The pre-doctoral internship in clinical psychology at the Lancaster General Behavioral Medicine and Neuropsychology department was designed to train future psychologists to work in health care settings that emphasize multi-disciplinary collaboration and treatment. The Behavioral Medicine and Neuropsychology Department at the Lancaster General Hospital (LGH) was established in 1987 to provide both inpatient and outpatient psychological and neuropsychological assessment and therapy services to patients with a variety of medical problems. We have since become an integral part of many of the hospital's service-lines and programs and provide psychological services to the Stroke Team, Trauma-neuro Team, Memory Disorders Program, Womens and Babies Hospital, Lancaster Rehabilitation Hospital, Central PA Pain Center, Neuro Day Treatment Program and the Lancaster General Bariatric Surgery Center. Currently the department consists of four psychologists, one psychometrician and support staff. Two of the psychologists are board certified in clinical neuropsychology.

In keeping with our philosophy that interns need to be exposed to and develop a wide range of clinical skills, students will be trained to evaluate and treat both hospitalized, medically ill patients as well as patients at our outpatient health campus. Students will learn to use appropriate diagnostic techniques that include the clinical interview as well as psychometric testing (personality and neuropsychological). As some of our work involves neuropsychological assessment, students will be trained to administer and interpret a variety of neuropsychological tests and to effectively impart their findings to patients, family members and other health care workers. Psychologists are often consulted to provide diagnostic and treatment services to patients on the medical/surgical floors of the hospital and the Rehabilitation Hospital. Consultation requests frequently include the evaluation of  patients suspected of having dementia/delerium, anxiety disorders, depression, PTSD, adjustment and other psychiatric disorders. Consultations on the Mental Health Unit for psychological and neuropsychological testing are also performed.  

On the outpatient side, students will be involved in our Memory Disorders Program (MDP) and will have the opportunity to assess and treat our patients who are suspected of having a variety of dementing conditions. The MDP allows interns to work as part of an interdisciplinary team consisting of neuropsychologists, neurologists, nursing, geriatricians and social workers. Interns provide individual and group therapy to patients participating in the Neuro Day Treatment Program designed to treat patients with a variety of neurological disorders including TBI, stroke, tumor and demyelinating disease. The psychologists also participate with the Central PA Pain Center in providing evaluation and treatment services to ambulatory patients with a variety of chronic pain disorders such as fibromyalgia.  We are also involved in the assessment of patients who are considering bariatric surgery and work in concert with the surgical team to help ensure quality outcomes.

In addition to the above, the Behavioral Medicine department accepts referrals to treat patients with depression, anxiety and other Axis I disorders using primarily cognitive-behavioral approaches. Patients requiring long-term psychotherapy are usually referred to other service providers in the community.