MAJOR EXPERIENCES

Here are descriptions of the 6 major rotations available for residents matched to the adult track (each 4 months in length):

Health Rotations:

Bariatrics

The Regional Bariatric Care Centre is an outpatient interdisciplinary program providing adults with comprehensive medical and surgical bariatric services.

ROTATION EXPERIENCES

Assessments: 

• Pre-bariatric surgery psychological assessments
• Cognitive screenings as needed

Interventions:

• Individual and group psychotherapy to adults accessing bariatric services for a wide range of presenting concerns.
• Gain experience with different therapeutic modalities including CBT, DBT, ACT, and mindfulness-based interventions.
• Co-facilitate a CBT group for post-bariatric surgery patients.
• Opportunity to co-facilitate (with social work) group behaviour modification/ education sessions for patients accessing medical bariatric services.
• Opportunity to co-facilitate a recurring support group for pre- and post-bariatric surgery patients.
• Opportunity to co-facilitate varied psychosocial psychoeducational sessions for post-bariatric patients.

Consultation:

• Work within an interdisciplinary team (e.g., registered dietitians, registered kinesiologist, nursing, social work, medical internists, bariatric surgeons).
• Participate in weekly team rounds.
• Consultation with patients’ community mental health providers as needed to inform assessment or intervention.

Community Education:

• Opportunity to participate in various education initiatives for patients, primary care, and allied health.

Additional Opportunities:

• Opportunity for program development and continuous quality improvement.
• Opportunity to serve as a member of the Project ECHO Ontario Bariatric Network hub team.
• Opportunity to serve as a member of the Ontario Bariatric Network Mental Health Working Group.

Chronic Pain

The Chronic Pain Management Program is an outpatient interprofessional program serving adults with chronic pain living in Northwestern Ontario. Clients access services through one of three streams:

• The 6-week program (4 half days/week for 6 weeks) which includes group education classes, individual appointments with multiple disciplines, and daily movement
• The PACE IT program (1 half day/week for 8 weeks) which includes group education classes and “micro groups” selected based on client interests
• Individual clinician service requests

ROTATION EXPERIENCES

Assessments: 

• Psychological assessments upon request
• Cognitive screenings as needed

Interventions:

• Individual psychotherapy to adults with chronic pain
• Work through group programs could include addressing sleep, communication, distress, grief, role change, anxiety/depression, coping strategies, and supporting behaviour change
• Work through individual service requests could include any of the above, plus PTSD/trauma is a common presentation
• Gain experience with/exposure to different therapeutic modalities including CBT, “third-wave” interventions, and trauma-specific interventions such as EMDR

Consultation:

• Work within an interprofessional team including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, kinesiology, social work, dietitian, therapeutic recreation, nursing, and medicine
• Participate in weekly team rounds
• Consultation with client’s community mental health providers as needed

Supervision:

• Potential opportunity to supervise graduate students

Additional Opportunities:

• Opportunity for program development and continuous quality improvement
• Occasional opportunity to participate in presentations to the community
• Opportunity to participate in Project ECHO: Chronic Pain & Opioid Stewardship

Inpatient Rotations:

Adult Mental Health – Acute Inpatient

Adult mental health is a 32 bed inpatient unit at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, providing comprehensive care to individuals experiencing acute mental health concerns

ROTATION EXPERIENCES

Assessments:

• Psychodiagnostic assessments with a wide range of mental health concerns
• Cognitive assessment and screening

Interventions:

• Brief individual psychotherapy to adolescents and adults (diverse populations, wide range of problem types). 
• Gain experience with different therapeutic modalities, including CBT, mindfulness-based therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and DBT.
• Developing behavioural plans to support client and unit needs.
• Facilitation of daily DBT and mindfulness-based groups.
• Connecting clients to outpatient resources.

Supervision:

• Opportunity to supervise graduate students.  

Consultation:

• Work closely with an interdisciplinary team (e.g., psychiatry, nursing, social work, etc.)
• Participate in daily team rounds.
• Consultation with other hospital departments and various community agencies.

Community Education:

• Opportunity to be involved with various TBRHSC committees and initiatives (e.g., Mental Health Awareness Week committee).

Additional Opportunities:

• Psychology team meetings.
• Attend frequent Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre educational seminars and workshops.

Mental Health Rehabilitation Inpatient

Mental Health Rehabilitation Services provides a variety of psychological services on an inpatient basis to individuals with severe and complex mental health difficulties (primary admission criteria is psychosis).  The average length of stay for patients varies from 3-6 months duration. 

ROTATION EXPERIENCES

Assessments:

• Psychodiagnostic assessments
• Cognitive assessment and screening

Interventions:

• Individual psychotherapy  (CBT, DBT, and BT)
• Delivery of CBT for Psychosis - Group
• Developing behavioural plans to support client and unit needs.
• Transition planning and connecting clients to outpatient resources.

Supervision:

• Opportunity to supervise graduate students.  

Consultation:

• Work closely with an interdisciplinary team (e.g., psychiatry, nursing, social work, etc.)
• Participate in rounds.
• Consultation with other hospital departments and various community agencies.

Additional Opportunities:

• Psychology team meetings.

Outpatient Rotations:

Brief Intervention Treatment Team (BITT)

The Brief Intervention Treatment Program (BITT) program is an outpatient interdisciplinary program that accepts referrals from the Adult Mental Health (inpatient) unit, the Emergency Department, and elsewhere within Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.  

ROTATION EXPERIENCES

Assessments:

• Psychodiagnostic and cognitive assessments to support treatment planning

Interventions:

• Individual psychotherapy to adolescents and adults
• Gain experience with different therapeutic modalities including CBT, Cognitive Processing Therapy, EMDR, and DBT
• Opportunity to co-facilitate a 15 week process group with psychology staff in the program.

Consultation:

• Work with an interdisciplinary team (e.g., psychiatry, nursing, social work, psychology)
• Participate in weekly consultation meetings with Brief intervention Treatment team staff

Additional Opportunities:

• Opportunity to participate as a member of the Mental Health Awareness Week committee to educate hospital staff on mental health issues and wellness.
• Opportunity to attend staff meetings once a month.

Mental Health Outpatient Program

Mental Health Outpatient Program (MHOP) is an outpatient interdisciplinary program that accepts referrals for individuals 16 years of age or older from the community and surrounding area who are presenting with a variety of mental health diagnosis and symptom presentations.  

ROTATION EXPERIENCES

Assessments:

• Psychological assessments (Personality, IQ, Cognitive, Psychopathology, Psychodiagnostic, etc) as the main referral question or to support treatment planning

Interventions:

• Individual psychotherapy 
• Co-lead at least one manualized evidenced based group (current groups being ran at MHOP include CBT for depression, anxiety, and psychosis, IPT for depression, and IPT for Postpartum, CPT )

Consultation:

• Work with an interdisciplinary team (e.g., psychiatry, nursing, social work, psychology)
• Participate in Psychology Staff Professional Practice Meetings

Additional Opportunities:

• Opportunity to attend staff meetings once a month.

MINOR EXPERIENCES

At times, residents may have an interest in gaining exposure to a particular experience that would not be reflected in the major rotations.  A strength of our internship program, is flexibility, and there is the possibility of arranging other minor experiences that could occur while in your major rotations.  

These experiences could include conducting an assessment in the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Inpatient Unit (CAMHU) at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, experiences within the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Service at St. Joseph's Health Centre, running a group at the Sister Margaret Smith Centre within the Eating Disorders Program, working with children (up to age 18) through Children’s Centre Thunder Bay, running a group in the Complex Diabetes Program, running a group in Bariatrics (if this is not one of your three major rotations), gerontology, neuropsychology, assessment experience up in our Northern Rotation setting, and addictions).  Minor experiences are contingent on supervisor availability and would be arranged to co-occur with major rotation experiences in the same organization to reduce travel time and interference with your main rotation learning goals.

Specifically, at Children’s Centre Thunder Bay, residents have worked within Infant and Child Services (0-6), Autism Services (0-7), Youth and Adolescent Services (6-18), Youth Justice, Day Treatment and Live-in Treatment Services with youth.  More descriptions about each of these services are available upon request if you are considering obtaining some experiences in this setting.