Email to a Friend
Printer Friendly
Internship Training Program
Overview
WISE & Healthy Aging is a private, non-profit agency serving the emotional, behavioral and physical needs of older adults, ages 55 and above. The Mental Health Services Department provides individual psychotherapy, group psychotherapy, psychiatry, case management and when necessary, collateral and/or family therapy within an outpatient setting as well as within a field setting, through our Field Capable Clinical Services (FCCS) program.Our clients are individuals who display a variety of presenting concerns ranging from normative to pathological. Clients typically experience symptoms related to mood disorders, anxiety disorders, thought disorders and personality disorders. Additional issues addressed throughout the course of treatment are related to aging, loss, trauma, identity, substance use, grief and bereavement and relationship difficulties including conflict, isolation and loneliness.
Philosophy of Training
WISE & Healthy Aging places a strong emphasis on the multi-disciplinary training program which is comprised of pre-doctoral interns, social work interns and post-doctoral fellows. We offer a training program that is structured to provide interns with a combination of didactic and supervised, direct service experience that will prepare them for independent practice of clinical psychology. Interns are given the opportunity to practice long-term, insight oriented work. Our philosophy is designed to develop and refine clinical competencies with older adults, promotes a commitment to providing the highest standards of practice through an emphasis on personal and professional integrity and exploration of the process occurring between intern and client. The program reflects the integration of an ethically and culturally sensitive practice incorporating a contextual philosophy of treating older adults. Upon completion of the program, interns can expect to have attained an improved skill set and compassion for working therapeutically with older adults within an outpatient and field-based setting which will be an asset to their ongoing professional development.We strive to train our interns in developing a broad-based, general approach to treatment with a specialized skill set in working with older adults.
The agency is located in the heart of Santa Monica, four blocks from the beach and two blocks from 3rd Street Promenade.
Training Program
The training program is structured to be completed within a part-time, 50 week year. Approximately half of the intern’s time is spent providing direct service to clients within the context of individual and group psychotherapy, 20% in indirect services and the remaining 30% is committed to didactic training including professional seminars and individual and group supervision.Interns have the opportunity to co-facilitate group psychotherapy in the following group treatment options:
- Healthy Strategies
- Living Well (short-term therapy)
- Process Groups
- Skills Building Group (Dialectal Behavioral Therapy Model)
- Men's Support Group
Some topics include:
- Ethical and Legal Issues
- Grief and Loss
- Group Psychotherapy
- Hoarding
- Intimate Partner Violence
- Object Relations
- Personality Disorders
- LGBT Senior Sensitivity Training
- Psychotropic Medications with older adults
- Substance use and abuse with older adults
- Suicide Assessment
- Therapeutic Frame and Boundaries
- Various forms of Abuse – sexual, physical, emotional, fiduciary, neglect