Colorado Mental Health Hospital in Fort Logan

About the Colorado Mental Health Hospital in Fort Logan

Mission, vision and values

Mission: To support individuals experiencing serious mental health challenges in achieving their recovery goals and reaching their full potential.

Vision: To be Colorado's premier treatment center for individuals with serious mental illness.

Values:

• Individual dignity and respect
• Person-centered, evidence-based care
• Trauma-informed recovery
• Multidisciplinary collaboration
• Diversity and inclusion
• Strong family and community partnerships

Contact information

• Address: 3520 W. Oxford Ave.
  Denver, CO 80236
• Main Phone: 303-866-7066
• Medical Records: 303-866-7042
• Fax: 303-866-7048
• Patients' Rights Advocate: 303-866-7079
• Crisis Services: 1-844-493-TALK (8255) or visit the Colorado Crisis Services webpage.
• Media contact: 719-320-2266

Admissions

For providers looking for involuntary commitment forms, please visit the Involuntary Mental Health Treatment page.

The Colorado Mental Health Hospitals do not provide “shoppable” services as defined in Section 2718(e) of the Public Health Services Act. ‘Shoppable service’ means a service that can be scheduled by a health care consumer in advance.

For additional information on how to refer someone to the Colorado Mental Health Hospital in Fort Logan, please call the Admissions Department at 303-866-7031.

Payment

Fees for service are assessed on a sliding scale, based on ability to pay. Medicaid, Medicare, and commercial insurance pay hospital costs for eligible clients. No one is denied admission due to the inability to pay. Family and significant others are encouraged to visit the patient during hospitalization to aid in the reintegration of the patient into community life.

Compliance/QA information

CMHHIFL is accredited by The Joint Commission. As such, patient safety concerns can be reported to The Joint Commission in the following ways:

• At www.jointcommission.org, using the "Report a Patient Safety Event" link in the "Action Center" on the home page of the website.
• By fax to 630-792-5636.
• By mail to The Office of Quality and Patient Safety (OQPS), The Joint Commission, One Renaissance Boulevard, Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois 60181.

Doctoral Psychology Internship at CMHHIFL

A Member of the University of Denver Internship Consortium

APPIC Number: 1176

The doctoral psychology internship at Colorado Mental Health Hospital in Fort Logan (CMHHIFL) has been in existence since 1964 and has been accredited by APA (American Psychological Association - www.apa.org) since 1966. As of the 2019-2020 internship year, CMHHIFL has become affiliated with the APA-accredited program at the University of Denver Internship Consortium. The Consortium is a "partially affiliated" program that gives preference to doctoral students from the University of Denver's Graduate School of Professional Psychology. However, applications from other doctoral programs are actively encouraged and given full consideration. In recent years, the Consortium has regularly matched with students from various universities other than the University of Denver.

Fort Logan has a long history of training exceptional professionals in psychology. Over the years, we have trained interns who have gone on to assume leadership positions in public sector psychology. A few of our local outstanding graduates include Dennis Kleinsasser, former Director of Clinical Services at the Colorado Department of Corrections, Mike Ketchen, former Director of Psychology at CMHHIP, Richard Onizuka, former Clinical Director of Asian-Pacific Development Center, and Harriet Hall, President and CEO and former Executive Director of Jefferson County Mental Health Center. On a national level, former interns include Patrick DeLeon, former Executive Aide to Sen. Inouye (Hawaii) and editor of the journal Professional Psychology and Jeff Barth, Former President of National Academy of Neuropsychology and Chair of Department of Psychology at VA.

Several interns who have graduated from our program have gone on to become part of our staff, including our current Assistant Director of Internship Training. A number of recent intern graduates have gone go on to very successful careers at the Mental Health Center of Denver, U.S. Navy, and the West Point Military Academy, to name just a few.  

Learn more and apply for the doctoral psychology internship at CMHHIFL

Doctoral Extern (Practicum) Placements in Psychology

Types of Clients Served

Clients admitted to CMHHIFL typically have severe and persistent illness and carry a variety of diagnoses, including: psychotic disorders, mood disorders, personality disorders, substance use disorders, PTSD and other trauma related disorders, autism spectrum disorders, neurocognitive disorders, etc. They also represent a broad spectrum of diversity, including but not limited to: race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, cultural practices, spirituality, socioeconomic backgrounds and ability status. 

Training

CMHHIFL takes pride in its role as a training hospital, committed to developing the next generation of health professionals. CMHHIFL has an APA-accredited doctoral psychology internship program as well as predoctoral externship program and the hospital also offers comprehensive training opportunities across psychiatry, nursing and therapeutic activities departments. 

Suitability for Psychology Doctoral Extern Applicants: Advanced Students

Students in their third or fourth year of training are preferred. Students must have strong clinical skills and a high level of comfort with an interest in working with individuals experiencing severe and persistent mental illness. Trainees should possess excellent communication and writing abilities to collaborate effectively within an interdisciplinary team. For the Neuropsychology Placement, prior psychological testing experience is required. 

Please note that this practicum involves an early start date (on or around July 1 for the Neuropsychology Placement and on or around September 1 for the Forensic and Civil Treatment Team Placements) due to mandatory state training. The early orientation period ensures trainees are fully prepared and trained, as well as able to observe clinical groups, prior to beginning direct clinical work in September. Practicum students work 16-20 hours/week over at least two days and are expected to commit to a year-long placement (approximately June-July for Neuropsychology, or September through June-August for Forensic and Civil Team Placements). Due to ongoing caseload responsibilities, lengthy absences (e.g., vacations of 1+ months) cannot be accommodated during the training year. 

• Supervision Format: Individual, Small Group
• Number of Hours per Week Trainee Works: 16-20
• Pay: Unpaid

Specific Externship Placement Opportunities

Civil Treatment Team Placement

• Contact (Primary Supervisor): Vera Bublitz, Psy.D., Civil Psychologist Supervisor
• Phone: 303-866-7940
• Email: vera.bublitz@state.co.us
• Theoretical Orientation: Humanistic

The psychologist assigned to each civil treatment team has various responsibilities. These include conducting intake evaluations and risk assessments, facilitating individual and group therapy, maintaining legal certifications for involuntary commitments and collaborating in multidisciplinary treatment team meetings. Psychologists also engage in family and community liaison meetings, provide psychological testing, and develop behavioral programs. Further, psychologists help with team education and staff training (when necessary). 

Student externs completing civil team rotations work closely with and are directly supervised by the team psychologist and, when applicable, a predoctoral psychology intern. CMHHIFL utilizes a developmental training model. In following this model, externs begin by observing psychologists in their clinical roles, then take on shared tasks, and ultimately assume increasing responsibilities as their competence and confidence grows. Externs typically carry an individual therapy caseload of 2-3 clients (depending on hours and availability), facilitate or co-facilitate group therapy sessions both on and off their teams (i.e., co-facilitating the hospital-wide DBT treatment mall group, if interested), and actively participate in interdisciplinary team meetings and clinical consultations. Externs receive a minimum of one hour of formal supervision per week, in addition to frequent informal "drive-by" supervision and team-based feedback. The civil rotation offers a rich, hands-on learning experience and is an exceptional opportunity to develop clinical skills within a multidisciplinary inpatient psychiatric setting. 

Positions: 3

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Forensic Treatment Team Placement

• Contact (Primary Supervisor): Alessandra Solberg, Psy.D., Forensic Psychologist Supervisor
• Phone: 720-910-8937
• Email: alessandra.solberg@state.co.us
• Theoretical Orientation: Humanistic

Our forensic psychologists have a variety of duties, primarily consisting of psychological testing/assessment, competency screeners, individual and group competency restoration services, disposition and discharge planning, and team management. Involuntary mental health holds (M-1's) and Certifications for treatment are also sometimes needed for individuals who continue to require inpatient level of care but have had their legal charges dismissed. 

Forensic psychology student externs work with a primary licensed supervisor and, typically, our forensic predoctoral psychology intern. Routine responsibilities and training opportunities will be individualized based on the student's previous experience and personal training preferences, but may include:

• Psychological Testing (ranging from administration of basic screening measures to interpretation of a multi-test battery and subsequent writing of report)
• Competency Restoration Services
  • Individual restoration caseload of 1-2 clients
  • Facilitation of at least one restoration-related group
• Exposure to Expert Testimony (when available)
• Attending and Participating in Team Meetings and Treatment Plan Reviews
• Assisting with Clients' Hearings
• Exposure to Forensic Evaluation (when available)

This externship is a great opportunity to gain greater exposure to forensic psychology, understand the differences between the work of a forensic treatment provider and that of a forensic evaluator, obtain experience with general psychodiagnostic testing measures as well as forensic-related and forensic assessment instruments, and develop a deeper understanding of the intersections of the criminal justice and mental health systems (particularly as they operate in the State of Colorado). Notably, the CMHHIFL forensic units require busy, fast pace and sometimes unpredictable work. A qualified candidate will have solid time management skills, be able to advocate for oneself, and be seeking a challenging training opportunity that will force outside of one's comfort zone. Given the limited weekly hours and the pace of the work, this placement will also require students to have independence and self-initiative, such as by reviewing hallmark forensic psychology readings, competency restoration materials and relevant Colorado statutes. 

Positions: 2

Careers at CMHHIFL

We want you on our team. The Colorado Mental Health Hospital in Fort Logan has multiple positions to fill, including registered nurses, client care aides, mental health clinicians, dining services and more. Check out our current openings.