gouverneur healthcare services - New York State Psychological ...

GOUVERNEUR
HEALTHCARE SERVICES
EXTERNSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM
IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
TRAINING BROCHURE
ACADEMIC YEAR 2010-2011
MEMBER, NEW YORK CITY HEALTH & HOSPITALS CORPORATION
SOUTH MANHATTAN HEALTH NETWORK

GOVERNEUR HEALTHCARE SERVICES
EXTERNSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
Gouverneur Healthcare Services, 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 (LM) catchment area of New
York City. The LM catchment 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 (BH) 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 LM catchment 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, as well as
efforts towards gentrification, there is a sense of stability to the area, which attracts a familyoriented
population who use the services of the hospital for its many health care needs.
The Department of Behavioral Health (BH) has seen a significant expansion of its clinical
programs beginning in the early 1980s. With a tradition of outreach and mobile crisis
intervention to the Lower East Side community, the Department has expanded the crisis outreach
team model of intervention. It includes the development of teams to meet the needs of specific
patient populations, such as the young adult chronic patient, the psychologically impaired
homeless, and the isolated impaired elderly. Additionally, the Department of BH has
implemented a unique program geared to meeting the mental health needs of the Asian
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 actively participate in the clinical
training of all disciplines. Ongoing training is offered to psychology interns, psychology externs,
social work interns and nurse practitioner students, both through (i) didactic seminars on a range
of clinical topics, (ii) 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, and (iii) twice monthly departmental case conferences, during which staff
psychologists, social workers and trainees, as well as psychiatrists, present particularly
challenging cases for discussion and recommendations for treatment going forward.
The Psychology Service functions within the Department of BH at Gouverneur. The staff, at
present, is comprised of 13 full-time and 2 part-time psychologists. Specialties of the staff
include psychodynamic psychotherapy, interpersonal psychoanalysis, Dialectical Behavioral
therapy, stress and pain management, hypnosis, focusing oriented psychotherapy, cognitivebehavioral
therapy, child / adolescent psychotherapy, family therapy, group therapy, integrated
psychotherapy, crisis intervention, treatment of trauma, psychological, psycho-educational, 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), Young Adult Outreach Team

(YAOT), Women’s Comprehensive Health Program (WP), Center for Older Adults and their
Familieis (CFOA), Asian Bicultural Clinic (ABC), and World Trade Center Mental Health Clinic
(WTC). Staff members perform a variety of functions, including intakes / screenings, crisis
intervention, psychotherapy, psychological testing / psychodiagnostic evaluations,
neuropsychological assessment, teaching seminars, providing supervision and consultation. A
primary component of the Psychology Service is the clinical training of future professionals,
which includes our APA-accredited Clinical Psychology Internship Training Program, which is
committed to training clinical psychology interns as part of the requirements for their doctoral
degrees, and 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 student to beginning professional.
TRAINING PROGRAM AND TRAINING GOALS
Under close supervision and support, psychology externs may gain clinical experience with a
variety of psychotherapy modalities / approaches (individual, group, family, and couples),
psychological and neuropsychological testing / 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 the exposure to, as well the
necessity of, working as part of a multidisciplinary team. This approach is vital not only to the
comprehensive care of our patients, but also to the education of the trainee. By the end of the
training year, externs would have acquired / further honed the 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 social / familial struggles.
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
Depending on trainees’ particularly clinical 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, personality / emotional
functioning assessment (objective and projective). 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, developmental, psycho-diagnostic and psycho-educational
evaluations.
Regarding psychotherapy, externs may be assigned to work with child, adolescent, adult and
geriatric outpatients who present with wide-ranging emotional concerns. Opportunities for
individual, group, family and couples therapy may be available. Externs are encouraged to
express their training needs and interests, as well to communicate any particular projects they
would like to undertake, for example, forming a new group to address a specific problem area /
concern (e.g. relaxation skills group for patients with panic disorder).
Externs participate in weekly, face-to-face 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, and on a case-by-case basis.
Externs have opportunities, and are strongly encouraged, to present individual cases in monthly

departmental case conferences where they can receive wide-ranging clinical feedback from the
multidisciplinary staff in the Department of BH.
DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES
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 intakes / screenings of patients seeking admission into the clinic, crisis
intervention and emergency consultation to various primary care and specialty clinics within the
hospital. 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,
social workers, and nurse practitioners.
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 / modalities, including individual, group and family therapy,
including play therapy. The service is staffed with psychologists, psychiatrists, and social
workers, including child protection specialists.
The Young Adult Outreach Team (YAOT) assists individuals, ages 18-35, in transition from
psychiatric hospitalization to stabilization in the community. Patients often have a history of
multiple psychiatric hospitalizations with little or no community support system available to
them. The interdisciplinary team provides assessment and treatment to individuals referred from
community agencies and hospital settings, as well from primary care clinics within the hospital.
Individual and group psychotherapy are major services offered through this clinic.
The Center for Older Adults and their Families (CFOA) provides ongoing treatment for
adults aged 55 years and older, as well as their families, in coping with the problems and
challenges of later life by empowering them to problem solve in a manner that is efficient and in
unison with the cultural background and values of the identified patients and their respective
families. The CFOA consists of a multiethnic treatment team of clinicians who provide services
in English, Spanish, and Chinese, and includes a Continuing Day Treatment Program (CDTP), as
well as an outpatient clinic which provides 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 program also employs a coordination of care approach, utilizing community resource
speakers and encourages empowerment activities.
The Asian Bicultural Clinic (ABC) is staffed by bilingual-bicultural Chinese interdisciplinary
treatment team, which includes psychologists, social workers and psychiatrist. The staff is
proficient in three Chinese dialects, which include Mandarin, Cantonese, and Toisanese, 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 ambulatory care medical
team, Bellevue Asian inpatient unit, and other community agencies to provide comprehensive
and holistic healthcare.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is a comprehensive treatment program -which follows
the treatment model developed by Marsha Linehan, PhD, to address the complex treatment needs
of patients with chronic difficulties with affective regulation, anger management, self-harm/selfinjurious
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 a weekly consultation team meeting with
fellow therapists who treat patients in the DBT program.
The Mobile Crisis Unit (MCU) is a psychiatric crisis intervention team involved with outreach
to individuals and families within the Gouverneur catchment area. An interdisciplinary team,
consisting of a psychologist and social workers, provide on-site evaluation that examines a crisis
situation from different points of view. Team members visit patients and families in their homes
during time of extreme stress and assist in the negotiation of services with hospitals and other
agencies. These services may include the facilitation of patient transfers to area psychiatric
emergency rooms for emergency evaluation and possible hospitalization, or connection /
reconnection with outpatient psychiatric services.
Turning Points is a school-based mental health program serving four middle schools housed in
the Corlears Complex building on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. In existence since 1992, it
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 Behavioral Health Department.
Parent Infant Program offers a unique multiple-family group therapeutic experience for both
expecting parents and parents of children who are preschool-aged and younger, who are
experiencing the stress of mental illness and emotional instability. The program’s goal is to
foster healthy parent / child interactions, to stabilize a parents’ emotional disorder and behavioral
symptoms that interfere with healthy childcare, and to stimulate the emotional and cognitive
development of the at risk child through the preschool years.
FACILITIES
Gouverneur Healthcare Services is a comprehensive medical-ambulatory care facility, which is
part of New York City’s municipal hospital system, known as the Health and Hospital’s
Corporation (HHC). It is fully accredited by the New York State Office of Mental Health, and is
an affiliate of New York University Medical Center. Externs may have access to video recording
equipment and to one-way mirror rooms for assessment and treatment. All externs will have
access to computers; all clinical documentation is computerized / paperless and maintained on
the Quadramed system. Gouverneur’s relative small size, in comparison to other city hospitals,
facilitates close professional contact with pediatricians, internists, and other primary and
specialty care providers / physicians, while simultaneously providing a full range of services

typical of larger settings.
ELIGIBILITY
Priority is given to applicants from APA-accredited programs in clinical psychology. However,
applications from school, counseling and combined clinical programs may be considered as well.
Prior to beginning the externship, all applicants must have completed three (3) years of graduate
training, including theory courses and previous practica 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 academic
training directors 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). In order to address this
changing need, the psychology externship program is taking efforts to recruit bilingual trainees.
However, ultimately, our 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
The externship is a part-time, 10-month training commitment. Externs are expected to be on-site
16 hours per week, distributed over 2 full weekdays, beginning in early September (after Labor
Day) and ending in late June. 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 flexible. The mandatory Monday is so that externs can participate in various
interdisciplinary / departmental meetings / seminars, as well be present for a biweekly meeting
with the externship director; on alternating weeks, this biweekly meeting will be administrative
in nature for a discussion of general training and professional development issues / maintenance
of training standards, with the other week reserved for group supervision in a case conference
format.
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 / pre-approved by both the director of externship training and externs’ primary
supervisors. HHC are equal opportunity employers.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
To apply for an externship position, please send (i) a cover letter detailing your clinical interests
/ experience, goals for the externship year, and mutual fit between your goals / interests /
experience and offerings of the training program, (ii) updated curriculum vitae, (iii) 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 one’s clinical skills, level of
maturity and personal qualities. Please note, the above application materials must all be sent in
ONE envelope, and addressed to:
Helen Fronshtein, Psy.D.
Director, Externship Training Program in Clinical Psychology
Department of Behavioral Health
Gouverneur Healthcare Services
227 Madison Street
3 rd Floor, Rm #313
New York, NY 10002
Gouverneur accepts and abides by the externship application guidelines established by the
Psychology Training Directors of New York State (PSYDNYS). Accordingly, Gouverneur will
not accept any applications postmarked prior to January 15, 2010, and all applications
must be received by February 1, 2010. No exceptions to the above deadline will be made, so
please plan accordingly to ensure timely receipt. Interviews are scheduled during the month of
February; externship placement decisions will be made on a rolling basis to be completed by
March 1, 2010.
Should you have any questions about the above application procedures, or the externship
program, in general, please feel free to contact Dr. Helen Fronshtein by phone at 212-238-7554,
or by email at helen.fronshtein@nychhc.org
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” side (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. Gouverneur is the
tall brick building on your left, just 1.5 blocks from the subway exit. Please be aware that the
hospital is currently under construction; for this reason, the hospital entrance is
temporarily situated on the Clinton Street side of the building. To access the Clinton Street
entrance, simply continue walking on Madison Street until you reach the corner of Clinton
Street, turn left, and continue halfway down the block. The entrance will be on your left.
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 reach Clinton Street.
Turn left on Clinton and continue halfway down the block. The entrance will be on your left.
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 hospital is NOT recommended, as parking in the area is
limited.
PSYCHOLOGY SERVICE STAFF/ TRAINING FACULTY
Director of Psychology
Charles Fernandez Herr, Ph.D., 1992. Clinical Psychology. Columbia University. New York State
License. Graduate, William Alanson White Institute of Psychiatry, Psychoanalysis and Psychology.
Certified Focusing Oriented Psychotherapist.
Special Interests: Severe psychopathology, dissociative disorders and reactions to traumatic experiences,
interpersonal psychoanalysis, psychodynamic psychotherapy with adults and children, brief dynamic
therapy, focusing oriented therapy, mindfulness and stress management, impact of society on
psychological development and mental health, anger management, barriers to empathic connection (nonviolent
communication techniques), and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT).
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, psychotherapy with medically ill

patients, adults, elderly and survivors of trauma, group psychotherapy, cross-cultural psychotherapy.
William Bracero, Ph.D., 1990. Clinical Psychology. New York University. New York State License.
Psychologist, Level III. Director, Internship Training in Clinical Psychology. Adult Service.
Special Interests: Constructivist-narrative cognitive behavioral therapy, Sampson-Weiss control-mastery
theory, marianismo y machismo, psychotherapy and religion, Santeria y espiritismo, bilingual / bicultural
assessment (TEMAS), DSM-IV culture-bound syndromes, dichos and cuento therapy, Asian and
Hispanic issues in psychotherapy, psychodynamic group psychotherapy.
Diana Chen, Ph.D., 1992. Clinical/School Psychology. Adelphi University. New York State License.
Psychologist, Level III. Director, Asian Bicultural Clinic.
Special Interests: Community Psychology, Integrative therapy, short-tem intensive psychotherapy,
bereavement therapy, PTSD, hypnosis, cross-cultural issues in assessment and psychotherapy,
mindfulness-based treatment of depression, and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy.
George Collins, Ph.D., 2004. Clinical Psychology. Adelphi University. New York State License.
Psychologist, Level II. Young Adult Outreach Team.
Special Interests: Brief psychodynamic psychotherapy, psychotherapy integration, solution-focused
therapy, religious and spiritual issues in psychotherapy, anger management, and hypnosis.
Helen Fronshtein, Psy.D., 2008. Clinical Psychology. Illinois School of Professional Psychology at
Argosy University, Chicago. New York State License. Psychologist, Level II. Director, Externship
Training in Clinical Psychology; Coordinator, Adult Walk-In Clinic.
Special Interests: Psychodynamic psychotherapy, psychodynamic case formulation, crisis intervention,
consultation, projective personality assessment /Rorschach, assessment and treatment of trauma, domestic
violence, immigration and acculturation process, psychotherapy with monolingual Russian speakers.
Cindy Ho, Psy.D., 2008. Clinical Psychology. Chicago School of Professional Psychology. New York
State License. Psychologist, Level I. Asian Bicultural Clinic.
Special Interests: Cross-cultural psychology, cognitive-behavioral case formulation and psychotherapy,
dialectical behavior therapy, immigration and acculturation process, severe mental illness, personality
disorders, psychotherapy and assessment with forensic populations, psychological assessment.
Louisa Lam, Ph.D., 2003. Counseling Psychology. Seton Hall University. Psychologist, Level I. Adult
Service, Smoking Cessation Program, Women’s Comprehensive Program, & Mental Health Clinic of the
World Trade Center Environmental Health Center.
Special Interests: Dual diagnosis, severe pathology, cross-cultural psychology, survivors of trauma, group
psychotherapy, neuropsychological assessments.
Lina Leung, Psy.D., 2009. Clinical Psychology. Illinois School of Professional Psychology at Argosy
University, Chicago. Psychologist, Level I. Geriatric Continuing Day Treatment Program & Center for
Older Adults and their Families.
Special Interests: trauma, multicultural psychology, women’s issues, immigration and acculturation
process, severe mental illness/ pathology, psychological testing with ethnic population.
Monica Medina, Psy.D., 2008. Clinical Psychology. Long Island University – C.W. Post Campus.
Psychologist, Level I. Coordinator, Mobile Crisis Unit & City Wide Assistance Team.
Special Interests: Integrative therapy (English/Spanish), severe & persistent mental illness, developmental
disabilities, and crisis intervention with various populations.

Jennifer Press, LCSW, 1996. Social Work. Fordham University. New York State License. Social
Worker, Level IV. Certificate in Family Therapy, Ackerman Institute for Family Therapy, 2005. Adult
Service. Coordinator and Clinical Supervisor, Family Therapy Practicum.
Special Interests: Family and couples therapy.
Julie Reinhold, Psy.D., 1997. School/Clinical Child Psychology. Pace University. New York State
License. Psychologist, Level II. Child & Adolescent Service. Coordinator, DBT program.
Special Interests: Psychological aspects of religious experience, psychological assessment, learning
disabilities, adolescent development, psychodynamic therapy with children and adults, Dialectical
Behavioral Therapy (DBT) with adolescents and adults.
Sheryl Stasiowski, Ph.D., 2008. Clinical Psychology. Long Island University – Brooklyn Campus.
Psychologist, Level I. Adult Service & Mental Health Clinic of the World Trade Center Environmental
Health Center.
Special Interests: Psychodynamic case formulation and psychotherapy with English and Spanish
Speakers, projective testing, cognitive assessment of persons with developmentally disabilities,
immigration and acculturation with special attention to the Hispanic community, survivors of trauma.
Luis A. Torres, Psy.D., 2008. Clinical Psychology. Illinois School of Professional Psychology at Argosy
University, Chicago. Psychologist, Level I. Adult Service. Coordinator, Psychological Testing Service.
Special Interests: Psychodynamic psychotherapy with monolingual and bilingual Spanish speakers,
psychological and neuropsychological assessment with English and Spanish speakers, group therapy
(bereavement, pain management), patients living with HIV/AIDS, dementia screenings, traumatic brain
injury (TBI), EMDR.