Jackson Memorial Hospital Psychology Internship
Mission & Vision
The fundamental internship-training mission is to facilitate the development of mature and competent clinical psychologists capable of functioning independently in a multidisciplinary/multicultural setting. The training staff believes this is best accomplished through a constant interplay of experiential and didactic experiences. Interns are encouraged to become analytical and critical consumers of current theory and practice in the field. Hence, one of our fundamental goals is the development of clinicians, not technicians, which is consistent with the program’s practitioner/scholar model.
Mission & Vision
The fundamental internship-training mission is to facilitate the development of mature and competent clinical psychologists capable of functioning independently in a multidisciplinary/multicultural setting. The training staff believes this is best accomplished through a constant interplay of experiential and didactic experiences. Interns are encouraged to become analytical and critical consumers of current theory and practice in the field. Hence, one of our fundamental goals is the development of clinicians, not technicians, which is consistent with the program’s practitioner/scholar model.
Director’s Welcome
As a premier internship training site for over 30 years, we have grown and diversified with APA-accredited programs for interns and fellows. In cooperation with the University Of Miami Miller School Of Medicine, we train in Jackson Behavioral Health Hospital, Jackson Main, the Christine E. Lynn Rehabilitation Center for the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at UHealth/Jackson Memorial, and Holtz Women’s and Children’s Hospital. These multiple training sites allow an extraordinary breadth of experiences from brain cuttings in Neuropsychology to state-of-the-art treatments and equipment in the Lynn Rehabilitation Center, close consultation with medical teams in all settings, with a strong commitment to science, ethics, and diversity. Our training is rigorous and comprehensive and because we are APA-accredited graduates can apply for Board Certification in the first year after graduating. Our graduates have done very well and are very competitive, beginning careers in university settings, public and private hospitals, and private practice, as well as teaching, supervising, and spreading the Jackson focus on underserved populations.
Director’s Welcome
As a premier internship training site for over 30 years, we have grown and diversified with APA-accredited programs for interns and fellows. In cooperation with the University Of Miami Miller School Of Medicine, we train in Jackson Behavioral Health Hospital, Jackson Main, the Christine E. Lynn Rehabilitation Center for the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at UHealth/Jackson Memorial, and Holtz Women’s and Children’s Hospital. These multiple training sites allow an extraordinary breadth of experiences from brain cuttings in Neuropsychology to state-of-the-art treatments and equipment in the Lynn Rehabilitation Center, close consultation with medical teams in all settings, with a strong commitment to science, ethics, and diversity. Our training is rigorous and comprehensive and because we are APA-accredited graduates can apply for Board Certification in the first year after graduating. Our graduates have done very well and are very competitive, beginning careers in university settings, public and private hospitals, and private practice, as well as teaching, supervising, and spreading the Jackson focus on underserved populations.
Fast Facts
The Internship Training Program in Psychology is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) through the Commission on Accreditation. The program offers a one-year, full-time appointment with a stipend of $43,500. The appointment involves intense therapeutic interventions with patients and their families individually and in groups. In addition, clinical services are provided to patients throughout the medical center. The psychological interventions are an integrated part of each medical/psychiatric team service and are supervised by at least one senior attending psychologist from the department. All tracks focus on the psychological clinical core competencies of assessment, psychotherapy, and consultation, and on average, the workweek throughout the tracks is 45-50 hours. The following tracks are currently offered:
- Adult Outpatient Center for Behavioral Medicine Track (four positions – three in the General Track & one in the Hispanic Track)
- Rehabilitation Psychology Track (one position)
- Adult Clinical Neuropsychology Track (one position)
- Pediatric Behavioral Medicine Track (one position)
- Clinical Child Track (two positions)
Fast Facts
The Internship Training Program in Psychology is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) through the Commission on Accreditation. The program offers a one-year, full-time appointment with a stipend of $43,500. The appointment involves intense therapeutic interventions with patients and their families individually and in groups. In addition, clinical services are provided to patients throughout the medical center. The psychological interventions are an integrated part of each medical/psychiatric team service and are supervised by at least one senior attending psychologist from the department. All tracks focus on the psychological clinical core competencies of assessment, psychotherapy, and consultation, and on average, the workweek throughout the tracks is 45-50 hours. The following tracks are currently offered:
- Adult Outpatient Center for Behavioral Medicine Track (four positions – three in the General Track & one in the Hispanic Track)
- Rehabilitation Psychology Track (one position)
- Adult Clinical Neuropsychology Track (one position)
- Pediatric Behavioral Medicine Track (one position)
- Clinical Child Track (two positions)
Accreditation
APA-accredited since 1987
Number of Psychology Interns Per Year
9
Your Psychology Internship Faculty
Gisela Aguila Puentes, PsyD
Director of Neuropsychology and Rehabilitation Services
Eduardo Alsina, PhD
Adult Psychology Service
Carolina Avila, PsyD
Coordinator for Practicum Training
Director of Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program for Adolescents
Samira Cambridge, BA
Executive Assistant to the Chief of Psychology
Psychology Department Coordinator
J. Scott Christian, PsyD
Consultation and Liaison Psychology Service
Jonathan L. Cohen, PsyD
Marchman Act Court
Jussethy Cortina, PsyD
Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program for Adolescents
Catherine de la Osa, PsyD
Director of Consultation and Liaison Psychology Service
Jonathan Dugdill, DClinPsych
Chief of Psychology
Lisa Gonzalez-Alpizar, PsyD
Consultation & Liaison Psychology Service
Susan Ireland, PhD
Outpatient Adult Neuropsychology Service
Sheba Kumbhani, PhD
Neuropsychology and Rehabilitation Psychology
Keith Lit, PhD
Adult Psychology Service
Ana M. Ojeda, Psy.D., ABPP
Director of Fellowship Training
Child & Adolescent Inpatient Program
Clara Lora Ospina, PsyD
Director of Adult Psychology Service
Director of Internship Training
Mario Olavarria, PsyD
Rehabilitation Psychology
Melisa Oliva, PsyD
Director of Pediatric Psychology Service
Natasha Poulopoulos, PhD
Pediatric Psychology Service
Bliss Quintana, PsyD
Neuropsychology and Rehabilitation Psychology
Sofia Ricardo, PsyD
Adult Psychology Service
Alba Rivas, MS
Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program for Adolescents
Children and Adolescent Clinic Coordinator
Melissa Salgueiro, PsyD
Child Psychology Service
Samantha Zaid, PsyD
Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program for Adolescents
Gisela Aguila Puentes, PsyD
Director of Neuropsychology and Rehabilitation Services
Eduardo Alsina, PhD
Adult Psychology Service
Carolina Avila, PsyD
Coordinator for Practicum Training
Director of Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program for Adolescents
Samira Cambridge, BA
Executive Assistant to the Chief of Psychology
Psychology Department Coordinator
J. Scott Christian, PsyD
Consultation and Liaison Psychology Service
Jonathan L. Cohen, PsyD
Marchman Act Court
Jussethy Cortina, PsyD
Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program for Adolescents
Catherine de la Osa, PsyD
Director of Consultation and Liaison Psychology Service
Jonathan Dugdill, DClinPsych
Chief of Psychology
Lisa Gonzalez-Alpizar, PsyD
Consultation & Liaison Psychology Service
Susan Ireland, PhD
Outpatient Adult Neuropsychology Service
Sheba Kumbhani, PhD
Neuropsychology and Rehabilitation Psychology
Keith Lit, PhD
Adult Psychology Service
Ana M. Ojeda, Psy.D., ABPP
Director of Fellowship Training
Child & Adolescent Inpatient Program
Clara Lora Ospina, PsyD
Director of Adult Psychology Service
Director of Internship Training
Mario Olavarria, PsyD
Rehabilitation Psychology
Melisa Oliva, PsyD
Director of Pediatric Psychology Service
Natasha Poulopoulos, PhD
Pediatric Psychology Service
Bliss Quintana, PsyD
Neuropsychology and Rehabilitation Psychology
Sofia Ricardo, PsyD
Adult Psychology Service
Alba Rivas, MS
Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program for Adolescents
Children and Adolescent Clinic Coordinator
Melissa Salgueiro, PsyD
Child Psychology Service
Samantha Zaid, PsyD
Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program for Adolescents
Psychology Internship Program Curriculum
Accordion
Coordinator: Clara Lora Ospina, Psy.D.
Required for all interns. The goal of the Introductory Seminar series is to provide an introduction to basic information and skills needed for providing psychological services at Jackson Health System. Topics such as Florida mental health laws, suicide assessment, risk management, safety planning at JHS and in Miami, social media practices, countertransference, stress management and mindfulness, self-care, finding postdocs, EPPP and licensure, and internship policies and procedures are reviewed and discussed.
Coordinators: Mario Olavarria, Psy.D. & Mary I. Ishii, Psy.D.
Required for all interns. During this seminar, interns are introduced to various theories of pain, concept of behavioral pain management, assessing for pain, as well as discussing and demonstrating various types of interventions, including cognitive reframing, psychoeducation, relaxation and hypnosis.
Coordinator: Sheba Kumbhani, Ph.D.
Required for all interns. The purpose of the psychodiagnostic seminar is to present and integrate psychological testing data – objective and projective personality testing, along with intellectual and neuropsychological evaluations – which informs the intern’s diagnostic and treatment planning for those patients who present some difficulty in diagnosis or treatment course. Interns are provided a weekly opportunity to refine their skills in the administration and interpretation of psychological tests while also learning important methods to integrate and communicate test results effectively. All interns are expected to present twice during the training year.
Coordinators: Scott Christian, Psy.D. & Jonathan Cohen, Psy.D.
Required for all interns. A weekly, 90-minute conference where interns present psychotherapy cases for discussion according to a formal psychiatric model.
Facilitator: Natasha Poulopoulos, Psy.D.
Required for all interns. The Diversity Seminar is designed to provide interns with the sensitivity, awareness, knowledge, and skills for multiculturally competent clinical care in the field of psychology.
Coordinator: Clara Lora Ospina, Psy.D.
Required for all interns. This seminar series combines faculty and outside JHS facility speakers who are experts in their field in regards to considerations for mental health and interventions with particular patient populations that interns interact with daily given the diverse culture in Miami and at JHS.
Facilitatosr: Lisa Gonzalez-Alpizar, Psy.D. and Carolina Avila, Psy.D.
Required for all interns. As professional psychologists and practitioners in a large medical center, we are constantly faced with numerous ethical, moral, and legal issues involving patients, physicians and allied professional health staff.
Coordinator: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Required for all interns. Bi-weekly formal academic presentations about various topics in psychiatry presented by psychiatrists and psychologists who are local and nationally known speakers. Meets for 90 minutes every other week. Interns are required to attend at least 50% of these rounds.
Coordinator: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Elective for all interns.. Interns may elect to attend the University of Miami’s M&M conference. M&M is a peer review seminar dedicated to learning from complications and errors occurring during the care of patients in which psychiatry and/or psychology was involved. The main objective is to identify mistakes and to modify behavior and judgment to prevent repetition of error leading to complications or death. Another important objective of this seminar is to identify systems issues (e.g., outdated policies, changes in patient identification procedures, etc.) that affect patient care. M&M is meant to be non-punitive and focused on the goal of improved patient care. M&M conference takes place once a month and attendance it required for any intern that has involvement in the case being presented.
Alumni Placements Include:
Boston VA Medical Center
Boston Children’s Hospital
Kaiser Permanente, San Francisco
Miami VA Medical Center
Texas Children’s Hospital
University of Florida College of Medicine
Vanderbilt University
VA Pacific Islands Healthcare System
Alumni Placements Include:
Boston VA Medical Center
Boston Children’s Hospital
Kaiser Permanente, San Francisco
Miami VA Medical Center
Texas Children’s Hospital
University of Florida College of Medicine
Vanderbilt University
VA Pacific Islands Healthcare System