Pain Management Clinic

The Bellevue Pain Treatment Center treats patients with a variety of chronic pain syndromes, including neuropathy, back pain, pain due to trauma, and end-stage cancer.  Chronic pain patients present with a high incidence of psychopathology, including depression, anxiety, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as personality disorders. Patients are seen on an outpatient basis and clinical responsibilities include consultation, evaluation, and psychotherapeutic treatment.  The Pain Center uses a multi-disciplinary model in which the most common approach is a combined medical and psychological intervention.  The psychotherapy is primarily time-limited and consists of an integration of psychoanalytic/ psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral, and experiential approaches, including stress reduction, relaxation training, meditation, and guided imagery.  There is also weekly group therapy.  As well as addressing the sequelae of living with chronic pain, treatment includes the evaluation and treatment of co-morbid personality and psychiatric disorders and screening for substance abuse in patients receiving opioid treatment.  The extern is an integral member of a multi-disciplinary team and the clinical work will often include collaboration with physicians, psychiatrists, and other specialty clinics.  The externship provides the opportunity to work at the interface of medicine and psychology and for the extern to learn and/or further develop therapeutic skills in mind/body and psychosomatic medicine.  A portion of the externship may also include working with neurology patients from the Neurology Service and cancer patients from the Cancer Center.

Training Period and Time Commitment:
Twelve months long, beginning either in July or September.  Externs must be available full days on Tuesdays and Fridays, as well as Wednesday mornings.  Externs may work other days in addition to those.

Qualifications:
Open to doctoral students in Clinical psychology who have completed at least their second year of study.  Candidates must have prior clinical experience, and must have experience or a special interest in pain or health psychology.  Spanish-speaking candidates are encouraged to apply.

Application Procedure:
E-mail letter of interest and c.v. to Dr. Tony Bossis at bossisa@nychhciorg.  E-mail inquiries to Dr. Bossis or call at (212) 562-6895.  Deadline is February 1.