Practicum Sites
The University of Tennessee Psychological Clinic
The UT Psychological Clinic is an on-campus training and research center which has been operated by the Department of Psychology for over fifty years. Open weekdays and evenings, the Clinic offers psychological services to the greater Knoxville Community, as well as to students and employees of the University. Adults and children alike are seen at the Clinic, and trainees have the opportunity to select cases from a clinically varied client population. Clinic services include individual psychotherapy, group therapy, family and couples therapy, child therapy, psychological evaluations, and neuropsychological evaluations. The Clinic is the training facility for the Clinical Program and unlike other placement sites has training, and not service, as its primary mission. For this reason it is possible for the Clinic to offer a rich and flexible training experience which can be tailored to the individual needs and interests of trainees. In addition to providing evaluation and treatment services, trainees also attend business meetings, staffings, in-services, and case presentations. Also, trainees are expected to serve on various committees.
A more advanced student has opportunities to provide consultation and to assume limited supervision responsibilities. All clinical work is video taped, and supervision is abundant. Trainees on placement usually have three individual supervisors, carrying one to three cases with each supervisor. Case supervision is provided by the core and part-time clinical faculty, which includes some of the finest practitioners in the Knoxville area. Supervision assignments eventuate out of the mutual interest of trainees and supervisors. Because of its training priority and abundant supervision resources, the Clinic is able to support a substantial number of less experienced trainees. The Clinic also supports clinical research. Students placed in the Clinic in their second year of study may also have the relatively rare opportunity to follow cases for up to three years before leaving on internship. Trainees are viewed as developing professionals, and accordingly, they are free to develop their own work schedules.
Cherokee Health System
Cherokee Health System serves residents of the Lakeway region of East Tennessee. Through its main office in Knoxville and satellite clinics located throughout its service area, the Center provides a comprehensive array of clinical, consultative, and community support services as well as medical treatment and integrative care. Outpatient behavioral services include individual, family and group therapy, day treatment, and pharmacotherapy. The Center also provides a broad spectrum of evaluative services, including psychodiagnostic, forensic, psycho-educational, and vocational assessment. A strong commitment to influencing the psychological sophistication of the region is reflected in various programs of consultation and education offered to schools, physicians, business and industry, the courts, and other community agencies. The Center staff are licensed and certified by the State of Tennessee and national professional organizations. Field practicum training includes clinical, school and community psychology. Training at the Center consists of supervised involvement in all phases of Center services appropriate to the specific training needs of each student.
Peninsula Village
Peninsula Village offers inpatient intensive treatment in a family style psychiatric setting. The Village program is a long term (6-12 months), highly structured residential program for emotionally troubled adolescents who have not been successful in other treatment settings. Clinical students on placement at the Village gain experience in milieu therapy as well as more specific individual and formal group process interventions and in psychological assessment.
Ridgeview Psychiatric Hospital and Center
Ridgeview Psychiatric Hospital and Center is a comprehensive treatment facility offering inpatient and outpatient care as well as day care, emergency, and consultation and education services. The Center is psychodynamically oriented and treats an extremely wide variety of pathology. Students on placement with the Center gain experience working across all services offered and with all age groups seen. Formally scheduled in-service programs, in addition to regularly scheduled and "as needed" supervision, are part of the practicum experience. Master's level competency is encouraged.