CoxHealth: The most commonly seen diagnoses/supervised experiences that interns can expect to be working with at this location include, but are not limited to, depression, anxiety, trauma (PTSD), acute distress due to medical issues, chronic disease management, severe mental illness, and major/mild neurocognitive disorder.

Burrell Behavioral Health: Dual Track interns will conduct Outpatient psychological evaluations for clients with Medicaid, self-pay (including sliding scale), and grant-funded payor sources. Primary reasons for referral are diagnostic clarification and treatment planning. Interns may evaluate clients across the lifespan and with a wide range of mental health concerns, though common differential diagnoses are mood disorders, anxiety disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., ADHD and Autism), trauma (PTSD), learning difficulties, interpersonal difficulties or personality disorders, behavioral concerns, substance-use disorders, and schizophrenia spectrum or other psychotic disorders.

CoxHealth: Racially, our patient population tends to primarily be Caucasian, but there is a growing Hispanic/Latino population – particularly in the numerous suburbs of the Springfield metro area. There is a wide socioeconomic range in the area and poverty remains problematic, as evidenced by a large Medicaid/underserved population and high incidence of individuals who qualify for free/reduced lunches in public schools. The number of older adults is growing, as many people find southwest Missouri an ideal retirement spot; however, the presence of several universities and a thriving art scene means there are lots of entertainment and dining options to complement the natural scenery of the Ozarks and nearby Table Rock Lake.

*Percentage data not available at this time for blank rows, however, these are populations served at this location.

Dr. Kylie Pottenger is a licensed psychologist and the education and training director for CoxHealth’s Psychological Services Department. She received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. She then obtained her master’s and doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology from the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in Springfield, Missouri. She completed internship locally at the Greene County Justice Center within the National Psychology Training Consortium. She then completed residency and continued to work as a forensic psychologist at the Greene County Justice Center for several years. Dr. Pottenger was then employed at the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners until 2019, when she began working for CoxHealth. She is an inpatient psychologist, and the primary supervisor for rotations on the inpatient units. She is interested in trauma treatment, SMI, grief, advocating for social justice, and treating underserved and/or marginalized populations. She is passionate about progressing the field of psychology and provides training and supervision to students, interns, and residents at all levels.

Dr. Whitmire’s education covers a broad range of disciplines. He earned a B.S. in Biology from Birmingham-Southern College, a M.Div. in the ministry from Duke University, a M.S. in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and both an M.S. and Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi. Dr. Whitmire’s career spans broad areas as well and includes several years as a cardiovascular perfusionist in open heart surgery, work as a medical librarian at a medical school, several years teaching and supervising doctoral students in clinical psychology at a school of professional psychology, some time as director of a training clinic that was part of a school of professional psychology, a short time in a large group private practice as a licensed psychologist, and many years practicing as an outpatient and inpatient adult psychologist. He has worked for the last 5 years as a psychologist on one of the two adult inpatient psychiatric units at Cox Health. Dr. Whitmire particularly enjoys clinical supervision and has supervised clinical psychology graduate students at all levels from beginning practicum students to psychological residents. In the past, he has functioned as the director of clinical training at another internship site within the NPTC. The challenges and rewards of working with the diversity of chronically mentally ill clients on an inpatient psychiatric unit as part of a treatment team create an ideal learning environment often difficult to find. It is within that environment that Dr. Whitmire finds a home applying the diversity of his education and experience in clinical practice in a local clinical scientist model of care.

Dr. Karla Daniel is a Licensed Psychologist and Health Service Provider in Missouri. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Southwest Missouri State University (MSU). She then obtained Master and Doctorate Degrees in Clinical Psychology from Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in Springfield, Missouri. She has worked in private practice for 15 years providing individual, family, and couples counseling in addition to teaching college psychology courses for 10 years. In her practice, she worked with a wide range of clinical presentations, including mood and anxiety disorders, trauma, relationship distress, bereavement, as well as severe and persistent disorders such as schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Dr. Daniel has also had extensive experience in providing care to hospitalized patients in an acute inpatient psychiatric facility offering individual therapy, group psychotherapy, and psychoeducation groups. She also has experience in working with medically hospitalized patients struggling with psychological distress related to their medical conditions. Among the most rewarding aspects of her career has been supervising students at various levels of education including master’s level psychology practicum students; doctoral-level interns and post-doctorate residents seeking licensure; master’s level professionals seeking licensure; and serving as psychotherapy proctor for Nurse Practitioner Students seeking their Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner degree. In her role at Cox Health, she will work with medically admitted patients, as well as supervise interns and post-doctorate residents who are a part of the National Psychology Training Consortium. She will be a primary supervisor for the acute medical rotation.