The Nia Project team includes interns from the general and trauma tracks of the general internship experience (GIE), both of which are based primarily in the Division of Psychology within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University School of Medicine/Grady Health System. Official and detailed information about the Doctoral Internship Program in Psychology is available on the Psychiatry website.
Below is a brief summary of the role and responsibilities of psychology doctoral interns on the Nia Project.
Psychology doctoral interns can be involved in the Nia Project in four ways: (1) general trauma track intern; (2) general track intern on the adult rotation; (3) general track intern on the elective rotation; and (4) neuropsychology intern who selects the Nia Project for an elective rotation.
For all of the interns, the individual and group therapy efforts are guided by a culturally-informed integrative theoretical model that incorporates interpersonal, second and third wave cognitive-behavioral, existential/humanistic, attachment-oriented, strengths-based and systemic perspectives. The group therapy opportunities are diverse and include co-facilitating support groups (e.g., healthy eating, intimate partner violence, spirituality, suicide), evidence-based therapy groups (e.g., Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitively-Based Compassion Training, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Skills Training for Affect Regulation-Narrative Therapy) and process groups (e.g., relationships, Women of Color Exploration, Coping with Trauma Through Art, Expressive Arts). Clinical research activities include data collection, data analysis, manuscript preparation, conference presentations and grant writing.
General Trauma Track Intern – The intern on the trauma track has a year-long experience with a major rotation on the Nia Project. Trauma track interns spend 75% of their time with the Nia Project. Their responsibilities include conducting diagnostic and crisis evaluations and risk assessments; delivering trauma-focused individual (5-6 cases) and group therapy (3-4 groups), as well as couples/family therapy if the intern is interested; providing community outreach and case management; participating in clinical research; and supervising practicum students and/or other team members (e.g., Certified Peer Specialists, medical students). The trauma track intern also creates and leads a new program for the Nia Project. Previous examples include developing a new group, creating a therapy toolkit for Nia project members and providing professional development for undergraduate students on the team. There are also opportunities for many administrative and management tasks including overseeing annual evaluations of Nia members, updating the Clinical Manual, and participating actively in team activities. All of these administrative and management tasks help Nia run smoothly. The balance of these activities depends on the intern’s interests and typically changes over the course of the training year. The general trauma track intern participates in weekly executive committee and team meetings and receives supervision from 3-4 supervisors.
General Track Intern on the Adult Rotation – The general track intern on the adult rotation spends 40% of their time for four months on the Nia Project. Their responsibilities include conducting crisis evaluations and risk assessments; co-facilitating group therapy (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy group, Dialectical Behavior Therapy group, Relationships group); and supervising one practicum student who is based on the adult inpatient units. The intern also has the option of delivering trauma-focused individual therapy (1 long-term case). The general track intern on the adult rotation participates in weekly executive committee and team meetings and receives supervision from 4-5 supervisors.
General Track Intern on the Elective Rotation – The general track intern on the four-month elective rotation determines how many hours per week they will spend with the Nia Project and the activities they will engage in. Prior interns who have selected this elective rotation have focused on one or more of the following: clinical research with a focus on writing manuscript and grants, program development, community outreach and/or specific types of psychotherapy. The general track intern on the elective rotation participates in weekly executive committee and team meetings and receives supervision from 1-2 supervisors.
Neuropsychology Track Intern Who Elects the Nia Project - The two Neuropsychology tracks (Adult/Pediatric and Adult/Geriatric) are structured into two mandatory six-month major rotations and two elective six-month minor rotations (one day per week) over the course of the year. The Nia Project can be selected as one of the six-month minor rotations either in isolation or in combination with the adult inpatient and crisis intervention services at Grady Health System. Neuropsychology Track Interns who select the Nia Project as an elective tend to participate in one or more of the following activities: risk assessments, specific types of individual and/or group psychotherapy, clinical research with a focus on writing manuscript and grants, program development and/or community outreach. This is an excellent experience for neuropsychology trainees seeking to gain further competence in risk assessment, trauma-informed interventions, program development and/or community engagement. The neuropsychology track intern who elects the Nia Project has 1-2 supervisors and if possible participates in weekly executive committee and team meetings.
The Emory University School of Medicine Doctoral Psychology Internship Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation at the American Psychological Association. The Commission may be contacted by telephone at (202) 336-5979, by regular mail at 750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002, or on the web.