Match #260314
Internship positions available: 2
Residency/job positions available: 1
Our Mission
As health care evolves, our core purpose stays the same. Improving the health of the people and communities we serve is our mission today — and always.
Our Vision
Our vision, “best outcome, every patient, every time,” is our approach to providing exceptional care for each person who walks through our doors — no matter if they live in one of our small communities or large metro locations.
Our Values
The acronym FOCUS represents our shared set of beliefs.
Foster Unity.
Own the Moment.
Champion Excellence.
Seize Opportunities.
The “U” stands for UnityPoint Health, a reminder that regardless of what town, hospital, clinic or department someone is at, our team is united — through and through. Our values are more than just words on a wall. You can see and feel them every single day by how our team members show up for each other and the patients we care for.
About Our Site
UnityPoint Health is the nation’s fifth largest non-denominational health system.
At UnityPoint Heath, we believe in a care experience for our communities that’s easier and more personal. One that shows our patients, and their families, just how much they matter to us. We’re dedicated to providing high-quality care that’s safe and accessible by striving for the best outcome for every patient, every time.
Across the three states where we’re located – Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois – more than 32,000 compassionate and knowledgeable team members are working together to provide connected, coordinated and centered care around your specific health needs.
Our commitment to healthcare excellence and innovation is seen not only in how we deliver care, but through how we show up in our Midwest communities through our involvement in academics, government, healthcare technology, insurance access and the many other areas.
Team members strive to work as one team across all geographic locations through our shared FOCUS Values: Foster Unity, Own the Moment, Champion Excellence and Seize Opportunities. The U stands for UnityPoint Health.
At UnityPoint Health, our team of experts is committed to providing comprehensive care every step of the way. We recognize exploring behavioral and mental health care is a big step. That’s why we have programs for all ages, at varying levels of care, including inpatient, outpatient and walk-in clinics.
About This Rotation
Inpatient Services
The Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) Unit within St. Luke’s Hospital is a 24-bed unit and serves the central Iowa area. This unit uses a consultation-based model where patients are seen based on need or if barriers arise that interfere with cares or therapies. As part of this rotation, interns will provide consultation, evaluations, and brief psychotherapy/interventions to patients during their hospitalization. Interns will collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to discuss patient care, recommendations, and barriers to patient care. Interns will also be asked to aid the team in helping patients achieve the best outcomes.
Interns will be encouraged to attend morning report at 7:45am daily to meet with the team and receive patient updates. Patient care typically occurs between 8am-3:30pm.
There are potential opportunities for an inpatient consultation-liaison rotation as well (in development). This would include consultations for patients throughout the hospital with a myriad of health concerns.
Outpatient Services
The intern will participate in an outpatient rotation which will be within the UnityPoint Health St. Luke’s Rehab and Pain Center. Interns will complete outpatient rehabilitation consultations and assessments, including biopsychosocial assessments, resource coordination, spinal cord stimulator evaluations, and other medical assessment. Specific to pain, we offer outpatient pain consultations and assessments. Opportunities for individual psychotherapy for a rehabilitation and/or pain focus may be available as well.
Also, as part of the Rehab and Pain Center are the chronic pain groups. We offer a variety of groups to help address and manage chronic pain including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for chronic pain, Clinical Hypnosis for chronic pain, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for chronic pain. There is also a Monthly Maintenance Group for individuals who have completed at least the first class. There are opportunities to continue to expand on group formats. In addition to the groups, we are also in the process of starting two session “bootcamps” to provide psychoeducation for a variety of psychosocial factors including sleep hygiene, stress management, meditation, nutrition, and sexual health.
Supervision
Interns will receive two hours of in-person supervision weekly. Throughout the training year, the primary supervisor(s) or postdoctoral fellow will directly observe 2 sessions of patient care conducted by the intern. The purpose of these observations is to provide real-time feedback on the intern’s development, provide opportunities to model skills, and to gather data to be used for the quarterly evaluations.
Paperwork and Documentation
Interns will be provided with ample time to complete documentation (at least 30 minutes-1 hour per patient contact). Interns will be encouraged to work on honing their documentation style to be efficient, provide relevant information, and maintain ethical and legal guidelines.
Training Opportunities
Interns will have the opportunity to work in accredited brain injury, stroke rehabilitation, and inpatient rehabilitation programs with individuals presenting with various medical conditions including: spinal cord injury, stroke, traumatic brain injury, limb amputation, traumatic burns, physical deconditioning, cancer debility, neurologic conditions, and other acute and chronic health conditions.
The Psychology Internship Program is led by a dynamic and collegial multidisciplinary team that includes five physiatrists, two neuropsychologists, and two licensed psychologists with an emphasis in pain, rehabilitation, and health. Interns will also collaborate with physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech/language pathologists, registered dietitians, spiritual services, pharmacists, nurses, social workers, care coordinators, and many other health disciplines.
Interns will have a myriad of training experiences in health/rehabilitation psychology, inpatient rehabilitation consultation, outpatient rehabilitation consultation, outpatient medical assessments, and the growing outpatient Rehab and Pain Center (including consultation and group formats).
The internship will adhere to a practitioner-scholar model and provide weekly supervision and didactic and experiential training opportunities in clinical psychology with an emphasis in rehabilitation, pain, and health.
The internship program is committed to training practitioners whose interventions are grounded in research evidence and science. The internship will focus on assessment (biopsychosocial and spinal-cord stimulator), treatment interventions, and multidisciplinary team consultation within inpatient and outpatient settings.
Interns will be trained to use a number of treatment modalities including cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for chronic pain; self-regulation techniques (e.g. clinical hypnosis, mindfulness meditation); virtual reality for pain management; motivational interviewing approaches; behavioral management strategies; and educational interventions for patients with various medical concerns. Training will focus on ethical, cultural, and diversity issues in relation to assessment, intervention, and treatment planning.
Interns will also have the opportunity to participate on hospital-wide committees, such as the pain or ethics committee. While research participation is not a requirement of the program, opportunities are potentially available for interested interns. Interns will have opportunities to provide workshops and training to staff. Support will be provided to attend the spring and fall conferences of the Iowa Psychological Association.
Rotation Schedule
Interns will be provided with flexibility in terms of rotation schedules. All rotations will take place at UnityPoint Health-Cedar Rapids located at 1026 A Ave. NE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402.
Hours will be maintained within 40 hours per week.
APPIC Training Experiences
Treatment Modalities
Supervised Experiences
Medical Diagnoses: Traumatic and non-traumatic spinal cord injury; traumatic and non-traumatic brain injury; stroke; multiple trauma; neurologic conditions; cancer; debility/medically complex; pulmonary; amputations; orthopedic injuries; burns; chronic pain; other chronic health conditions.
Psychosocial Diagnoses: Adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood; major depressive disorder; generalized anxiety disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder; acute stress disorder.
Demographics: 17-90 age group; medical patients are diverse in regards to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability status, and gender.
Patient Population
Site Training Director
Benjamin A. Tallman, Ph.D.
Benjamin A. Tallman, PhD received his bachelor’s in psychology and sociology from Coe College and his doctorate in counseling psychology from the University of Iowa. He completed an internship in clinical psychology and a post-doctoral fellowship in medical rehabilitation psychology at the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital in Chicago. Dr. Tallman is a licensed psychologist and the Psychology Program training director in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s Hospital.
Dr. Tallman’s clinical interests include working with individuals adjusting to traumatic medical conditions (e.g., traumatic brain injury, stroke, and spinal cord injury) and providing treatment recommendations and training to medical staff. He has a particular interest in treating individuals with acute and chronic pain concerns using a cognitive-behavioral and biopsychosocial framework, clinical hypnosis, and mindfulness meditation. He helped develop and co-leads the Pain Psychology Program at St. Luke’s.
Dr. Tallman has an active research program that focuses on enhancing patients’ ability to use self-regulation techniques in medical settings. He is also interested in examining systematic barriers and personal factors that impact allied health professionals’ ability to assess, treat and manage pain concerns. Dr. Tallman serves on the executive council of the Iowa Psychological Association and he co-chairs the St. Luke’s Pain Committee.
Supervisors
Courtney Brennaman, Ph.D.
Courtney Brennaman completed her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Georgia and directly entered a masters program in Atlanta, GA studying rehabilitation counseling. She completed her Master’s of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling in 2015 as well as a practicum/internship experience at a local psychiatric facility. She also obtained her national certification as a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC). She worked for two years in an outpatient substance abuse clinic prior to starting her doctoral degree, where she obtained her CADC in the state of Iowa (Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor). She completed a variety of practicum and supervision experiences during her program including, university counseling center, spine center, athletics and supervising undergraduates, 1st years, and administering assessments. She completed an APA-accredited internship at Nebraska Medicine through the Nebraska Internship Consortium in Professional Psychology and defended her dissertation focusing on the impacts of stress and physical activity on pain. She entered a postdoctoral fellowship in health and rehabilitation psychology at St. Luke’s Hospital-UnityPoint Health in Cedar Rapids and will complete in September 2023. She would take a strengths-based approach to supervision while also creating space for feedback, growth, and professional development. She believes supervision should be intentional but also meet the supervisee where they are at and allow for flexibility. There are certain skills, competencies, and practices a supervisee would need to meet by the time they complete internship but this is also a time for professional and personal growth.
Annual Pay, Benefits, and Support
Annual Pay: $40,000
Benefits provided at this site:
- Health Insurance
- 401K (after 6 months) with 4% match
- CME reimbursement
- Paid Time Off
- Mileage and expense reimbursement
Holidays Observed:
- New Years Day
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving
- Friday after Thanksgiving
- Christmas Day
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.