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Psychology Students Complete 5-Week Clinical Psychology Field School
Psychology Professor Brian Burke recently took five Fort Lewis students on the Clinical Psychology Field School program, a five-week externship incorporated into a six-credit upper-level psychology elective. From June to July 2015, students worked at the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Fort Logan and Pueblo.
About the Program
The Colorado Mental Health Institutes at Fort Logan and Pueblo are the two state-operated inpatient psychiatric hospitals. Fort Logan is a 94-bed facility that serves patients requiring acute psychiatric stabilization before community placement and clients difficult to place in the community. Pueblo serves adults who are found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity or Incompetent to Proceed (defendants unable to assist in their own defense) and also provides evaluations of competency to stand trial for individuals referred for evaluation by the state’s courts. Both institutes provide quality mental health services utilizing Trauma Informed Care and Recovery principles.
Fort Lewis students received two weeks of training on everything from ethics and safety to mental health laws and seclusion/restraint techniques. Students shadowed CMHI psychologists, social workers, nurses and other professionals, participated in individual and group psychotherapy sessions, and gained hands-on experience in clinical psychology. They also learned from professionals in the field as well as Fort Lewis alumni, who served as guest speakers at the culmination of the program.
Dr. Burke Explains the Program
“In the classroom, we teach students how to view psychology,” says Dr. Burke. “Through this five-week program, we taught students how to do psychology—we teach them how the subject matter that they learn in class translates to the real world. Students say this unique learning experience prepares them for almost any type of client in this field and shows them that rehabilitation is possible, even for the most mentally ill.”