Cooper University Health Care Clinical Psychology Internship Training Program in Adult and Pediatric Behavioral Medicine
Applications due: November 01, 2022 | Download Our Brochure
COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements
At present, any employee or trainee at cooper must be vaccinated or test weekly or twice weekly (depending on current positivity rates) based on NJ state requirements. This may be subject to change based on future directives further defining President Biden’s issued statement requiring all healthcare workers be vaccinated and this information will be updated accordingly.
Get to Know Cooper!
You can start learning more about the Cooper internship program by watching the videos below, and scroll down for complete details!
| Welcome from our Internship Program Director | |
| Tour the Cooper Internship Sites | |
| About Cooper University Health Care |
Accreditation Status
Cooper University Hospital Psychology Internship Program is accredited, on contingency, by the American Psychological Association. For information regarding APA accreditation of this internship or other accredited internships, please write or call: Office of Program Consultation & Accreditation, American psychological Association, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242; 202-336-5979; www.APA.org. The program is a member of APPIC.
“Accredited, on contingency” is granted only if a program meets all APA accreditation standards except for the inclusion of all required outcome data for two cohorts. If you complete our internship program while we are “accredited, on contingency,” you will have completed an APA accredited program.
Application & Selection Procedures
Eligibility Requirements
Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States. Cooper does not sponsor visa applications for the position. Applicants will be considered from doctoral psychology programs in clinical or counseling psychology that are APA-accredited. No applicants from programs awarding degrees in areas other than psychology will be accepted. All requirements for doctoral internship, including dissertation proposals and passed competency exams, must be completed prior to starting.
Interns are subject to fingerprinting and background checks. Flagged background checks prompt case by case determinations if the issues involved in the conviction are related to job duties. For example, generally a misdemeanor would not be considered a “failed” background check unless there were multiple convictions and related to job duties; Cooper also reviews the recency of the conviction(s).
Cooper also conducts drug screen exams on all new employees prior to beginning work; once on staff interns are also subject to random selection for drug testing. Use of illegal drugs is considered a “failed” drug test. If the candidate has a prescription for an opioid or other controlled substance and the screen matches the prescription that is a “pass.” Medical marijuana with a prescription may be a “pass” but the candidate is required to comply with prohibitions on use and possession in the workplace to comply with Federal Drug Free Workplace Act. Match results and selection decisions are contingent meeting these criteria. In addition to the above requirements, it is understood that applicants who are offered an internship position expressly agree that they are able to accept and fulfill a one-year, full-time training appointment.
Selection Criteria
Applicants for the Cooper Psychology Internship Program must be doctoral students in good standing at an American Psychological Association (APA) or Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) accredited graduate program in the fields of clinical and/or counseling psychology. Selection criteria will also include the applicant’s statement of goals, professional interests, and objectives for internship training, and consideration of future professional goals. The applicant’s prior training, as they relate to the aims of the program and the rotations offered in the internship program, including settings, clinical and supervisory experiences, will also be considered. The applicant’s discussion of their clinical experiences and interests during interviews will be given significant consideration. It is also important that applicants demonstrate interest in gaining entry-level competencies in Behavioral Medicine/Health Psychology.
In our initial advertisements for this internship, promoted on the listservs of various professional organizations and local training programs with will respected histories of commitment to diversity, we have summarized and affirmed Cooper’s general policies on non-discrimination as a baseline commitment to diversity. Beyond this baseline, Cooper University Behavioral Medicine strongly affirms our beliefs, which are confirmed in the scientific literature (Tedesco, 2001), that promoting and prioritizing diversity leads to improved near and long term outcomes in student education and in their long term engagement in civic outcome that promotes systemic change. In doing so, this can, among other results, build cultural competency and trust with those who rely on our health systems for their physical and psychological care. In addition, we believe that creating diverse groups of trainees breeds productivity via the opportunity to learn and grow with each other, noting that a multicultural exchange of ideas promotes richer ideas and, in turn, innovation and creativity and solving present and long-standing problems in health care. Given these beliefs, the Cooper University Behavioral Medicine internship is committed to ranking first qualified applicants from minority backgrounds. Lastly, there is large population of Spanish-speaking patients from various backgrounds for whom Behavioral Medicine is regularly consulted; as such, we strive to recruit bi-cultural and bi-lingual Latinx Spanish-speaking applicants who may be able to enhance the provision of psychological care.
Interested candidates who meet the above requirements may apply by providing the following information:
- A letter of intent which specifies your future professional goals, details of how the internship will contribute toward the achievement of your goals, and a goodness of fit between you and the Cooper psychology doctoral internship program in Behavioral Medicine
- Curriculum Vitae
- At least two letters of recommendation from faculty or other professionals who are well- acquainted with you and your qualifications
- A letter from your graduate institution’s Director of Clinical Training (DCT) documenting your status as an student, whether any probationary or remedial actions have been taken, whether you are on track to successfully complete the necessary requirements prior to internship.
- One copy of all graduate school transcripts.
If at the time of application your dissertation has not been completed, please submit a letter from your dissertation chair documenting the timeline for completion of your dissertation.
The deadline for applications is November 01, 2021. You can find our internship in the APPIC Directory and applications can be submitted through the AAPI portal.
Interviews
This year we plan to offer virtual interviews via Webex to continue promoting equity and safety related to the possibility of an ongoing pandemic, as well as financial burden. This year we plan to offer virtual interviews via Webex to continue promoting equity and safety related to the possibility of an ongoing pandemic, as well as financial burden. If applicants would like to come in-person, they can indicate that when interviews are offered via email. A series of individual and group interviews will take place during a half day block. The number of interviewers will vary based on the applicant's interests. There will be a separate scheduled time for applicants to meet interns via Webex in small groups during the same week applicants are interviewing with faculty (but not necessarily on the same day). Applicants are welcome to specify if they would like to meet with specific faculty members. We will do our best to accommodate requests to meet with specific faculty members; however, we cannot make any guarantees.
Interviews will be scheduled in December and January. Offers of interviews and appointments will be made by email in accordance with APPIC uniform notification guidelines. Cooper University Health Care strongly adheres to APPIC Internship Selection Guidelines.
Administrative and Financial Assistance
Psychology interns will be paid a stipend of $38,000.00 for this full-time, one-year training program (52 weeks/2080 hours). Additionally, interns will be provided with a professional development stipend of $1,500.00 to be used for membership to professional organizations, conferences, and academic resources under the discretion of the training director. Employment will begin on June 26, 2023 and end June 21, 2024. Interns will work 40 hours per week. Cooper provides 13 days of annual general leave (vacation), up to 13 days of sick leave, 6 federal holidays, access to health insurance benefits, and additional time off for professional development as needed. Upon beginning the internship, interns will be scheduled for Cooper’s new hire orientation during which health care and other benefits, policies, and procedures will be reviewed. Interns are paid on a bi-weekly basis for 26 consecutive pay periods consistent with Cooper University Health Care procedures. Interns will be contacted by the Cooper Human Resources (HR) Department prior to their start date to begin the required formal on-boarding process including forms for background checks, fingerprinting, and a physical exam.
Cooper University Health Care Doctoral Internship Training Program
Cooper University Health Care is currently recruiting for 2 psychology internship positions within our Behavioral Medicine program for the 2023-2024 training year. Interns will gain experience across our inpatient and outpatient Behavioral Medicine/Health Psychology rotations. The internship program aims to prepare applicants for practice at the doctoral level through the development of entry-level competencies in health psychology.
The training environment will promote competency fundamental to the practice of health psychology through clinical, research, and didactic experiences. The attainment of profession-wide competencies will be achieved through the integration of clinical practice, didactics, and supervision as specified by APA accreditation principles including:
- Research
- Ethical and legal standards
- Individual and cultural diversity
- Professional values, attitudes, and behaviors
- Communication and interpersonal skills
- Assessment
- Intervention
- Supervision
- Consultation and interprofessional/interdisciplinary skills
Interns will participate in specifically designed didactic seminars for a minimum of 2 hours per week throughout the training year. It is also anticipated that interns will have the opportunity to supervise pre-doctoral externs with the guidance of licensed clinical psychologists.
Program Aims
Cooper University Health Care’s Mission is To serve, to heal, to educate. Cooper’s Vision Statement is We will be the best place to be a patient, the best place to work, and the best place to learn and practice medicine. Lastly, Cooper Values include: 1) Compassion: We are caring, kind, and empathetic taking action to relieve the suffering of others; 2) Inclusion: We respect others, value differences, and promote a sense of belonging for all; 3) Excellence: We are honest, professional, active, accountable, innovative, and passionate about quality.
This program will train interns to build skills across the profession-wide competencies consistent with the Commission on Accreditation Implementing Regulations for health service psychology and Cooper’s mission, vision, and values. Specific aims of the Psychology Internship Program at Cooper include:
Aim 1: To train independent health service psychologists to practice at the top of their license by providing an environment conducive to learning all aspects of both general clinical and specialized practice in health psychology. Specifically, interns will learn how to be highly professional, ethical and competent in assessment, evidence-based intervention, treatment recommendations, interdisciplinary consultation, neurocognitive testing, and comprehensive psychological evaluations for surgery.
Aim 2: To expose interns a range of theoretical orientations and types of psychological interventions (cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, motivational interviewing, mindfulness-based), integrated treatment settings, and multidisciplinary teams.
Aim 3: To provide an opportunity to develop competence in working with individual and cultural diversity, foster an inclusive and respectful learning environment, and increase the number of interns and faculty members underrepresented in the field of psychology.
Our training is tailored to be consistent with the Standards of Accreditation. At the beginning of the training year, students will be provided with specific performance criteria for each of their rotations that are reflected in our evaluation form. These core competencies are fully consistent with scope of practice of psychologists as identified by the APA and CoA. At the end of the training year, interns are expected to have met passing criteria in all competency domains and to be prepared for further specialized training or an entry-level position.
Training Model and Program Philosophy
Cooper welcomes applicants from all training models who find their goals and interests match well with our training staff. Cooper specifically emphasizes a practitioner-scholar model of training and encourages the development of professional and clinical skills consistent with this perspective. Within this framework, our teaching model is to have each intern work with a wide variety of patients under close supervision in an apprenticeship model with increasing responsibility over the course of the training year. Interns participating in the doctoral internship training program are offered training experiences that encourage the development of professional and scientific skills/competencies, and the conduct of ethical practice and research.
Interns will have an orientation period at the beginning of the training year that will allow ample time to meet with all supervisors and become acclimated to the hospital and clinics.
Requirements for Successful Intern
Performance Expected Competencies
Intern competencies will be formally assessed quarterly (end of September, December, March and June). Interns are evaluated on the nine Profession Wide Competencies required under the APA Standards of Accreditation. Evaluation is based on an intern’s ability to demonstrate or provide each element (i.e., knowledge, awareness, or skill) that comprises each competency. The following profession wide competencies are assessed: Research, Ethical and Legal Standards, Individual and Cultural Diversity, Professional Values, Attitudes, and Behaviors, Communication and Interpersonal Skills, Assessment, Intervention, Supervision, and Consultation and Interprofessional/Interdisciplinary Skills. We also incorporate integration of work-life balance and provider wellness by asking interns to identify short and/or long term goals for wellness throughout the year.
Psychology Setting
Cooper University Health Care (CUHC), affiliated with Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, is the leading academic health care system in Southern New Jersey. Since 1887, Cooper has been providing high quality health care to all citizens of the region. Cooper also takes great pride in leading efforts to revitalize the city of Camden and surrounding areas, recognizing the need to address all social determinants of health to promote the wellbeing of our citizens.
Cooper University Hospital is southern New Jersey’s only Level 1 Trauma Center and is the Delaware Valley’s only Level II Pediatric Trauma Center. CUHC offers healthcare services to a diverse population both at Cooper University Hospital and at over 100 outpatient offices in South Jersey and Philadelphia. As an academic medical center, Cooper offers patients quality health care from primary care to specialty care in one or more of its premier Institutes and Centers of Excellence, including: MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper, Adult Health, Bone and Joint, Digestive Health, Heart, Neurological, Surgical Specialties, Women’s and Children’s, Urban Health, Center for Critical Care Services, Center for Urgent and Emergent Services, Center for Population Health and Center for Trauma Services.
Psychologists at CUHC are directly integrated within several of these clinical settings, but also serve these populations on a consultative basis. This internship is in Behavioral Medicine, a program within the Division of Hospital Medicine. Behavioral Medicine has recently experienced significant growth into various outpatient clinics (Urban Health Institute, Early Intervention Program, Neonatology/NICU, Pediatrics, Inpatient Psychiatry), in addition to seeing medically admitted inpatients on the consultation-liaison service. Cooper psychologists are also leaders in research and hold academic appointments at Cooper Medical School at Rowan University and a secondary appointment at Rowan University.
Program Structure
Interns will have the opportunity to have integrated and interdisciplinary training experiences in multiple settings within Cooper University Health Care for various health-related problems, including: management of chronic illness, treatment non-adherence, pain management, smoking cessation, weight management, insomnia, coping with acute illness and hospitalization, palliative care, and assisting patients’ families with coping. There are also opportunities for cognitive and psychological assessment within a primary care setting, receiving referrals from the Urban Health Institute and Family Medicine.
Interns will see a variety of individuals across inpatient and outpatient settings, including patients/families across the lifespan with OB/GYN, Neonatology, Pediatrics, and all adult specialties, including Internal Medicine, Trauma, Cardiology, Neurology, and Orthopedics. Clinical expectations, driven by a cognitive behavioral, acceptance-based, and biopsychosocial models, include assessment, intervention (individual, group, family), psychoeducation, health promotion activities, provider education, and consultation/liaison work. Behavioral Medicine promotes the availability of timely, goal-oriented, brief, and collaborative services designed to be consistent with a fast paced, academic medical environment and contemporary models of reimbursement for cost-effective clinical services. Interns can expect to provide 20-25 direct service hours per week across rotations and will have at least a total of 1,750 internship hours at the end of the training year.
Rotations/Clinics
- Inpatient Medical Consultation-Liaison: Interns serve in a consultation role for inpatient medical and surgical units throughout the medical center. The consultation reasons provide a wide range of experiences for the intern. Responsibilities include clinical evaluation, development of an appropriate intervention strategy, formulation of recommendations, and facilitation of communication among staff, patients, and family members. Typical examples of consult reasons include: adjusting to medical issues, managing trauma/depression/anxiety symptoms related to medical issues, promoting interpersonal communication with providers and patients, completing legally required brief alcohol screens for trauma patients, completing decision-making/capacity evaluations for medical treatment, as well as creating behavioral plans to facilitate compliance with medical recommendations by assisting in removing barriers and addressing underlying psychological challenges. Interns are encouraged to deliver recommendations in person or by phone/email to staff and physicians, as well as attend interdisciplinary family meetings.
- Primary Care:Urban Health Institute (UHI): The Urban Health Institute is a primary care program that serves individuals from Camden and the surrounding areas. The goal of UHI is to address a variety of often comorbid health conditions with the goal of improving overall health and reducing use of emergency services and hospital admissions. Given that primary care offices provide about half of all mental health care for common psychiatric disorders in general, Behavioral Medicine is integrated into the UHI to provide brief psychotherapy as well as assessment services. The philosophy is that addressing the whole person and their physical and psychological health is essential for positive health outcomes and cost-effective care. The internship opportunity at UHI will involve primarily brief, outpatient psychotherapy with some opportunity for brief neurocognitive evaluations. With that in mind, and given the target population, interns will be expected to follow their patients into the inpatient medical setting when admitted. Regardless of context, the emphasis will be on brief CBT, Problem-Solving Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and similar interventions to address psychological issues that are in some way correlated with their health, e.g. depression due to recent diagnosis of a chronic illness, anxiety interfering with treatment, general adherence issues, and so on. There will also be opportunities to design and execute group therapy sessions. These have so far included emotion regulation groups and mindfulness groups for neurology patients with chronic headaches. Interns on this rotation are expected to remain in close contact with the physicians who refer their patients, often sharing the same physical space and communicating conceptualizations and recommendations in real time.
Generally, a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment focuses on a performance-based approach to assessing cognitive functioning, often with the aim exploring cognitive sequalae of medical concerns including brain damage (TBI) or degenerative disease (dementia, Parkinson’s Disease) as well as severe mental illness. These assessment involve collection of diagnostic information, differential diagnostic information, assessment of treatment response, and prediction of functional potential and functional recovery. While advances in imaging technology continue to help us understand organic aspects of a presenting concern, neuropsychological assessment are a well-known means of understanding and quantifying issues related to such significant brain changes. Specifically within the Urban Health Institute, clinicians engaged in assessment will assist physicians in both the process of differential diagnosis (e.g. anxiety versus ADHD versus malingering) as well as quantifying dysfunction and disability to monitor disease progress (e.g. consequences of dementia, diabetes, Parkinson’s Disease). While most consults will involve a core set of assessment, including the WAIS-IV, WMS-IV, and D-KEFS, overall we take a flexible battery approach and discuss with referring provider and team the need for assessment of specific domains. Assessments conducted here are focused on a specific referral question and meant to be both concise and comprehensive.
- Cooper EIP Expanded Care program (CEEC) – Integrated Primary Care in HIV: Clinical and research opportunities are available to work in this interdisciplinary, hospital-based clinic that provides a variety of services to psychosocially diverse people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). The CEEC offers the Behavioral Medicine intern the opportunity to work in collaboration with Primary Care, Infectious Disease, Addiction Medicine, and Psychiatry providers as well as medical case management staff. The intern will provide brief outpatient services and mental health assessments in the clinic; provide inpatient consultation for continuity of care of those CEEC patients who are admitted to the hospital; support pre-doctoral externs via secondary supervision; and have the opportunity to coordinate clinical research. Some opportunity exists to evaluate patients for readiness for gender-affirming surgery. The program provides ample opportunity for didactic training, professional presentation, and program development.
- Women's and Children's Health Institute: This rotation has a multi-area focus divided between various clinics. During this clinical experience, interns will have opportunity to focus on pediatric patients, OB/GYN patients and NICU families.
- Pediatric patients will be seen in an integrated care model in the general pediatric medical clinics as well as within specialty clinics (options presently include hematology, neurology and GI). Focus is on acute and chronic health concerns but also allows for traditional pediatric concerns such as general behavioral and emotional issues (i.e., ADHD, anxiety, mood issues). Interns will work with an inter-disciplinary team including physicians, residents, RN's, medical students and social workers. Warm handoffs in clinic with brief interventions and option to work with clients on short-term basis is available in this clinic as well. There is also opportunity through the Consultation-Liaison rotation at Cooper to see inpatient pediatric cases.
- OB/GYN patients can be seen both during an inpatient hospital admission as well as in the outpatient clinic (Women’s Care Center). There is opportunity to identify pre- and post-partum challenges and provide short-term, evidence-based interventions for adjustment concerns, anxiety, depression, etc. Time spent in the outpatient clinic will include individual 30 minute sessions, as well as warm hand-offs. ). Interns will work with an inter-disciplinary team including physicians, residents, RN's, medical students and social workers.
Interns will have the opportunity to meet with families in the Neonatal ICU. Families are often met while inpatient at the hospital and can be seen at bedside. Common referrals include adjustment to premature birth, coping with changing expectations about the birth process, maternity leave, and bonding with baby, as well as challenges related to caring for babies while they are still receiving medical treatment.
- Inpatient Psychiatry: This rotation serves an opportunity to obtain more generalist training with severe mental illness. Cooper has a 12-bed voluntary psychiatric unit. Interns will attend rounds with the inpatient psychiatry team (which includes the attending psychiatrist, residents, and medical students) to learn more about psychopharmacology and other perspectives on diagnostic considerations. Interns’ primary responsibility will be to lead groups and conduct individual therapy. There may also be opportunity for more formal assessment with appropriate cases. Interns can also work with social work to create recommendations for disposition and follow up mental health treatment (e.g., IOP, etc).
- Bariatric Evaluations: The outpatient bariatric rotation will take place in the Cooper Behavioral Health ambulatory office in Voorhees. Interns will have an opportunity to learn to administer and evaluate patients’ appropriateness for bariatric surgery using the latest integrated behavioral health guidelines as per the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and to conduct outpatient individual and group psychotherapy for patients with Binge Eating Disorder, Night Eating Syndrome and disordered eating behaviors in order to prepare them for post-operative lifestyle changes or, in cases of weight regain, re-establish optimal health habits. The interns will have an opportunity to work closely with a multidisciplinary treatment team, including surgeons, dieticians, advanced practice nurses, etc. and collaborate in multidisciplinary team meetings with clinical decision making. There will also be opportunities for outcome research. Emphasis will be on evidence-based treatments for disordered eating and eating disorders, including the Fairburn model of CBT for Binge Eating Disorder, ACT for weight loss, Problem Solving Therapy (Nezu, Nezu, & D’Zurilla, 2013) and Motivational Interviewing.
- Neuropsychology Rotation: Within the Cooper Department of Neurology, interns gain intensive training in neuropsychological assessment of adults with actual or suspected neurological diseases and disorders. Interns obtain supervised experience of outpatient neuropsychological evaluations of patients referred from the Cooper Neurological Institute (CNI) and other sources within and outside the Cooper Health System. These evaluations can include comprehensive assessments of epilepsy patients including candidates for epilepsy surgery. Referrals for suspected dementia, concussion, stroke, neoplasm, movement disorders, infectious diseases, and other neurological disorders are also seen as part of this service. In addition, it is common for referrals to come from CNI neurosurgeons (e.g. pre-operative and follow-up assessments of patients with brain tumor), community neurologists, geriatricians, psychiatrists, physiatrists, and primary care providers. Opportunities are available to participate in stroke and neuroradiology rounds, departmental grand rounds, neurosurgical observation, and Wada testing. The Neuropsychology Rotation is available to incoming interns who have interest and prior experience in neuropsychological testing. Neuropsychologists see approximately 12 outpatients per week; interns would likely have 1 patient per week to test, score, write up and provide feedback.
Supervision
Interns will receive 4 hours of supervision per week: at least 3 hours of individual supervision per week by a licensed clinical psychologist, though typically more, as well as 1 hour of group supervision. As this is an academic medical center, various levels of supervision are utilized, including direct/live supervision, consultation/supervision before and after sessions, case presentations, and scheduled formal supervision. Supervision will be provided by the faculty who work in associated clinics where interns are rotating Group supervision occurs after Monday Health Psychology didactics on a weekly basis; case presentations will also occur to discuss ongoing clinical cases and/or an overview of relevant issues related to the practice of clinical health psychology. See Training Staff section below for additional information on faculty.
The Didactic Program
3-4 hours per week will be spent on didactics to review the current literature and discuss clinical applicability. Didactics will be provided by faculty within the Behavioral Medicine department, as well as other medical specialties at Cooper and local psychologists at other organizations with applicable specialties. This seminar includes a combination of lectures/didactics, case presentations, and a review of the literature. On Mondays, formal presentations relevant to psychological theory and practice both generally within clinical psychology, as well as specific to clinical health psychology (e.g., ACT, CBT-I, DBT, Motivational Interviewing, suicide, addiction, forensic psychology, transgender concerns, diversity considerations in neuropsychological testing, etc) will be provided. This will also include lectures from physicians and advanced practice nurses on the basics of their medical specialties, including foundations of disease and treatment in order to highlight how psychologists can help patients to manage their medical conditions. Discussion will be facilitated to highlight the common psychological considerations (including diagnoses and evidence-based interventions) within each population. There will also be time devoted to reviewing the current literature on developments in clinical health psychology, as well as empirical presentations provided by Behavioral Medicine faculty and other psychologists at outside institutions completing research across specialties in clinical psychology. For 2 hours on Tuesdays, there is a 4-part didactic series on Diversity, Ethics, Supervision, and Research led by various faculty members. Each section will be about 6-10 weeks with associated readings, lecture, and discussion-based learning and further described below:
Individual & Cultural Diversity
Theoretical and empirical application of several multicultural models, along with current APA multicultural guidelines and application of these models to current cases
Increasing sensitivity toward individual and cultural diversity in medical settings and increasing awareness of the interns’ own multicultural history and attitudes
Individual multicultural seminars on selected topics and diverse populations
Ethical & Legal Standards in Psychology
Application of the APA Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct
Review applicable laws, regulations, and policies governing psychologists at the state level
Recognize ethical dilemmas and be able to apply ethical decision-making processes
Clinical interventions through an ethical lens including boundaries, dual relationships, and confidentiality
Issues and considerations in conducting oneself in an ethical manner
Supervision
Overview of competency-based supervision and development of supervisory style, specific review of conducting supervision from the CBT model
Addressing competence, legal and ethical issues in supervision
Issues of diversity in clinical supervision (e.g., clinical care, the training environment, and supervision relationship)
Developing Research in an Academic Medical Center
Discussion of ethical issues in research, experimental design and methods within a medical center, utilizing descriptive and inferential statistics
Review of grant writing to fund research, manuscript writing and the peer review process
Highlighting program development and quality improvement within medical settings
Other Activities: In addition to Behavioral Medicine didactics, various departments hold grand rounds that interns are invited to attend (including Psychiatry, Neurology, Infectious Disease, etc.). Further, should interns have a particular interest in a medical specialty, they are invited to have the experience to round with those respective teams in the inpatient hospital or outpatient ambulatory setting. Lastly, Behavioral Medicine is leading an initiative to introduce a Wellness Program throughout Cooper to medical students, residents, RNs, APNs, and physicians. Interns will have the opportunity to provide mindfulness sessions, provide monthly lectures, and contribute to a peer support program (Compassion and Resiliency Experience (C.A.R.E.) Program).
Research
In addition to clinical work and supervision, interns will be expected to specify a goal for empirical research or scholarly activity involving collaboration and mentorship with one of our faculty. By the end of the training year, each intern will be expected to provide a specific product of this collaboration, such as a formal presentation as part of didactics, a presentation at a regional or national meeting, or a completed draft manuscript for publication. Ongoing research opportunities will also be available for interns to become involved.
Cooper currently has adequate space, availability and utility of hospital computers that access the electronic medical record (EPIC), support word processing, and allow Internet-based research. Additionally, there are significant resources through the medical school library and assistance from medical librarians for comprehensive literature searches, as well as testing materials for psychodiagnostic and neuropsychological assessment.
Internship Program Faculty
Kelly Gilrain, PhD
Dr. Gilrain serves as the Director of Psychological Services at Cooper University Hospital. She has been a Health Psychologist for the past 17 years, 12 of which, have been at Cooper. She holds academic professorships at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU) and Rowan University. Her internship and residency were completed at Pennsylvania Hospital and her clinical work is with general medical patients on the Consultation-Liaison service addressing adjustment to acute and chronic medical issues. She has a specific focus on end of life concerns, death and dying and somatic/conversion disorders. During her time at Cooper she developed and implemented the Consultation-Liaison Service within the Medical Hospital under the Division of Hospital Medicine. She has supervised psychology externs since 2010 and psychology residents since 2014. The Behavioral Medicine team brought on their first internship cohort in 2020. Administratively she is focused on behavioral medicine program development and expansion of integrated psychological supports across our
health system. She has a special interest in provider and team well-being and is a leader in our Compassion and Resiliency Experience program (C.A.R.E.). She has presented at national conferences for Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) and
Association of Psychologists in Academic Health Centers (APAHC) on Health Psychology program development and Wellness initiatives. She completed the Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology through the APA in 2019 and completed the Stanford Well-Being Director course in 2021. Fun fact: She was in a pop-rock band in the 1990's in New York City.
Anastasia Bullock, PsyD
Dr. Bullock is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in health psychology and has worked at Cooper University Healthcare System since 2017. She completed her psychology internship in Medical Psychology at Jackson Health System/University of Miami and her postdoctoral residency at VA Connecticut/Yale School of Medicine. She is currently serving as the Psychology Internship Training Director. Dr. Bullock provides patient care, as well as coordinates and supervises psychology externs, interns, and post-docs on the Behavioral Medicine consultation-liaison service
and inpatient psychiatry unit. She also holds a faculty position within Cooper Medical School at Rowan University, teaching medical students on rotation with the Behavioral Medicine team. Within the hospital, she serves on several committees, including Cooper Against Domestic Violence (CADA), Violence Prevention, and Complex Discharge. Dr. Bullock is actively engaged in research within health psychology, including consultation-liaison psychology, trauma, and weight and eating with articles in peer reviewed publications. She is a member of the Association for Psychologists in Academic Health Centers, Society of Behavioral Medicine, and American Psychological Association. Further, she serves on the Early Career Psychologist Committee and Committee on Legislative Affairs within the New Jersey Psychological Association. Fun fact: She lives on a pumpkin and Christmas tree farm that her husband’s family runs, as well as the family-run brewery.
Christina Goodwin, PhD
Christina Goodwin (she/her) is a licensed psychologist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Cooper. Dr. Goodwin earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology (health emphasis) from The Ohio State University. She completed both internship and postdoctoral fellowship training at VA Boston Health Care System.
She is currently serving as the Assistant Psychology Internship Training Director. At Cooper, she provides evaluations and psychotherapy to adults in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health. In her role as Assistant Professor, Dr. Goodwin teaches seminars and provides individual and group supervision to psychiatry residents and medical students. Her seminars focus on the provision of various evidence-based psychotherapies.
Dr. Goodwin’s research interests broadly include program development and health psychology. Currently, she conducting a needs assessment and evaluation of protective factors among transgender and non-binary adults living in South Jersey. Her
past research projects have focused on identifying and evaluating psychological predictors of cardiorespiratory functioning and disease development. She continues to collaborate with researchers both nationally and internationally, and is open to new collaborations. Fun fact: Along with two friends, Dr. Goodwin hosts an annual Arts and Music Festival in South Jersey.
Cori McMahon, PsyD
Dr. McMahon is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in health psychology who has 20 years of experience in direct clinical care, graduate psychology and medical instruction, clinical supervision, and program administration across behavioral health, academic, and medical settings. She focuses her clinical work in chronic disease management and served as previous training director for MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper and EIP/Department of Infectious Disease. She holds a faculty position with Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, instructing medical students who rotate with the Behavioral Medicine team and has taught psychology courses at La Salle University since 2002. Dr. McMahon has a record of health psychology research, publication, and presentations, particularly in the area of psycho oncology, and remains engaged in projects focused on integrated behavioral healthcare in medical settings, and the use of digital tools to enhance patient engagement, health literacy, and improved doctor-patient communication. She is a member of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, is a National Certified Custody Evaluator, and also serves as VP of Clinical Services for Tridiuum, Inc., a health technology company based in Philadelphia. Fun fact: She is related to William Penn and has many Quaker ancestors,
and now her son is attending the same Friends school she did.
Merin F. Campbell, PsyD
Merin F. Campbell, PsyD (she/her/hers), earned her doctoral degree in psychology and certificate in clinical neuropsychology at Widener University’s Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology. She completed a 2-year post-doctoral fellowship in
neuropsychology within the department of neurology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Since 2015, she has provided comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations to patients within the Cooper University Healthcare System. Although Dr. Campbell primarily sees adults and older adults with neurological conditions such as dementia, movement disorders, epilepsy, TBI, tumor, stroke, and MS, she is also a certified school psychologist and experienced with pediatrics and adolescents. She is particularly interested in the role of neuropsychology in neuro-interventional and neurosurgical procedures such as Wada and intraoperative brain mapping. Dr. Campbell is originally from Northern NJ, but has been a resident of the greater Philadelphia area since 2007. She values the work/life balance emphasized at Cooper, and enjoys spending her time with her husband, daughter, and 2 rescue dogs. She considers herself a major horror movie buff.
Michael DeAngelo, PsyD
Michael DeAngelo, Psy.D., (he/him) is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in Behavioral Medicine in the Infectious Disease Department within Cooper University Healthcare System. Dr. DeAngelo provides patient care in the outpatient offices of the Early Intervention Program (EIP). In addition, Dr. DeAngelo supervises Behavioral Medicine graduate students, collaborates with services such as Addiction Medicine and Psychiatry, and coordinates gender-affirming surgery referrals in the EIP. He recently accepted a position to co-chair the support subcommittee for the NJ Department of Health’s Quality Management steering committee for HIV care. He previously worked at Ancora Psychiatric Hospital in Hammonton, NJ and has clinical interests in serious mental illness, perinatal mood and anxiety, and underserved populations. In addition to his academic appointment with Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU), he also holds an adjunct faculty position with Rowan University, teaching undergraduate students in the Psychology Department and is a clinical affiliate with the Postpartum Stress Center in Bryn Mawr, PA. In his spare time, he enjoys a number of hobbies including gardening, tending to his backyard chickens, and managing the family’s bee apiary.
Philip Fizur, PsyD
Philip Fizur (he/him) is a licensed clinical psychologist at Cooper University Hospital in the Behavioral Medicine program within the Division of Behavioral Medicine. He also holds faculty positions at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Rowan University, and Drexel University. Dr. Fizur earned his doctorate in clinical psychology at La Salle University. He completed his pre-doctoral internship at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, followed by a post-doctoral fellowship at Cooper University Healthcare specializing in both psycho-oncology and integrated primary care. As an active clinician and educator, as well in his leadership roles in three professional organizations, Dr. Fizur remains focused on the implementation, dissemination, and study of empirically supported interventions such as CBT and ACT to address the cognitive, behavioral, and emotional correlates to conditions such as diabetes, sickle cell disease, and cancer. His work also includes the study of how technology can be used to further treatment and research in these areas. Prior to psychology, Dr. Fizur was an Associate Director of Information Technology at Temple University. When not focused on psychology or his family his attention usually shifts to music, either attending concerts, at local gatherings of musicians as a fill-in drummer or guitarist, or engaged in audio and video production work for other musicians.
Dina Goldstein Silverman, PhD
Dr. Dina Goldstein Silverman (she/her/hers) is a licensed psychologist in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at The Cooper University Hospital and Healthcare System, as well as the Lead Psychologist for the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health. Her functions at Cooper include conducting preoperative evaluations and pre- and post-operative psychotherapy with patients enrolled in the Center for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, as well as ambulatory psychotherapy and psychological evaluations with other outpatient populations with comorbid medical and mental health conditions inclusive of cancer, metabolic disorders, infertility, stillbirth and early neonatal loss, etc. She teaches evidence-based psychotherapy and provides individual supervision to psychiatry residents and psychology interns and is involved in various committees, including the DEI Committee and the Clinical Leadership Team. She received her B.A. at The University of Texas at Austin, her M.A. and Ed.M. degrees in Psychological Counseling at Teachers College, Columbia University and her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Temple University, an APA-approved program, where she was the 2006 recipient of the Frank and Mary Ann Dattilio Education Award from the Pennsylvania Psychological Association. She completed her internship in clinical psychology at The Trenton Psychiatric Hospital and her post-doctoral residency in clinical health psychology at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System (both APA-accredited). She has co-authored several publications
in peer-reviewed journals and a number of book chapters in academic texts, and she is a reviewer for the Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings and Behavioral Medicine. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and children, as well as volunteering in the community.
Alexa Hays, PhD
Dr. Hays (she/her) is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in health psychology. She has worked at Cooper University Healthcare System since 2021 and trained at Cooper as a graduate student at Drexel University. She completed internship and postdoctoral residency in health psychology at VA Connecticut Healthcare System. Dr. Hays serves as Wellness Psychologist with the Compassion and Resiliency Experience (C.A.R.E.) Team, Cooper’s formal wellbeing program for employees. In that role, she is responsible for program development/evaluation and support of ongoing efforts across multiple levels of the Cooper system to promote professional fulfillment and resiliency amongst employees. Dr. Hays also supervises psychology trainees on the Behavioral Medicine Consultation-Liaison service and sees patients in an integrated primary care clinic. Within the hospital, she serves on several committees, including Graduate Medical Education Wellness, Physician Wellness, and Physician and APP Peer Support. She is a member of the Association for Psychologists in Academic Health Centers, American Psychological Association, Collaborative Family Healthcare Association, and Society of Behavioral Medicine. Fun fact: Dr. Hays loves spending her summers at the South Jersey shore where she likes to spend time with family on the water – fishing (only catch and release!), paddle boarding, and swimming.
Caitlin A. LaGrotte, PsyD, MEd
Dr. Caitlin LaGrotte (she/her) received a Bachelor of Arts in psychology at American University and went on to complete her Masters in Exercise and Sport Psychology at Temple University. She completed her doctorate in clinical psychology at La Salle University, culminating in an internship at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. She completed her fellowship at the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple, with a dual emphasis in clinical and research training. During her fellowship, she focused on patients with obesity, insomnia, collegiate athletes, and mild traumatic brain injury. After completing fellowship, she accepted a position as a consulting Clinical Psychologist in the College of Public Health and the Athletic Department at Temple. Dr. LaGrotte clinical work is focused in the Viner Intensive Care Unit and Orthopedics.
Dr. LaGrotte also maintains an active program of research with her colleagues in Behavioral Medicine and Critical Care Medicine. Dr. LaGrotte continues to consult on a Department of Defense project investigating the psychosocial experiences of American military veterans who have suffered devastating injuries that could leave them as candidates for vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) procedures. On a personal note, Dr. LaGrotte has dual citizenship with the United States and Ireland.
Mark A. Rader, PhD
Mark A. Rader, PhD (he, him, his), is a licensed psychologist and practicing neuropsychologist who has been in active practice for nearly forty years. He has been with Cooper University Health Care since 2005, where he conducts neuropsychological evaluations diagnosing and managing patients with neurocognitive impairment including disorders such as traumatic brain injury, various etiologies of dementia, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy. He has also been actively involved in the training and supervision of pre-doctoral externs, interns and post-doctoral fellows for his entire career. Prior to coming to Cooper, he worked as Director of Neuropsychology at what is now Kessler Rehab in Marlton where he and his staff conducted neuropsychological evaluations and psychotherapy for individuals recovering from TBI, stroke and their emotional sequelae. He is also currently an Assistant Professor of Neurology at the CMSRU, he has been actively involved in the training and supervision of medical students. He has published and presented on many topics related to TBI and dementia and led a local TBI support group for some 20 years. Outside his professional life, his interests include cultivating meaningful friendships, reading mostly nonfiction, riding his motorcycle and contemplating the future of life on earth. He plays at golf but is no better at it than he was at 15.
William Skelton, PsyD
Dr. Skelton (he, him, they) is a licensed clinical psychologist, in California and New Jersey, specializing in health psychology and has worked at Cooper University Healthcare System since 2020. He completed his Psychology Internship in Health
Service Psychology at the Sierra Nevada Veteran Affairs Healthcare System and his Residency in Primary Care Psychology at the San Francisco Veteran Affairs Healthcare System in affiliation with the University of California San Francisco,
Department of Psychiatry. He is currently serving as the Psychologist in Cooper University Hospital’s Emergency Department. Dr. Skelton provides patient care, as well as supports the training of graduate students and postdoctoral students on the
Behavioral Medicine consultation-liaison service across several settings. He serves as the Non-evaluative Mentor for the Psychology Internship. He assists with teaching medical students and Emergency Medicine Residents through didactics and
shadowing experiences. Within the hospital he serves on several committees, including Suicide Prevention, Resiliency Resources Team, Emergency Medicine Care Plan, Child Abuse Research Education Services, Cooper Healthcare System Care Plan Committee, and Behavioral Medicine Diversity Equity and Inclusion. He is a member of the Association for Psychologists in Academic Health Centers, Society of Behavioral Medicine, and American Psychological Association. When he is not skating from task to task in the hospital, he enjoys walking to discover new places and experiences (e.g., FOOD) in Philadelphia.
Daisy Velez, PsyD
Dr. Daisy Velez (she/her/hers) is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in health psychology. She earned her Psy.D. at La Salle University, Philadelphia, PA. She completed an APA accredited psychology internship in medical/health psychology at University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. Additionally, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in consultation and liaison psychology at Jackson Health System, Miami, FL, specializing in trauma psychology at Ryder Trauma Center, adult Level I trauma hospital. Moreover, Dr. Velez has previously worked for the VA Health System and the U.S. Navy as a contractor through the Department of Defense. She is currently serving as the Medical Trauma Psychologist supporting the trauma surgery team at Cooper University Hospital, adult Level I and pediatric Level II trauma center. She provides inpatient care for patients and families following traumatic injury and is able to offer limited outpatient treatment. Dr. Velez also supports the training of graduate students assigned to her rotation. Moreover, she holds an instructor of medicine appointment at
Cooper Medical School at Rowan University and teaches medical students on rotation with the Behavioral Medicine team. Within the hospital, she serves on committees, including Suicide Prevention. She is a member of the APA and National Register of Health Service Psychologists. Lastly, Dr. Velez is bilingual (Spanish-English), a dual citizen (US-Colombia), and has studied in Mexico and Puerto Rico.
Local Information
Just across the bridge from bustling Philadelphia, and less than an hour from the Jersey shore, Cooper University Hospital is easy to access. The academic campus is located across the street from two commuter rail lines (PATCO and NJ Transit’s River Line) and within walking distance of Rutgers University and Rowan University Camden campuses. The Cooper Health Sciences Campus is located in the heart of Camden’s business district. The academic medical center campus is easily accessible by car or public transportation via the commuter high-speed line and bus terminal adjacent to the hospital.
Cooper is conveniently close to Philadelphia. Just a mile-long drive over the Benjamin Franklin Bridge will put you at the doorstep of Philadelphia’s cultural, culinary, and historic venues. Food lovers will enjoy the ever-growing restaurant and pop-up establishments available throughout the city. South Jersey also offers a range of living and entertainment options. Quaint towns such as Haddonfield and Collingswood are just 10 minutes away. The lights and action of Atlantic City and popular beach towns such as Cape May and Ocean City are a one-hour drive from Cooper.
Cooper is also short walk or drive from the Camden waterfront, which includes a waterfront park and marina; the Adventure Aquarium; and the BB&T amphitheater, which hosts nationally renowned entertainment throughout the year. Nearby are the Sixers Training Complex, L3 Communications complex, Lockheed Martin, Rutgers University Camden Campus, and Camden County College. A new health sciences building will be co-utilized by students and faculty from Rowan University, Camden County Community College biomedical and Rutgers – Camden Campus as well as some Cooper faculty engaged in collaborative research endeavors.
Administrative Policies and Procedures
In addition to annual and sick leave, interns may request leave for academic/research purposes (e.g., attendance at professional and/or scientific meetings, meetings related to dissertation). Up to 6 days of such leave can be approved. Exactly when leave may be taken is to be worked out with your supervisory psychologists and should be discussed well in advance. For these types of absences, paperwork will need to be filled out and approved at least two weeks prior to traveling.
Nondiscrimination Policies
The psychology internship in Behavioral Medicine at Cooper University Health Care supports and adheres to Equal Employment Opportunity policies and the Americans with Disabilities Act. No applicant will be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, sex, place of national origin, or age. The psychology internship in Behavioral Medicine at Cooper University Health Care strictly adheres to the nondiscrimination policies of the Cooper Health Care System.
Internship Admissions, Support, and Initial Placement Data
| Internship Program Admissions | ||
| The Psychology Internship Program in Behavioral Medicine at Cooper University Health Care provides the opportunity to gain experience across various integrated medical settings at an academic medical center. As such, it is important that applicants’ application package demonstrate interest in gaining entry-level competencies in behavioral medicine/health psychology in addition to experience in and goals for additional training in more general clinical psychology. Applicants must be doctoral students in good standing at an American Psychological Association (APA) or Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) accredited graduate program in the fields of clinical and/or counseling psychology. Additionally, Cooper University Behavioral Medicine internship is committed to ranking first qualified applicants from minority backgrounds; in particular, we strive to recruit bi-cultural and bi-lingual Latinx Spanish-speaking applicants who may be able to enhance the provision of psychological care. | ||
| Does the program require that applicants have received a minimum number of hours of the following at time of application? If Yes, indicate how many: | |
| Total Direct Contact Intervention Hours | Yes - Interns are expected to have at least 450 hours of direct clinical assessment and intervention combined. |
| Total Direct Contact Assessment Hours | |
| Describe any other required minimum criteria used to screen applicants: Preferred (but not required) experience in health psychology and working in a medical setting |
|
| Financial and Other Benefit Support for Upcoming Training Year* Annual Stipend/Salary for Full-time Interns : $38,000.00 |
|
| Annual Stipend/Salary for Half-time Interns: Not Applicable | |
| Program provides access to medical insurance for resident? | Yes |
| If access to medical insurance is provided | Yes |
| Trainee contribution to cost required? | Yes |
| Coverage of family member(s) available? | Yes |
| Coverage of legally married partner available? | Yes |
| Coverage of domestic partner available? | Yes, if partner is not offered health insurance through his/her employment |
| Hours of Annual Paid Personal Time Off (Vacation): | 13 days |
| Hours of Annual Paid Sick Leave: | 13 days |
| In the event of medical conditions and/or family needs that require extended leave, does the program allow reasonable unpaid leave to interns/interns in excess of personal time off and sick leave? | Yes |
| Other Benefits (please describe): | 6 Federal holidays; Release Time for Professional Development |
Note: “PD” = Post-doctoral residency position; “EP” = Employed Position.
| Initial Post-Internship Positions | ||
| *2020-2021 was the first internship training year | 2018-2021 | |
| Total # of interns who were in the 3 cohorts | 2 | |
| Total # of interns who did not seek employment because they returned to their doctoral program/are completing doctoral degree | 0 | |
| PD | EP | |
| Community mental health center | 0 | 0 |
| Federally qualified health center | 0 | 0 |
| Independent primary care facility/clinic | 0 | 0 |
| University counseling center | 0 | 0 |
| Veterans Affairs medical center | 0 | 0 |
| Military health center | 0 | 0 |
| Academic health center | 2 | 0 |
| Other medical center or hospital | 0 | 0 |
| Psychiatric hospital | 0 | 0 |
| Academic university/department | 0 | 0 |
| Community college or other teaching setting | 0 | 0 |
| Independent research institution | 0 | 0 |
| Correctional facility | 0 | 0 |
| School district/system | 0 | 0 |
| Independent practice setting | 0 | 0 |
| Not currently employed | 0 | 0 |
| Changed to another field | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | |
| Unknown | 0 | |