This elective is a part of the Internship in Clinical Psychology. This predoctoral internship is open to matriculated doctoral students enrolled in clinical or counseling psychology programs.
The Behavioral Medicine rotations in the Internship in Clinical Psychology are designed to provide a broad range of clinical experiences.
The Outpatient Psychiatry Department (OPD) rotation is a year-long rotation. Behavioral Medicine (BMED) interns provide evidence-based cognitive-behavioral treatments to individual therapy outpatients. You will have the opportunity to treat a wide range of psychological disorders (e.g., mood disorders, anxiety disorders and adjustment disorders) in patients with and without medical comorbidities. Common medical populations served include patients with cancer or post-cancer treatment, neurological problems (such as epilepsy or multiple sclerosis), HIV and endocrine disorders, including type-2 diabetes. Interns carry a caseload of approximately 8-10 patients, and they receive high-quality supervision weekly from multiple supervisors (two hours of individual clinical supervision and one hour of small group supervision). You will also have the opportunity to work as part of multidisciplinary team, communicating with patients’ primary care providers, psychiatrists and medical specialists to provide comprehensive, high-quality patient care. Patients can self-refer to the OPD or be referred by their medical providers
Each BMED intern spends one half-day per week at the Mass General Weight Center for six months of the internship year. The Weight Center is a multidisciplinary subspecialty obesity medicine clinic treating patients with obesity or other conditions related to weight. Each Weight Center patient is assessed by a team that includes a physician, dietitian and psychologist, who together formulate a comprehensive, individualized treatment plan. Weight Center treatments for obesity include behavioral weight management intervention, pharmacological treatments and weight loss surgery; for many Weight Center patients, the team psychologist plays an active role in treating eating disorder symptoms or providing behavioral problem-solving, motivational interviewing and sleep hygiene interventions. Under the supervision of Weight Center psychologists, you will conducts psychosocial evaluations of new Weight Center patients, formulate treatment recommendations and carry a caseload of one to three short-term therapy cases at any given time during the rotation, which typically involve treating emotional eating and binge eating disorders, supporting healthy lifestyle changes and reducing distress related to body image. Interns work closely with the other team members to provide coordinated care and receive one hour of formal supervision weekly, with informal supervision contact as needed. There is also a strong didactic component to this rotation, with assigned readings of scientific articles related to a wide range of obesity and obesity treatment topics and weekly discussions of these articles during supervision.
Each intern will participate in the Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) rotation for six months of the internship. This rotation includes co-leading a weekly 90-minute DBT skills group through the outpatient psychiatry department at Mass General for patients with borderline personality disorder and other psychiatric comorbidities. During the rotation, you will co-lead the DBT group with an expert in DBT and have the opportunity to participate in a weekly DBT team meeting with other expert clinicians and trainees.
As part of the generalist training component of the internship, BMED interns will complete a six-month rotation for one half day per week on Blake 11, home of the Inpatient Psychiatric Service. You will learn to provide brief psychological interventions for patients hospitalized on the unit for acute psychiatric concerns and will be exposed to a full spectrum of psychiatric diagnoses, including anxiety disorders, major depressive disorders/suicidality, substance use disorders and psychotic disorders. Interns observe and participate in patient rounds and actively collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, residents, nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, case managers and other unit staff. You will receive individual supervision for cases and attend a weekly group seminar to discuss clinical issues relevant to inpatient psychiatric care. Interns also have opportunities to co-lead groups based on individual interest or to observe electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) sessions and evaluations within the Acute Psychiatry Service (APS).
In order to better serve patients, behavioral medicine has psychologists embedded in several hospital clinics and centers, including the Digestive Healthcare Center at Mass General. The majority of behavioral medicine patients seen through the Digestive Healthcare Center are diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disorders (Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis) or functional gastrointestinal disorders such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Gastroparesis, and Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome. Typical referrals include (1) patients having difficulty adjusting to a recently diagnosed chronic GI condition, (2) patients facing challenges around adherence to medication, diet, or lifestyle changes, and (3) patients for whom stress and anxiety management strategies could improve their medical conditions either directly (by reducing episodes) or indirectly (by improving coping). Directly addressing these challenges often yields noticeable benefit after just a few sessions. Opportunities may be available for interns interested in working with this population.
The Lifestyle Medicine Clinic within the MGH Cancer Center serves people in treatment for cancer, as well as long-term survivors. Patients meet with a multidisciplinary team of providers, including oncology, internal medicine, lifestyle medicine, nutrition, and psychology. Interns will have the opportunity to work with patients individually and in groups, focusing on the six pillars of lifestyle medicine: physical activity, healthy eating patterns, restorative sleep, social support, stress management, and avoiding risky substance use. Psychology interventions are short-term and focus on behavioral, cognitive, and, and mind-body aspects of lifestyle interventions specific to this population. Psychiatric co-morbidities will also be treated as they interact with lifestyle behaviors. Supervision will emphasize CBT, ACT, motivational interviewing, and DBT skills.
Using extremely effective and well-validated Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) protocols, interns will have the opportunity to work with patients struggling with insomnia and other co-morbid sleep and psychiatric disorders using a brief CBT-I intervention to help improve sleep. Interns will complete a well-regarded training that they can utilize to help with the common disorder of insomnia going forward in other settings as well, and will have access to referrals from neurology colleagues at the MGH Sleep Medicine Department. CBT-I-specific supervision and ongoing training in behavioral sleep disorder treatment is provided.
About Our Program
The Health Promotion and Resiliency Intervention Research (HPRIR) Program is a joint initiative between the MGH Department of Medicine Mongan Institute and the Department of Psychiatry to harness the strengths of interdisciplinary behavioral health services to enhance health, wellness, and resiliency.
Our Program Research Aims:
Description: Within the Behavioral Medicine internship track, the HPRIR experience is an opportunity for an intern to specialize and expand their training in health promotion (e.g., cancer screening, tobacco treatment, physical activity) and resiliency (mind-body, integrative medicine) research through additional clinical and clinical research-related electives (see electives below). The core of the experience takes place in the MGH Mongan Institute, where interns will have the opportunity to collaborate with multidisciplinary clinicians, clinical researchers, and health policy experts. Interns will gain experience with a variety of populations of individuals with chronic illnesses, caregivers, providers, healthcare systems and community populations.
Our overall Program Training Aims are to (1) train clinicians in resiliency and behavioral intervention research, (2) prioritize training in health equities and disparities research, (3) increase the diversity of clinical researchers trained in resiliency and behavioral intervention research, and (4) promulgate training in evidence-based mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) research
Patients may be individuals, caregivers, or clinicians and may range in age from young adults to older adults. Medical diagnosis include cancer, cardiac disease, substance use disorders, and stress-related medical disorders. Patients may be seen remotely in the hospital, during outpatient visits. Interns will gain experience with a variety of mental health disorders and challenges related to having a medical illness or sustaining ongoing chronic stress. Evidence-based treatments include positive psychology, cognitive behavioral therapy, relaxation skills, mindfulness, problem-solving and emotion-focused coping skills, and risk and stage-based motivational interviewing.
Goals: The goals of the HPRIR intern experience are to: (1) provide interns with supervised clinical training in evidence-based treatments; (2) develop interns’ abilities to treat patients as part of a multidisciplinary care team; (3) provide an opportunity for interns to formulate and execute treatment plans; and (4) be a part of a multidisciplinary team of clinical researchers whose clinical work informs their research. Interns will see patients with chronic medical conditions and psychosocial stressors, direct individual and group supervision, resiliency training and clinical supervision, and opportunities to participate in departmental and hospital-wide seminars and lectures on health equity, implementation science, primary care, substance use, tobacco use, oncology, mixed methods research, palliative care, nursing, grant writing, and health policy.
Clinical research: Interns will have opportunities to see patients referred to the the Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatric Oncology clinics. Interns will have opportunities to participate as interventionists on several NIH-, foundation-, and internally funded randomized clinical trials, at the pilot, efficacy and effectiveness stages of research as well as national datasets and observational studies. With mentorship from HPRIR faculty (see faculty below), interns may be involved with data analyses, manuscript writing, scientific presentations, and grant preparation, collaborating on a variety of developing, ongoing or completed studies. Opportunities for postdoctoral fellowship trainings will be available and supported.
Didactics and supervision: Clinical work will be supplemented by several supervisions, meetings, and didactics. First, interns will receive weekly individual supervision from a licensed clinical psychologist in HPRIR and weekly group supervision with interns in the Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatric Oncology tracks. Second, interns will participate in the weekly HPRIR meetings in clinical research and resiliency research. Attended by both psychologists, physicians, nurses, health service researchers and psychiatrists, this meeting offers and discuss clinical research and clinical questions.
HPRIR Elective Rotations:
HPRIR Study Interventionist
For MORE INFORMATION About HPRIR Clinical Research Collaborations:
Post-Doctoral Opportunities:
Description: Within the Behavioral Medicine internship track, the Psycho-Oncology experience is an opportunity for an intern to specialize and expand their training in psychosocial oncology through additional clinical and clinical research-related electives (see electives below). The core of the experience takes place in the MGH Center for Psychiatric Oncology & Behavioral Sciences, an outpatient setting within the MGH Cancer Center and the Department of Psychiatry. Interns will gain experience with a variety of patient populations receiving oncology treatment, nearing end of life, or coping with long-term or late onset issues in cancer survivorship. Patients may be individuals, couples, or families and may range in age from young adults to older adults. Types of cancer include breast cancer, lung cancer, hematologic malignancies, gastrointestinal cancer, prostate cancer, genitourinary cancer, melanoma, multiple myeloma, brain tumors, and other malignancies. Patients may be seen remotely, in the clinic, or during an infusion appointment in a private room (outpatient visits are currently virtual until further notice). Interns will gain experience with a variety of disorders and challenges related to cancer including depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, adjustment disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, mild cancer treatment-related cognitive impairments, symptom management, adherence to treatment, existential concerns, and survivorship issues. Psychotherapeutic treatments are evidence-based including cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and acceptance and commitment therapy.
Goals: The goals of the Psycho-Oncology experience are to: (1) provide interns with supervised training in psychotherapy with patients and family caregivers during treatment for cancer and cancer survivors; (2) enhance foundations in evidence-based interventions for psychosocial well-being and behavior change in the context of oncology; (3) provide an opportunity for interns to formulate cases and participate in report writing; and (4) enhance general competency in collaborating with a multidisciplinary care team to provide optimal clinical care. These goals are accomplished through direct supervised experiences with diverse patients at various stages along the continuum of cancer care, the opportunity to collaborate with multidisciplinary teams within the cancer center, and didactic experiences specific to oncology, psychology, and behavioral medicine.
Clinical research: Interns will also be members of the Cancer Outcomes Research & Education Program (CORE), with opportunities to serve as a study therapist on several NIH-, foundation-, and internally funded randomized clinical trials in supportive oncology care for patients. Interns will also have the opportunity to serve as a study therapist on funded randomized clinical trials for family caregivers of patients with cancer through CORE’s Caregiving Research Program (see elective experiences below). With mentorship from Psycho-Oncology faculty (see faculty below), interns may be involved with data analyses, manuscript writing, scientific presentations, and grant preparation, collaborating on a variety of ongoing or completed studies. Following the internship, opportunities exist to transition to a postdoctoral fellowship through the T32 TOPS fellowship, a grant-funded postdoctoral fellowship through the American Cancer Society, or another grant-funded postdoctoral position (see postdoctoral opportunities below).
Didactics and supervision: Clinical work will be supplemented by several supervisions, meetings, and didactics. First, interns will receive weekly individual supervision from a licensed clinical psychologist in the Center for Psychiatric Oncology & Behavioral Sciences. Second, interns will participate in the twice-monthly faculty meeting for the Center for Psychiatric Oncology & Behavioral Sciences. Attended by both psychologists and psychiatrists, this meeting offers an opportunity to stay up to date on clinic and department policies as well as discuss clinical cases. Second, interns will attend a monthly group supervision with faculty from the Dana Farber / Harvard Cancer Center, a collaboration between psychologists at the Dana-Farber Cancer Center and the MGH Cancer Center. Third, interns will attend a weekly meeting of the multidisciplinary CORE Program, including a monthly journal club. The weekly CORE meeting offers the opportunity to discuss innovative research and clinical care with faculty specializing in oncology, psychiatry, palliative care, social work, and nursing. Several workshops are offered throughout the year that interns may choose to take advantage of to enhance their clinical and research skills. Finally, interns may choose to attend cancer center grand rounds, psychiatry grand rounds, palliative care grand rounds, and other disease-specific grand rounds.
Potential Faculty Mentors in the Psycho-Oncology Experience:
*Interns may also be co-mentored by our CORE collaborators in the Department of Medicine ( (e.g., oncology clinicians, palliative care clinicians, nurse researchers)
Psycho-Oncology Specific Elective Rotations:
For more information about the Center for Psychiatric Oncology and Behavioral Sciences, visit:
https://www.massgeneral.org/cancer-center/treatments-and-services/psychiatric-oncology
For more information about the Cancer Outcomes Research & Education (CORE) Program, visit:
https://www.massgeneral.org/cancer-center/clinical-trials-and-research/cancer-outcomes-research
For more information about CORE’s Caregiving Research Program, visit:
Potential Postdoctoral Opportunities:
Training in Oncology Population Sciences (TOPS) T32 Postdoctoral Training Program
American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowship
BMED interns may have the opportunity to participate in an Adolescent and Young Adult (AYAs; aged 18-39) clinical rotation for six months of the internship. This rotation includes participating in a series of seminars, involving speakers within and outside of MGH/HMS, centered on exploring the biological, social and emotional concerns that make this population unique in their experiences when diagnosed with a chronic medical condition that interferes with important age-specific milestones. This rotation may include some overlap with the Cancer Center Survivorship Program, wherein the intern may help co-facilitate a weekly 90-minute resiliency group for adolescents and young adults who are transitioning off cancer treatment and/or are diagnosed with other chronic medical conditions. Interns interested in expanding their 6-month rotation may also have the opportunity to become involved in ongoing AYA clinical research trials. This includes participating as a study interventionist or group facilitator, participating in biweekly clinical research supervision team meetings as well as biweekly research meetings with other faculty and trainees working with AYA populations. This rotation will provide interns with the opportunity to receive specialized training in working with AYA populations confronted with the demands of managing a chronic medical illness.
Dr. O’Cleirigh directs the Behavioral Science Team at The Fenway Institute with a primary focus on intervention development to support HIV prevention and treatment and LGBT health disparities. The rotation at The Fenway Institute is available to interns who have an interest in HIV research and/or in LGBT health. The rotation is typically arranged for the intern to spend one full day a week at The Fenway Institute with the potential to increase their time during the second semester of the internship year. The opportunities for interns on the Behavioral Science Team at The Fenway Institute multiple and varied and are typically linked to current research projects in progress or in development. These projects are generally conducted by researchers who have their primary appointment at Harvard Medical School and in the Behavioral Medicine Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. The Directors of the Fenway Institute are Drs. Kenneth Mayer and Judy Bradford who work closely with the Behavioral Sciences Team.
Current behavioral research projects at The Fenway Institute include:
The opportunities for interns on these projects include participating in treatment and treatment development studies as protocol therapists. This involves learning and implementing novel manualized cognitive behavioral treatments and receiving weekly clinical supervision. The intern also participates in weekly research team meetings and other trainings. The intern will also be expected to participate in preparing manuscripts for publication and preparing conference submissions from study data sets. Opportunities to make co-author and first author contributions are available on most of these projects. The Behavioral Science Team is constantly developing new projects and the opportunity to contribute to new and ongoing grant submissions is expected and forms part of the supervised research mentorship that is provided through the rotation at The Fenway Institute.
Interns who elect this rotation enjoy the experience of working in the more relaxed atmosphere of an LGBT Health Center (the largest Health Center meeting the needs of the LGBT Community in the country). This rotation also provides opportunities to become involved in biomedical research projects, ongoing epidemiological studies, and policy and education initiatives all of which form part of The Fenway Institute’s portfolio.
Interns may have the opportunity to co-lead a weekly Aging with HIV group at Mass General. The group is didactic in nature, leveraging existing evidence-based intervention content developed for people living with HIV (e.g., LifeSteps, adjusted cognitive processing therapy content, mindful self-compassion, motivational interviewing and substance use management). Opportunities to participate in research related to aging and HIV may also be available.
Interns will participate in weekly team supervision meetings. This rotation will provide you with the opportunity to learn more about ongoing projects related to women’s health, both for women living with HIV and women who are not living with HIV, contribute to new and ongoing grant applications, and participate in preparing first author and co-author manuscripts for publication and conference submissions. Clinical and clinical research opportunities (e.g., serving as a protocol therapist), may also be available.
Interns will have the opportunity to be involved in community-based collaborative initiatives to identify, refine, and implement evidence-based intervention strategies to expand the capacity of community-based organizations to address unmet mental health, substance use, and HIV treatment and prevention needs through several research and implementation projects.
Find information on psychiatry residencies, fellowships and other continuing medical education opportunities.
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This elective is a part of the Internship in Clinical Psychology. This predoctoral internship is open to matriculated doctoral students enrolled in clinical or counseling psychology programs.
