Supervisor(s): Vickie Woosley, Psy.D., HSP
Location: Vanderbilt University, 2601 Jess Neely Dr., Nashville, TN 37212
Clinical or Research Rotation: Clinical
Number of Positions Available: 1
Anticipated Number of Face-to-Face Clinical Hours per Week: 3-4
Description: The Vanderbilt Athletics Department provides individual therapy for collegiate athletes, and psychological/sports interventions to enhance the athletic and academic performance of all student-athletes. Services are provided in the athletic facility and on occasion outside when working with an entire team. Aspects of the position are physical in nature. This rotation provides interns with experience in the range of issues that typically exist in a collegiate athletic setting. These include taking a biopsychosocial intake of an individual with a long history of sport participation, student athletes dealing with depression, anxiety, concussion, injury, and ADHD/AD/LD issues.
This rotation emphasizes the role of the clinical psychologist in the context of an athletic setting which may include a multi-disciplinary team of the coach, the athletic trainer, academic advisors, nutritionist, and an administrator. Also, this rotation includes the opportunity to develop outreach programs for student athletes/teams, participate in the Health Enhancement Committee for student athletes and provide consults to coaches. Under direct supervision, interns will conduct clinical interviews, provide individual therapy, administer screening assessment tools for ADHD/ADD/LD, and provide feedback to the student athlete.
Competency Goals: By the end of the rotation, interns will be expected to demonstrate knowledge of communication and interpersonal skills that facilitate positive and therapeutic relationships. The intern will have demonstrated the ability to work cooperatively with other professionals (both mental health and others) as part of a health care team. Upon completion the intern will have an understanding of the practice of clinical psychology within a sport/athletic community that will facilitate their ability to compete in a broader range of job opportunities. The intern will have gained the knowledge and skills in the areas of sports psychology pertinent to a university setting, including sensitivity and responsiveness to a student athlete’s culture, age, and gender. The intern will develop a commitment to ethical principles pertaining to providing care, confidentiality of information, and informed consent.
Prerequisites: Prior graduate level coursework and practicum experience in sports psychology or in working with athletes in some capacity would be helpful.
Contact Information: For more information please contact Dr. Vickie Woosley (vickie.woosley@vanderbilt.edu).