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Match# 192512 (Burrell @ CoxHealth)
Internship positions available: 1
About This Rotation
Burrell Behavioral Health has partnered with CoxHealth in Springfield, Missouri to offer a unique internship experience. CoxHealth is a large, not-for-profit health system with internship positions located in Springfield, Missouri. Internship positions through Burrell @ CoxHealth Dual Track will have a range of opportunities for training including inpatient psychiatric, acute medical and rehabilitation, integrated behavioral healthcare, and psychological evaluations. CoxHealth internship training programs are customizable (as time and coverage allow) based on an intern’s training needs and wants.
Rotation Schedule
In general, interns will work from 8am – 5pm Monday through Friday.
CoxHealth: Dual Track interns will work three days per week at CoxHealth in their various rotations. Two days per week will be spent in a primary rotation at Cox North (inpatient) or Cox South (acute medical) and interns will switch their primary rotation after six months. The third day per week is customizable. The interns’ Main Primary supervisor will come from CoxHealth.
Burrell Behavioral Health: Dual Track interns will work one and one-half days (12 hours) per week at Burrell Behavioral Health to complete outpatient psychological evaluations. The Burrell evaluations supervisor will be the interns’ Second Primary supervisor.
Training Opportunities
CoxHealth:
Interns who desire inpatient psychiatric experiences will have the opportunity to provide individual, group, and family therapies for patients in a trauma informed care setting for those with acute and/or persistent psychiatric illness. Cox North has four inpatient psychiatric units within the same building, providing care across the lifespan. Interns will be included in the multidisciplinary treatment team consisting of psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, recreational therapists, social workers, and technicians.
Interns in the acute medical setting will have opportunities in a wide range of presenting conditions across the lifespan. Interns will receive orders to see patients in the neuro intensive care unit, neonatal intensive care unit, medical/surgical floors, labor & delivery, and emergency department. Evaluations offered by psychology in the hospital setting include suicide risk assessments, cognitive evaluations, and capacity for medical decision-making evaluations. Interns will see patients with medical conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, post-stroke, post TBI, neurological disease, and many other acute and chronic health issues. Therapeutic intervention in the acute medical setting may include offering support for coping and adjustment, pain management, anxiety reduction, relaxation training, brief CBT for depression, and emotional support for family members. Our psychology team often receives orders to see patients who were involved in major medical trauma such as a motor vehicle collision, work-related injury, or other type of trauma. Psychology may assess for symptoms of acute stress disorder among other psychological needs, and assist the patient, family, and medical team with the appropriate resources for the next level of care. Interns will often collaborate with the attending physician, nursing staff, and other disciplines on the patient’s care team.
Interns who seek training in integrated behavioral healthcare will be able to work with patients on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, lifestyle changes, management of chronic disease states, psychosocial risk factors, disease-related distress, and behavioral interventions related to familial or academic difficulties.
Occasionally, opportunities may also be available for interns to engage in tele-behavioral health for our rural, underserved clinics.
Burrell Behavioral Health:
Dual Track interns will work with their assigned supervisor to complete outpatient psychological evaluations. Burrell provides training on a comprehensive battery that may include clinical interview, record review, gathering collateral information, and assessment of intellectual functioning, achievement, personality (objective and projective), symptom validity, and adaptive functioning.
Placement Locations
CoxHealth: All intern clinics are located in Springfield, Missouri. Interns may provide services at both the CoxHealth North and CoxHealth South office locations.
Burrell Behavioral Health: Dual Track interns may be assigned to any of the supervisors in the Southwest Region (e.g., Springfield, Republic, Branson), at the discretion of the Training Director.
Didactics: Virtual Didactics are most Fridays from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Interns may choose to participate from home or use an office at Burrell Behavioral Health Main Campus (1300 E Bradford Pkwy, Springfield). Interns will have quarterly in-person Didactics from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. in either Springfield, Missouri (twice per year) and Jefferson City or Columbia, Missouri (twice per year). Interns will be provided with reimbursement considerations for the trainings in Jefferson City or Columbia due to the distance.
APPIC Training Experiences
Treatment Modalities
Supervised Experiences
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.
Patient Populations
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.
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.
Dr. Bralin Barnes
Bralin Barnes started her education in counseling psychology by obtaining her bachelor’s in psychology at Hope International University in Fullerton, California. She continued the counseling psychology track and earned her master’s and doctorate at Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington. Her graduate clinical experience included working with college students at the local university counseling center, providing group intervention to families with children struggling with emotional/behavioral concerns, and providing psychotherapy to adults with an emphasis on sexual health. While working with patient populations struggling with eating disorders and sexual health concerns, she grew an appreciation for the integration of medicine and psychology. Her dissertation explored ‘orthorexia nervosa’, a proposed pattern of disordered eating, severity of symptom impairment, prevalence rate, and future directions needed. She completed her doctoral internship through NPTC as a Burrell/Cox dual track intern. Her growing interest in integrative care led her to complete a residency at CoxHealth Medical Center where she worked with a diverse range of patients with acute and chronic medical conditions. At present, Dr. Barnes primarily works in the rehabilitation setting at Meyer Orthopedic Rehabilitation Hospital seeing patients in recovery from stroke, neurological conditions, TBI, spinal cord injury, amputation, and other medical conditions. She also sees consults at the main hospital, Cox South, and enjoys spending time with interns for didactics and consultation.
Dr. A.J. Whitmire
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
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.
Life in Springfield, MO
Springfield, known as the Queen City of the Ozarks, is the state’s third largest city. Located in scenic southwest Missouri, Springfield is home to a metro population of more than 450,000, encompassing five counties: Greene, Christian, Webster, Polk, and Dallas.
A “big, small town,” Springfield is a regional hub with large city amenities and small town hospitality. It offers a great blend of fascinating attractions, historical treasures, sports excitement, and cultural and leisure activities in a welcoming environment. Through the Springfield-Greene County Park Board, the city offers 102 parks and Ozarks Greenways, a linear trail system that integrates with the city’s growing on-street bike route system. Springfield also boasts an airport; an art museum; a zoo; a professional tennis team; a minor-league baseball team and is home to Bass Pro Shops and Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife Museum & Aquarium (the largest and most immersive fish and wildlife attraction in the world), Missouri State University, Drury and Evangel universities, Ozarks Technical Community College and two nationally recognized Top 100 Integrated Health Systems.
Springfield Public Schools is Missouri’s largest fully accredited school district. More than 24,000 students attend 36 elementary schools, an intermediate school (grades 5-6), nine middle schools, five high schools, Phelps Center for Gifted Education, and an Early Childhood Center.
Springfield has a diverse culinary scene with casual dining, a thriving craft brewery industry, and upscale bars and restaurants. It offers great shopping with the mall, boutiques, and unique small businesses. The city maintains a talented arts community dating back to the early 1900s, offering a symphony, a community theatre, an art museum, a ballet company, a regional opera, and a public art and sculpture tour.
If you’re considering relocating to Springfield, visit LiveInSpringfieldMo.com. Visiting Springfield for the first time? Take a look at our tourism site, SpringfieldMo.org. (Primary source: https://www.springfieldmo.gov/)