Match #’s

228821 – Generalist (Crawfordsville)

228822 – Child Track

228823 – Generalist Track (Lafayette)

Internship positions: 3
Residency/Job positions available: 3

Our Mission

Valley Oaks Health’s mission is to provide quality behavioral health and addictions care based on the needs of the communities we serve. Valley Oaks Health strives to create an inclusive environment for all who embark on this journey with us. Our number one priority is for everyone to feel emotionally and physically safe to be their true self.

About Our Site

Valley Oaks Health is a community mental health center serving nine mostly rural counties centered around Lafayette, IN. This agency provides services in homes, the community, and across 17 different physical locations. Services include case management and skills training, group homes and supported living, and traditional outpatient offerings such as therapy, medication management, and primary care.

The Lafayette / West Lafayette metropolitan area has a population of 172,000, making it among the most populous in Indiana. Lafayette is one hour from the state capital of Indianapolis and 2-2.5 hours from Chicago. As a community mental health center, Valley Oaks Health serves all parts of the community. In a typical fiscal year, Valley Oaks serves over 8,000 clients through over 20,000 client visits per month across the system. The most common diagnoses treated are mood and anxiety disorders, ADHD, PTSD, substance abuse, and schizophrenia. Valley Oaks employs 7-10 psychologists, most of whom are involved in intern supervision in some capacity.

Although the large majority of the area’s population is white Americans of European heritage, the Lafayette area is the home of Purdue University, a Big Ten university with an international reputation. Purdue’s presence enlivens the community and brings cultural diversity with a cosmopolitan student body and faculty/staff from across the U.S. and over 120 countries. Lafayette also has a diverse economy including farming, manufacturing and R&D: Subaru, Caterpillar, General Electric, Alcoa, Rolls Royce, and Indiana University Health. There is a growing Latinx population across Valley Oaks’ service area as well.

Available Rotations

Interns are matched to one of three available rotations with Valley Oaks Health. Each rotation has their own match number and dedicated experience. Click on the links below to learn more about each of these rotations:

Lafayette, IN

Lafayette, IN

Crawfordsville, IN

Monticello, IN

Delphi, IN

Placement Locations

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Site Training Director

Monique Kulkarni, Ph.D., HSPP

Dr. Kulkarni received her doctorate in Counseling Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin in 2012 after completing her APA-accredited pre-doctoral internship at the University of California, Berkeley. She is Senior Director of Clinical Services at Valley Oaks Health (VOH), and in this role oversees clinical operations in eight of nine counties in VOH’s service area as well as provides clinical oversight to VOH’s intensive child and adolescent services provided across the service area. She has specialized training in early childhood mental health and a wealth of experience when it comes to issues of diversity and inclusion, identity development, and early career transitions. Over the past decade, she has served in numerous leadership roles within the Asian American Psychological Association as well as the Society of Counseling Psychology (Division 17) within the American Psychological Association. She represents Valley Oaks Health on the Public Policy, Child and Adolescent, and Racial Equity and Leadership Committees of the Indiana Council of Community Mental Health Centers. She also co-chairs the North Central Mental Health Legislative Forum Committee and serves on the advisory committee for the state’s Assessment of Federal Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Standards in Indiana’s Community Mental Health Center (CMHC) Workforce and Service Provision.

Annual Pay, Benefits, and Support

Annual Pay for the 2024-2025 Training Year: $36,000

Benefits provided at this site include:

    • 112 hours of PTO (vacation / sick leave)
    • 24 hours of Professional Development
    • Discounted health insurance
    • Vision insurance
    • Dental insurance
    • Short/Long Term Disability
    • Life Insurance
    • Professional liability insurance (for those not already covered)

Valley Oaks Health observes the following 7 holidays:

    • New Year’s Day
    • Memorial Day
    • Independence Day
    • Labor Day
    • Thanksgiving Day
    • Day after Thanksgiving
    • Christmas Day

Interns with Valley Oaks Health are provided with either a laptop computer and are a part of the electronic health record system at the site. Each office location has an office manager and clerical support staff who assist with appointments and secretarial duties. Interns also have access to online scoring and interpretation services for psychological testing. Interns typically have their own office at their primary site, but may use shared space at their secondary rotation.

Please note that available benefits and observed holidays are subject to change. Matched interns will receive full benefit orientations at their site which will go over all benefit information for the training year. More information about the Support and Benefits offered in each of our regions can be found here.

Employment Requirements

Valley Oaks Health does conduct background checks on interns prior to orientation. This site is contracted with DCS of Indiana and DCS requires background checks for all counties and states the intern has lived in for the past 5 years. Please note that having a criminal history does not always have a negative impact on the applicant’s eligibility for an internship. However, if an applicant has a CPS substantiation in any state they have lived in then they are not eligible for internship and that would cause the site to release the intern from a match. A substantiation is when the State’s DCS/CPS feel the person in question has knowingly put a child at risk, such as a DUI with a minor in the car, having altercations in front of child, charges or suspicion of child abuse/neglect, etc. If the applicant feels the substantiation is invalid they can follow up and attempt to clear the substantiation from their record.

DCS also requires a fingerprint and drug screen on each matched intern. A positive drug screen would also cause the site to release the intern from a match.

If the prints come back Conditionally Disqualified, the intern will need to contact DCS and supply them with any additional info or documents they need to make the prints “Qualified” (this info could also prove them to be Disqualified). If the intern does not take care of this, they would also be released from the match. DCS typically allows up to 3 misdemeanors but will disqualify anyone with a felony.

 

As of January 15, 2022 all staff at Valley Oaks will be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. All new hires (including interns) will be required to be fully vaccinated or at least have the first vaccine dose completed prior to their start date unless granted an approved medical or religious accommodation.

Interview Process

Applicants will be screened, interviewed, and selected by the training director and primary supervisors. Interviews will be via zoom. Candidates selected for interviews will have the opportunity to attend a virtual “Meet the Supervisors” event as well as connect with current and/or past interns to help make their ranking decision.

Intern Selection Process

We are looking for candidates from strong clinical or counseling programs and with an interest or experience in community mental health center settings; a long-term career goal of working with underserved or rural populations is a plus. Interns are expected to work with clients from diverse backgrounds and with a wide range of presenting concerns and will graduate with strong generalist training. Supervision follows a supportive, developmental model, and because our system requires a thorough, detail-oriented approach to documentation, self-motivated candidates typically do well in our program. Although assessment is a core competency of the internship program, it should be noted that psychological testing is not a major focus for these internship positions.

Applicants will be screened, interviewed, and selected by the training director and primary supervisors. Interviews will be via zoom. A master’s degree (rather than educational equivalent) is required at this site. Preference will be given to students who envision practicing in Indiana long-term. We hope interns will consider employment with Valley Oaks Health upon graduation.

COVID-19 Response

Valley Oaks follows CDC guidelines for COVID-19 safety protocols. They have continued enhanced cleaning measures at office locations as well as practice masking in common areas regardless of vaccination status. Employees are also encouraged to maintain social distancing whenever possible, and all clients are screened for COVID-19 prior to receiving any in-person services. As of January 15, 2022 all staff at Valley Oaks will be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine unless granted an approved medical or religious accommodation. Valley Oaks also provides daily COVID screenings for any unvaccinated staff. Interns with Valley Oaks are providing both in-person and telehealth services with some telehealth services being provided from home. All safety protocols are reviewed and updated as needed based on test positivity rates increasing or decreasing in the service area and any updated guidance from the CDC and local health departments.