Search
  

Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Service

Psychiatric Consultation-Liaison (C-L Psychiatry) is the clinical practice of psychosomatic medicine that applies a holistic approach to patient’s physical and mental health care in a medical inpatient setting.  The C-L Psychiatry provides services to adult inpatients on all non-psychiatric wards, including internal medicine, trauma surgery, intensive care unit, orthopedics, oncology, palliative care, neurology, ob-gyn, rehabilitation medicine, HIV and TB units.  Services are also provided to specialty medical clinics including dialysis unit, women’s health clinic, cancer center, dermatology clinic and smoking cessation clinic.  The psychology extern learns to integrate a biopsychosocial perspective in the treatment of patients with psychiatric needs secondary to chronic medical illness or traumatic surgery, as well as patients with premorbid psychiatric disorders who are chronically ill or had a traumatic surgery.  This integration allows externs to analyze physical and psychiatric illness in a broader biological, psychological and sociocultural contexts.
Psychology externs have the opportunity to meet the following learning objectives in inpatient medical wards:

  • Attend educational activities including walk-rounds, case conference, individual supervision, and NYU Psychiatry grand-rounds.
  • Conduct consultations with patients and families to provide a diagnostic impression and to make appropriate treatment recommendations.
  • Conduct psychological testing when indicated.
  • Apply individual and family brief psychotherapeutic interventions.
  • Assist patients and families to process grief/bereavement and cope with loss.
  • Learn how to evaluate patients’ decision making capacity.
  • Learn the biosychosocial management of chronic illness of patients with and without a premorbid psychiatric disorder.
  • Learn about biopsychosocial aspects of trauma surgery recovery and rehabilitation of patients with and without a premorbid psychiatric disorder.

In addition, psychology externs also have the opportunity to learn about the C-L Psychiatry services in the smoking cessation clinic.  This training experience includes the following:

  • Smoking cessation group cognitive-behavioral and psychoeducational interventions
  • Learn about smoking cessation pharmacological treatment

The overall externship training in C-L Psychiatry provides significant learning experience about the collaborative approach of psychologists with C-L psychiatrists, medical teams, social workers and the clergy.

Training Period and Time Commitment:
Training period is flexible.  A minimum of two full days a week is required.  Two positions available each year. 

Qualifications:
Open to doctoral students enrolled in a program in Clinical, Health or Counseling Psychology.  Eligible students must have completed at least the first year of study and have psychotherapy and clinical/diagnostic interviewing experience. 

Application Procedure:
Fax letter of interest, c.v., and two letters of recommendation from clinical supervisors to Marilia Neves, Psy.D. at (212) 562-8985, preferably by February 1.