Pre-doctoral Internship Mission Statement
The mission of the internship program is to contribute to the development of professional clinical and counseling psychologists whose knowledge of the science and practice of psychology, whose attentiveness to professional and ethical issues, and whose awareness of self are unified and integrated.

Burrell Behavioral Health Mission Statement
To provide a comprehensive array of behavioral health treatment, rehabilitation and education services which are of the highest quality and responsive to the unique and changing needs of individuals and communities served.

Established in 1977 under the Federal Community Mental Health Center Act by a group of concerned citizens, Burrell Behavioral Health has grown to become a state and regional leader in the provision of a wide variety of progressive behavioral health services. Burrell has had the luxury of a single visionary leader since its inception which has resulted in a well organized, comprehensive array of services and a strong community leadership position.

In service to Burrell’s mission statement, certain principles have guided Burrell and its development since its inception. These underlying principles are:

• Behavioral health intervention should be readily available to address problems before they become serious.
• The intensity of treatment should be no more nor less than the client’s condition requires.
• The treatment setting should be no more restrictive on the client’s personal freedom and lifestyle than is necessary.
• A range of treatment options is essential so that, if a client’s condition changes, the intensity, and setting for services can adjust to those changes.
• Major efforts should be devoted to collaboration and coordination with other involved caregivers and health professionals.
• Burrell should approach the future in a way that ensures the continued growth and resiliency necessary to meet the behavioral health needs of the community.
• Services should be continuously upgrade to reflect state-of-the-art technologies in meeting behavioral health care needs.

All of Burrell’s program and service development continues to be guided by these principles. The internship program, established in 1979, was an outgrowth of these principles and an effort to establish a high quality training program to serve the growing community need for psychologists who understand community-based behavioral health care.

The City of Springfield
Springfield, Missouri is a dynamic, growing city of 308,332 with an additional population of over 550,000 in the surrounding areas. Characterized as the fastest growing area in the state, Springfield has established itself as a service center for the south-central and southwestern portions of Missouri. Modern medical facilities are the focal point of the service sector.

Unemployment hovering just above 3 percent is among the lowest in the nation, and housing is both readily available and considerably less expensive than in other metropolitan areas. The ACCRA cost of living index rates Springfield about eight to 10 percent below the national average. Springfield is the center of a region known for its lush hardwood forests, many rivers and large lakes. Outdoor recreation opportunities abound and lure thousands nationwide to try their skill at water sports, bass fishing, hunting and camping. White water canoeing rivers are numerous. The city enjoys a plateau climate with milder seasons than the state in general. It has an abundance of sunshine, low wind velocities and annual precipitation of 43 inches, only 17 of which are snow.

The city is strategically located 220 miles southwest of St. Louis, 229 miles north of Little Rock, 176 miles northeast of Tulsa and 175 miles southeast of Kansas City.

Three major universities and colleges enrich the city’s culture. Residents enjoy civic theater, symphony, ballet and opera as well as university and college drama, dance and music.

Training Objectives
In keeping with the program’s mission statement, Burrell’s internship training objectives are:


Core Curriculum
Burrell’s training format parallels its commitment to provide a comprehensive array of services to the community. The core services each intern will experience include:

• Outpatient behavioral health services for a variety of populations including children, adolescents, adults, families and the elderly. This part of the curriculum will require 15 direct service hours a week. Some of this time can be in group co-therapy.
• Emergency services through a well-staffed, 24 hour crisis hotline and mobile outreach team including crisis stabilization services to children, adolescents or adults. This rotation will be 2 weeks out of the internship year.
• Psychological evaluations for many target populations including children, adolescents, adults, geriatric and forensic clients. Interns are expected to complete one full evaluation a month under the supervision of senior psychologist with each evaluation to include an initial measure of problem solving ability, test of clinical status and projective test, leading to a diagnostic formulation and treatment recommendation.
• Services to adults or older adults with serious and persistent mental illness or children/adolescents with serious emotional disturbance. These services may be provided in one of the following settings: residential treatment facility, supported housing, or specialty clinics designed for these populations. This rotation is optional.

In addition to these core curriculum required training experiences, the intern may choose electives or minor rotations from the following:

• Addictions & Dual Diagnosis – specialty programs for adolescents and for adults with serious mental illness. This rotation will require a full day for four months. Adjunct supervisor, Director of CSTAR for adolescent ADA and IDDT project coordinator for adult.
• Program Evaluation/Research – emphasizing outcome-based measurement of program and service activity or a more substantial research activity around a specific service or intervention. Adjunct supervisor, Vice President of Research and Quality Assurance.
• Children’s Day Treatment or Behavioral Day Treatment – emphasizing direct services in an intensive setting and providing experience with pre-school age child development. This rotation will require a 6 month commitment for 2 half days/week. Adjunct supervision provided by the Director of CDT/BDT.
• Adolescent or Children’s Residential Services – emphasizing direct, intermediate term services for youth with serious emotional disturbance/mental illness living within a residential treatment setting. One facility specializes in adolescents and one specializes in pre-adolescents. These rotations will require 2 months for 1 day/week. Adjunct supervisor, Director of Children’s Residential.
• Geriatric Services – emphasizing community support services for an elderly population with serious and persistent mental illness to prevent unnecessary institutionalization. Adjunct supervisor, Assistant Director Transitions.
• Parent-Child Interaction Therapy – emphasizing intensive parent training for parents to develop effective behavior management skills for young children with severe behavior disorders. This rotation will require 2 cases/week and a semester commitment. Adjunct supervision provided by the Director of PCIT.
• Homeless Services – emphasizing crisis intervention/outreach services for Springfield’s homeless individuals who are also thought to be experiencing psychiatric difficulties. This rotation will require ½ day/week for 3 months. Adjunct supervisor, Director of Homeless Services.
• ACT (Assertive Community Treatment) Program – intensive team based services to persons with serious and persistent mental illness. This rotation will require 3 months for 1 day/week.

In addition to primary supervision you will be under an adjunct supervisor closely related to each program.

Training Modalities
When interns arrive at Burrell, they spend a considerable amount of time in orientation activities designed to familiarize them with all of Burrell’s programs and many of its key staff. During this approximate 4-day orientation, interns begin to map out a plan for completing their required rotations, the core curriculum and minor rotations of interest. Plans are reviewed with primary supervisors for approval, however, plans may be modified as interns’ interests emerge and change during the internship year.

Interns see a variety of clients weekly, utilizing a variety of therapy modalities (individual, group, family therapy) with a variety of target populations (those with serious and persistent mental illnesses, those with acute care needs, etc.); a variety of age groups (children, adolescents, adults, senior adults) and a variety of diagnoses and/or presenting problems. Burrell has an emphasis on short-term, problem-focused interventions. However, with proper peer review, clients needing long-term care are provided with such. Clients have a range of socio-economic backgrounds and are funded from a variety of sources, i.e. state assistance, insurance, managed care/EAP contracts, Medicaid, Medicare and self pay.

Interns are eligible to see clients utilizing state assistance and some managed care/EAP contracts. Insurance, Medicaid and Medicare require services to be provided by licensed providers. Burrell does not engage in the practice of surrogate billing, so client selection for interns is addressed by funding source and supervisor specification. This ensures an adequate variety of clients and appropriate training experiences.

Interns are able to select minor rotations which fit their interests, needs and energy levels. Minor rotations are usually limited to 2-3 per year, depending to some extent on the special time requirements of some minor rotations such as Children’s Day Treatment.

Intern training is a carefully supervised and guided activity. Weekly, each intern engages in the following:

Primary Supervision (individual) Staffing/Adjunctive Supervision Intern Didactics Psychological Evaluations Outpatient Therapy (scheduled) Evaluation Supervision (group) Electives/Minor Rotations

2 hours 1 hour   4 hours 2 hours 15 hours 2 hours 10-20 hours

Supervision includes a number of activities such as a review of audio or video tapes, case discussion, record review, co-therapy, co-signatures on evaluations and other formal assessments, direct observation of intern work, direct observation of supervisor work and formal case presentations.

Intern didactics are weekly training seminars. Topics covered may include ethics, court testimony, ethnic and cultural issues, work with special populations and utilization of specific therapeutic modalities or intervention strategies. Interns are also expected to attend monthly staff development activities and specially arranged training activities. Finally, interns may attend some outside training events as part of the internship curriculum.

Performance Criteria

Additional Comments
The completed evaluation form is shared with and signed by the intern in a formal supervisory session. The document then is read by at least one of the program directors and filed in the intern’s master file.

Informal evaluation of intern performance takes place on an on-going basis in supervision sessions to the extent that there are very few surprises, if any, for the intern at performance evaluation time.

In those situations where an intern is experiencing difficulties, supervisors work with the intern to develop a corrective action plan. Sometimes the issues are minor, such as a personal conflict, where reassignment will correct a negative experience. When difficulties are of such a serious nature that they might lead to discharge from the internship, Burrell policies and procedures must be carefully followed.

The Internship Staff
The clinical staff at Burrell includes highly qualified doctoral and master’s level individuals who are licensed in specialties such as clinical psychology, marriage and family therapy, psychiatric nursing, substance abuse counseling, professional counseling and clinical social work. In addition, Burrell’s staff members further specialize by age (children, adolescents, adults, senior adults) and by methodology (individual, marital, family, group).

Qualifications
Internship candidates should have completed their doctoral qualifying examinations and have their dissertation proposal topic agreed upon with their chairperson prior to beginning the internship.

Candidates should have completed all formal course work toward the PhD or PsyD in Clinical or Counseling Psychology in an APA accredited graduate program. Two internship positions are offered.

The program is a full-time, one year, predoctoral internship in Professional Psychology. It begins September 1 and carries a $15,000 annual stipend.

Benefits included:

• six days sick leave
• health insurance
• malpractice insurance
• 10 vacation days
• 10 holidays per year

Applications must be received by November 15 of each year. Burrell follows the selection process set forth by the Association of Psychology Internship Centers.

To Apply
If you are interested in applying for a Burrell internship position, please request an application packet from:


An Equal Opportunity Employer / Services provided on a nondiscriminatory basis.

This internship site agrees to abide by the APPIC policy that no person at this training facility will solicit, accept or use any ranking-related information from any intern applicant prior to Uniform Notification Day.