Traditional Track interns will provide outpatient therapy, psychological evaluations, and intake assessments for clients with Medicaid, self-pay (including sliding scale), and grant-funded payor sources. Primary reasons for psychological evaluation referrals are diagnostic clarification and treatment planning. Interns may treat and 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. Interns will provide services to clients across the lifespan. We understand not all intern applicants will have had exposure to working across the lifespan in all service lines (e.g., individual therapy, group therapy, psychological evaluations, intakes) and we will provide the necessary training and supervision to help everyone reach competence in their assigned service lines by the end of internship.

Example supervised experiences (as listed by APPIC):

Springfield is the third largest city in Missouri. Although our population is fairly racially and ethnically homogenous, we continue to create a Burrell culture firmly rooted in safety, trust, connection, valuing others, accessibility, excellence, integrity, compassion and inclusion of all. These efforts are echoed on our community through a variety of social groups, supportive organizations, festivals, and investment in arts and education. This location offers training experiences for clients in very rural populations with limited access to resources, as well as those who live and work in town. Training on rural culture and Ozarks culture is an important component of intern education and providing excellent client care. Additionally, this region continues to be relatively heavily impacted by poverty, as evidenced by the high Medicaid population and the high free/reduced lunch proportions in public schools.

Debbie Walker, Psy.D.

Debbie Walker received a Psy.D. from Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in 1998 and is a Licensed Psychologist in Missouri. Areas of interest include LGBTQIA+, neuro-atypical children and adults, emerging adults, college athletes, couples, formerly incarcerated and chronic and persistent mental illness. Dr. Walker’s experience has been in a private practice setting, community mental health setting and a university counseling center setting.

Molly Six, Ph.D.

Dr. Molly Six earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Central Michigan University. She earned her master’s and doctorate degrees in counseling psychology from Western Michigan University. Dr. Six completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Ball State University Counseling Center. Dr. Six has been fully licensed as a psychologist in Missouri since 2018. Dr. Six’s clinical and research interests include: eating disorders, the psychological impact of racism, racial identity development, LGBTQ concerns, women’s issues, trauma, interpersonal attachment, and interpersonal therapy. Dr. Six currently provides outpatient therapy services to adolescents and adults (ages 12+). Dr. Six provides clinical supervision to both pre-doctoral interns, and provisionally licensed psychologists.

Thomas Fulks, Psy.D.

Dr. Fulks is a psychologist with a wide range of experiences including correctional and forensic populations, community programs, and with community behavioral health. He has been a frontline psychologist working directly with patients as well as in leadership roles managing and serving hundreds of providers. Dr. Fulks’ passion lies in helping budding clinicians develop a professional identity that serves the needs of their populations and fosters healthy growth and balance for longevity in the field.

Savannah Brown, Ph.D.

Dr. Brown obtained her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from The University of Southern Mississippi in 2022, where her dissertation focused on the role of social-evolutionary motives (i.e., mate-seeking, status acquisition) and personality in predicting aggression. She completed her doctoral internship at the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners, then served as a postdoctoral fellow in forensic psychology at Netcare Forensic Center, where she received specialized training in conducting criminal forensic evaluations, including evaluations of competency to stand trial, criminal responsibility, and determinations of least restrictive placements. At Burrell, Dr. Brown conducts diagnostic and forensic evaluations, primarily with adults.

Angelique Butler, Psy.D.

Dr. Butler obtained her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Missouri. She earned her doctoral degree in clinical psychology at Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in Springfield, Missouri and a postdoctoral master’s degree in clinical psychopharmacology from Alliant International University in San Diego, California. She completed her internship at the Division of Youth Affairs in West Palm Beach, Florida and her postdoctoral residency at the Pomme de Terre Wellness Clinic in Bolivar, Missouri. Dr. Butler’s current clinical interests include telehealth services, psychological evaluations, and supervision. She currently provides psychological evaluation services to ages 6+, leads the 55+ (geropsychology) service line, and is an administrative supervisor for a team of outpatient clinicians.

Justin Jones, Psy.D.

Dr. Justin Jones’ interest in the field of psychology began at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas where he earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2010. He earned a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in Springfield, Missouri in 2014, and his doctorate degree in clinical psychology with a specialty in child and adolescent psychology from William James College in Newton, Massachusetts in 2017. He completed a pre-doctoral internship through the National Psychology Training Consortium at Family Psychological Center in Harrison, Arkansas in 2017 with an emphasis on psychological assessment in school and outpatient settings in rural Arkansas. He completed his post-doctoral residency at Midwest Assessment and Psychotherapy Solutions (MAPS) and Burrell Behavioral Health in 2018, providing psychological and autism evaluations, individual therapy, and family therapy services. Dr. Jones has provided services through Burrell Behavioral Health since 2017 and works out of the Branson Meadows clinic. His current services include individual therapy (ages 3-99+), play therapy with Head Start preschools, family therapy services, psychological and autism evaluation services to ages 3+, and supervision. His clinical interest areas are neurodevelopmental disorders, disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders, and trauma- and stressor-related disorders.

Crystal Beckham, Psy.D.

Dr. Crystal Beckham is a Licensed Psychologist. She earned her degree in Clinical Psychology from Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in 2006. She completed her APA approved doctoral internship at a forensic hospital and correctional facility as part of the Northeastern Oklahoma Psychology Internship Program. Her post-doctoral residency was with Southeast Missouri Mental Health Center in Farmington, MO, on a long-term care/forensic unit. She spent over a decade working in forensics and corrections before developing specific interest in pain psychology. Her training includes designation as a Stanford University Empowered Relief certified instructor, as well as treating chronic pain through cognitive-behavioral and acceptance and commitment techniques. Dr. Beckham currently conducts adult presurgical evaluations and is the team lead for the chronic pain service line she assisted in developing. Her primary role is Vice President of Outpatient Services in the Southwest Region at Burrell Behavioral Health.

Jean Devenny, Psy.D.

Jean Devenny received her Bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse. She completed her Doctorate of Psychology degree at Antioch university in Keene, New Hampshire. She completed her APA-accredited internship at Community Healthlink, a community mental health center in Worcester, Massachusetts. Following her internship, she was selected to participate in the Eleanor Rosenblum Fellowship in Public Policy and Advocacy through the Massachusetts Psychological Association. She completed her postdoc with Burrell Behavioral Health in 2020 and has been licensed as a psychologist since that time. She has provided administrative supervision to a team of therapists with varying licenses for over three years. She has conducted therapy and psychological evaluations for individuals from diverse backgrounds and across the lifespan.

Michael Leftwich, Ph.D.

I obtained my PhD in Clinical Psychology (Health Psychology sub-specialty) from Oklahoma State University in 1999, and completed 3 additional years of fellowship training in Chemical Dependency/Clinical Psychopharmacology at the Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center. I received specialized training in CBT (including ACT), MI, and Marriage/Family Therapy (including SFBT and Strategic approaches). I have worked as a Licensed Psychologist for close to 25 years total (the past 16 in Missouri), in a variety of settings/roles and with a diverse mix of clients and presenting conditions. I have taught and supervised students at all levels of development (including post-docs.). I take pride in the fact that the majority of my career has focused on trying to meet the needs (directly or indirectly) of underserved populations. This includes serving 8 years in the Missouri Army National Guard as a Behavioral Sciences Officer (0-4, Major) helping soldiers identify behavioral health issues and treatment options to support overall mission/troop readiness. I am currently a Clinical Provider Supervisor at Burrell in the Connections Center, serving as the lead for the SFBT service line.

Chelsie Black, Psy.D.

Dr. Chelsie Black, PsyD earned her doctorate degree in clinical psychology from The Wright Institute in California in 2016 and her master’s degree in clinical psychology from Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in Missouri in 2013. She completed her pre-doctoral internship through Frontier Health in Tennessee/Virginia in 2016 working with young children and adolescents providing individual and family therapy as well as psychological evaluations in a rural community. She completed her post-doctoral residency at Burrell Behavioral Health in 2018, providing autism evaluations, individual therapy, and working alongside with other providers in the Children’s Day Treatment program. She continues to provide services through Burrell Behavioral Health in the Burrell Autism Center. Dr. Black has an interest in working with toddlers and young children providing comprehensive autism evaluations on a multidisciplinary diagnostics team and helping families connect with services that will meet the child and family’s needs. Dr. Black primarily provides developmental assessment services to children ages 18 months to 9 years of age. In addition, Dr. Black provides family centered therapy for toddlers and young children ages 1-4 with a diagnosis of Autism and their parents. This consists of parent coaching sessions targeting social communication delays, emotional regulation, adaptive functioning, and behavioral problems.

Seth Allen, Ed.D.

Seth Allen is a Psychologist and Director of the Autism Center at Burrell Behavioral Health. He received his doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Boston University in 2007, and has been working as a psychologist in Missouri since 2007. Seth has worked with a variety of populations and ages in multiple settings, including at various outpatient community counseling locations at Burrell, and the inpatient psychiatric and medical hospital at Mercy. Over the years, he has provided outpatient counseling services to individuals with a wide range of diagnoses and conditions, including those with psychiatric, developmental, and substance abuse diagnoses. Also, Seth has extensive experience providing comprehensive psychological evaluations, with a sub-specialty in Autism Evaluations for youth through adulthood. He became the Director of the Burrell Autism Center in April of 2019, where he helps operate a diagnosis team as well as groups of treatment providers, which include Applied Behavior Analysis, Occupational Therapists, and Speech-Language Pathologists.

All Burrell Behavioral Health interns will no longer be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine or an approved exemption prior to their start date.

Burrell Behavioral Health does conduct background checks on interns prior to orientation. The following document provides the full, detailed hiring policies and potential disqualification for internship: Background Screening for Employees and Volunteers

Note these key factors that could cause the site to release an intern from match:

• Found to be convicted of, guilty of, pleaded guilty to or nolo contendere to any of the following crimes:
  • Physical abuse of Class I Neglect of a patient, resident, or client
    • Furnishing unfit food to patients, residents, or clients
    • Vulnerable person abuse in the first, second, or third degree
    • Is listed on the DMH disqualification registry
    • Is listed on the employee disqualification list of the Department of Health and Senior Services or Department of Social Services
    • Failure of a specified professional to report suspected abuse or neglect of a patient
• Found to be convicted of, guilty of, pleaded guilty to or nolo contendere to any of the listed felonies in the following website: Disqualifying Crimes
• Found guilty or pleaded guilty to a violation of Driving While Intoxicated or Driving with Excessive Blood Alcohol Content and who is found by the court to be an aggravated (3 or more) or chronic (4 or more) violator.
• Found to be guilty of any equivalent felony offense.

Burrell Drug-Free Workplace and Testing Policy:

It is the policy of Burrell Behavioral Health, Inc. (BBH) to operate a drug and alcohol-free workplace. BBH is committed to providing a safe, quality-oriented, and productive work environment consistent with the standards of the communities in which the organization operates. BBH recognizes that both alcohol and drug abuse poses a threat to the health and safety of associates, contracted providers, patients, and clients and to the security of BBH equipment and facilities. For these reasons, BBH is committed to operating a drug and alcohol-free workplace.

This policy prohibits BBH associates and contracted providers from being under the influence of illegal or intoxicating drugs or alcohol while working, while operating any BBH vehicles, while present on BBH premises, conducting BBH-related work offsite or in a personal vehicle, or representing BBH at any function as a volunteer or sponsor.

BBH does not currently require pre-employment drug screening. However, partner healthcare agencies for Dual Track and Integrated Healthcare interns may require pre-employment drug screening, in addition to other medical tests (e.g., TB tests) and/or immunizations (e.g., COVID-19, influenza). 

Any questions about this information or the full policy can be directed to the Burrell Training Director, Dr. Brittany Pratt brittany.pratt@burrellcenter.com.

Burrell Behavioral Health reviews applications carefully with a team of administrators and clinicians to decide which applicants to interview. During AAPI reviews, we carefully consider the following factors when determining perceived goodness-of-fit:

• Clinical Hours – We will be looking at your total hours, any anticipated hours, client demographics, and practicum settings in order to determine readiness for working in outpatient community mental health for Traditional Track and multiple medical settings for Dual Track. We are looking for depth and breadth of experience, and we are also open to those who are hoping to try new things.
• Psychological Assessment Reports – Strong Traditional Track and Dual Track candidates tend to have experience with intelligence, academic, objective personality, and projective personality measures. Exceptional candidates have completed integrated reports for both youth and adults. That being said, we understand how the pandemic has affected applicants’ client contact hours, particularly in assessment practicum experiences. We are willing to work with incoming interns to get them caught up and proficient on comprehensive testing batteries and integrated reports by the end of their training year.
• Experience Match and Career Fit – We evaluate whether an applicant’s goals for internship align with our training goals and the experiences we offer, as well as the likelihood of staying with one of our agencies after internship.

Our most successful interns tend to be hungry to learn, self-directed, assertive, insightful, intentional about self-care, and “know what it’s like to be on the other side of them.” Interns who have struggled here tend to have trouble with time management, communication, self-evaluation, interpersonal/team skills, and/or not having good support or self-care to sustain them throughout internship. Applicants at this site are not required to have received a master’s degree in order to be eligible to be considered.

Burrell Behavioral Health is currently planning for a series of virtual interviews in December and January. Prospective interns are usually scheduled to meet with a pair of interviewers and we have a mixture of clinicians and administrators on the interview teams. In addition, we plan to host virtual Meet the Supervisors and Meet the Interns events in mid-January, as well as one final Q&A with program leadership in late-January. 

We truly consider our process to be a mutual interview where all parties are gathering information and determining goodness of fit. Applicants should be prepared to discuss their hours and experiences, goals for internship, and professional aspirations. We tend to ask questions that demonstrate an applicant’s insight into their needs and growth edges, how they function on a team, how they adapt to change, and how they take care of themselves during tough times. We would like to learn about why an applicant is passionate about the field of psychology and why our program excites them. We see our current interns and postdocs as future colleagues within our system and we aim to find applicants who feel they have the potential to develop a career with us.

Applicants should avoid canned responses that are not specific to the site. Most of the interviewers have been through this process – we remember how hard it is to keep all of the sites straight! It is okay to ask for reminders about our program and to take time to consider your answers. Applicants should also avoid responses that are not genuine to them as a person. We want to get to know the applicants as they are, not how they imagine we want them to be.

We would like to offer a gentle reminder that it is okay to be a real human who is nervous. Take a deep breath, remember we chose our interviewees on purpose and for a reason, and tell the voice of Imposter Syndrome, “Not today!” We suggest this resource to aid in your preparation: https://youtu.be/-XqCepCEgwg?si=9sYskFvvWHIN13ce

Previous stand-out applicants have been relaxed, engaged, and authentic. They have quickly built rapport, told memorable stories, or asked thoughtful questions. In a video interview it is important to have privacy, good lighting, a background that is not overly distracting, and a stable internet connection.

Applicants may request an on-site tour in addition to their virtual interview. These applicants will not be afforded special consideration in comparison to those who are unable to travel.

Nothing is more important to us than the safety and health of the Burrell Team, and we are considering all aspects when making decisions in the best interest of our employees and our clients. Our goal is to protect our own health and safety and continue serving our communities, at a time when our services are needed more than ever.

Interns
Our interns are considered essential healthcare workers. They provide in-person and telehealth services throughout our various service lines. They have access to PPE and cleaning supplies as needed to maintain a working environment that is as safe as possible.

Vaccinations
Burrell Behavioral Health employees (including interns) are no longer required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Dual Track and IHC Track interns will need to comply with any and all requirements of our partner healthcare organizations. 

Masking
Burrell Behavioral Health does not currently require masks for employees or clients. Employees may be asked to wear a mask due to COVID-19 exposure or recent illness in alignment with current CDC guidelines. Similar policies are in place with our partner healthcare organizations. 

Questions
Any questions about our vaccination requirement or safety precautions may contact COVID@burrellcenter.com for more information.