The psychology training programs at Mount Sinai represent a robust and comprehensive continuum of education designed to cultivate clinical excellence, scientific curiosity, and leadership. Each level of training—externships, internships, and fellowships—offers a distinct and developmentally tailored experience within the seven hospitals of the Mount Sinai Health System.

Psychology externships provide early trainees with an immersive introduction to clinical practice in diverse health care and community settings. Externs gain hands-on experience in assessment, psychotherapy, and case conceptualization under the supervision of expert faculty who emphasize evidence-based interventions and the cultivation of professional identity. Our psychology internships, four of which are accredited by the American Psychological Association, offer a comprehensive, full-time training year across inpatient, outpatient, and integrated care environments. Interns refine their clinical skills through complex casework, interdisciplinary collaboration, and didactic learning, all while receiving extensive individualized supervision and mentorship. The postdoctoral fellowships offer advanced specialization in a wide range of focused clinical domains. Fellows engage in high-level clinical work, research, teaching, and supervision, preparing them for leadership roles in academic medicine and beyond.

The clinical training section also coordinates all training faculty for psychology training programs.

For the psychology training programs, our faculty:

• Develops shared didactics series for trainees with shared interests
• Explains and clarifies changes in state-wide and national policies as it pertains to training
• Collaborates with sites in the system to enrich the teaching and supervisory options for each training program
• Coordinates onboarding of trainees and the Affiliation Agreements required

Leadership of the training and education section includes:  

• Leora R Heckelman, PhD, Director, Training and Education
• Peter J Glick, PhD, Director of Fellowship Education
• Joseph S Ruggiero, PhD, Director of Addictions Education
• Stacey Lurie, PhD, Director of Adolescent Studies

The psychology Continuing Education (CE) section develops and delivers learning opportunities for psychologists and trainees across the Mount Sinai Health System. Our goals are to support ongoing educational initiatives and cross-discipline collaboration to help health care professionals stay up to date about the latest advancements in the field. We directly support interactive psychology grand rounds and a professional development lecture series, and we partner with various other divisions within the Department of Psychiatry to further increase access to educational resources relevant to psychology.

Our CE programs include lectures, workshops, and conferences that are applicable to clinical practice, research, and ethical psychological standards, and the content complies with New York State CE requirements for psychologists. We advocate for Mount Sinai faculty to speak at our events to showcase their expertise and interests, while also integrating resources external to our institution. A catalog of our grand rounds can be found on YouTube.

Leadership and faculty of the CE section include:  

• Christina A Palmese, PhD, ABPP-CN, Director, Continuing Education
• Maria Edman, PsyD, Co-Director, Psychology Grand Rounds
• David Dorfman, PhD, Co-Director, Psychology Grand Rounds
• Promotions Coordinator: Gregory Gagnon, PhD

The integrated care section brings psychologists who provide behavioral health services in medical settings across the Health System together. The section currently includes psychologists from 10 different departments across the Health System; participants largely engage in providing clinical services, though some members of the section also engage in research. Members of the section meet monthly, provide overviews and updates from their areas of work, and identify strengths and challenges of providing integrated psychological services. Key challenges that are repeatedly identified are noted for further discussion with department leadership and relevant Health System stakeholders. The aim of these discussions is to promote a culture of continuous quality improvement and operational excellence in providing integrated behavioral health care.

Leadership of the integrated care section includes:

• Anitha Iyer, PhD, MPH, Director

The neuropsychology section represents a vibrant and growing network of clinical neuropsychologists dedicated to advancing excellence in assessment, consultation, and training across the Health System and across departments. Neuropsychology services are embedded within multiple departments and programs throughout Mount Sinai, reflecting the breadth and depth of the Health System’s commitment to integrated, patient-centered, and evidence-based care. These programs offer specialized expertise in neuropsychological assessment and provide training opportunities for interns within Mount Sinai’s American Psychological Association-accredited psychology training programs, as well as for externs and post-doctoral fellows.

The formation of the neuropsychology section reflects a shared vision to strengthen collaboration, alignment, and innovation across the Mount Sinai Health System. Our goals include building a cohesive community of neuropsychologists, fostering cross-site collaboration in research, training, and clinical initiatives, and expanding professional and educational opportunities. Through the development of shared standards and practices, and by facilitating seamless referrals across Mount Sinai’s hospitals and affiliates, the neuropsychology section aims to elevate the visibility and impact of neuropsychology in the service of clinical excellence, comprehensive patient care, scholarly advancement, and doctoral and post-doctoral training.

 Leadership and faculty of the neuropsychology section include:

• Jane Martin, PhD, Director
• Maria Loizos, PhD, Assistant Director
• Danielle B Halpern, PsyD, Co-Director, Training
• Ami Norris-Brilliant, PsyD, Co-Director, Training