal medicine, Center for Healthy Aging, oncology, cardiopulmonary clinics, gastroenterology, and behavioral health. Interns collaborate closely with physicians, residents, and fellows throughout the hospital, creating a rich, interdisciplinary learning environment.

The Psychology Internship Program, housed in the Robert M. Rogers Department of Psychiatry, is a 2,000 hour, one-year doctoral internship focused on health service psychology training in an academic medical center. Our program emphasizes serving the underserved, excellent interdisciplinary care, and evidence-based practice. Although our internship is primarily clinically based, research and scholarly activity opportunities are available throughout the health science center. Interns are welcome to join ongoing projects and encouraged to conduct research of their own. They participate in the annual “Research Day” with the medical residents and participate in an annual Quality Improvement project(s).

The psychology internship program is funded in part by the Behavioral Health Workforce Expansion and Training grant which is awarded through the Health Resources and Services Administration. Grant funding allows interns to receive specialized training in Integrated Behavioral Health, Cognitive Processing Therapy, Trauma Focused CBT, and rural healthcare.

We host a cohort of six interns each year, comprised of three distinct internship tracks. For the 2027-2028 training year, UTTHSC PIP will recruit 4 general health psychology interns, 1 child clinical intern, and 1 adult neuropsychology intern.

General Health Psychology:

The General Health Psychology Track at UTTHSC offers robust, generalist training that equips doctoral-level interns for careers in health service psychology. Interns partake in a breadth of training experiences to prepare them for careers in academic medicine, integrated care, private practice, and more. The track includes two days focused on integrated behavioral health care, one day focused on psychotherapy, one day focused on inpatient psychology, and one day of supervised supervision, group supervision, and didactics.  In sum, experiences include:

• Brief integrated behavioral health interventions (psychotherapy and consultation) in Family Medicine/integrated primary care
• Lifespan outpatient psychotherapy
• Psychological testing for bariatric pre-surgical evaluations and brief adult ADHD
• Individual and group therapy, single-session interventions, and substance abuse counseling on acute and subacute psychiatry (in-house) units
• Supervision of master’s and doctoral level students in their practica experiences at our sister campus, UT Tyler.

The Child Clinical Track at UTTHSC offers robust, focused training with children and adolescents within an academic medical center. Interns are exposed to a breadth of experiences with children, adolescents, and families that prepare them for specialization in clinical child work. The emphasis includes one and one-half day focused on child assessment and psychotherapy, one day focused on child inpatient and/or residential care, one and one-half day focused on pediatric consultation and liaison services, and one day of supervised supervision, group supervision, and didactics. In sum, experiences include:

• Child and adolescent psychotherapy with an emphasis on childhood trauma, parent management training, and CBT
• Consultation and liaison services to with local pediatric clinics and the pediatric Cystic Fibrosis Clinic 
• Psychological testing for neurodevelopmental concerns, internalizing and externalizing disorders, trauma, and learning disabilities
• Child/adolescent psychological testing, individual psychotherapy, and group psychotherapy experience in an inpatient psychiatric setting (Terrell State Hospital) and/or a residential setting (Terrell Center for Youth)
• Supervision of master’s and doctoral level students in their practica experiences at our sister campus, UT Tyler.

The Adult Neuropsychology Track at UTTHSC offers a rigorous and well-rounded training experience designed to prepare doctoral-level interns for future specialization in clinical neuropsychology. The track includes three full days per week dedicated to outpatient neuropsychological services, one-half day focused on adult and child/adolescent psychotherapy, and one-half day focused on integrated behavioral health care, and one day of supervised supervision, group supervision, and didactics. In sum, experiences include:

• Extensive neuropsychological testing and report preparation for neurodegenerative and other dementing conditions, Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders; epilepsy and other seizure disorders; acquired brain; demyelinating diseases, brain tumor, hydrocephalus, and other conditions affecting the central nervous system; as well as various psychiatric and functional conditions.
• Brief integrated behavioral health interventions (psychotherapy and consultation) in Family Medicine/integrated primary care.
• Adult and child outpatient psychotherapy.
• Supervision of UT Tyler neuropsychology practica students.

As often as possible, experiences are offered longitudinally, to allow interns to develop longer-term professional relationships with treatment team members and patients.