Idaho State University Family Medicine Residency/Counseling and Testing Services

1 Full Time Funded Position with Benefits

General Information

The Idaho State University (ISU) internship program is a collaborative training opportunity with 2 partnering clinics providing a diverse training experience in a family medicine primary care and university counseling setting: ISU Family Medicine (ISUFM) and ISU Counseling & Testing Service (CATS). 

ISU Family Medicine (ISUFM) is an interdisciplinary teaching and training site for the family practice residency program at ISU. The clinic has partnered with Health West Community Health Center, a federally qualified health center (FQHC) to provide clinical services to the area, serving as a training site for clinical psychologists, family medicine physicians, clinical pharmacists, physician assistants, and nurses providing a rich training environment. The clinic provides primary medical care, including traditional psychological services such as individual counseling and diagnostic assessments mostly focused on the adult and geriatric populations as well as integrated behavioral health services to a diverse population from all over Southeastern Idaho. ISUFM has a strong commitment to teaching and to providing services to our underserved population.

Counseling & Testing Service (CATS) is the mental health clinic for ISU students. While at ISU CATS, interns will have the opportunity to provide individual counseling and either group counseling or biofeedback training to undergraduate and graduate students. We also provide outreach and prevention education and consultation to the campus community. Our clients are as diverse as the ISU student population in age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender and gender identity, nationality, and religion, and they seek help with a wide variety of concerns.

Founded in 1901, Idaho State University attracts students from around the world. ISU offers high-quality education in more than 250 programs and is the state’s designated lead institution in health professions. ISU is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution. 

The Internship Experience

At ISUFM, interns will have the opportunity to gain clinical experience while interacting closely with other disciplines. ISUFM provides a strong clinical training environment and is dedicated to supporting trainees’ educational experience in the highest manner. Interns completing this internship will be well-rounded in generalist psychological practice including individual psychotherapy with adults and geriatric patients,  as well as providing consultations to residents and physicians concerning the psychological dimensions of their patients. Services may also include warm handoffs/crisis visits. Training may also be shaped, to some degree, to suit the particular interests of a given intern with an emphasis on evidence-based, goal-oriented treatments including a variety of modalities such as CBT, ACT, DBT, and interpersonal and emotion-focused approaches. Our patient population runs the gamut from newborns to the elderly although psychological services are primarily geared towards adults and geriatrics. We see a wide range of depressive, bipolar,  anxiety, psychotic, somatic symptom, post-traumatic stress, and personality disorders, as well as substance use disorders, dementia, and presentations involving the  behavioral management of diabetes, sleep disorders, hypertension, weight loss, chronic pain management, etc. Interns will also be trained in providing culturally competent support for clientele adjusting to acculturative stress, minority status stress and other related  LGBTQIA+ factors.  In addition to developing practical competencies in psychological diagnostic assessment/interviewing and clinical interventions with a very diverse panel of patients, interns at ISUFM will have the opportunity to consult to a collegial and innovative interdisciplinary health care team in a primary care model of treatment as well as serve as the consult liason on the HIV/HepC team.

ISU CATS typically utilizes short-term goal-oriented modalities, but students may be seen longer term if clinically indicated. We commonly see students seeking services for mood and anxiety disorders, interpersonal concerns, coping with stress, identity development, intersecting identities, academic concerns, eating disorders, grief, and trauma. We also offer outreach and prevention programs; crisis intervention during business hours; and consultation to faculty, staff, families, and friends of students. CATS staff are dedicated to the training and supervision of future mental health practitioners. We provide training to masters level counseling and social work students, doctoral level clinical psychology and counselor education students, psychiatry residents, and pre-doctoral psychology interns. Interns will be trained in multiculturally informed practices in a setting that is welcoming and affirming of all identities.

CATS staff is composed of mental health professionals from a variety of training backgrounds. We have staff who have received extensive training in a variety of modalities. Some of our current specialties include ACT and Focused ACT, mindfulness and self-compassion based interventions (with 2 staff certified as Mindful Self-Compassion teachers), biofeedback (with 2 staff board certified by BCIA), EMDR, and interpersonal process. We regularly consult with the ISU Health Center staff to ensure coordination of care for our students.

At CATS, interns will have the opportunity to choose an optional specialty track of either group therapy; biofeedback training; mindfulness/self-compassion; supervision; or outreach, community engagement, and prevention.

CATS has a robust group program including multiple interpersonal process groups, DBT, Seeking Safety, ACT for anxiety, parenting support, Mindful Self-Compassion, and mindfulness meditation. We also offer support groups (CATS Connections) for survivors of suicide loss, international students, graduate students, students on the autism spectrum, chronic health conditions, first generation college students, and a ReST Resiliency Training group. Other groups can be developed to meet a current need.

While at Idaho State University, interns will be expected to:

• Manage outpatient psychotherapy and diagnostic assessment caseloads and maintain documentation in a timely manner.
• Follow all ISU, Family Medicine, CATS, ID-PIC consortium, and APPIC policies, and all relevant laws and ethical guidelines.
• Regularly attend, be prepared for, and be receptive to weekly supervision and didactics.
• Maintain regular contact with patients by engaging in routine outreach.
• Act as behavioral consultants to physicians, clinical pharmacists and the HIV clinic.
• Provide crisis intervention, outreach, and consultation as needed.
• Provide proof of liability insurance
• The intern  is required to have a TB skin test as ISUFM,  an integrated primary care center. The intern is required to receive Covid-19 vaccinations (or provide proof) and is also strongly encouraged to receive a flu vaccine during their internship year and ensure all vaccines are up to date. A TB test is also required.
• Pass a background check and an extended background check.

Location

Idaho State University is located within the city of Pocatello. Pocatello is a mid-sized university town of approximately 50,000 people nestled in a valley and surrounded by very accessible mountains. Given Idaho’s rural character, people come from all over the region for health care. There is an abundance of things to do and places to visit within a short distance from both Pocatello. Yellowstone and Teton National Parks, Sun Valley and Grand Targhee ski resorts are all close by as are many recreational areas in Utah. The local Pebble Creek ski area offers intermediate and expert skiing within twenty minutes of downtown Pocatello. Camping, hiking, rock climbing, road and mountain biking, cross-country skiing and river sports are within minutes of Pocatello and offer uncrowded outdoor recreation. The area also offers blue ribbon trout fishing as well as numerous public and private golf courses and frisbee golf parks. The area is home to several rodeos and other cultural events throughout the year. 

Contact Information

ISUFM Site Director & Supervising Psychologist: Verena Roberts, Ph.D., Director of Behavioral Science
Verenaroberts@isu.edu

ISU CATS Site Director & Supervising Psychologist: Matt Ashton, Ph.D., BCB, mattashton@isu.edu

ISU CATS Supervising Psychologist: Liva Rigney, Ph.D., livarigney@isu.edu