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.

Example supervised experiences (as listed by APPIC):

Both sites are in Springfield, Missouri and serve individuals with varying socioeconomic status, disability status, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, and medical and mental health diagnoses. 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.

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.

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. Georgina Ashlock

Dr. Georgina Ashlock has been a licensed psychologist in the state of Missouri since 1994. She earned a B.S. in psychology from Southwest Missouri State University (MSU), a M.S. in clinical psychology from Illinois State University, and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from The Ohio University. Dr. Ashlock has spent her career working with underserved populations, primarily in inpatient settings. She retired from the Federal Bureau of Prisons after twenty-one years of service. Dr. Ashlock has provided group and individual psychotherapy at Coxhealth on inpatient units since 2015. She has experience working with a wide range of mental illness with adults utilizing an eclectic approach to psychotherapy, with a special interest in treating trauma. Dr. Ashlock taught undergraduate psychology courses for ten years. She has experience supervising and mentoring students, including post-doctoral residents, pre-doctoral interns, practicum students, nurse practitioners, and medical students.

Dr. Christi Nothnagel

Dr. Christi Nothnagel is Licensed Psychologist in the state of Missouri. She completed her Masters and Doctoral Degree in Clinical Psychology at the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in Springfield, Missouri in 2015. She is an HAPTC alumni, completing her internship at Freeman Hospital/Ozark Center in Joplin, Missouri. She began employment and completed her post-doctoral training with CoxHealth in 2016 and since then, has remained in the CoxHealth Psychological Services department as a full time Licensed Psychologist. Dr. Nothnagel specializes in acute psychiatric inpatient care. She has an eclectic approach to therapy with particular interest in trauma intervention. She enjoys mentoring and supervising students from all different levels of education.

Dr. Katharine Putnam

Dr. Putman has enjoyed training and supervising emerging psychologists for 18 years as a professor for the Graduate Programs at Fuller’s School of Psychology and Azusa Pacific University. Her specialties include child and adolescent psychology, trauma, community psychology and family systems. She additionally offered a small private practice for 15 years where she helped adults to heal from childhood trauma and to change relational patterns. Dr. Putman has also led teams of student to consult and lead workshops with mental health professionals in international settings, including Guatemala, El Salvador, and the Philippines. These teams consulted with aid organizations to support and train mental health practitioners, aid workers, and missionaries. She currently provides psychotherapy at the Outpatient Services Clinic at Cox Health in Springfield.

Interviews will be conducted virtually. Invitations to interview will be sent out via email in late December and interviews will be scheduled for January and February.  Those candidates not invited to interview will be notified by email.

All CoxHealth applicants will be reviewed by the psychological services education and training committee.  We consider each applicant based on the following criteria: therapy experience and hours, assessment experience, essays, letters of recommendation, grades and relevant coursework, and goodness of fit and relevant training and experiences.  Candidates are expected to have skill sets commensurate with applicants at the pre-internship level. Applicants that are licensed in the state of Missouri at the master’s level, have experience in a hospital and/or inpatient setting, or experience in rural and underserved areas are preferred.  Experience with cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, and EMDR is beneficial.

Our most successful interns are often self-directed, flexible, reliable, insightful, open to feedback, and striving to grow personally and professionally.  Candidates should also be willing and able to work successfully on an interdisciplinary team and be interested in the variety of roles within the hospital system that our internship offers.

The majority of services are provided in-person, with occasional telehealth services.  Masks are available on site but are not required unless you are recovering from COVID-19 and are within the ten-day window of infection or if there is an active outbreak within the units on which you are working.  If you test positive for COVID-19, you must isolate for five days following the positive test and then you can return to work while wearing a mask the next five days.  The COVID-19 vaccine is not required at this time, but CoxHealth policies may change in accordance with CDC guidelines when appropriate.