Central Region
Missouri
Great Lakes Region
Indiana
Cascades Region
Washington
Cy-Hawk Region
Iowa
Pacific Region
Washington
Match # 204412
Internship positions available: 3
Residency/Job positions available: 3
Our Mission
Community Health of Central Washington was founded with one bold and clear vision: All people in our region should enjoy access to affordable and appropriate health care. Our mission is to provide quality healthcare through service and education.
About Our Site
Community Health of Central Washington (CHCW) is a Community Health Center (CHC) in Yakima, Washington. Yakima is a metropolitan agricultural community rich in culture and, for a health professional, rich in opportunities to make a difference in people’s lives. CHCW provides quality healthcare through service and education. CHCW has been recognized as a level three Patient-Centered Medical Home that utilizes teams to provide integrated primary care behavioral health and other services for its patients. Primary care (PC) teams include a physician, medical resident or advanced practice clinician, as well as a nurse, medical assistant, behavioral health consultant, and care coordinator. Since 2006, CHCW has implemented the Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) Model in which the behavioral health consultant functions as a core member of the PC team. In 2019 CHCW received the Outstanding Contributions to Primary Care Behavioral Health award from the Collaborative Family Healthcare Association.
Behavioral health interventions look like primary care visits (rather than specialty care visits). Visits are typically 20-30 minutes and the patient may get what they need in that first visit, or they may choose to have additional visits. Behavioral health services are provided in the primary care practice area so that the patient views meeting with the behavioral health consultant as a routine primary care service. The main objectives of behavioral health consultant interventions are to:
- Assist the PC team in the recognition, treatment, and management of mental health and addiction concerns, chronic diseases, psychosocial issues, and health risk behaviors
- Improve patient functioning via evidence-informed strategies
- Generate one or more recommendations for the PC team in working with the patient
- Transfer skills and knowledge about behavior change principles to the patient and the PC team
Additionally, interns will co-facilitate patient groups on topics such as chronic pain, adolescent wellness, and lifestyle changes. Interns will also complete critical analysis and quality improvement projects on relevant clinic topics, allowing for a deeper level of knowledge in areas of need for CHCW. Lastly, interns will progress in their training with other medical professionals and receive exposure to the Behavior Scientist role of family medicine residencies. Monthly didactic training will be held at the HealthPoint administrative office in Renton, Washington and CHCW’s Central Washington Family Medicine clinic in Yakima, Washington. When didactics are in Renton, interns will have to travel between 2-2.5 hours. Community Health of Central Washington is a member of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) loan repayment program.
Training Opportunities
CHCW will ensure an encouraging and supportive learning environment by including training that promotes inter-professional practice in the PCBH model of care; training in clinical environments that are transforming or have transformed to include integrated care with other health professionals; development and implementation of curricula to give interns the skills necessary to build and work in inter-professional teams that include diverse professions outside of medicine, behavioral health, and dentistry; development and implementation of curricula to develop leaders in practice transformation; development of faculty to teach practice transformation; and development and implementation of interprofessional faculty teams. Interns will be mentored, in part, by family medicine residency faculty, which will give them exposure to the behavioral scientist role in family medicine residencies.
The intern schedule will be 40 to 45 hours per week on a Monday through Friday schedule to be arranged between the intern and the clinic of placement. Interns matched at this site may be expected to work late (until 8:00 pm) one shift per week due to the clinic open hours. Interns will have a one-month orientation followed by three 16-week rotations described in more detail in the following sections. In general, interns in all rotations will be provided with the following experiences:
-
- PCBH Service Delivery (7 clinics per week): Interns will provide efficient (i.e., 20-30 minutes) behavioral consultation services to patients in the rotation clinics. Interns will be available for immediate, same day referrals (i.e., warm-handoffs) from primary care providers. They will also consult with the primary care team regarding behavioral health concerns. By the end of the year, interns are expected to function as independent BHCs and see on average 4-5 patients per clinic and 1.5 patients per hour.
- Group (1-2 clinics per month: GRP): Interns will assist in multiple groups offered at our clinics (e.g. chronic pain, teen health, and wellness group). They may also have the opportunity to identify unmet needs within the clinics and implement new group curriculums that address these needs.
- Experiential Learning and Group Supervision (1 clinic per week: EL): One afternoon per week (except the week of consortium didactics) will be used to provide interns with an in-depth, interactive learning experience in which they will practice skills and discuss topics relevant to PCBH and the practice of psychology. When topics are relevant, they will join the medical residents for their didactics during this time. Lastly, this time will also be used for group supervision in the form of case presentations and consultation. This will take place at CWFM.
- Live supervision: At least one clinic per month, interns will be observed during their clinic time by one of the primary supervisors or postdoctoral residents. The purpose of these observations is to provide real-time feedback on the intern development, provide opportunity for supervisor to model skills, and to gather data to be used for the quarterly evaluations. The supervisor will use the observation tools provided in the forms section.
- Projects and Paperwork Time (.5-1.5 clinics per week: PPW): Interns will have protected time each week to complete paperwork and work on projects. Projects include the Critical Analysis (see NPTC manual), the self-directed journal review, and the Quality Improvement project (described below). A minimum of two hours, with most weeks having four to six hours, will be allotted for this. Provided that paperwork is complete and adequate progress is being made on projects, this time may also be used for dissertation work or other scholarly activities of the intern’s choosing.
- Quality Improvement Project: Interns will design and implement a quality improvement project at a CHCW clinic. Quality improvement consists of systematic and continuous actions that lead to measurable improvement in healthcare settings and the health status of targeted patient groups. Interns will have flexibility when choosing from a wide variety of topics/project needs and are encouraged to focus on a quality improvement area that interests them. Interns will meet monthly with the supervisor designated as the project adviser, for assistance in the development and implementation of the project. The project will culminate in a presentation, forum TBA. Projects will not be penalized based on whether or not improvements are made but rather the thought, planning, and critical analysis that is put into the project.
Rotation Schedules
All rotations include 6-7 clinics of PCBH service delivery in which Interns will provide efficient (e.g., 20-30 minutes) behavioral consultation services to patients. Interns will be available for immediate, same day referrals (i.e., warm-handoffs) from primary care providers. They will also consult with the primary care team regarding behavioral health concerns. By the end of the year, interns are expected to function as independent BHCs and see on average 4-5 patients per clinic and 1.5 patients per hour.
- Pediatric Rotation (Locations: CWFM, Yakima Pediatrics)
- Rural Rotation (Locations: CWFM, Naches Medical Clinic)
- Mixed Rotation (Locations: CWFM, Naches Medical Clinic, Yakima Pediatrics)
Example Schedule: Rural Rotation
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
AM
|
CWFM
Clinic |
Naches
Clinic |
CWFM
Clinic |
Supervision, Projects/
Journal Review/ Paperwork |
CWFM
Clinic |
|
PM
|
CWFM
Clinic |
Group/
Paperwork |
Experiential Learning/
Group Sup |
CWFM
Clinic |
Naches
Clinic |
Please note that not every experience is identical and site schedules are a general guideline. Interns may be required to make themselves available at other times as needed. What is provided above is an example of what the work week might look like for an intern at this site.
Example Schedule: Pediatric Rotation
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
AM
|
Yakima Pediatrics
|
Projects/
Journal Review, Paperwork |
Yakima
Pediatrics |
Supervision, Projects/
Journal Review, Paperwork |
CWFM
Clinic |
|
PM
|
Yakima Pediatrics
|
CWFM
Clinic |
Experiential Learning/
Group Sup |
Group/
CWFM Clinic |
Yakima
Pediatrics |
Please note that not every experience is identical and site schedules are a general guideline. Interns may be required to make themselves available at other times as needed. What is provided above is an example of what the work week might look like for an intern at this site.
Example Schedule: Mixed Rotation
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
AM
|
Yakima Pediatrics
|
Yakima Pediatrics
|
Supervision, Projects/
Journal Review/ Paperwork |
Naches Medical Clinic
|
Paperwork
|
|
PM
|
Yakima Pediatrics
|
CWFM
Clinic |
Experiential Learning/
Group Sup |
Naches Medical Clinic
|
CWFM
Clinic |
Please note that not every experience is identical and site schedules are a general guideline. Interns may be required to make themselves available at other times as needed. What is provided above is an example of what the work week might look like for an intern at this site.
Placement Locations
Across the internship year, CHCW interns will work in four medical clinics, including one rural clinic, family medicine clinics, and a pediatric clinic.
-
- Central Washington Family Medicine
- Naches Medical Clinic
- Yakima Pediatrics
See the map below for the location of these offices. Please note that interns will travel to didactic training in Renton, WA (near Seattle) monthly for the majority of the year. Four times a year didactics will be located in Yakima. Due to the distance between Yakima and Renton, interns will be provided with mileage reimbursement for those months they travel to Renton.
| Title | Address | Description | Link |
|---|
APPIC Training Experiences
Treatment Modalities
Example treatment modalities (as listed by APPIC):
| Assessment | Exposure (1% to 20%) |
|
Individual Intervention
|
Major Area (50%+) |
|
Couples Intervention
|
Exposure (1% to 20%) |
|
Family Intervention
|
Experience (21% to 30%) |
|
Group Intervention
|
Experience (21% to 30%) |
|
Community Intervention
|
Experience (21% to 30%) |
|
Consultation/Liaison
|
Major Area (50%+) |
|
Crisis Intervention
|
Experience (21% to 30%) |
|
Brief Intervention
|
Major Area (50%+) |
|
Long-Term Intervention
|
Exposure (1% to 20%) |
|
Cognitive Rehabilitation
|
N/A |
|
Primary Care
|
Major Area (50%+) |
|
Supervision of Prac. Students
|
N/A |
|
Evidence-Based Practice
|
Major Area (50%+) |
|
Evidence-Based Research
|
Exposure (1% to 20%) |
|
Other (Quality Improvement Project)
|
Experience (21% to 30%) |
Supervised Experiences
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, sleep concerns, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, substance use, adjustment disorders, and pediatric behavior concerns/parent training.
Patient Populations
In 2020, 19% of CHCW clients were older adults, 35% were adults, 18% were adolescents, 27% were children, 32% were Latinx, 13% were agricultural workers, 3% were veterans, and 50% were below poverty level. As a CHC, CHCW provides exposure to diverse individuals.
Example patient populations (as listed by APPIC):
PCBH Pediatric Rotation
PCBH Rural Rotation
Our Supervisors
While we won’t know your exact supervisor assignments until the internship starts, these are examples of some of the individuals you may work with over the course of your year at the site.
Site Training Director
David Bauman, Psy.D.
Regional Training Director for NPTC-Cascades
Site Training Director
Dr. Bauman is the PCBH Education Director at Community Health of Central Washington, where he is also a core faculty member of the family medicine residency and practices as a behavioral health consultant at CHCW’s Central Washington Family Medicine clinic. Dr. Bauman is the Regional Training Director for NPTC-Cascades and assists with overseeing the HealthPoint and CHCW doctoral internships. Dr. Bauman is passionate about the Primary Care Behavioral Health model/philosophy, as well as contextual behavioral approaches (e.g., Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and fACT) and the delivery of compassionate, evidence-based medicine.
Associate Program Director
Ruth Olmer, Psy.D.
Associate Program Director
Dr. Ruth Olmer is a Behavioral Health Consultant at CHCW. She earned her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in 2015. She spent her internship at Otis R. Bowen Center, a Community Mental Health Center, and her residency at VA Black Hills Healthcare System, a Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Dr. Olmer’s research interest include Neuropsychological screening within the PCHB model; effect of group treatment access on frequency of primary care utilization; couple and parenting interventions within the PCBH model. Her theoretical orientation is Systemic and Solution-Focused.
Supervisors
Bridget Beachy, Psy.D.
Dr. Beachy, a licensed psychologist, is currently the Director of PCBH at Community Health of Central Washington (CHCW) where she leads a team of 11 Behavioral Health Consultants (BHC). She is also a behavioral health faculty member and BHC at CHCW’s Central Washington Family Medicine Residency. Dr. Beachy completed both her internship and fellowship within the PCBH model of services and regularly presents around the country and globe on PCBH and contextual behavioral approaches to common concerns seen in primary care. She values training future psychologists to work seamlessly and effortlessly within fully integrated primary care teams.
Steven Olmer, Psy.D.
Dr. Steven Olmer is a licensed psychologist and is a 2014 graduate of The School of Professional Psychology at Forest Institute He spent his internship and residency in Community Mental Health Centers, with an emphasis on psychological testing and individual/group/family therapy. His Theoretical Orientation is Family Systems; CBT; Solution Focused, and he has research interest in how medical conditions impact family relationships, and psychological assessments/testing relevant for primary care.
Emily Faust, Ph.D.
Dr. Faust graduated with her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Washington State University in 2020. Dr. Faust is an alumni of CHCW’s predoctoral internship and completed her post-doctoral fellowship in PCBH. She has specific interests in PCBH, anxiety influenced conditions, and women’s health.
Heather Harris, Psy.D.
Dr. Harris is a graduate from George Fox University and has received robust training in integrating Behavioral Health into the primary care setting. She is passionate about all things related to PCBH, as well as women’s health and Medically Assisted Training.
Carrah James, Ph.D.
Dr. James is a graduate of the University of Georgia and has extensive experience in pediatric, neurodevelopmental, and child clinical assessment, as well as intervention, and multidisciplinary/ interprofessional consultation. Dr. James has worked in general clinical, research, and government settings in various capacities serving parents, families, students, educators, adults with developmental disabilities, physicians/ medical providers, and community organizations/stakeholders.
Amelia McClelland, Ph.D.
Dr. McClelland completed her undergraduate training at Gonzaga University in Spokane Washington before spending 2 years teaching outdoor environmental education to 5th and 6th graders. She went on to do her graduate training at the University of Utah School Psychology Program and worked in multiple schools and districts in Utah. She completed both her internship and doctoral fellowship at Community Health of Central Washington. Dr. McClelland is passionate about working with pediatric populations, gender care, school-based health, and social justice.
Life in Yakima, WA
The Yakima Valley is one of the most agriculturally productive regions in the United States. Yakima County leads all other US counties in the production of apples, mint, winter pears, hops, and sweet cherries. Tourism and business expansion are being driven by the exploding wine industry, outdoor recreation, area history, great weather, affordable housing, and our proximity to major metropolitan areas. Aerospace, healthcare, and manufacturing are experiencing significant growth. Visit the Greater Yakima Chamber of Commerce or Yakima County Development Association to learn more.
The Yakima Valley is culturally diverse with some 50% of its people of Latin descent. Much of the Lower Yakima Valley and South Central Washington lie within the 1.4 million-acre Yakima Indian Reservation.
Annual Pay, Benefits, and Support
Annual Pay for the 2025-2026 Training Year: $41,000
Benefits provided at this site include:
-
- 112 hours of PTO (vacation / sick leave)
- 24 hours of Professional Development
- Free health insurance
- Free vision insurance
- Free dental insurance
- Disability insurance
- Access to life insurance
- Professional liability insurance (for those not already covered)
- $3,000 relocation bonus to assist with moving/travel costs
CHCW observes the following 9 holidays:
-
- New Year’s Day
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- President’s Day
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Friday after Thanksgiving
- Christmas Day
CHCW will also provide interns with laptops, access to the University of Washington Health Sciences Library, and access to the University of Washington Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho (WWAMI) Family Medicine Residency Practice and Research Network (WPRN).
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
CHCW does require a background check prior to internship. This background check is the Washington State Patrol background check. If there is a history of criminal activity on the background check the site would then request additional details of the situation from the individual. After receiving those details they would make a determination as to whether they could proceed with employment based on the relevance of the criminal activity to the job, if there is repeated history and what the potential risk is to employ them. In addition they take into consideration the amount of time between the conviction(s) to the present. Past criminal history does not immediately disqualify an individual for employment.
All interns are also required to be drug tested on their first day. The outcome of this test could potentially cause issues with the intern start date and/or match.
All staff (including interns) are required to receive both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine (if applicable) and a 10 day waiting period prior to their first day. Some medical and/or religious exemptions are allowed and are reviewed by either a medical professional panel or an ethics panel for approval.
Intern Selection Process
All intern applicants will be considered for placement, though receipt of a master’s degree is required at this site (rather than education-equivalent). Licensed or license-eligible applicants are preferred. Candidates are expected to have skill sets commensurate with applicants at the pre-internship level. A successful candidate will be one who is interested in working in a challenging and innovative setting of primary care. Applicants that have past experience working in integrated care teams, primary care or other medical centers, and rural and underserved areas are preferred. An intern can be successful at CHCW regardless of theoretical orientation, however experience with 1st or 3rd wave behaviorism and providing brief interventions for a variety of concerns is beneficial. Candidates should also be willing and able to work successfully on an integrated care team, be self-motivated, and have high energy to meet the demands of primary care. They are expected to be dependable, prepared, curious, non-defensive, and open to constructive feedback.
Interviews may be conducted virtually. However, it is preferred that interviews take place face-to-face so that interns and the training site can determine the best fit. Candidates will be invited to interview at CHCW in January. Location of interview will not influence selection of interns. Those candidates not invited to interview will be notified by letter.
Interview Process
CHCW will be offering virtual Interview Days on Tuesday, January 21st; Friday, January 24th; and Monday, January 27th 2025. Virtual interview days will consist of an overview of the program (e.g., Primary Care Behavioral Health philosophy, organization, faculty) and training opportunities, three interviews with relevant CHCW personnel (e.g., BHC current interns, BHC faculty/attendings, family medicine faculty/attendings and residents, etc.), opportunities for video review of site locations and rotations, meeting and Q&A with current BHC interns, meeting and Q&A with CHCW CEO, and a final Q&A with the PCBH Education Director. If possible, ad-hoc on-site open houses will be made available for applicants to attend. Attendance to these open-houses will not impact the ranking of applicants and are provided solely as informational gathering for applicants. More information and videos regarding CHCW PCBH Doctoral Internship can be found at https://www.chcw.org/predoctoral-clinical-psychology-internship-program/.
COVID-19 Response
CHCW is following the guidelines from the CDC, as well as the Washington State Department of Health. All staff (including interns) are required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Patients continue to be screened before entering the clinics through symptom specific questions, as well as temperature checks. Any patient that endorses symptoms or signs that could be related to COVID-19 are transferred to a car visit. If staff has a known exposure or are having COVID type symptoms they are encouraged to contact the Employee Health representative to be screened or tested as warranted. They follow any guidelines set by the state regarding social distancing requirements. All clinical services provided are done onsite and within the health centers within CHCW. All clinical services, including all forms of tele health, are required to be completed at our health centers (i.e., at this time, no CHCW providers [both medical and behavioral] provide clinical services off site).
During this past few years, workflows were adapted and evolved quickly in response to information and research related to safety protocols to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. As more employees and the community are vaccinated, CHCW anticipates current workflows will have fewer changes and stabilize; however, it is difficult to determine and/or predict changes at this time. Policies are revisited regularly and revised in accordance with CHCW Quality Department, as well as the CDC and Washington State Department of Health guidelines.