Program Activities

Clinical Training

The fellow will function as an integral part of a multidisciplinary healthcare team. Primary duties will include providing screenings and diagnostic evaluations, behavioral consultations, and brief interventions with children, adults and families.  Services provided by Fellows match the pace and nature of primary care settings.  Below is an overview of how services could be rendered by Fellows.

Behavioral Health Service Type Estimated % of Patient Contacts Key Service Characteristics
General Behavioral Health
Consultation Visit		 60—70 %
  • Brief, general in focus; oriented around a specific referral issue from health care provider.
  • Visit length (15-30 min) matches pace of primary care.
  • Designed to provide brief interventions and support medical and psychosocial interventions by the primary care team member.
  • May involve conjoint visit with primary care provider
  • May involve primary focus on psychosocial condition or working with behavioral sequelae of medical conditions.
Behavioral Health Psycho-educational Visit 10—20 %
  • Employs psycho-educational approach in classroom or group modality.
  • Program structure is often manualized, with condensed treatment strategies; emphasis on patient education and self-management strategies.
Telephone
Follow-up		 10—20 %
  • Brief phone calls to follow-up with patient after a “General Behavioral Health Consultation Visit
Behavioral Health Case Conference 10%
  • Reserved for high-utilizers or for patient with problems of high risk/complexity.
  • Emphasis is on developing and communicating a health care utilization plan to contain excessive medical utilization, and on giving primary care providers effective behavioral management strategies and community resource case management.
  • Goal is to maximize daily functioning of patient, not necessarily symptom elimination.

 

Training Experiences

  • Behavioral Health Didactics This is a weekly mandatory attendance seminar for all Fellows that covers various topics to build core knowledge and skills in practicing primary care psychology. Seminar topics emphasize the reciprocal and dynamic influence of biological, psychological and social factors on the etiology, treatment and experience of illness and disease. Issues of diversity and culture are discussed as they pertain to providing culturally appropriate care. Journal Club sessions review the latest literature on up to date topics. Seminars are taught by faculty including psychologists, physicians and pharmacists as well as health administrators, and by community clinicians with experience in integrated healthcare delivery. Fellows are responsible for one case presentation and participate in a group presentation yearly. 

  • Teaching and Supervision: Postdoctoral Fellows receive training on the teaching of integrated care, supervision of Clinical Health Psychology in Primary Care settings and general medical education. Fellows have opportunities to teach medical students and Family Medicine residents           both through patient encounters and didactic sessions. Fellows participate /teach in the Doctoring 3 course and in the Residency Didactics to enhance their teaching skills within an academic health setting. Fellows are assigned specific topics for presentation to medical students or residents.   Presentations are developed with faculty supervision Fellows also receive instruction on the provision of supervision for psychologists to work in Primary Care settings.  

  • Fellows participate twice per month in a group experience where interesting cases are discussed highlighting issues commonly seen in primary care and/or consistent with cross cultural issues. Fellows practice presentation skills as well as supervision / consultation skills. The group is led by the same faculty member throughout the year to facilitate evaluation of progress.

  • Cross-cultural Medicine/Service Learning: Fellows are expected to participate in service learning experience where fellows are immersed in the community in which they serve for outreach activities. Participants in these activities include: faculty and trainees from the FSUCOM as well as from other FSU Colleges, such as the College of Nursing as well as residents and Global Health Fellows from the FSU- Lee Family Medicine residency. The learning experiences include presentations, small group discussions, visits to community farms and other agencies and community clinical work. Assigned readings and/or videos on cross cultural care are utilized to engage groups in discussions about culture and general healthcare issues pertinent to the community. This experience is designed to prepare fellows to work in rural and underserved areas and to have knowledge of public health and community engagement.

  • Research: Postdoctoral Fellows with research interest may utilize allotted time to carry out short- term research project and/or participate with ongoing/established research with a faculty mentor at the Isabel Collier Read Medical Campus. This is an optional activity and typically takes place during the 2nd year.

  • Committees – Fellows will participate in medical staff and meetings and may be assigned to clinic/health system committees to enhance competencies in administration and systems.

Teaching and Supervision

Postdoctoral Fellows receive training on the teaching of integrated care, supervision of Clinical Health Psychology in Primary Care settings and general medical education. Fellows have opportunities to teach medical students both informally through patient encounters, and formally by co-facilitating Doctoring 3 sessions during Year 2 of the Fellowship Program. Fellows also receive instruction on the provision of supervision for psychologists to work in Primary Care settings. During Year 2 of the Program, Fellows supervise select clinical cases seen by Year 1 Fellows; the supervision process is overseen by an assigned Licensed Psychologist/FSUCOM Faculty Supervisor.