Psychological Services

In accord with the hospital’s vision statement – Caring for You. Innovating for the World – Psychology at LHSC is committed to patient care, teaching, and research. Our staff is also strongly committed to the enhancement of psychology as a profession through continuing staff education and leadership in organizations devoted to professional growth. Psychology Staff includes 25 full-time and 6 part-time psychologists, 3 psychological associates, 5 psychometrists, and a number of support staff and research assistants (see Consortium Staff Biosketches for a description of staff members). We also have 3 psychologists who are full-time faculty in the UWO Department of Psychiatry on site. Despite diverse services and different geographic locales, Psychology maintains its cohesion as a profession through regular meetings and rounds.

As clinicians, we are committed to the promotion of health in its broadest sense, including the enhancement of physical, emotional, cognitive, and social well-being. Compassion and care, coupled with clinical innovation, are distinguishing features of our patient service. Integrated, comprehensive health care is emphasized through program-based management and interprofessional teamwork.

Psychologists at LHSC provide clinical psychology and neuropsychology services through consultation, assessment, diagnostic, and treatment services to a wide variety of adult and child/adolescent inpatient and outpatient programs, accepting over 3000 new referrals per year for services for individuals and their families. Clinical referrals reflect a diversity of patient needs and staff expertise. Assessment strategies include cognitive, behavioural, personality, and neuropsychological
approaches; therapeutic modalities include individual, group, couple, and family work; and theoretical orientations include cognitive-behavioural, developmental, and eclectic approaches. Psychologists serve as valued consultants to physicians and other health care professionals, both within the hospital and throughout the community. In 2011, there were over 22,000 patient visits to Psychology Staff at LHSC.

London Clinical Psychology Residency Consortium

(updated 2 January 2013)

We are proud to have joined with St. Joseph's Health Care, London, Child and Parent Resource Institute (CPRI), Vanier Children's Services, and Student Development Centre, University of Western Ontario to form the London Clinical Psychology Residency Consortium.

The London Clinical Psychology Residency Consortium emphasizes clinical service, teaching, and research. The aim of the program is to prepare residents for post-doctoral supervised practice in psychology, particularly within the health care system. This aim is pursued through identification of individual interests, enhancement of strengths, and broadening areas of clinical interest and skill. Professionalism is enhanced through the development of strong interpersonal and communication skills, time management strategies, and an overall positive sense of professional self and identity.

While clinical training is emphasized, the scientist-practitioner model serves as the philosophical basis for clinical practice, as well as educational and research endeavours. In line with the goals outlined in the Gainesville Manifesto of 1990, the aim of the scientist-practitioner model is to integrate science and practice, and to facilitate career-long integration of investigation, assessment, intervention, and consultation. Psychology Staff at the Consortium Sites endeavour to maintain both an empirical basis to their clinical practice and clinical relevance in their research.

The Consortium views the program as a pre-requisite to the awarding of the doctoral degree. As a result, we support a model of training in which the predoctoral clinical residency must be completed before the doctoral degree is conferred.

Residents are accepted into one of 14 resident positions

Child/Adolescent Track (3 resident positions)
Adult Mental Health Track (4 resident positions)
Health/Rehabilitation Track (2 resident positions)
Neuropsychology Track (3 resident positions)
Counselling Track (2 resident positions)

Changes to the Residency (as of 2 January 2013)

No program can guarantee to its residents that the staff and services listed in the brochure will be available throughout the full residency year. Changes can occur for many reasons beyond the scope of the residency to control. With a residency with as many sites, staff, and services as our consortium, some changes are bound to occur. Listed below are the changes we predict for our programme since the time our brochure went to the printers in August 2012.

First, we have four new staff: Dr. Michelle Duwyn, Dr. Lorraine McFadden, Dr. Devita Singh, and Ms Bonnie Purcell.

Dr. Duwyn has recently been hired into a part-time position with the Adult Eating Disorders program at London Health Sciences Centre: Victoria Hospital.

Dr. McFadden was recently hired on to the Regional Psychogeriatric Program at St. Joseph’s Health Care, London: Regional Mental Health Care London.

Dr. Singh was hired for a part-time position with the Children’s Mental Health program at London Health Sciences Centre: Victoria Hospital.

Ms Purcell was hired on to the Psychogeriatric Service also at London Health Sciences Centre: Victoria Hospital.

Second, Dr. Danielle Bedard is currently on maternity leave from her position with the Traumatic Stress Services Workplace Program at London Health Sciences Centre: Victoria Hospital. She is expected to return to her position in Fall 2013. During her leave, clinical coverage will be provided by Dr. Allen Shapiro, but a rotation on that service will only be available for the second six months of the 2013-2014 residency year.

Third, we are pleased to announce a new Minor Rotation will be available for the 2013-2014 training year: Regional Psychogeriatric Program/ Neuropsychology with Dr. Lorraine McFadden. This training opportunity would be for one day per week in the second six months of the residency year. Because this Minor Rotation is within the Neuropsychology Track, it will be an option only for those residents matched in the other four Tracks (i.e., Adult Mental Health, Child/Adolescent, Counselling, and Health/Rehabilitation).

A brief description of this new rotation is presented here:

Regional Psychogeriatric Program/Neuropsychology

The Regional Psychogeriatric Program provides consultation, assessment and capacity building services throughout the Southwest Ontario LHIN (Local Health Integration Network). This position operates under Behavioural Supports Ontario (BSO), which is mandated to serve the needs of clients exhibiting Responsive Behaviours. The BSO team in the Southwest LHIN includes psychiatrists, specialized nurses, and a neuropsychologist. The client population is geriatric, over the age of 65, and are typically medically complex. The clients referred to this service are already receiving supports and services, either at home through the Community Care Access Centres (CCAC), or in a long term care facility. Dementia is a common known or suspected illness. When treatment or management is complicated by Responsive Behaviours (confusion, agitation, aggression, wandering, etc.) the BSO team may be asked to evaluate and provide recommendations for treatment or management. Residents may have an opportunity to perform chart reviews, participate in case consultations, interview and test patients, and draft reports to physicians. This service is also developing a program of services to be offered through the Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN) and residents may be able to participate in consultations and assessments with clients at a distance. (Anti-requisite: Neuropsychology Track)

Supervisor: Dr. Lorraine McFadden, C.Psych., ABPP

Goals of the Residency Programme

Consistent with the philosophy of the London Clinical Psychology Residency Consortium’s program, we continually strive to meet seven goals for the programme.

To provide all residents with a broad-based training in clinical psychology.
To increase residents’ awareness and sensitivity of individual differences, including multicultural issues.
To facilitate the consolidation of residents’ professional identities as psychologists.
To facilitate the development of skills in providing patient-centred care as part of an interprofessional health care team.
To facilitate residents’ integration of research into their professional role.
To integrate consideration of supervisory issues into all components of the predoctoral residency program.
To maintain the receptivity to feedback from the residents regarding all aspects of their training program.

Information on Accreditation

Before London Health Sciences Centre was formed by the 1995 merger of University Hospital and Victoria Hospital, both institutions sponsored independent predoctoral internship programmes in clinical psychology, accredited by both the Canadian and American Psychological Associations since 1991. Both the Canadian Psychological Association and the American Psychological Association accredited the resultant amalgamated programme in 1999. That programme was re-accredited in 2002.

The London Clinical Psychology Residency Consortium was initially formed by a partnership of the London Health Sciences Centre, St. Joseph’s Health Care (London), Child and Parent Resource Institute (CPRI), and Vanier Children’s Services. That residency program had its first cohort of residents begin in 2008 and is accredited as a Doctoral Internship Program in Clinical Psychology by the Canadian Psychological Association. The program has recently expanded to include a new partnership with the Student Development Centre at Western University, and the first cohort of residents from this new five-member consortium will begin in September 2012. The next accreditation site visit will be in 2013-2014.

Information on accreditation by the Canadian Psychological Association is available by contacting the following office:

Accreditation Office
Canadian Psychological Association
141 Laurier Street - Suite 702
Ottawa, ON
Canada K1P 5J3
Telephone: 613-237-2144 x 328 or 1-888-472-0657 x 328
e-mail: accreditation@cpa.ca
website: http://www.cpa.ca/education/accreditation/