Education & Training | Psychology Pre-Doctoral | Training Sites | CT Mental Health Center | The Consultation Center

The Consultation Center (APPIC # 118314)

Two predoctoral psychology fellows are selected for a 12-month primary placement at The Consultation Center (TCC). This training option is structured with a secondary placement at either Outpatient Services or the West Haven Mental Health Clinic. No other secondary placement options are available. TCC also serves as a secondary placement option for for primary placement fellows in various clinical settings within the CMHC, including: the West Haven Mental Health Clinic, Outpatient Services, the Hispanic Clinic, and the Forensic Drug Diversion Clinic. Primary placement fellows in the Clinical and Prevention Research Track within the Division of Substance Abuse may also select The Consultation Center as a secondary placement site.

Primary placement at TCC provides professional training through project assignments under the supervision of faculty and staff. The mix of projects is tailored to provide interns with a range of training experiences in prevention, health promotion, organizational consultation and staff development training, community program development and service system development and evaluation, as well as related prevention, evaluation, and services research.

Primary Placement Structure

  • 2 to 4 year-long projects
  • Projects involve either a 6-hour or 12-hour commitment each week in addition to involvement in unit-based seminars and colloquia for about 3-5 hours per week.

Secondary Placement Structure

  • 1 to 2 year-long projects
  • Projects involve either a 6-hour or 12-hour commitment each week in addition to involvement in unit-based seminars and colloquia for about 3-5 hours per week.

About the Internship Setting

  • TCC is a multidisciplinary service, research, and training site that is a cooperative endeavor of the Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, the Connecticut Mental Health Center, and The Consultation Center, Inc.
  • The mission of the Center is to promote the development and mental health of individuals and families; prevent psychological symptomatology, substance abuse, and other problem behaviors; and enhance the effectiveness of behavioral health and other human service organizations and service systems.
  • To accomplish this mission, faculty and staff:
    1. Develop and implement prevention and mental health promotion programs to individuals and families across the life span;
    2. Conduct prevention and community research and evaluations of community programs;
    3. Provide services to promote mental health and adaptation of persons with prolonged psychiatric and/or substance abuse disorders and their families; and
    4. Provide training, consultation, and technical assistance to professionals and organizations to enhance their effectiveness and the quality of service delivery to the community.
  • The Center carries out its mission through six service components:
    • Adolescent Programs;
    • Adult and Elder Programs;
    • Program and Service System Evaluation;
    • Family Violence Programs; and
    • The Program on Male Development.
  • The Center’s research mission is carried out through seven research areas:
    • Stress and Coping Research;
    • Resilience Research;
    • Evaluation Research;
    • Urban Education, Prevention, & Policy Research;
    • Child Development and Epidemiological Research;
    • Family Violence Research; and
    • HIV Prevention and Mental Health Research.
  • The Center also provides leadership for the Division of Prevention & Community Research (DPCR), one of the six research divisions of the Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine. The DPCR is dedicated to conducting theory-based, interdisciplinary prevention research studies in community settings. Research investigations are aimed at: a) identifying risk and protective processes underlying substance use/abuse and psychiatric symptoms or disorders which may serve as the basis for subsequent community-based preventive interventions; b) examining the effectiveness of interventions to promote adaptation and resilience or to prevent substance abuse and psychiatric symptoms; and c) developing models for the dissemination of science-based programs. Investigations are conceptualized within ecological, developmental, and cultural contexts, often involve multiple levels of analysis, ranging from the individual to the family/group to the community, and employ both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Click here for more information about the DPCR.

Internship Overview (Primary or Secondary)

  • Fellows are matched to projects during the first two weeks of the internship based on the fellow’s project preferences and the approval of faculty. The goal of placement is to ensure a broad training experience that supports the needs and interests of the fellow. Examples of project activities include:
    • The provision of clinical and prevention services in an alternative high school setting;
    • Family violence education programs for mandated offenders;
    • Program evaluation of mental health or prevention programs and services;
    • Technical assistance to human service agencies;
    • Consultation and training to schools on a range of topics relevant to prevention and school-based intervention;
    • Research on risk and protective factors for behavioral health disorders and health-related problems;
    • Preventive intervention and preventive systems research, and
    • Consultation to state and municipal agencies on program and policy development.
  • Fellows are required to attend the weekly TCC Predoctoral Psychology Seminar which provides a strong foundation in the theory, methods, and principles of prevention and community-based research and practice. Examples of seminar topics include:
    • Introduction to Prevention & Health Promotion Models;
    • Theory and Practice of Consultation and Training;
    • Program Development;
    • Organizational Development;
    • Ethics;
    • Professional Development; and
    • Human Diversity.
  • Fellows participate in the activities of the Division of Prevention and Community Research:
    • Monthly Divisional Forum in which investigators from Yale University and other universities present aspects of their research and its relevance to prevention science;
    • Annual Visiting Lecture where a noted scholar in the prevention field is invited to present original research and later discusses the presentation with faculty and fellows;
    • Biennial Divisional Conference on a major theme related to prevention research and policy that draws about 300 university and community participants.

Supervision and Evaluation

  • A primary advisor meets regularly with the fellow to ensure that individual training goals are being met, to discuss issues related to professional development, and to serve as a resource when individual needs or questions arise.
  • Project supervisors oversee the training within the context of the assigned projects and also may provide individual, group, or team supervision depending on the nature of the specific project. They also serve as an additional training resource for fellows regarding professional development, professional practice, and scholarly work.
  • Fellows receive ongoing feedback during the internship from their advisor and project supervisors. Quarterly formal evaluations are completed that serve as opportunities to review progress on training goals and address progress toward core competency areas.

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