DMH-Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center (DSCFMHC)
The DSCFMHC is a 6o-bed, inpatient, public sector psychiatric hospital owned and operated by the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH).
The hospital is named after Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller (1872-1953), who was born in Monrovia, Liberia and moved to the United States where he attended Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina before continuing to graduate medical school from Boston University School of Medicine in 1897. He then spent much of his career at DMH’s Westborough State Hospital. He became highly regarded for his groundbreaking research on the physical changes in the brain during Alzheimer’s disease.
Today, the DSCFMHC provides person-centered, inpatient psychiatric care to individuals with acute and severe mental illnesses. Clinical services operate within an interdisciplinary treatment team, consisting of psychiatry, nursing staff, medical staff, occupational and rehabilitation staff, social work, and substance use counselors. As a teaching hospital, the DSCFMHC provides learning opportunities for students across disciplines.
Program Overview:
As the DSCFMHC receives a high proportion of patients from the legal system, training particularly emphasizes the ability to provide empirically based and legally informed care. Patients at the DSCFMHC represent a wide range of diverse backgrounds, including, but not limited to various medical, social, and psychiatric needs, including concerns of psychosis, substance use, issues of risk (suicide, violence, sexual behaviors, and firesetting), trauma, personality pathology, and severe affective illnesses. Furthermore, the population served by the DSCFMHC is often underserved.
Interns are expected to develop clinical competencies in both psychotherapy and assessment areas. In addition, interns participate within the multidisciplinary treatment teams and provide consultation services related to various issues, such as competence restoration, risk assessment, and individualized care planning. The training program also emphasizes didactic training to further develop foundational and specific knowledge related to clinical work at the DSCFMHC (i.e., Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, psychodiagnostic and cognitive assessment, crisis management and de-escalation, ethics, and relevant legal topics).
Training Structure and Expectation:
The following represents the general program expectations and tasks for trainees. Additional opportunities and further details vary according to hospital needs and individual training goals.
Clinical Training:
- Attend daily rounds and treatment team meetings where trainees serve as an integral member of an interdisciplinary team to assess, interview, and develop interventions for admitted patients
- Conduct diagnostic intake assessments, including risk assessment for new admissions
- Maintain an individual psychotherapy caseload of about 4 patients
- Facilitate/co-facilitate about 1 psychotherapy groups per week and develop empirically supported, appropriate group curriculum under supervision
- Conduct comprehensive neuropsychological and psychodiagnostic psychological reports, including test administration, scoring, interpretation, and report writing
- Conduct risk assessments to aid in understanding further violence, suicide, and/or fire-setting risk
- Participate in consultation services, which may be related to issues of competence, risk, care plans, behavioral plans, etc.
Didactics and Seminars:
- Weekly didactic trainings related to a variety of clinical, treatment, and forensic topics
- Attend other interdisciplinary didactics and grand rounds at Tufts Medical Center as available
Elective Opportunities:
- Interns may also participate in a host of additional, elective opportunities that include, among others, participating in research projects, attending commitment hearings in court, observing court ordered forensic evaluations, and collaborating with students from other disciplines
Time Commitment and Schedule:
Unless otherwise agreed upon, trainees are expected to commit to one year of part-time clinical experience (2 days, 16 hours per week).
The typical scheduled days/hours are Tuesdays and Fridays 8:30am to 4:30pm. At the beginning of the year, all trainees will participate in a portion of orientation through DMH, which will be scheduled during working days.
Location:
The DSCFMHC is in Boston’s South End neighborhood next to Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, and Boston University Dental School. It is accessible by bus routes 8 or 47 from the Ruggles T station, route 47 from Broadway T station, or route 10 from Back Bay station. Street metered parking is available, yet limited, and multiple paid parking garages are available. There is a public bicycle rack outside the building as well.
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