It is the goal of NMHC-PIC to provide a spirited and safe environment enabling the successful transition from graduate student to professional, competent, clinical psychologist by emphasizing culturally sensitive comprehensive, systemic, and intensive training in the areas of assessment, intervention, consultation, education, administration, supervision, and research,  To accomplish this goal, a philosophy of progressive development and comprehensive supervision serves as the basis to train interns to be competent, worthy practitioners able to adapt and thrive in the ever-burgeoning field of psychology.  Interns will be asked to integrate theoretical, clinical, and professional issues in psychology into the service delivery model of Nebraska Mental Health Centers, P.C. and OMNI Behavioral Health.  A developmental-apprentice-practitioner model provides the guiding framework for the transition from student to professional by capitalizing on prior strengths, experience, and expertise while supporting the attainment, expansion, and implementation of conceptual, professional, and pragmatic skills.  Additionally, to ensure the transition to autonomous practicing professional, specific supervision and training goals have been set in each of the relevant areas including Group Supervision, Meta Supervision, Case Consultation, Professional Development, and Didactic Activities.

In coordination with the philosophy of training and the stated goals of NMHC-PIC, specific objectives central to the professional development of interns have been identified.  These objectives have been integrated into the planned, programmed sequence of training to maximize the quality and quantity of the learning experience of each intern.  The objectives cover the areas of Relationships, Assessment, Intervention, Crisis Services, Management/Supervision, Consultation/Education, Research, and Evaluation.

The focus of the Nebraska Mental Health Centers Psychology Internship Consortium (NMHC-PIC) is to comprehensively train psychology interns through didactic seminars and the provision of psychological services to the community of Lincoln, Nebraska and surrounding rural communities.  NMHC-PIC actively seeks to provide psychological services to rural Nebraska areas through satellites offices as well as to geriatric populations within the area's nursing and assisted living facilities.  NMHC-PIC consists of two separate institutions (i.e., Nebraska Mental Health Centers, P.C. and OMNI Behavioral Health) that adhere to consistent, structured policies and train interns under a uniform administration as demonstrated in the signed consortium agreement.

Nebraska Mental Health Centers, P.C. is a for profit corporation established in 1993 and provides approximately 15, 000 hours of patient services per year to children, adolescents, adults, groups, organizations, schools, families, and couples of all socio-economic levels.  Direct services include individual, couple, family, and group psychotherapy, psychoeducational groups, psychological assessment, neuropsychological assessment, consultation, forensic services, and biofeedback.  These services are provided by licensed mental health practitioners, licensed psychologists, psychological interns, and psychological residents.

OMNI Behavioral Health is a not for profit corporation established in 1993 and currently provides services to approximately 350 youths per day.  These services are administered by a diverse staff of licensed psychologists, licensed mental health practitioners, and residential mental health specialists who provide psychological interventions in residential group homes, therapeutic foster homes, and through a variety of home-based and community wrap-around services across southeast and eastern Nebraska.  Additionally, OMNI Behavioral Health operates the OMNI Behavioral Health Eating Disorders Outpatient and Day Treatment Services in Omaha, Nebraska.

As such, NMHC-PIC provides interns the opportunity to assume a comfortable, yet challenging degree of responsibility for carrying out major professional psychological functions while maintaining a high level of supervisory support, professional role modeling, mentorship, guidelines for ethical practice and awareness of administrative structures. 

NMHC provides psychological care for children, adolescents, adults and families through individual, marital, family and group therapy. Included in our service delivery are:

1. Outpatient Programs for individual, couple, and family needs across a diverse range of presenting issues.  Additionally, NMHC provides a an Intensive Outpatient Chemical Dependency Group three times per week.

2. Inpatient Assessment and Treatment for adult and geriatric administered to patients experiencing  a suspected neurological condition for the purpose of medical and psychological treatment and/or placement needs.  Psychology interns also provide such services for adolescents placed in Enhanced Treatment Group Homes through OMNI Behavioral Health.

3. Assessments for all ages including: Achievement, Social Functioning, Intellectual Functioning, Personality, Forensic Issues, Psychological and Neuropsychological evaluations.

4. Home Cased Treatment provided by OMNI Behavioral Health and NMHC focusing on the functioning of individuals and families in crisis.

6.  Consultative Services will be a major component of the intern's training experience.  Each intern will as a psychologist-consultant in case conferences regarding psychological assessment, psychotherapy issues, and general patient management.

Interns receive two hours of scheduled, face-to-face supervision from their intensive supervisor once per week. One hour of weekly intern group supervision as well as clinical group supervision adds to an overall total of 4 hours of supervision per week. There is also an internship lecture that occurs for 60 minutes weekly.  Additionally, much of the inpatient work is accomplished alongside a supervisor, providing daily contact. Such activities as briefing and debriefing group therapy, team meetings, treatment and discharge planning conferences provide rich learning and supervisory experiences.

In addition to offering a one-year internship, two and three year postdoctoral programs are available to those interns with an interest of specializing in advanced clinical psychology, forensic psychology,  and psychopharmacology.  Those interested in our residency programs are referred to the respective portion of the NMHC website for more information. 

In addition to the training described above, all interns will be required to submit a chapter for the ongoing development of the "Quick Clinical Consult" book published by NMHC. All interns will receive first authorship on these chapters. Interns will also have the opportunity to participate in a poster presentation at the Nebraska Psychological Association’s spring conference.

Seminars

Yet another aspect of the structured training offered by NMHC-PIC is weekly seminars covering a broad spectrum of topics. The purpose of these weekly meetings is to refresh interns on already familiar topics of clinical practice, provide new and more in-depth knowledge of material in the intern’s repertoire, and to furnish important information that is essential to the practice of psychology, but not taught in the traditional graduate program. This material includes understanding managed care, business administration of clinical practice, multicultural issues and more. A full list of topics for the weekly seminars is provided below. Each meeting is scheduled for sixty minutes and will commence one time each week for the entire 46 weeks of the internship program.

NMHC takes affirmative action to assure fair and equitable treatment of all employees and applicants for training without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, gender, physical disability, or political affiliation. Affirmative action policies address, but are not limited to: recruitment, training, promotion, and termination.

NMHC is sensitive and committed to the importance of diversity and the richness of human diversity. Our services and training focuses on respectful and non-prejudicial treatment to people of all backgrounds. It is of utmost importance that NMHC promote the value and strength of diversity to all employees, applicants, trainees, and individuals served. As a clinical and training facility, we are motivated to addressing issues of prejudice and discrimination and the influence of those issues on the lives of the individuals we encounter in practice and training.

Matthew Nessetti, Ph.D., M.D., ABMP is the Chief Financial Officer and founder of NMHC-PIP. He is a licensed clinical psychologist and specializes in Medical Psychology. Dr. Nessetti received his Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska and his M.D. from the International University of Health Sciences. Current professional interests include the integration of medicine and psychology, psychopharmacology, forensic psychology, neuropsychology, and mental health advocacy.

Sean Samuels, Psy.D., M.L.S is a licensed clinical psychologist who received his Doctorate in Psychology from Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon and his Masters of Legal Studies from the College of Law at the University of Nebraska.  Dr. Samuels is the Clinical Director and Internship Training Director and holds current interests in forensic psychology and psychological assessment.

Lee Zlomke, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist and one of the primary supervisors for the NMHC-PIC Program. Dr. Zlomke specializes in behavioral treatments and interventions for a wide array of clinical presentations and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychological Specialties in Forensic Child Psychology.

Reed Campbell, M.A., LMHP, PLADC is a Licensed Mental Health Practitioner and a Provisionally Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor.  He is the coordinator of substance abuse treatment at NMHC-PIC.

Bill Reay, Ph.D. is the Chief Executive Officer of OMNI Behavioral Health.  Dr. Reay serves as an adjunct member of the internship in advising appropriate care for children, adolescents, and their families.

Jack Wiggins, Ph.D. received his doctorate from Purdue University. He serves as a consultant for the internship at NMHC. Dr. Wiggins is also a former president of the American Psychological Association. His current professional interests are psychology and psychopharmacology.

NMHC also has a very large support staff for managing clerical, insurance, and other business responsibilities thereby increasing the time interns and other professional staff can use for providing services and in other learning activities. In addition, NMHC employs several licensed mental health practitioners for patients in need of counseling.

NMHC is a multi-site and multidisciplinary organization. The NMHC clinics (Lincoln, Fremont, and Beatrice) and OMNI sites (Beatrice, Lincoln, and Seward) are utilized for the internship program that covers eastern and southeastern Nebraska. In addition, the interns will provide services in hospitals, nursing programs, and day treatment programs.

A list of nursing homes affiliated with NMHC and in which interns will provide services are as follows:

Wilber Care Center – Wilber, Nebraska

Beatrice Manor – Beatrice, Nebraska

Good Samaritan- Beatrice, Nebraska

Tabitha – Lincoln, Nebraska

Tabitha Long Term Care Center - Crete, Nebraska

Interns completing the medical/health and neuropsychology trainings will provide services to inpatient populations as well as outpatient. Hospitals affiliated with NMHC are as follows:

  Bryan/Lincoln General Hospital – East – Lincoln, Nebraska

  Bryan/Lincoln General Hospital – West – Lincoln, Nebraska

All interns are paid $20,000 with other negotiable benefits.

Nebraska Mental Health Centers, P.C.

Attn: Dr. Sean Samuels Training Director