This track focuses on providing you with a comprehensive learning experience, through didactic, supervisory and clinical experiences focused on gaining understanding of the developmental trajectories of serious mental illness and personality pathology across the lifespan.
Clinical experiences include year-long work with children, adolescents, young adults, and older adults in outpatient and acute inpatient settings. You will gain substantial experience working with individuals with serious mental illness. You will work closely with a variety of clinicians, including psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, and mental health counselors who will provide expert clinical and administrative supervision. Yearlong experiences include working on a large acute adult psychiatric inpatient service, a children psychiatric clinic and a first break psychosis outpatient program (On Track).
Interns in this track often work closely with interns completing the substance use track, providing ample opportunity for collaboration and learning about substance use.
Interns will complete three year-long experiences, constituting the Developmental Track’s Core Program:
Three, four-month rotations are required, and at least two of these must be “major rotations.” At least one of the rotations will be on an inpatient unit. You take part in clinical services and team activities at each rotation site.
In addition to the two major rotation experiences, you will choose one elective rotation, which is an exposure to a specialty service offered at UB or the Erie County Medical Center.
Research electives are also available, allowing you to focus your research attention on pertinent and relevant topics.
These electives offer you an opportunity to receive training outside of your standard rotations and work closely with other disciplines/agencies that deal with mental health issues.
Interns who participate are involved in the clinical and didactic elements of the elective during some portion of the afternoon and evening hours throughout the year.
Finally, you will complete a year-long didactic program focused specifically on building a deeper understanding of the developmental underpinnings of serious mental illness. Didactic sessions are led by affiliated faculty who are experts in their field across all clinical sites.