PsyD Clinical Psychology

Overview of clinical training

Clinical training for PsyD students begins with foundational coursework in psychological assessment and treatment in the first year. The first clinical experiences begin in the year 1 as students begin to shadow teams in the Psychological Services Clinic and see patients individually in year 2. In years 3 and 4 of the program, students may choose from a wide variety of LLU-affiliated or community clinical placements. Students spend year 4 working in a pre-internship setting where they assume a larger, and often more specialized, caseload in preparation for completing their formal internship in year 5.

(Additional information about applying for pre-doctoral internships and the process of obtaining licensure as a clinical psychologist is available from the American Psychological Association.)

Psychologists and patients

Clinical Training at Loma Linda University [Top]

	Loma Linda University Behavioral Medicine Center The BMC offers clinical training experiences in inpatient assessment as well as individual and group therapy, working with a variety of mild to severe psychological disorders. Students receive training in group therapy, test selection, assessment, report-writing, and treatment planning.

	Loma Linda VA Healthcare System Loma Linda VA offers a general health psychology experience. This is combined with more traditional psychological training, working with veteran populations, including Iraq war veterans. Students have the opportunity to become familiar with VA health facilities, the nationwide training, and employment opportunities through the VA system.

	Growing Fit program Growing Fit is a multidisciplinary treatment program for overweight children and adolescents. Students receive cutting-edge training, working with individuals and families to reduce the increasingly prevalent problem of obesity. Students also help address the related issues of diet, physical activity, depression, and low self-esteem.

	Health psychology service/family medicine The health psychology service is a primary care psychology experience. During this experience, students rotate through two busy family medicine outpatient clinics, Loma Linda University Medical Center East Campus, and Palliative Care Service. Students receive training in core behavioral medicine clinical skills and serve on multidisciplinary teams providing care for those living with chronic illnesses or receiving well-person care.

	Pediatric neuro-assessment program The pediatric neuro-assessment program provides neurological, neuropsychological, developmental, and psychosocial comprehensive assessments for children with neurological, learning, and behavioral deficits. These deficits often include traumatic brain injury, seizure disorders, and school problems. Students have the opportunity to work closely with pediatric neurologists, pediatricians, and neurodevelopmental psychologists.

	Social Action Community Health System (SACHS) SACHS is a three-site clinic system affiliate of LLU and LLUMC. Its main facility, SACHS-Norton, is located in San Bernardino at the former Norton Air Force Base. SACHS offers full primary/pediatric care, dental care, and behavioral health services. SACHS-Norton is the University's main community training site and provides Psychology, Counseling and Family Science, and Social Work students the opportunity to work with the medically underserved and uninsured in both assessment and treatment.

	Pediatric psychology/neuropsychology consultation-liaison and pediatric rehabilitation The pediatric psychology program at LLU Children's Hospital provides multidisciplinary inpatient treatment for children ages 3 months to 18 years. Duties include consultation-liaison services to pediatric acute care, intensive care, and intermediate care units. Students receive training in assessment and interventions targeting coping, adjustment, cognitive remediation, stimulation, and behavior modification.

	LLU neuropsychology program The LLU neuropsychology program provides training in neuropsychological assessment and intervention through the department of neuropsychology, rehabilitation psychology, and the Rehabilitation Institute. Students spend time providing inpatient and outpatient services for adolescents and adults with a variety of neurological conditions. These conditions include stroke, traumatic brain injury, tumor, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and learning disabilities. Students also serve as members of an intradisciplinary team that includes rehabilitation medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and social work.

	LLU psychology services clinic The LLU psychology services clinic is a department-run, community-based clinic that provides assessment services and outpatient treatment for adolescents, adults, and families.

	Craniofacial team clinic The craniofacial team clinic provides focused outpatient training in neurodevelopmental assessment of infants and toddlers with craniofacial abnormalities, neurodevelopmental delays, and genetic syndromes. Students have the opportunity to work in a diverse clinic that includes pediatricians; plastic surgeons; ear, nose, and throat physicians; oral surgeons; dentists; geriatric specialists; nurses; and social workers.

	University of Redlands/LLU counseling center The University of Redlands/LLU counseling center is a university counseling center where students are engaged in assessment, in addition to individual and family therapy.

	Chaffey College/LLU counseling center The Chaffey College/LLU counseling center is a university counseling center that serves an ethnically-diverse population. Students have opportunities for training in brief, problem-focused therapies in addition to taking on some longer-term clients.

Clinical Training Opportunities in Our Community [Top]

	San Bernardino City Unified School District The San Bernardino City Unified School District offers training experiences in consultation and assessment for learning and emotional problems in a large and diverse population of children and adolescents.

	Department of behavioral health, County of San Bernardino The County of San Bernardino department of behavioral health provides concentrated training experiences with mentally ill populations with serious conditions and children at risk. Trainees participate in team meetings involving multidisciplinary staff that includes psychiatrists, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, clinical social workers, and occupational therapists.

	Patton State Hospital, California Department of Mental Health The California department of mental health at Patton State Hospital provides clerks with opportunities to work with individuals from a forensic population. This population includes those who have been found not guilty by reason of insanity, incompetent to stand trial, or mentally disordered offenders. Clerks are given a wide variety of assessment opportunities, including personality (objective and projective/Rorschach), cognitive/intellectual, neuropsychological screens, and exposure to specialty forensic assessment instruments (i.e., malingering). Patton State Hospital is a maximum security state hospital and houses adult forensically committed patients with chronic and severe mental illnesses. The most represented DSM diagnoses include bipolar disorder with psychotic features, schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder. Most patient also have an axis II diagnosis on record as well as a substance abuse disorder.

	Sharper Future Sharper Future specializes in serving a forensic population using primarily group therapy. Treatments address substance abuse, mental illness, and community reintegration. Students are also able to take on individual therapy clients and to work with courts and the judicial system. Students have the opportunity to develop valuable experience in forensic psychology.

	Assessment and Treatment Services Center The Assessment and Treatment Services Center is a private non-profit organization in Newport Beach that provides psychological testing, brief therapy, and long-term therapy to individuals, children, and families.

	Psychological counseling center, California State University, San Bernardino The psychological counseling Center at the California State University in San Bernardino, is a university counseling center that provides a broad range of psychological services to a culturally diverse client population. Students also have the opportunity to collaborate with medical staff.

	Inland Temporary Homes Inland Temporary Homes is a nonprofit organization that provides an array of psychological services to homeless families. Trainees receive focused treatment experiences targeting anxiety disorders, drug/alcohol dependency, major depression, personality disorders, and relationship problems.

	UCLA Medical Center & Neuropsychiatric Institute The UCLA Medical Center & Neuropsychiatric Institute is a comprehensive training site for neuropsychological assessment training, test administration, clinical neuropsychological interviewing, and report writing.

	Harbor UCLA Medical Center Harbor UCLA Medical Center offers student training positions in several specific tracks, including neuropsychological assessment, adult psychiatry assessment, child psychiatry assessment, child psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, pediatrics, and dual diagnosis.

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