Compass Health: Rolla Autism Center
Intern Positions: 1
About These Rotations
This placement emphasizes a focus on assessment and treatment of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Each location is equipped with the testing and training materials necessary for the intern to complete the requirements of their training year. Psychology interns at Compass Health sites use both hands-on training as well as a full training library of web-based programs for the interns and staff to access as they are able based on their licenses/interests. Interns are provided with their own office space complete with computer and access to the internet and printer.
Training Opportunities
The major rotation for this placement is focused on diagnostic assessment for Autism Spectrum Disorder with clients between the ages of 2-21 years. Within the ASD center, there are also opportunities for group and individual therapies with clients on the Autism Spectrum and ongoing consultation with case managers and other treatment professionals. Minor or supplementary experiences are available in Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), School Based Therapy, and traditional outpatient therapy (family, individual, and group). Interested interns should have a strength in report writing and experience with neurodevelopmental testing. Special consideration will be given to applicants with training in administration of the ADOS-2.
An average of 15 intervention hours per week is expected and a minimum of ten psychological evaluations are completed during the training year. The agency offers a full training library of web-based programs for the interns and staff to access as they are able based on their licenses/interests.
Rotation Schedule
Interns with Compass Health generally work a Monday – Friday schedule from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm each day. No weekend work of after hours on-call is required. Schedule specifics may vary based on training needs and intern preference when possible.
Example Schedule
| Time of Day | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|
8:00 am
|
Assessment Interview
|
Individual Therapy
|
Paperwork
|
Assessment Interview
|
Didactics
|
|
9:00 am
|
Assessment Admin |
Famliy Therapy
|
Report Writing
|
Assessment Admin
|
Didactics
|
|
10:00 am
|
Assessment Admin |
Additional Supervision
|
Individual Therapy
|
Assessment Admin
|
Didactics
|
|
11:00 am
|
Assessment Admin
|
Paperwork
|
Individual Supervision
|
Report Writing
|
Didactics
|
|
12:00 pm
|
Lunch
|
Lunch
|
Lunch
|
Lunch
|
Lunch
|
|
1:00 pm
|
Individual Therapy
|
Professional Dev. Group
|
Assessment Interview
|
Group Supervision
|
Journal Review
|
|
2:00 pm
|
Report Writing
|
Individual Supervision
|
Assessment Admin
|
Journal Review |
Individual Therapy
|
|
3:00 pm
|
Report Writing
|
Family Therapy
|
Assessment Admin
|
Report Writing |
Report Writing
|
|
4:00 pm
|
Group Therapy
|
Individual Therapy
|
Paperwork
|
Paperwork |
Report Writing
|
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.
APPIC Training Experiences
Treatment Modalities
Example treatment modalities (as listed by APPIC):
|
Assessment
|
Major Area (50%+) |
|
Individual Intervention
|
Experience (21% to 30%) |
|
Couples Intervention
|
N/A |
|
Family Intervention
|
Experience (21% to 30%) |
|
Group Intervention
|
Experience (21% to 30%) |
|
Community Intervention
|
Exposure (1% to 20%) |
|
Consultation/Liaison
|
Exposure (1% to 20%) |
|
Crisis Intervention
|
Exposure (1% to 20%) |
|
Brief Intervention
|
Exposure (1% to 20%) |
|
Long-Term Intervention
|
Experience (21% to 30%) |
|
Cognitive Rehabilitation
|
N/A |
|
Primary Care
|
N/A |
|
Supervision of Prac. Students
|
N/A |
|
Evidence-Based Practice
|
Major Area (50%+) |
|
Evidence-Based Research
|
Exposure (1% to 20%) |
Supervised Experiences
| Health Psychology | Exposure (1% to 20%) |
Forensics / Corrections
|
N/A |
| Women’s Health | N/A |
Sexual Offenders
|
N/A |
|
HIV / AIDS
|
N/A | Geropsychology | N/A |
| Eating Disorders | Exposure (1% to 20%) | Pediatrics | N/A |
| Sexual Disorders | N/A | School | Exposure (1% to 20%) |
| Sports Psychology | N/A | Counseling | Emphasis (31% to 49%) |
| Rehabilitation Psychology | N/A |
Vocational / Career Development
|
Exposure (1% to 20%) |
| Physical Disabilities | Exposure (1% to 20%) |
Multicultural Therapy
|
Exposure (1% to 20%) |
| Learning Disabilities | Exposure (1% to 20%) |
Feminist Therapy
|
N/A |
| Developmental Disabilities | Experience (21% to 30%) |
Religion / Spirituality
|
N/A |
| Assessment | Major Area (50%+) |
Empirically-Supported Treatment
|
Major Area (50%+) |
| Neuropsychology – Adult | N/A |
Public Policy / Advocacy
|
Exposure (1% to 20%) |
|
Neuropsychology – Child
|
N/A |
Program Development/Evaluation
|
Exposure (1% to 20%) |
| Serious Mental Illness | Exposure (1% to 20%) | Supervision | N/A |
| Anxiety Disorders | Experience (21% to 30%) | Research | N/A |
| Trauma/PTSD | Major Area (50%+) | Administration | Exposure (1% to 20%) |
|
Sexual Abuse
|
Experience (21% to 30%) |
Integrated Health Care–Primary
|
N/A |
| Substance Use Disorders | N/A |
Integrated Health Care–Specialty
|
N/A |
Patient Populations
Most Compass Health clients are Caucasian, chronically mentally ill, and/or have lower economic resources. Some locations closer to larger cities also serve a diverse range of ethnic groups, with higher levels of education and SES. Compass Health clients often manage barriers such as transportation, cost, and childcare. Typically, our areas served do not have public transportation, and thus the cost of a vehicle and gasoline, as well as car insurance, can cause difficulty. In addition, many of our clients do not have access to affordable childcare, which can also be a barrier to treatment. We serve clients across the lifespan with respect to therapy and assessment. The following table shows a breakdown of some patient demographics in the Rolla office from 2022-2023, though note that this does not include any non-clinic rotations such as school-based therapy:
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.
Sarah Lea, Ph.D.
Director of Outpatient Services; Director of Autism Services
Dr. Lea earned her doctoral degree in Psychology in 2018 at Oklahoma State University. She completed her internship and post-doctoral residency at Compass Health Network in Rolla, MO. She has training and experience in a variety of settings, including community mental health, residential treatment, academic medical centers, schools, college counseling centers, and FQHC. Dr. Lea has specialty training in child psychology and has co-authored 11 peer-reviewed publications focused on cognitive deficits associated with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. In addition, Dr. Lea is a certified PCIT therapist and trainer and has specialty training in psychological assessment across the lifespan. She also has experience and interest in teaching, training, and disseminating academic research to staff and students. Dr. Lea’s theoretical orientation is cognitive-behavioral/behavioral.
Bonny Thacker, Psy.D.
Staff Psychologist
Dr. Bonny Thacker is a licensed psychologist and has been employed at Compass Health Network since 2013. She earned her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in neuropsychology at The School of Professional Psychology at Forest Institute in Springfield, Missouri. She completed her internship and post-doctoral residency at Larned State Hospital in Larned, Kansas. There she gained experiences with a variety of populations including acute inpatient, incarcerated individuals, and individuals civilly committed as sexual predators. Currently, she continues to expand her experiences in the community mental health setting treating individuals with a variety of mental health needs and providing supervision to pre-doctoral interns. She has experience with psychological evaluations but currently focuses on therapy with adolescents and adults. Her focus includes the integration of the treatment team working towards the wellness of the client. She uses a CBT and Humanistic therapeutic approach and has training in ACT and CPT concepts. Additionally, she has interest in neuropsychological areas.
Deborah R. Frost, Ph.D.
Vice President of Regional Corporate Services
Dr. Frost earned her doctoral degree in Psychology at West Virginia University. She completed her internship at Harvard and her post-doctoral residency at Wisconsin School of Medicine. Dr. Frost came to live in Rolla in 2001, and began working as a psychologist until she later took on the role as Director of Clinical Training and Special Projects. She currently serves as the Vice President of Regional Corporate Services. She is uniquely suited to provide supervision in clinical and career path issues. She is a behaviorist, and has training in Medical and Geriatric Psychology, DBT, and PCIT. Dr. Frost has been supervising pre-doctoral interns and post-doctoral residents since 2002.
Rolla
The Rolla Compass Health office is located in Phelps County, a town of 45,000 people. It is home to Missouri University of Science and Technology, as well as a wide range of outdoor activities for residents to enjoy inn their off time. Rolla is located less than 100 miles from St. Louis, Jefferson City, Columbia, and Springfield, which allows easy access to a variety of recreational activities. Interns generally choose to live in apartments nearby the Rolla office, and tend to avoid student housing to reduce noise and traffic.