Students who complete APA accredited internships have greater opportunities for future training and jobs, which will help to share the training goals of the Bexar County Juvenile Probation Department and its Mental Health Assessment and Triage (MHAT) unit in the larger community. Ultimately, the residency program aims to assist the resident in learning how to act competently, respectfully, ethically, and empathically in the delivery of mental health services while being ever cognizant of the cultural and individual diversity of the clients being served. This necessarily includes an understanding of issues related to multiculturalism, underserved populations, and juvenile delinquency, as well as an awareness of professional issues and ethical standards.
“APA-accreditation offers third-party validation of the training we provide and our clinical services for the youth and families we serve,” said Dr. Mary Collins, who heads up the Bexar County MHAT unit. “Bexar County MHAT is thrilled to continue to offer APA-accredited doctoral internship training to our current and future residents with the wonderful support of our department and Chief.”
One primary reason for Bexar County’s prioritization of training is due to the limited number of mental health professionals in the community with an understanding of the unique needs of children involved in the justice system. Bexar County has been able to hire three former residents as postdoctoral fellows and then as staff psychologists in order to help alleviate the limited workforce and expand our departmental services for youth and their families. Furthermore, quality services in the community are even more limited for low-income families. Bexar County Juvenile Probation strives not to be the community’s primary provider of mental health services for youth. Rather, Bexar County Juvenile Probation Department works to support local community agencies through partnerships and referrals. Training such professionals is crucial during a time when the population of San Antonio continues to rise and the probable need for services to atrisk youth will continue to rise.
In 2014, the Bexar County Juvenile Probation Department began pursuit of accreditation by the APA, submitting the self-study in December 2014. Bexar County’s Mental Health Assessment and Triage (MHAT) unit provides opportunities for students who are currently enrolled in doctoral programs in psychology to complete their capstone internship through our twelve-month, 2000-hour, paid residency. During their twelve month internship, residents participate in three rotations while continuing their training with the MHAT unit throughout the entire year. The focus on the training experience in the MHAT unit varies between intervention, assessment, consultation, and training of probation officers. From January through October 2015, residents provided 602 hours of individual therapy, 224 hours of group therapy, and completed 53 psychological evaluations. Additionally, residents participate in the Stabilization, Treatment, and Evaluation Process, and with partner agency, University Health System, in Detention Center services for one rotation each. Finally, residents participate in the Weekend Program for several four-weekend periods throughout the training year. In addition to these activities, residents receive at least four hours of didactic training each week, as well four hours of individual and group supervision.
Bexar County MHAT unit was established in 2003 to fulfill a need for psychological testing to be completed, and was initially designed to be staffed by 1 licensed clinical psychologist. However, this was not enough to meet the demand of testing and intervention services, so the unit began to offer training to practicum students from nearby graduate programs and students seeking doctoral internships in order to expand the services offered and number of youth able to be served. Bexar County MHAT has been a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) since 2006. Residents are selected through APPIC’s annual nation-wide match process. Bexar County’s residency program has continued to grow, expanding from two to six Residents in 2014, and it now includes seven licensed psychologists who comprise the Core Training Team.