Clinical Social Work Training

 

Video: Melissa Webster, LMSW, Director of the Clinical Social Work Post Graduate Fellowship Program and the 2023 Fellows talking about the program and answering questions during the 2024 Informational for recruitment for trainees on September 14, 2023.  

 

We are integrally involved in the teaching mission of the Department of Psychiatry providing teaching, supervision and collaborative team experience to Child Psychiatry Fellows and Post-Doctoral Psychology Interns.

 

Social Work Post Grad Training

The Social Work Post Graduate Program provides a 1 - 2 year post Masters graduate training with extensive clinical experience, supervision and educational opportunities in clinical social work while working towards full licensure.

For 2024 training year, we are anticipating 3-5 positions:

  • 3-5 Fellowship positions in the Ambulatory Psychiatry Program:  
  • 1 within Child/Adolescent Services
  • 1-2 within Adult Services (including an Anxiety Program 2-year position)
  • 1 within Addiction Treatment Services (Adolescent through Adult)
  • 1 within Comprehensive Gender Services Program (pending approval)

Philosophy of Training

The Clinical Social Work Post Graduate Training Program is a leading program through which trainees attain strong clinical skills and obtain licensure. We are committed to providing cutting-edge clinical training, challenging work, and dynamic experiences at the interface of science and practice. Fellows have opportunities to work closely with faculty, staff, and trainees from a variety of disciplines in order to best facilitate both personal growth and professional development. 

Goals

Our postgraduate training program aims to prepare each Fellow to meet the challenges and embrace the exciting opportunities for the delivery of social work services and advancement of knowledge in our field.

Program Design

Fellowship Term: Our postgraduate training program is generally a two-year program.  Appointments are made initially for one year, with a second year re-appointment being at the discretion of the Department, Section, and Fellow of interest.  Appointments extend from January 1st to December 31st.

Time Commitment: Approximately 40 hours/week

Expectations of Fellows:

  • Develop a personal program of self-directed study and professional growth with guidance from the teaching staff

  • Teach and mentor other Fellows, interns, and students as assigned or required

  • Adhere to the established practices, procedures, and policies of the institution as well as published ethical and service standards of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW)

  • Participate on one or more of the outpatient interdisciplinary teams for 6 months to 1 year intervals. Fellows select their team based on their clinical interest and our availability.

  • Obtain state licensure and adhere to state licensing laws and regulations

  • Conduct clinical diagnostic evaluations and provide evidence-based psychosocial treatments for clients in an outpatient setting (Palliative is inpatient).

  • Participate in additional training seminars and individualized educational experiences and research

 

Components of Core Curriculum:

Grand Rounds/Invited Lectures

Weekly attendance at Grand Rounds/Invited Lectures in the Department of Psychiatry is highly recommended.  These provide current, state-of-the-art presentations and discussions of research finding and clinical controversies in the field as a whole. Fellows have the option of presenting at Grand Rounds.

Didactics/Mentorship

Each postgraduate Fellow will participate in or more formal didactics or seminar series in their area of specialization.  This will be determined by the Fellow and his/her Clinical Supervisor. Some possibilities include the following:

  • CBT Mentorship for Anxiety

  • CBT Mentorship for Depression

  • Couples Mentorship

  • DBT Mentorship

  • IPT Mentorship

  • MI Mentorship

  • Group Psychotherapy (DBT, CBT, Social Skills, etc.)

  • Child Psychotherapy Training Clinics:

  • Parent Management Training

  • CBT

  • IPT/FFT

  • Trauma and Grief

 

Eligibility Requirements

  • Completion of a Masters of Social Work degree at an CSWE-accredited institution

  • US Citizenship required

Stipend/Benefits

  • For the 2023 Fellowship year, first year Fellows received $44,000, and second year Fellows received $48,000.

  • Medical benefits

  • 20 days paid time off per year

 

How to Apply

 

For More Information

For more details, contact Melissa Webster, LMSW

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2023 PGF Cohort

Chelsea Benedict

Chelsea Benedict received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Classical Civilizations with a concentration in Neuroscience and minor in Psychology from Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, Michigan. After graduating, she worked for 2 years as a clinical subjects’ coordinator for research studies of Drs. Kate Fitzgerald and Yanni Liu through the Child OCD & Anxiety Disorders Program. These studies investigated the behavioral and neurophysiological effects of treatments (e.g., executive control training activities, cognitive behavioral therapy) for children and adolescents with anxiety disorders. Chelsea completed her Master of Social Work degree at University of Michigan School of Social work, participating in the Integrated Health Scholar program and focusing on Interpersonal Practice in Integrated Health, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse. She completed her field placement at Genesee Health System, the Genesee County Community Mental Health agency. As a social work intern, she supported the delivery of trauma-informed therapy to youth aged 0-17 years in home, school, community, and office settings. As a Social Work Fellow, Chelsea will work as part of the General Team and she will participate in the CBT Psychotherapy Training Clinic and Child Parent Psychotherapy didactics. Chelsea’s clinical interests include CBT for anxiety and depression, ERP for obsessive-compulsive disorder, and trauma-informed care.

Alec Butterfield

Alec Butterfield is a second year Post Graduate Fellow in our Adult Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic, following completion of his MSW at University of Michigan in 2021. Prior, he completed his BA in Psychology from Earlham College (2012) and has been a Registered Yoga Teacher since 2015. Alec has taken part in several other educational & service opportunities such as Americorps, teaching yoga to incarcerated individuals, and serving as a mentor & case manager for disenfranchised adolescent males.

During his MSW, he interned at the University of Michigan Psychological Clinic, providing assessment and outpatient therapy to adults. During his internship, he helped facilitate groups for Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Social Anxiety, and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy. He was also able to gain skill in Acceptance and Commitment, Interpersonal and Motivational Interviewing. While completing his internship, he also participated in research via the Treatment, Innovation and Dissemination Research Group (TIDR) where he applied the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview.

We are excited to have his range of experience and curiosity, and willingness to jump in straight-away in co-facilitating a Dialectical Behavioral Therapy skills group. Alec’s team assignments include our Crisis Support Clinic and our PREP (Program for Risk Evaluation and Prevention related to Psychosis) teams. He is also taking on adult cases related to depression & anxiety, with an interest in bringing psychodynamic components into more structured psychotherapies.

Alec has a keen interest in houseplants, with over 30 in his home, with his current favorite being the cane begonia.

Brooke Gabriel

Brooke Gabriel completed her MSW from University of Michigan in December 2021 and had completed her BA in English Language and Literature with a Minor in Writing in May of 2015. In between her educational degrees, Brooke worked in several writing and editing roles before pivoting to nonprofit work at MHP Salud, an organization that provides Community Health Worker programs to underserved Latinx communities in the United States. While there, she helped coordinate and support Community Health Worker programs and advance public health initiatives for marginalized communities.

Brooke completed her MSW internship within the Department of Psychiatry, working primarily in the Perinatal Clinic. She also completed mentorships in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and the Psychosocial Impact of Illness.

As a Post Grad Fellow, Brooke has continued her work and training in the Perinatal Clinic and also hopes to expand into parent-dyad work. She looks forward to further expanding her therapy toolkit and hopes to someday provide in animal-assisted therapy.

In her pre-MSW life, Brooke co-wrote and produced a sketch comedy show at The Second City. It was called “Grimace and Bear It” and featured a few appearances from a person dressed as the McDonald's character, Grimace. The show sold out multiple times!

Ella Imes

Ella Imes received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Peace & Global Studies and Spanish from Earlham College. After graduating she worked in Wilderness Therapy in North Georgia for a year with students ages 13-19. She went to the University of Michigan School of Social work for her MSW and graduated with two focuses in Global Social Work and Interpersonal Practice & Integrated Health. As a Global Activities Scholar Ella was able to do two internships. One at Escuela Avancemos in Southwest Detroit, where she did work as a school social worker, leading Social Emotional Learning one on one’s and groups, doing classroom-based interventions about race & racism and helping to lead school wide events. Ella’s second internship was at International Rescue Committee in Dallas Texas, here she was a mental health intern and did one on one sessions with new arrival refugees. Ella’s is particularly interested in trauma, DBT, migration related trauma/stress, spirituality, and somatic and holistic approaches to therapy. She hopes to explore more interventions and methods while a Fellow with us. She will be on the Children & Adolescents side working with the Anxiety team and doing the DBT and CBT workshops. She is so grateful to be a part of our team and is excited to meet everyone and get familiar with the space.

Lauren Morgan

Lauren Morgan received her Bachelor of General Studies with a concentration in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Michigan in 2021. She continued at the University of Michigan to receive her Master of Social Work degree with a focus in Interpersonal Practice and Policy and Political Social Work. Lauren completed her internship with Michigan Medicine on the Adult Ambulatory Psychiatry where she was supervised by David Maahs. During this training Lauren saw patients for individual psychotherapy. She also received training in evidence-based practices such as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and ER Social Work. She is excited to continue to learn and expand her clinical skills as an Adult Ambulatory Psychiatry Social Work Fellow. Lauren’s clinical interests include working with athletes, DBT, CBT for depression and anxiety, and taking a more attachment theory-based approach in psychotherapy.   

Bethany Navis

Bethany Navis joins us this year as a first year Post Graduate Fellow in Psychiatry, working in the Child and Adolescent Clinic. She completed her MSW at University of Michigan in December 2021, and previously completed her BS in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience at University of Michigan (2017). Her MSW internship was in our Psychiatry with children and adolescents, with a particular focus on CBT for anxiety and depression. During her internship she also had training & experience in several other evidenced based psychotherapies. She also sought additional education & training via the Medical Center of South Carolina (for TF-CBT) and Bounce Back Training (helping kids bounce back from trauma).

Prior to her internship, Bethany worked within Psychiatry as a Research Tech in the Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Program. During that time, she joined our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, and has been the Lead of our Education Subcommittee.  In this role, she has organized and facilitated monthly Lunch and Learns, coordinated the DEI Grand Rounds, and helped facilitate Department unconscious bias and bystander intervention training.

As a Fellow, we are excited that she is continuing her role within DEI. Her clinical focus will start out with the CBT for Anxiety and Depression. As with all trainees, the caseload variety will be broad, and she will be getting some additional training & support in working with children on the autism spectrum, family focused therapy, and DBT.

Bethany describes herself as loving being outdoors. This past summer, she spent some time in Alaska where she was able to see a large variety of wildlife including moose, humpback whale, otters, and orcas chasing dolphins while exploring mountains and glaciers.

Jordyn Tovey

Jordyn Tovey graduated with her Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Michigan University in 2020 with a major in Psychology and minor in Criminal Justice. There she worked as a resident assistant and coordinated with Western’s Autism Services Center to effectively create a more inclusive environment in the resident halls for neurodivergent students. Additionally, she worked as a research assistant in the psychology department behavioral neuroscience lab and child maltreatment lab. She continued this work after graduating before moving to the east side of the state to work as an administrative assistant to a local psychiatrist. Inspired by the clinical work and realizing she wanted to be more involved in-patient care, she applied to University of Michigan School of Social work in 2021 where she completed her MSW within the Interpersonal Practice in Integrated Health, Mental Health, & Substance Abuse pathway. Jordyn spent the past year working as an intern at The DBT Institute of Michigan in Mason, Michigan. There she studied the DBT framework to provide dialectical behavioral therapy as an individual therapist and skills group leader to both adults and adolescents. Jordyn‘s current clinical interests include cannabis dependency, post-traumatic stress disorder, psychological treatments that support living well with chronic illness, and neurodivergent affirming care.

Janelis Turner

Janelis Turner received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. During this time, she was part of multiple research labs including the Learning Lab and the Infant Cognition Lab at U of M. She was also involved in working/volunteering at preschools and high schools working with children in different capacities. She has always had an interest working with children and especially those from marginalized communities since her main goal in life is to help those from her own community and others that have gone through hardships especially within the mental health field. She recently obtained her Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan in the Interpersonal Practice in Integrated Health, Mental Health, & Substance Abuse Pathway. She interned at Adventure Leadership which is a program under the department of Recreational Sports at UofM while also practicing under her supervisor's (Kallie England, LMSW) private practice. She focused her clinical work practicing Adventure and Eco-Therapy which she enjoyed very much. Janelis saw patients for individual psychotherapy while also being a Lead Facilitator in Adventure Leadership. As a facilitator, she gained skills that were transferable to the clinical work she practiced while also learning more about working outdoors and the relationship between nature and mental health. As a Social Work Fellow, Janelis is very excited to learn from her peers and involve herself as much as possible. She is passionate about all the mentorships that are available and is hoping to increase her clinical knowledge while practicing in a holistic approach. Janelis' clinical interest include ADHD, anxiety disorders, and trauma-informed care.

Kristen Zylka

Kristen Zylka received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Michigan State University. While attending undergraduate school she worked with the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities as well as being a research assistant and an undergraduate learning assistant. She also volunteered with Crisis Text Line, being trained in crisis management and suicide prevention. Kristen obtained her Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan, graduating in December of 2022. She was an intern with the Child and Adolescent Outpatient Psychiatry clinic with Michigan Medicine, working mainly with clients experiencing symptoms of anxiety and OCD. As a Social Work Fellow, Kristen will be a part of the Perinatal-DBT group as well as focusing on CPP and DBT. Kristen has an interest in working with children and adolescents as well as working with a trauma-informed lens. She's thrilled to be remaining with Michigan Medicine and continuing her work with children and adolescents.