YOU MAY ONLY APPLY TO ONE TRACK WITHIN HARBOR/UCLA
HARBOR-UCLA MEDICAL CENTER
BEHAVIORAL MEDICINE
# of openings: 3
Department of Psychiatry, Psychology Division
(4 may apply)
1000 W. Carson St., Box 488
Torrance, CA 90509
Phone: (310) 222-1724 (Dr. Saberi) or (310) 222-3198 (Psychology Division)
FAX: (310) 320-3521
LEVEL:
PRACTICUM
CONTACT: Astrid Reina-Patton, PhD (areina-patton@labiomed.org)
LIAISON:
Melodie Schaefer, PsyD
NATURE OF AGENCY / POPULATION SERVED
This practicum provides training in psychotherapy and Psychodiagnostic assessment in
behavioral medicine, specifically with outpatients seen on HIV Mental Health Services
and the Women’s Behavioral Health Service. Opportunities for brief
Consultation/Liaison experiences with patients in the main hospital may also be
available.
Externs provide behavioral medicine treatments to medical patients presenting with
primary psychiatric conditions and/or psychiatric sequelae impacting their illnesses;
presenting problems range in severity from minor adjustment distress to major
psychiatric disorder. This practicum serves poverty medicine patients and all settings
are multidisciplinary in nature. The ethnic backgrounds of the patients seen reflect the
diversity in Los Angeles County.
DIRECT AND INDIRECT SERVICES
The practicum focuses on delivering outpatient psychotherapy (individual and group),
brief psychodiagnostic assessment, and behavioral medicine treatments to patients
from the following services:

HIV Mental Health Services: A mental health clinic for patients infected with
HIV, who range in illness from asymptomatic HIV seropositive to patients facing
death from their illness. Patients include gay men, injection-drug users, and
women.

Women’s Behavioral Health Service: A mental health service for female
patients referred from among the following medical services:
o Chronic Pelvic Pain Clinic
o Tumor (Gynecologic Oncology [Gyn-Onc]) Clinic
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BEHAVIORAL MEDICINE -- PAGE 2
o The Medical Foundation, Inc. (MFI) Obstetrics (OB) Clinic/Low-Risk
Obstetrics
o Special Obstetrics Program (SPOB)/High-Risk Obstetrics
o Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Clinic (REI)
o Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) Inpatient Wards
SUPERVISION AND TRAINING
Primary supervision is provided by a licensed clinical psychologists with specialities in
health psychology and behavioral medicine, as well as postdoctoral fellows undergoing
specializations in these areas. One hour of individual supervision is provided weekly by
a clinical psychologist. Externs will also interact with physicians and other medical staff
who will act as preceptors.
Focus of training is on the provision of behavioral medicine treatments using empirically
validated modalities and brief therapies. Externs will be required to attend a two-day
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) training at the beginning of the year along with other
County and Hospital trainings. Other required seminars and courses will be announced
over the course of the training year.
THEORETICAL ORIENTATION
Empirically-supported interventions are used, including CBT and DBT.
LENGTH OF TRAINING
Training begins the first week of September and ends the last week in August.
REQUIRED DAYS
Practicum students are required to be on site 20 hours a week for the duration of the
year. Required days are Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Schedules will be
arranged on the need of the program and student’s availability.
VACATION
Two weeks of vacation are offered.
STIPEND
There is no stipend. Mileage is not reimbursed.
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DISABILITY ACCESS
This agency is wheelchair accessible, but there is no guarantee of accessibility when
practicum students are in the field.
APPLICATION INFORMATION
After receiving approval from the Division of Professional Field Training to apply, please
mail the following to Dr. Saberi:
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Your CV
Your letter of interest
3 letters of recommendation
Unofficial transcripts
YOU MAY ONLY APPLY TO ONE HARBOR-UCLA PRACTICUM SITE!
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Fluency in Spanish is highly desired for one position. Students applying to this position
should have prior experience in providing direct services to adults and good writing
skills. A TB test will be expected.
Mileage accrued by the student is not reimbursed by the agency.
Please visit the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Psychology Division’s website at:
http://psychology.labiomed.org/index.htm Note that this practicum is called an
“externship” at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.
This training program is operated directly by the L.A. County Department of Mental
Health (DMH). Students who are accepted must give the CSPP-L.A. Division of
Professional Field Training office a signed Release of Information form allowing us to
release your contact information (telephone number, mailing address, and email
address) to DMH central office for administrative purposes. Students should print this
Release form from the Field Training website (click on the “Forms” button). Students will
then be contacted by DMH to fill out County applications and have Live Scan (digitized
fingerprinting) in June or early July at the DMH central office (located at 550 So.
Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90020). Students must finish this application
process and pass the background check about 3 to 4 weeks before receiving their
identification badge, which is required before seeing clients.
NEW 12-11