Shifting a training clinic to teletherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic: a trainee perspective

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has led many counselors and therapists to transition from in-person therapy to teletherapy services. Doctoral trainees in their first year of training, faculty, and staff at the Psychological Services Center (PSC), a training clinic at a large public university, successfully completed a rapid transition to teletherapy in March 2020. This brief report will provide insight into steps taken by the PSC to shift to remote training and practice while maintaining its educational and community mandates, prioritizing continuity of care and training during the onset of a global pandemic. We provide the trainee perspective on technological needs, remote supervision, and changes to clinical practice during the transition. Special considerations around self-disclosure and child treatment will be discussed. This brief report serves as an example of the multitude of considerations faculty, staff, and trainees may be faced with as therapeutic services continue remotely throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19
• teletherapy
• training
• training clinic
• pandemic
• supervision

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Adela Scharff

Ms. Adela Scharff, B.S. is a second-year doctoral student in the clinical psychology program of the University at Albany, State University of New York. Ms. Scharff received her BS in psychology from Haverford College, and is currently a member of the Psychotherapy and Behavior Change Research Lab. Her research interests include the many intersections of race and psychotherapy, eating disorder treatment, and psychotherapy integration. Ms. Scharff is a trainee at the Psychological Services Center.

Courtney E. Breiner

Courtney Breiner, B.A. is a second-year doctoral student in the clinical psychology program at the University at Albany, State University of New York. Ms. Breiner received her BA in Psychology from Boston University in 2018. She is currently a member of the Health Behaviors Laboratory at the University at Albany. Her research interests include the identification and treatment of pediatric eating disorders and the relationship between malnutrition and cognitive functioning. Ms. Breiner is a trainee at the Psychological Services Center.

Luna F. Ueno

Luna F. Ueno, M.A. is a second-year doctoral student in the clinical psychology program of the University at Albany, State University of New York. Ms. Ueno received her BS in psychology from University of California, San Diego, and her MA in clinical psychology from California State University, Northridge. She is currently a member of the Habits and Lifestyles Laboratory at the University at Albany. Her research interests include the etiology and maintaining factors of substance use, especially pertaining to marijuana use. Ms. Ueno is a trainee at the Psychological Services Center.

Shannon B. Underwood

Shannon B. Underwood, B.S.  is a second-year clinical psychology doctoral student at the University at Albany, State University of New York. She earned her B.S. in Psychology at West Virginia University. She is currently a member of the Anxiety Disorders Research Program at the University at Albany, which focuses on the variables and processes maintaining anxious suffering from an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy framework. Her current research interests include the implementation of self-compassion interventions and the ways in which language contributes to and maintains psychological suffering. Ms. Underwood is a trainee at the Psychological Services Center.

Edward C. Merritt

Edward C. Merritt, M.A.  is a second-year clinical psychology doctoral student at the University at Albany, State University of New York. He received his BA in psychology from SUNY Purchase, and his MA in psychology from Stony Brook University, New York. He is currently a member of the Child and Family Experience Lab, which focuses on childhood exposure to family and community violence. His research interest includes the effects of harsh parenting on psychophysiological changes, aggression, and empathy among adolescents and young adults. Edward is a trainee at the Psychological Services Center.

Laura M. Welch

Laura M. Welch, B.A. is a second-year clinical psychology doctoral student at the University at Albany, State University of New York. She earned her B.A. in Psychology from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is currently a member of the Child Clinical and Developmental Lab and researches influences of children’s behavioral, social, emotional, and cognitive development. Factors of interest include children’s executive functions, emotion regulation, and temperament, and interactions with parents, peers, and teachers. Ms. Welch is a trainee at the Psychological Services Center.

Carrie Fonda

Ms. Carrie Fonda, B.A. received her B.A. from Potsdam College in Sociology, with minors in Women’s Studies and Art. She has been an administrative staff member of the Psychological Services Center for the past five years.

Jennifer Weil Malatras

Dr. Jennifer Weil Malatras, Ph. D. is a licensed psychologist and Clinical Assistant Professor at the University at Albany, State University of New York, where she serves as the Associate Director for Child Services at the University’s Child and Family Therapy Clinic. Her clinical interests include cognitive behavioral treatment of children and adolescents, behavioral parent training, and pediatric psychology. Her research focuses on understanding the relationship between aspects of the family environment, self-regulation, and adjustment in children, adolescents, and emerging adults. Dr. Malatras received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University at Albany and completed a predoctoral internship and specialty training in pediatric psychology at the Kennedy Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Malatras supervises Psychological Services Center trainees in child-focused treatment and assessment.

Betty Lin

Dr. Betty Lin, Ph. D. is an Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Clinical Area and an Associate of the Center for the Elimination of Minority Health Disparities at the University at Albany, State University of New York. Dr. Lin earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Arizona State University, and completed an APA-accredited predoctoral internship at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center with an emphasis on early childhood and infant mental health. Dr. Lin then went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship in developmental psychopathology at the University of Utah. Dr. Lin studies child, family, and community factors that contribute to health and well-being in underserved populations beginning as early as the pregnancy and early childhood years. Dr. Lin is a licensed psychologist and serves as a clinical supervisor to child-focused trainees at the Psychological Services Center.

Julia M. Hormes

Dr. Julia M. Hormes, Ph. D.  is a clinical and health psychologist and the director of the Health Behaviors Laboratory as an Associate Professor at the University at Albany, State University of New York. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Work in Dr. Hormes’ lab examines a range of health and health-compromising behaviors related to food intake and body weight, substance use and misuse, non-substance/behavioral addictions, and the status of women in academia. Dr. Hormes’s clinical interests include eating disorders and obesity, addiction, and psychosocial adjustment to living with chronic illness. Dr. Hormes is a licensed psychologist and serves as a clinical supervisor to adult-focused trainees at the Psychological Services Center.

Alex L. Pieterse

Dr. Alex L. Pieterse, Ph. D. is an Associate Professor in the School of Education and Counseling Psychology at the University at Albany, State University of New York. Dr. Pieterse conducts research on health-related outcomes associated with the experience of racism, antiracism advocacy, race-related aspects of counseling psychology training, and the impact of self-awareness on the psychotherapy process. Dr. Pieterse is a licensed psychologist with a Ph. D. in Counseling Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University, and his professional experiences include conducting a psychotherapy practice and engaging in diversity consultation. As Doctoral Training Director in the Counseling Psychology program, Dr. Pieterse is a member of the Psychological Services Center steering committee.

Elana B. Gordis

Elana B. Gordis, Ph. D. is a licensed psychologist and Associate Professor at the University at Albany, State University of New York. Her research examines the effects of family conflict and violence and child maltreatment on children’s adjustment, including behavioral, psychobiological, and interpersonal outcomes. Dr. Gordis earned her Ph. D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Southern California. As Director of Clinical Training in the Clinical Psychology program, Dr. Gordis is a member of the Psychological Services Center steering committee. Dr. Gordis also serves as a clinical supervisor to summer practicum students at the Psychological Services Center.

Leslie F. Halpern

Dr. Leslie F. Halpern, Ph. D. is a licensed psychologist and Associate Professor and Chair of the Psychology Department at the University at Albany, State University of New York. Dr. Halpern earned her Ph. D. in Clinical Psychology and Mental Retardation Research from Vanderbilt University. Dr. Halpern’s areas of research interest include child temperament, emotion regulation and coping, and pediatric and developmental psychology. As Chair of the Psychology Department, Dr. Halpern serves on the Psychological Services Center steering committee.

Rena Pazienza

Ms. Rena Pazienza, M.S., LMHC is a rising fifth-year counseling psychology doctoral student at the University at Albany, State University of New York, and Assistant Director at the Psychological Services Center. Her research focuses primarily on health-risk and addictive behaviors, with an emphasis on women’s health. She will begin her doctoral internship at Sharp HealthCare, a not-for-profit psychiatric hospital in San Diego, CA during the 2020-21 academic year. Ultimately, she hopes to work in academia, combining interests in teaching, supervision, research, and clinical work.

George B. Litchford

Dr. George B. Litchford, A.B.P.P.-Cl is the Director of the Psychological Services Center at the University at Albany, State University of New York. He is a New York State licensed psychologist, a New York State certified school psychologist, a diplomate in clinical psychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology, an approved neuropsychologist for the Federal Aviation Agency, and has staff privileges at Albany Medical Center. He also reviews for a number of national testing agencies for accommodation requests under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Dr. Litchford’s clinical interests include psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations and the supervision of  doctoral students. He was a dual major in mathematics in psychology at Syracuse University. Dr. Litchford also has a general masters degree in psychology from Long Island University and a PhD in clinical psychology from the University at Albany. He completed a pre-doctoral clinical internship at New York University-Bellevue psychiatric hospital and a post doctoral internship in clinical neuropsychology at the University of Utah-Salt Lake City Veterans Administration hospital. Dr. Litchford supervises doctoral students in both the clinical psychology program and the counseling psychology program at the Psychological Services Center.