Rotations
The following rotations have been offered in the past, although rotation availability (or experiences within) may vary due to unforeseen circumstances. Please note some services currently have reduced bed capacity (fewer than reported in the rotation descriptions) due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Adult Receiving Rotations:
The Female Receiving Service (FRS) and Male Receiving Service (MRS) meet the acute psychiatric needs of approximately 100 patients (50 on FRS and 50 on MRS), 18 years and older, who have been committed to Mississippi State Hospital through the Chancery Court system. Patients are evaluated, stabilized, and treated within an average length of stay of approximately 30 days. Approximately 80% of all patients entering these units return home or to community placement without requiring further inpatient treatment. The treatment program is trauma-informed, person-centered, and recovery-focused, seeking patient rehabilitation and return to a less restrictive environment as the primary goal. Grounded in an interdisciplinary approach, while seeking maximum input and participation from the patients and their families, Behavioral Health employees focus on the affective, cognitive, behavioral, and physical symptoms that led to each patient’s hospitalization. Employees strive to foster a sense of personal identity, competence, and self-esteem, in an evidence-based, therapeutic environment, which focuses on the individualized, specific needs of each patient. The program is committed to the promotion of personal dignity and self-worth, supporting the capacity of each individual to benefit from the inpatient treatment environment. Patients benefit from on-ward programming as well as attendance at the Adult Receiving Services Treatment Mall, participating in evidence-based programming such as Illness Management and Recovery (IMR), Cognitive Therapy, Trauma therapy, SAMHSA’s Anger Management, etc., and a variety of adjunctive therapeutic services (art, music, horticulture, etc.). Training experiences for residents in the past have included: treatment team participation, admission assessments, psychological assessment and suicide risk assessment, skills training, individual, group, and family therapy, behavior management consultation, and program development.
Child and Adolescent Service – Psychiatric Rotation and Substance Use Rotation:
Oak Circle Center (OCC) is a 22-bed child and adolescent unit for the evaluation, stabilization, and treatment of patients who range in age from 4 to 17 years. Patients present with a variety of symptoms and functional levels. There are three unique service programs: a child program, a psychiatric service adolescent program, and an adolescent substance use service program. Specific evidence based programming includes Aggression Replacement Training, DBT Skills Manual for Adolescents, Skillstreaming for Adolescents and School Aged Children, Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Depression, Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Anxiety, Safety Planning for suicide risk, and various substance use programming including Seeking Safety. All patients participate in a positive behavior support program, which includes a point system and participation in weekly unit sponsored fun nights and reward mall visits (dependent upon the amount of points earned per week). Patients also attend the OCC Treatment Mall. The treatment mall services consist of behavioral health services programming, educational programing, therapeutic recreational programming, social services programming, music therapy, art therapy, horticulture, and nursing education. Training experiences for residents in the past have included: psychological assessment and suicide risk assessment, treatment planning, individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy/conferences, functional assessment and behavior support planning, interdisciplinary treatment team participation, and discharge planning.
Substance Use Service (SUS) Rotation:
The SUS consists of two inpatient treatment buildings, which house approximately 25 male and 25 female patients. All individuals receiving treatment have primary alcohol and substance-related diagnoses, although a significant degree of attention is also given to co-occurring factors and symptoms. As such, treatment is also provided for those patients who meet criteria for secondary psychiatric diagnoses (mood disorders, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, etc.). SUS uses a variety of means to provide individual and group therapy, consultation, and supplemental therapeutic intervention as necessary. Beyond providing each patient with a foundational understanding of the program of recovery, therapeutic interventions are focused on interpersonal and intrapersonal matters that are either supportive of a program of sustained recovery, or that potentially hinder one from successful abstinence and recovery. Much of the foundation for treatment is grounded in a hybrid DBT/12-step model. Training experiences for residents in the past have included: individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy/conferences, psychological assessment and suicide risk assessment, multi-disciplinary team involvement, trauma/grief group therapy, women's issues, DBT-informed therapy, and the SUS Family Program.
Administrative Psychology:
As psychologists move through their professional careers, they are often promoted to positions in management and administration. However, administrative training is not typically a part of the formal curriculum that psychologists receive. This rotation seeks to provide an overview of facility-wide administrative issues, including interactions with other hospital departments, quality improvement measurement and reporting, program development, staff productivity and efficiency measures, staff competency and training, addressing issues with regulations and regulatory boards (e.g., Joint Commission, CARF, CMS, HIPAA), development of departmental and hospital-wide procedures, hospital committee participation, and may involve the supervision of others. Residents will also maintain patient contact hours through assigned psychotherapy cases, psychological assessment and suicide risk assessment referrals, and behavioral consultation across the various clinical units. Some training experiences (staff training) may be conducted at sister facilities as well as conducted outside of regular office hours to accommodate employees who are on shift work. Additionally, some residents may have the opportunity to participate in some rotation experiences through the Mississippi Department of Mental Health (DMH) Central Offices in downtown Jackson.
Assessment Rotation:
Residents will have the opportunity to develop/advance their skills in appropriately addressing referral questions, administering, scoring, and interpreting psychological tests, and developing appropriate recommendations based on the assessment findings. Residents will also receive training in presenting these findings and recommendations to members of the treatment team and the patient. Opportunities for different types of assessment include suicide risk assessment, personality or diagnostic clarification, neuropsychological screening, and cognitive evaluations. Referrals which are relevant to the resident’s specific training preferences can be identified by the Assessment Team Director and assigned based on level of competency and training needs.
Continued Treatment Service (CTS) Rotation:
The Continued Treatment Service (CTS) provides long-term psychiatric treatment for approximately 40 men and 25 women with chronic mental illness. Both the male and female buildings provide clinical services for individuals with on-going treatment needs, who have had a history of multiple psychiatric hospitalizations and were committed to Mississippi State Hospital through the Chancery Court System. Major diagnostic categories include Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders, Disruptive, Impulse Control Disorders, and Bipolar Disorders often with co-occurring personality disorders or impaired neurocognitive functioning. In addition, the male building has one of largest forensic treatment populations in a hospital setting, with individuals who have been adjudicated as Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI) via the Circuit Court System or who have been assessed as Not Competent and Not Restorable, with subsequent Chancery Court commitment. Based on these differences, CTS provides the unique opportunity for treatment experiences with both civil and forensic psychiatric patients in a structured environment with multi-disciplinary global programming. Evidence-based programming for Behavioral Health Services has been developed to promote illness management and recovery, increase skills development, improve emotional regulation skills, and ameliorate factors associated with violence risk. Individualized case conceptualization is advocated to enhance person-centered recovery. Training experiences for residents in the past have included: group therapy, individual therapy, suicide risk assessment, behavior management programming, psychological assessment, and interdisciplinary treatment planning.
Forensic Treatment Service Rotation:
The Forensic Treatment Rotation provides the intern with an introduction to an array of treatment services in the field of clinical forensic psychology. The intern may also have opportunities to observe aspects of the evaluation process that inform treatment. The MSH Forensic Treatment Service provides pre-trial and post-conviction services to adults from all counties in the state of Mississippi admitted for competence restoration, not competent/not restorable status, or those adjudicated not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI). Services are provided to approximately 40 patients across two buildings: maximum-security (men only) and medium security (men and women). Inpatient treatment services include court competence restoration and rotating Evidence Based Treatment (e.g., anger management, DBT, mental health symptom management, etc.) groups, as well as individual therapy/supportive counseling and case management guided by the interdisciplinary treatment team. Training experiences for interns in the past have included: co-facilitation of court competence restoration groups, individual/group therapy, interdisciplinary treatment team participation, and observation of court competency hearings.
Geropsychology Rotation:
Jaquith Nursing Home (JNH) is a 200+-bed long-term care facility consisting of 5 homes which are divided into 3 separately licensed units with Joint Commission accreditation. The program at JNH serves individuals with chronic medical conditions, moderate to severe traumatic brain injury, and anoxic brain injury, and cognitive impairment due to major neurocognitive disorder due to varying etiologies (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease, vascular disease, Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration, etc.). Many nursing home residents have comorbid diagnoses of severe mental illness. There are two special care units for individuals requiring more intensive supervision and assistance due to decreased cognitive functioning and increased need for positive behavior support. Residents on the Geropsychology rotation gain experience with neurocognitive screening and other assessment instruments to evaluate cognitive impairments, delirium, depression, independent functioning, and psychiatric/personality disorders commonly found in an elderly population. Residents will also provide individual psychotherapy and supportive counseling, group counseling, and behavior management for a variety of psychological issues common to the long-term care population. Finally, residents will provide consultation on all care issues, policies, and procedures that affect the mental and behavioral health of nursing home residents. This rotation offers an excellent opportunity to explore geropsychology, neuropsychology, behavioral medicine, pharmacology, and end-of-life issues with an elderly patient population.
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Rotation (not currently available):
Residents who want additional experience serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities may do so by participating in training experiences with Hudspeth Regional Center (HRC), a 120-acre campus, located adjacent to Mississippi State Hospital. The Center is a licensed Intermediate Care Program for Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) which provides 24-hour care. Approximately 200 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities reside on the program's campus. In addition, approximately 900 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities receive an array of services through the HRC's Community Services Division. All services and programs are based on the interdisciplinary team approach to program development and implementation. Training experiences for residents in the past have included: exposure to functional analysis and ABC observations, exposure to active treatment learning sessions, psychological assessment, participation in an interdisciplinary team process, development of behavior modification training materials, development and implementation of behavioral plans, provision of group therapy (as needed by group homes and community case management), development of a social skills training guide, and participation in research design with the goal of publication.