Clinical Traineeship

UCSF AIDS Health Project (AHP) has been offering comprehensive mental health and substance abuse treatment and emotional support services to San Francisco residents impacted by HIV/AIDS since 1984. In the fall of 2010 AIDS Health Project received funding from the city and county to provide additional mental health services to the broader lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community. This new funding resulted in a realignment of AHP’s programming to include providing professional, client-centered care not only to those living with HIV, but also to the larger LGBTQ community.

As a result of these funding changes, AHP’s clinical traineeship program integrated its existing training program with the traineeship of New Leaf Services providing an opportunity to draw from the strengths of each to create a clinical training program that offers trainees an opportunity to learn and practice psychotherapeutic skills with a special emphasis on treating LGBTQ clients. Trainees in our program will learn in depth about the psychosocial impact of HIV infection as well as the psychological and social impact of being a member of the LGBTQ community. We will accept a total of 14 trainees from a variety of schools and disciplines since this diversity acts as an important stimulus for peer learning over the year.

AHP is committed to providing a coherent, multi-faceted training experience that ensures students develop clinical competencies within a framework that emphasizes:

•	Teaching an evidence-based approach of Time-Limited Dynamic Psychotherapy;
•	Supporting an appreciation for the range of psychotherapeutic perspectives;
•	Appreciating the importance of culture in our work, and
•	Advancing racial and ethnic diversity in our field.

 

Students who participate in the program will:

•	Develop a solid understanding of the unique psychosocial needs of the LGBT community;
•	Obtain comprehensive knowledge of the psychosocial impacts of HIV,
•	Learn risk prevention and reduction skills;
•	Develop excellent clinical assessment skills that inform treatment planning consistent with requirements of Medi-Cal and other publicly funded contracts; and
•	Become aware of the importance of flexibility in treatment approaches, especially approaches used in community mental health care settings that emphasize care management" for clients with chronic disorders who require ongoing care.

 

Many of the trainees' clients will have HIV/AIDS and suffer from a variety of mental health and substance abuse concerns. More than two-thirds of these clients are low income and rely on Medi-Cal and Medicare. Though a growing number of our clients are members of the sexual minority community for whom HIV is not a central issue, clients with HIV/AIDS and clients who do not have HIV often struggle with similar issues having to do with health related concerns, social connection, gay identity, stigma, depression, and substance abuse.

The traineeship requires a 20–22-hour per week commitment from mid-August until mid-July. This is a rich and demanding internship so we strongly prefer that applicants have some prior direct clinical experience such as -- individual/group psychotherapy, clinical intakes, case management, crisis intervention, etc. -- as well as knowledge and experience of issues affecting the LGBT community. Those who have completed their graduate degree and are seeking supervised experience towards licensure will also be considered for a trainee position.

The practicum includes two hours per week of group supervision and one hour per week of individual supervision from an agency licensed mental health professional. If possible, trainees will be matched with supervisors by discipline according to their school requirements and/or trainee preference. Trainees will also participate in a professional leadership/competence group on a monthly basis and will be given the opportunity to meet individually on a weekly basis with a community-based practicing consultant.

For Ph.D. and Psy.D trainees, applications must be postmarked no later than February 13, 2012.

For MFT and SW trainees, we have a rolling admission and applications should be postmarked no later than March 1, 2012.

Components of the Clinical Traineeship