Training in the Core Areas of Psychology Practice
CONTACT US
For inquires about the internship, please contact:
Brian Augustyn, PhD
Director of Psychology Training
Phone: 801-585-0208
Email: brian.augustyn@hsc.utah.edu
The Psychology Internship Program at Huntsman Mental Health Institute (HMHI) is an American Psychological Association (APA) accredited program that provides comprehensive clinical training for child, adolescent, and adult populations with severe and diverse psychopathology. HMHI currently offers four full-time doctoral-level internship positions. Students eligible for the internship must have completed all coursework in an APA-approved doctoral program in clinical, counseling, or school psychology.
Huntsman Mental Health Institute is the leading provider of inpatient and partial hospitalization programs in the Intermountain West. HMHI's psychiatric hospital is a 170-bed facility with inpatient units for adults, adolescents and children. In addition, there are child-focused and adolescent-focused day treatment programs and an outpatient clinic on site.
Program Experience
The internship provides intensive experiential training in the core areas of psychology practice including:
- Evidence-based interventions, including training in a variety of treatment modalities
- Evidence-based diagnosis and assessment
- Consultation and interdisciplinary communication and collaboration
- Integrating research into clinical practice
- Addressing individual and cultural diversity
- Application of ethical and legal standards to practice
- Supervision
- Professional values, attitudes, and behaviors
All training occurs in an atmosphere of collaborative interactions with supervisors and senior staff members. The breadth and depth of clinical experience combined with our training seminars/activities, and quality supervision creates a unique and excellent clinical internship experience. The goal is to prepare interns for professional practice in a variety of settings.
Internship training is accomplished through:
- Direct clinical experience: The bulk of interns’ day is spent in direct clinical contacts. Interns conduct individual, family and couples therapy with a diverse array of presenting concerns, with a focus on acute and severe psychopathology. In addition to their regular case load, interns also carry a caseload of two outpatient clients. Outpatients are usually selected by the intern to provide addition depth in working with a particular disorder, treatment, or demographic.
- Group therapy: Interns lead twice-weekly group therapy. Groups are DBT-focused on the inpatient units. In day treatment, groups are focused on social skills and emotion-regulation skills.
- Individual and group supervision: Interns receive a minimum of 2 hours each week of direct supervision with their primary supervisor and an addition 2 hours of group supervision with the Training Director during Psychotherapy Seminar. In addition, interns receive another hour each week of group supervision led by a postdoctoral trainee.
- Didactic seminars: Interns receive 2 hours of didactic training each week. Presenters include psychologists and psychiatrists from HMHI as well as outside presenters. Interns receive training in administering the ADOS and Rorschach as part of their didactic training.
- DBT consultation group: Interns and other therapeutic staff who utilize Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) as a treatment modality meet every other week in a DBT consultation group.
- Supervision experience: Interns have the opportunity to supervise externs who co-lead therapy groups with them.
- Treatment team staffing: Interns meet regularly with their multidisciplinary teams to discuss patient progress and coordinate care.
- Continuing professional education: Interns have the opportunity to attend bi-weekly Grand Rounds, staff-education talks, and other trainings and didactics available at HMHI and nearby.
Internship Rotations
All interns complete three full-time, four-month rotations. Interns are involved in selecting their preferred rotations from the four clinical populations that are available: youth day treatment, adolescent-focused inpatient, child-focused inpatient, and adult inpatient.
On each rotation, interns also provide assessment services to aid in differential diagnosis and treatment planning. This allows the intern to gain experience with a wide variety of assessment measures addressing intellectual, cognitive, psycho-educational, affective, personality and/or behavioral functioning. In addition, interns sometimes are asked to develop individualized behavioral management plans when a patient is not responding to the typical unit behavioral structures.
Youth Inpatient Rotation
Psychology interns on the adolescent-focused and child-focused inpatient rotations provide psychological services to patients admitted to the inpatient youth units. On the youth inpatient services, all patients work with a psychologist as part of the team-based care provided at HMHI. Interns are integrated into multidisciplinary treatment teams and participate in daily rounds to coordinate treatment. The intern serve as the primary therapist who provides both individual and family therapy to each patient.
Adult Inpatient Rotation
Psychology interns on the adult inpatient rotation provide psychological services to patients participating in Adult Intensive Treatment Program, Adult Inpatient Program, and the Recovery Inpatient Program. Interns on the adult rotation are consulted by the treating psychiatrist for patients who request a psychologist or whose presenting concerns would benefit greatly from working with a psychologist.
Day Treatment Rotation
The psychology interns on the day treatment rotation work at one of two locations. One intern provides psychological services to children (ages 4-12) in Kidstar and to adolescents (ages 13-18) in Teenscope, and the other works with adolescents (age 13-18) at Teenscope South, located at a site 8 miles away. Interns on the day treatment rotation work closely with parents and guardians, providing parent training and addressing behavioral concerns as the patients transition back and forth on a daily basis between the program and their time at home.
Application Process
HMHI currently offers six full-time doctoral-level internship positions. All internship appointments are of a continuous 12-month period beginning at the end of June. Interns are paid a stipend of $32,500 and receive a comprehensive health/dental insurance benefits package, and paid time off. Ethnic minority and culturally diverse students are strongly encouraged to apply.
Application Deadline: November 15
Complete internship applications must be submitted to the director of psychology training by November 15 or the first business day thereafter. Prospective intern candidates will be contacted in December to schedule a virtual interview.
The following qualities are considered when selecting internship applicants to participate in the interview process:
- Completion of all coursework, in an APA approved doctoral program in clinical, counseling, or school psychology
- Academic excellence
- Minimum of 500 practicum hours*
- Minimum of 100 hours of psychological assessment and report writing experience*
- Interpersonal maturity and sensitivity
- Diverse practical experiences
- High ethical standards and professionalism
- Good clinical judgment
- Ability to work as a team member
- Appropriate career interests
*Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are allowing some flexibility on the 500/100 hour minimum. If you have fewer than the 500/100 hour minimum at the time you submit your application, please indicate in your application how you plan to address any shortfall in hours that you have experienced due to COVID.
Application Materials
Required application materials include:
- Letter of application/interest
- Completed APPIC Application for Psychology Internship
- Curriculum vita (CV)
- Official university graduate transcripts
- Minimum of three letters of professional recommendation
- One sample of a psychological or neuropsychological evaluation
Application materials should be addressed to:
Brian Augustyn, PhD, PhD, Director of Psychology Training
Huntsman Mental Health Institute
501 Chipeta Way
Salt Lake City, Utah 84108
For more comprehensive information, please review the Psychology Internship Handbook. For additional information and questions, please contact us.
Internship Staff
HMHI's professional staff includes 16 licensed psychologists, who are direct supervisors for the internship program, and 7 licensed psychologists, who fulfill other roles related to the internship.
Psychology staff members participate and support the internship training program in a variety of ways. They may provide individual intern supervision and mentoring, participate in didactic training and seminars, provide consultation, contribute to psychology staff meetings and treatment team rounds, provide case conferences, participate as members of the psychology training committee and/or assist with ongoing program evaluation.
Program Leadership
Brian Augustyn, PhD
Director of Psychology Training, Huntsman Mental Health Institute (HMHI)
Dr. Brian Augustyn received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Biola University – Rosemead School of Psychology and completed his internship and postdoctoral hours at the University of Utah Huntsman Mental Health Institute. Dr. Augustyn trained in a variety of clinical settings, including inpatient, outpatient, day treatment, medical centers, and specialized schools, with a background providing ABA discrete trial behavioral modification. His clinical work focuses primarily on therapy and psychological assessment with children, adolescents, and their families, with an emphasis in the areas of mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and autism spectrum disorder, while also providing support on the adult inpatient units as well. Dr. Augustyn also has a background in the integration of spirituality and psychology and has been published and presented research in this area. His theoretical orientation focuses primarily on approaches emphasizing cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and other behavioral or solution-focused interventions. Dr. Augustyn has an adjunct faculty appointment at the University of Utah Department of Psychiatry, and is involved with the DBT consultation group, clinical documentation audit committee, inpatient hospital ethics committee, interview committee for the School of Medicine, supervising psychiatry resident, and teaching didactics for the psychology interns and psychiatry residents.
Allison Smith, PhD
Psychology Manager, Huntsman Mental Health Institute (HMHI)
Dr. Allison Smith received her Ph.D. from Northern Illinois University with a focus on child clinical/developmental psychopathology. Dr. Smith is the Manager of the Inpatient Psychology Program. She trained in a variety of settings, including inpatient, outpatient, group homes, and forensic settings, and she has therapy and assessment experience with both children and adults. She completed her internship and postdoctoral residency at the University of Utah Huntsman Mental Health Institute. Dr. Smith's focus is on youth and families experiencing serious mental illness. Conceptually she works from the perspective of developmental psychopathology and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Clinically she integrates cognitive-behavioral strategies, including dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) skills, based on the situation and needs of the patient. Dr. Smith has an adjunct faculty appointment in the University of Utah Department of Psychiatry and is a member of the Psychology Training Committee.
Marcy Porritt, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellowship Coordinator, Huntsman Mental Health Institute (HMHI)
Dr. Marcy Porritt received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Loma Linda University with a formal specialization in neuroscience and neuropsychology. Her clinical emphasis is assessment and treatment of severe psychopathology and developmental disorders in adults and children. Dr. Porritt’s work experience includes community mental health, homeless outreach, Veteran’s Administration, and inpatient psychiatric settings. Dr. Porritt has worked as a float and most recently young adult CAT program psychologist and provides services across most HMHI services including adult and child inpatient, day treatment and CAT programs. She identifies primarily as a contextual behavioral scientist focusing on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy.
Response to COVID-19
Employees at HMHI are considered “essential workers” and clinical employees (i.e., staff, interns, externs and fellows) have been providing direct face-to-face patient care in day treatment and inpatient settings.
In order to mitigate the risk to employees while continuing to provide high-quality patient care, a wide-range of safety protocols have been implemented. Some of the policies that are in place to mitigate the risk of COVID-19
- All staff are required to have been vaccinated for COVID-19 unless they qualify for a medical or religious exemption.
- Masks are required for everyone on HMHI grounds.
- All patients on the inpatient units and in day treatment are tested for COVID-19 during admission and then re-tested weekly (or more frequently if they are symptomatic or have had an exposure). Only patients with negative test results and no symptoms of COVID-19 are able to attend in-person groups and unit programming.
- Any staff with symptoms are asked not to come to work and are directed to contact the U’s Work Wellness Clinic to determine steps they need to take to return to work.
- Unit group rooms and common areas are frequently wiped down and disinfected, and visitation rooms are disinfected between visits.
- Family therapy is typically provided virtually due to visitor restrictions aligning with COVID-19 policies.
- Group size reductions (12 patients maximum) to enable social distancing, along with vigilant observation of symptoms for both staff and patients, further limits on-site exposure.
- Patients are limited to 1-2 visitors per day, and visitors must attest that they are asymptomatic in order to visit. No food or beverages may be consumed.
- Currently all outpatient visits, supervision, and training didactics are a combination of telehealth/ virtual platforms and in-person visits, depending on the comfort of staff and patients and the feasibility of social distancing.
Since the landscape is evolving, we cannot definitively predict how the next training year will look, however, we expect a hybrid of face-to-face and virtual / telehealth meetings (for example, for family therapy, and for staff meetings and trainings) to remain part of our work.
The applicant interviews will be conducted virtually.
Program Accreditation
Our internship program is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) Commission on Accreditation. For questions about the program’s accreditation status, contact:
750 First Street NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
Phone: 202-336-5979
Email: apaaccred@apa.org
Website: https://www.accreditation.apa.org/
Resources
Contact Us
For additional information, please contact:
Brian Augustyn, PhD
Director of Psychology Training
Huntsman Mental Health Institute
501 Chipeta Way
Salt Lake City, Utah 84108
Phone: 801-585-0208
Email: brian.augustyn@hsc.utah.edu