Psychology Training Programs

Our System and Department

Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA), has two hospital campuses (Cambridge and Everett, MA) and a network of primary care and specialty practices serving Boston's metro-North region. Since the mid-1960's, the CHA Department of Psychiatry has been committed to preventing and treating mental illness. With a commitment to community mental health, CHA is a nationally recognized center emphasizing the individual and his or her social systems.

This commitment includes clinical responsibility for traditionally underserved populations, such as the persistently and severely disturbed, the unprotected (infants and children at risk), the impoverished and the underprivileged. Our training programs aim to increase understanding of the forces that promote health and adaptation within the individual and community. Our multi-ethnic and multilingual staff is experienced in providing services (including preventive services) to minority and low-income groups as well as to university and middle-income communities.

Cambridge Health Alliance is a Community Behavioral Health Center (CBHC)

Since January 2023, designated Community Behavioral Health Centers (CBHCs) have provided expanded access to behavioral health evaluation and treatment across Massachusetts. CBHCs serve as an entry point for timely, high-quality and evidence-based treatment for mental health conditions and substance use disorders, including routine appointments, urgent visits, and 24/7 community-based crisis intervention as an alternative to hospital emergency departments.

CBHCs will provide the following services, in person and via telehealth:

• Same-day evaluation and access to treatment, with timely follow-up appointments
• Evening and weekend hours
• Behavioral health urgent care
• Evidence-based treatment for mental health conditions and substance use disorders, including clinical services and peer support services
• 24/7 community-based locations for crisis intervention, and mobile crisis teams
• Crisis stabilization beds

These Centers will serve all ages and all communities across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.    

OF NOTE: PSYCHOLOGY TRAINEES MAY HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO ROTATE THROUGH SOME CBHC SERVICES, DEPENDING ON THEIR TRAINING PROGRAM. IF SO, TRAINEE WORK IN THESE SERVICES WILL OCCUR DURING TYPICAL M-F (e.g, 8-6pm) WORK HOURS.  AFTER HOURS AND WEEKENDS WILL NOT BE REQUIRED.

About the Division of Psychology

The CHA Division of Psychology includes approximately thirty-five core faculty and staff and draws on a large pool of psychologists affiliated with Harvard Medical School for supervision and supplementary services. Our team includes licensed full-time and part-time staff (including clinical psychologists, psychoanalysts, health psychologists, personality and developmental psychologists). We place a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary training in psychiatry, psychology, social work and nursing. Psychologists also hold clinical and administration positions in our Child and Adult Ambulatory Clinics, Community Behavioral Health Center, Child and Adolescent Inpatient Units, Latinx Mental Health Team, and research teams.

Clinical Psychology Training Programs

CHA offers an internship in clinical psychology accredited by the Office of Accreditation of the American Psychological Association. We also offer an extensive post-doctoral training program in clinical psychology with fellows based in core clinical services throughout our system. Additionally, doctoral students in clinical and counseling psychology are eligible to apply for advanced practicum experiences.

The Clinical Psychology Training Programs prepare doctoral candidates and postdoctoral fellows in clinical psychology to understand and treat persons suffering with a broad spectrum of emotional distress. In addition, we aim to prepare psychology students in all of our programs to be future leaders in service and training.

Using a scholar-practitioner model, our curriculum emphasizes a biopsychosocial approach to the understanding of people and values the use of psychological intervention and psychotherapy. Our talented and multidisciplinary faculty engage trainees in didactics and in individual and group supervision designed to teach about sponsoring change. Our comprehensive curriculum is designed to develop core competencies and leadership skills in empirically-supported care for a broad range of behavioral health disorders. We emphasize cultural responsiveness within a public healthcare environment.

Through a combination of didactic sessions, hands-on clinical experiences, and elective opportunities, you will acquire the knowledge, skills, and expertise necessary to excel in your field. Our curriculum provides theoretical foundations, evidence-based practices, practical application, and specialized areas of focus, ensuring that you graduate as a competent and compassionate clinician capable of delivering exceptional care to diverse populations.

We are deeply committed to advancing diversity across dimensions such as race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation. Our commitment aligns with CHA’s commitment to eliminating disparities, as embodied in its Mission to improve the health of our patients and communities, and the Vision of equity and excellence for everyone, every time.

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