Two Doctoral Students Receive Clinical Psychology Internships in U.S. Air Force

Two doctoral students in the College of Education's psychology training program are preparing to begin an unusual internship this summer – they’re joining the U.S. Air Force.

Catherine Callender and Rhett Puder are among only 24 interns selected from across the country to begin yearlong residencies in clinical psychology with Air Force psychologists. They will rotate in four areas: outpatient mental health care, clinical health psychology, neuropsychology and primary care.

Callender and Puder will be stationed at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.  But first, they’ll receive four weeks of commissioned officer training at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Al.

Callender, who worked for three years as a first-grade teacher, three years as a reading specialist and a year as a school counselor, all in Houston, Texas, before coming to UGA, said she is excited by the opportunity to train as a psychologist in the military because of a long family history of military service.

“I think the wide variety of training experiences the Air Force offers, such as neuropsychology and clinical health psychology, will provide me with an even greater knowledge base upon which I can continue to further my development as a future psychologist,” said Callender, who earned her bachelor and masters degrees in education from the University of Florida and a masters in counseling from the University of Houston-Clear Lake.

While in training Callender and Puder will gain hands-on experience with clinical diagnosis, adult psychological testing, emergency assessment, psychotherapy and treatment planning.  They will also train in individual, group, marital, child, adolescent and family therapy methods.

Puder, who received undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Utah, previously served in the Marine Corps Reserves for a few years in 1980s. He worked for Utah’s Department of Human Services as a counselor and treatment supervisor for 11 years prior to pursuing a doctorate at UGA.

Both Puder and Callender also applied for civilian residencies, but said the comprehensive training in areas like behavioral health psychology and neuropsychology made the Air Force internship particularly attractive.

He said the Air Force offered more support and a greater variety of opportunities than civilian residencies.

Their behavioral health psychology training will explore prevention, community outreach, stress and pain management and outpatient evaluation and treatment.  In their neuropsychology training, they will learn about intervention, testing, feedback, evaluating tests and brain cutting.

“With the Air Force I have a guaranteed job after graduation.  To me it seemed to be an excellent way to start a new career,” said Puder.

Callender and Puder are committed to the Air Force for an additional three years following the completion of their residencies, but neither anticipates deployment during their internship.

Callender, who currently serves as coordinator of the Center for Counseling, based in the College of Education, drew high praise from her major professor, Georgia Calhoun.

“Catherine is an outstanding young woman who epitomizes the very best in psychology training programs today. She is an extremely bright, extraordinarily responsible, and exceptionally hard-working individual whose values are certainly consistent with a career as an officer in the United States Air Force.”

Puder is currently the Associate Clinical Director of the Juvenile Counseling and Assessment Program (JCAP) in which he coordinates all referrals for psychological evaluations and supervises some of the masters students’ clinical work.

“I have trained several psychologists who have entered the military for their internship and subsequent service.  Rhett has all of the attributes of a psychologist who will be very successful in the military.  He understands the commitment, he responds well to the chain of command, and he loves his country,” said Brian Glaser, Puder’s major professor.

All doctoral candidates in counseling psychology must complete a year-long internship or residency during the fourth year of their doctoral program.  They graduate with a PhD after completing the internship and a dissertation.

Monday, May 10, 2004

WRITER: Kristen Heflin, 706/583-0811, heflin@uga.edu
CONTACT: Michael Childs, 706/542-5889, mchilds@coe.uga.edu