GOUVERNEUR
EXTERNSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM
IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
TRAINING BROCHURE
ACADEMIC YEAR 2016-2017
MEMBER, NEW YORK CITY HEALTH + HOSPITALS
GOVERNEUR
EXTERNSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
Gouverneur’s Diagnostic and Treatment Center, in professional affiliation with the New York
University School of Medicine (NYUSOM) and Bellevue Hospital Center (BHC), provides a
major portion of the outpatient mental health services for the lower Manhattan area of New York
City. The lower Manhattan area is characterized by a broad diversity of ethnic, linguistic and
racial groups. It includes large numbers of non-English speaking immigrants of Hispanic,
Chinese, Italian, and Jewish backgrounds. The broad diversity of our patient population
challenges our Department of Behavioral Health to provide much needed mental health services
in a culturally relevant and sensitive fashion. The stresses of acculturation, poverty, and
discrimination place our patient population at high risk for physical illness and psychological
disturbance. Further, the lower Manhattan area has been officially designated as a poverty area
by the Office of Economic Opportunity and has the second highest incidence of state
hospitalizations in New York City. Despite the influx of new immigrant groups and a trend
toward gentrification, there is a sense of stability to the area, which attracts a family-oriented
population that uses the services at Gouverneur for many healthcare needs.
The Department of Behavioral Health significantly expanded its clinical programs beginning in
the early 1980’s to meet the needs of specific patient populations, such as young adults with
chronic mental illnesses, psychologically impaired homeless individuals, and the isolated
impaired elderly. Additionally, the Department of Behavioral Health has implemented a unique
program geared to meeting the mental health needs of the Chinese immigrant community. This
program, the Asian Bicultural Clinic (ABC), brings together several clinical components to
provide culturally sensitive and competent care through multidisciplinary bilingual and bicultural
staff.
In addition to implementing innovative clinical services, the psychology staff is encouraged to
pursue their own training as mental health professionals and to participate actively in the clinical
training of all disciplines. Ongoing training is offered to psychology externs and social work
interns both through didactic seminars on a range of clinical topics and monthly grand rounds,
during which both in-house staff and experts in clinical areas from the general professional
community are invited to present on various relevant clinical topics.
The psychology service functions within the Department of Behavioral Health at Gouverneur.
The staff, at present, is comprised of 5 full-time and 2 part-time psychologists. Specialties of the
staff include psychodynamic psychotherapy, Dialectical Behavioral therapy, stress and pain
management, hypnosis, cognitive-behavioral therapy, child and adolescent psychotherapy,
family therapy, group therapy, integrative psychotherapy, crisis intervention, treatment of
trauma, psychological, psychoeducational, and neuropsychological testing and assessment, and
dementia screenings.
Psychologists are assigned to many of the units within the department, including the Adult
Service, Walk-In Clinic, Child and Adolescent Service (C&A), Women’s Comprehensive Health
Program (WP), Center for Older Adults and their Families (CFOA), Asian Bicultural Clinic
(ABC), and World Trade Center Mental Health Clinic (WTC). Staff members perform a variety
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of functions, including intake assessment of new patients, crisis intervention, individual and
group psychotherapy, psychological testing, neuropsychological assessment, teaching seminars,
and providing supervision and consultation. A primary component of the psychology service is
the externship training program in clinical psychology for doctoral level candidates.
EXTERNSHIP MISSION STATEMENT
The Gouverneur externship training program in clinical psychology offers psychology externs an
intensive and wide-ranging clinical and educational experience firmly rooted in multicultural
values and community service. The primary emphasis of the academic yearlong externship
program is the continued professional development of the psychology extern and solid
preparation for future intensive training, i.e. pre-doctoral internship, and eventual transition from
advanced-level student to beginning professional.
TRAINING PROGRAM AND TRAINING GOALS
Under close supervision and support, psychology externs gain clinical experience with a variety
of psychotherapy modalities (individual, group, family, and couples) as well as psychological
and neuropsychological assessments, while serving a population that encompasses a broad
variety of ages, cultures, illnesses, and levels of functioning. It is important to note that the
externship training staff encourages externs to communicate and pursue their clinical interests as
available in the department.
Further, a key educational component of the training program is working as part of a
multidisciplinary team. This approach is vital not only to the comprehensive care of patients, but
also to the education of the trainee. By the end of the training year, externs may expect to have
developed skills, knowledge and flexibility to confront – proficiently, ethically, and creatively –
the challenges of working in an urban outpatient community mental health clinic and treating
patients who present with emotional concerns that are multi-determined and compounded by
various medical, cognitive, socioeconomic, and familial struggles.
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
The externship program comprises of seven positions in 6 tracks: Asian Bicultural Clinic (ABC)
Trauma Track, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Track, Health Psychology Track (2 positions),
Family/Couples Therapy Track, Severe Mental Illness Track, and Trauma Track. The tracks
reflect specific treatment modalities and/or the population the extern will be working with. The
tracks do not exclude opportunities to work with patients with other psychopathology, age
groups, and other diversities. For instance, externs in the DBT track will co-lead a weekly DBT
skills-training group with a psychologist and participate in a weekly DBT consultation team
meeting but will also be assigned patients from a wide array of backgrounds and
psychopathology from the general clinic. Detailed description of the tracks follows:

Asian Bicultural Clinic trauma track:
The extern in this track will be assigned monolingual Chinese-speaking patients whose
diagnoses range from mood disorders to schizophrenia and other psychotic spectrum
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diagnoses. Working with Dr. Chen, the extern can expect to learn about immigration
trauma experienced by many undocumented Chinese patients, the impact of such trauma
on the development of psychiatric illnesses, the influence of attitudes about mental health
treatment in the Chinese community, strategies to overcome treatment obstacles in the
cultural context, strategies to build insight and increase treatment adherence, and
rehabilitation of patients into the community. In addition, the extern will be assigned
individual patients from the general adult clinic with histories of trauma and will have an
opportunity to co-lead a trauma recovery group using modalities of mindfulness and chair
yoga. Externs with Chinese language proficiency will be given priority.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy track:
Externs in the DBT track will co-lead a DBT skills group and attend a consultation team
meeting on a weekly basis. Externs participate in this meeting by taking a turn along with
other members in leading mindfulness, observing group process, taking notes, and
teaching the group. The extern will also be assigned patients in the general adult clinic,
and supervision will focus on integrating DBT techniques with other theoretical
orientations and approaches. The extern may be assigned a DBT patient for individual
therapy. The DBT extern may also have the opportunity to work with a child or
adolescent patient depending on interest and availability of cases. Additionally, externs in
other tracks may have the opportunity to co-lead a DBT skills group and/or participate in
a DBT consultation team for trainees.

Health psychology track:
The focus in this track is on integrating traditional psychodynamic, cognitive, and
behavioral therapy techniques with relaxation techniques such as breathing, progressive
muscle relaxation, imagery, and meditation. These approaches are used in various
combinations to address psychiatric and medical issues in accordance with specific
patient needs. Examples include patients with panic attacks, PTSD, depression, and a
variety of medical disorders including, chronic pain, lupus, diabetes, hypertension, and
asthma. In addition to individual patients, the extern in this track will also co-lead 2
groups with Dr. Barron. The groups involve stress and pain management and integrate
psychotherapy, yoga, and meditation. Externs with training in yoga will be given
preference.

Family therapy track:
The extern in this track will participate in a family and couples therapy seminar with
Jennifer Press, LCSW, the family therapy coordinator. The extern in this track will meet
1 1/2 hours a week for group supervision with other trainees and participate as part of a
treatment team. The seminar includes a review of theory, working with families in front
of a one-way mirror with live supervision, review of cases, review of video recordings,
and team consultation. Externs in this track typically take on 2-3 family or couples cases
as well as 3 or more individual psychotherapy cases, to be supervised by a psychologist.

Severe Mental Illness track:
In this track, the extern can expect to work with patients with personality disorders and
severe mental illnesses. Working with Dr. Collins, externs will develop their
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understanding of psychotherapeutic strategies drawn from DBT, schema therapy and
experiential approaches. Externs may also expect to learn about resources and strategies
of working patients with severe mental illnesses, such as working with clubhouse
programs, vocational rehabilitation, case management, supportive housing, and other
services. The extern in this track has the opportunity to co-lead a weekly supportive
psychotherapy group for male patients diagnosed with a psychotic spectrum illness.

Trauma track:
Within this track, working with Dr. Lorena Escoriaza, the extern will be assigned
individual adult patients with significant histories of trauma and will be guided in
applying cognitive-behavioral treatment interventions for trauma. Spanish-speaking
candidates are encouraged to apply, as there are opportunities to see Spanish-speaking
patients with histories of trauma.
Externs may also have the opportunity to conduct intake assessments and write up
comprehensive intake assessment reports. Externs can expect to be assigned to work with adult
and geriatric outpatients who present with wide-ranging emotional concerns. Externs are
encouraged to express their training needs and interests, as well to communicate any particular
projects they would like to undertake, such as forming a new group to address a specific problem
area (e.g., a relaxation skills group for patients with panic disorder).
Depending on their particular interests and training needs, externs may receive psychological or
neuropsychological testing assignments, through which they will refine their respective skills in
clinical observation, interviewing, cognitive testing, and assessment of personality and emotional
functioning. Further, the dynamics of the testing patients’ problems are explored and integrated
in the context of familial, cultural and political factors. Externs may be assigned testing cases
from any of the clinic units and may have opportunities to evaluate children, adolescents, adults,
and older adults. Often referral questions for assessment are wide-ranging and complex,
including evaluation of a range of neuropsychological problems, learning disabilities and
ADHD, and presentations of psychopathology. Supervision on testing cases is provided through
a weekly group testing supervision conducted by Dr. Xinyou Zeng. The weekly group
supervision also features some didactic presentations on testing materials available for use in the
department.
Externs are required to participate in one hour of weekly group supervision as well as one hour
of weekly individual supervision with their assigned primary supervisor. Externs’ primary
supervisors work closely with each extern to develop and monitor training goals. Additional
supervision, including consultation on particular cases, may be arranged as needed. Primary
supervisors provide ongoing feedbacks to externs throughout the semester, and formal evaluation
is provided at the end of each semester as required by externs’ doctoral programs. For those who
are interested in conducting research with the patient population at Gouverneur, opportunities
may be available as well.
DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES
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The Adult Service provides assessment and treatment to both English-speaking and
monolingual Spanish-speaking patients, age 18 and older. The Adult Service includes the Walkin Clinic, which performs screenings of patients seeking admission into the clinic and crisis
intervention and emergency consultation to various primary care and specialty clinics within the
facility. Additional services in the Adult Service include comprehensive biopsychosocial
assessment, psychiatric evaluation, psychological / neuropsychological testing, individual, group,
couple and family therapy, and crisis intervention services. The staff includes psychologists,
psychiatrists, psychiatry residents, social workers, and social work interns.
The Child and Adolescent Service (C&A) provides a full range of outpatient psychological
services and care to children ages 4-18, and their families. The treatment population includes
children and adolescents with diverse emotional and behavioral problems. The services offered
include comprehensive psychiatric, developmental, and psycho-educational evaluations, as well
as various treatment approaches and modalities, including individual, group and family therapy.
The service is staffed with psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers.
The Continuing Day Treatment Program (CDTP) provides treatment for adults 55 and over
who suffer from chronic mental illnesses in a daily morning program. The program philosophy
emphasizes culturally sensitive and family-oriented interventions. The CDTP staff consists of a
multiethnic treatment team of clinicians who provide services in English, Spanish, and Chinese
dialects. Modalities in the program include individual, group and family psychotherapy,
recreation and activity therapies, crisis intervention, nutritional counseling and coordination of
medical care. Psychological assessment focusing on older adult issues, including dementia
screenings, is also available.
The Women’s Comprehensive Health Program addresses the unique needs of culturally and
linguistically diverse women who are experiencing chronic mental illness and concomitant
medical, substance abuse, social, occupational, and housing issues. A multidisciplinary team of
clinicians provides holistic, woman-centered and family-oriented care, employing traditional and
alternative therapeutic approaches within a psycho-educational small and large group format.
The Asian Bicultural Clinic (ABC) is staffed by a bilingual-bicultural Chinese interdisciplinary
treatment team which includes psychologists, social workers and psychiatrists. The staff is
proficient in Mandarin and Cantonese and are skilled in providing culturally competent
treatment. ABC offers a full-range of psychotherapy modalities, psychopharmacology, and case
management services to Chinese-American children, adolescents, and adults. The staff works
closely with Gouverneur’s medical team, Bellevue Hospital’s Asian inpatient psychiatry unit (18
South), and other community agencies to provide comprehensive and holistic healthcare.
The Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) Program is a comprehensive treatment program
which follows the treatment model developed by Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., to address the complex
treatment needs of patients with chronic difficulties with affective regulation, anger
management, self-harm/self-injurious behaviors, chaotic interpersonal relationships, and unstable
identity/self-esteem concerns. A key component of DBT is a weekly DBT skills training group,
as well as intensive individual psychotherapy, and psychopharmacology. Further, consistent with
the emotional rigor of this type of clinical work, the DBT program includes weekly consultation
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team meetings for therapists and psychiatrists involved in the program.
Turning Points is a school-based mental health program serving four middle schools housed in
the Corlears Complex building across the street from Gouverneur Health. In existence since
1992, the program is staffed by two Behavioral Health staff members who provide individual
and group psychotherapy to non-special education students, consultation to school staff, primary
prevention through classroom workshops on social and life skill development, parent outreach,
and linkage to Gouverneur’s child and adolescent clinic in the Department of Behavioral Health.
FACILITIES
Gouverneur Health is a contemporary diagnostic and treatment facility which is part of New
York City’s municipal healthcare system, known as New York Health + Hospitals. It is fully
accredited by the New York State Office of Mental Health and is an affiliate of New York
University Medical Center. The Department of Behavioral Health is housed in the 5th floor of a
new extension of Gouverneur completed in 2012. A complete modernization project for
Gouverneur was completed in 2015.
Externs typically share offices with one other extern and also have access to workstations in a
shared office area. All clinical documentation is completed in an electronic medical record.
Scoring software for many of the psychological testing materials is available on one workstation.
Externs have access to video recording equipment and to one-way mirror rooms for assessment
and treatment.
ELIGIBILITY
Priority is given to applicants from APA-accredited programs in clinical psychology. However,
applicants from school, counseling, and combined clinical programs may be considered as well.
Prior to beginning the externship, all applicants must have completed two years of graduate
training, including at least one practicum in both psychological testing and psychotherapy.
Further, applicants must be students in good standing within their respective graduate
psychology programs, as demonstrated by a letter from their respective directors of clinical
training (DCT) attesting to such.
RECRUITMENT
As the non-English speaking population in the Lower East Side community steadily increases,
there is also a growing demand at Gouverneur for bilingual service providers who are proficient
in Spanish and Chinese dialects (Mandarin, Cantonese, Fuzhounese). Accordingly, the
psychology externship program encourages bilingual trainees to apply. However, ultimately the
program’s commitment is to recruit the best candidates for the externship program who meet the
eligibility criteria set forth above and who stand to benefit professionally from the training we
offer.
TIME COMMITMENT
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The externship is a part-time, 12 month training commitment. Externs are expected to be on-site
16 hours per week, distributed over 2 full weekdays, beginning the first Monday in July and
ending in late June. Please note that 3rd and 4th year students are required to be on-site 16 hours
per week (2 full weekdays) and 5th year students can be on-site from 16 - 21 hours per week (3
full weekdays). Further, we understand that some externs may be applying for internship at the
time of their externship training at Gouverneur, and, with prior notification, will receive time off
for interviewing. Externs are expected to be on-site on Mondays, with the other day being
flexible. Attendance is required on Monday so that externs can participate in departmental
meetings, didactic seminars, and a weekly group supervision with the externship director.
BENEFITS
Externs receive 11 regular federal / public holidays (including July 4th, Thanksgiving,
Christmas, and New Year’s days), and unpaid sick leave. Any other requested time off is to be
pre-arranged with both the director of externship training and externs’ primary supervisors. The
externship is unpaid, and externs are officially employed as volunteers in the facility. New York
Health + Hospitals and Gouverneur are equal opportunity employers.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
To apply for an externship position, please send: (i) a cover letter indicating which track you are
applying for and detailing your clinical interests and experience, goals for the externship year,
and fit between your goals, interests, and experience and the offerings of the training program;
(ii) an updated curriculum vitae; (iii) a graduate transcript (unofficial is fine); and (iv) three
letters of recommendation, at least one of which must be from an individual clinical supervisor
closely familiar with your clinical skills, level of maturity, and personal qualities. The above
documents should be sent via ONE email to George.Collins@nychhc.org (preferred) or by mail
in ONE envelope addressed to:
George Collins, Ph.D.
Director, Psychology Externship Training Program
Gouverneur
Dept. of Behavioral Health, Rm #5-051
227 Madison Street
New York, NY 10002
Gouverneur accepts and abides by the recent externship application guidelines established by the
Psychology Training Directors of New York State (PSYDNYS) and New York New Jersey
Association of Directors of Training (NYNJADOT). Accordingly, Gouverneur will not accept
any applications postmarked or time-stamped prior to Tuesday, January 19th, 2016.
Interviews are scheduled during the month of February. Externship offers will not be made
until 9am on February 29th, 2016; offers will be made via email during business hours
(between 9am and 5pm Monday through Friday) and cc’d to program’s director of clinical
training (DCT).
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Should you have any questions about the above application procedures, or the externship
program, in general, please feel free to contact Dr. Collins by phone at 212-238-7589, or by
email at George.Collins@nychhc.org.
PSYCHOLOGY SERVICE STAFF
Director Psychology Externship
George Collins, Ph.D., 2004. Clinical Psychology. Adelphi University. New York State
License, Psychologist, Level II.
Special Interests: Brief psychodynamic psychotherapy; focusing; psychotherapy integration;
solution-focused therapy; schema therapy; dialectical behavior therapy; interpersonal group
therapy; Ericksonian hypnosis; treatment of chronic mental illness.
Director of Psychology, Director of the Asian Bicultural Clinic
Diana Chen, Ph.D., 1992. Clinical/School Psychology. Adelphi University. New York State
License. Psychologist, Level III, Asian Bicultural Clinic.
Special Interests: Community Psychology; integrative therapy; short-term intensive
psychotherapy; bereavement therapy; PTSD; hypnosis; cross-cultural issues in assessment and
psychotherapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Mindfulness treatment for depression.
Health Psychology Track
Wendy Barron, Ph.D., 1996. Clinical Psychology. The New School for Social Research. New
York State License. Psychologist, Level II, Adult Service.
Special Interests: Chronic pain and stress management; hypnosis; integration of meditation,
mindfulness, and yoga based movement within psychotherapy, psychotherapy with the medically
ill, adults, elderly, and survivors of trauma; group psychotherapy; cross-cultural psychotherapy.
Coordinator of the Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program
Julie Reinhold, Psy.D, 1997. School/Clinical Child Psychology. Pace University. New York
State License. Psychologist, Level II, Child & Adolescent Service & school based Turning
Points program at Public School 56
Special Interests: Psychological aspects of religious experience; psychological assessment;
learning disability; dialectical behavior therapy, rational-emotive therapy, acceptance and change
therapy, psychotherapy with children and adults.
Psychological Testing Supervisor
Taoxin Zeng, Psy.D., 2015. School/Clinical Child Psychology. Pace University. Psychologist,
Level I, Asian Bicultural Clinic and Child & Adolescent Service.
Special Interests: psychological assessment; learning disability; play therapy with children and
adults; integrative therapy; bereavement therapy; multi-culturalism; PTSD; Dialectical Behavior
Therapy; Mindfulness treatment for depression and anxiety.
ADJUNCT TRAINING FACULTY
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Coordinator and Clinical Supervisor of the Family Therapy Program
Jennifer S. Press, LCSW, 1996. Social Work. Fordham University. Certificate in Family
Therapy from the Ackerman Institute for Family Therapy in 2005.
Special Interests: Family and couple therapy.
Douglas Ruest, LCSW, 1997. New York University School of Social Work.
Social Worker at the school based Turning Points program at PS 56 and in Gouverneur’s Child
and Adolescent Clinic. Post. Graduate Program in Individual Psychotherapy from
Hunter College School of Social Work 2004, Certificate in Group Psychotherapy from Eastern
Group Psychotherapy Society 2006, candidate for certificates from The Center for Group Studies
and The New York School for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. Also works
with adults.
Special interests: Psychoanalysis, psychodynamic therapy with children & adults, group therapy,
DBT.
DIRECTIONS TO GOUVERNEUR
Via NYC subway. Take the Downtown / Brooklyn-bound “F” train. Exit at the “East
Broadway” station (N.B. – NOT “Broadway & Lafayette”). Exit the subway station at the
“Madison Street” end (you will see signs for this). Once above ground, you will be on Madison
Street; however, you will need to turn around walk in the opposite direction. The Department of
Behavioral Health at Gouverneur is located on the 5th floor in the new 5-story building with glass
façade on your left, just 1.5 blocks from the subway exit.
Via NYC bus. Take the Downtown M15 / South Ferry bound bus (or the M15 Limited), which
travels southbound along Second Avenue on the east side. Exit the bus on Madison Street (which
will place you on the corner of Pike and Madison Streets). Turn to face eastward (a public school
will be on your far left corner) and walk along Madison Street until you see the new 5-story
building with glass façade attached to the old Gouverneur brick building.
Via Taxi. Take the FDR Drive South to the “South Street” Exit. Shortly after exiting the drive,
make a right turn on Clinton Street and continue several blocks to Madison Street. Gouverneur is
the tall brick building on the far-left corner of Madison and Clinton Streets. Please be sure to
clarify that you are traveling to “Madison Street” on the Lower East Side, and NOT “Madison
Avenue.”
Please note that driving to the facility is NOT recommended, as parking in the area is
limited.
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