South Florida State Hospital

Recovery Solutions was selected by the Department of Children and Families in 1998 to operate South Florida State Hospital, the first in the nation to be completely privatized. RS designed, constructed and financed a completely new 368 licensed beds facility on the same state-owned property. When the new complex was completed in December 2000, the whole hospital was moved to the new site, the only new state civil psychiatric hospital to have been built in the state in the last 40 years.

SFSH’s internship program is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), and is a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC).

Accreditation status of this program can be obtained from the APA Office of Program Consultation & Accreditation //
750 First Street NE, Washington, DC, 20002-4242, (202) 336-5979 and at its website: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation.

The internship training program provides a unique opportunity to gain practical experience in assessment and intervention with a diverse patient population. Goals include increasing awareness of and sensitivity to the cultural, social and psychological needs of special populations and learning to adapt traditional modalities while receiving direct supervision and formal didactic training. The facility provides treatment using a multidisciplinary psychiatric rehabilitation model based on a philosophy of Illness Management & Recovery. The internship program offers two different tracks that are integrated with the core curriculum. Two matched interns would have an opportunity to receive focused training in the area of forensic psychology, and the other intern would have an opportunity to receive focused training in the area of clinical psychology. Independently of the track, all interns will have the opportunity to build skills in the areas of forensics, psychological assessment, and behavior assessment and consultation, as they complete a core curriculum in clinical practice.

For more information, click here to review the internship program brochure.

Click here for information about SFSH’s Internship Admissions, Support, and Initial Placement Data.

• Replacement facility completed on schedule and within budget
• Extensive physical plant improvements and clean-up of existing facility
• 86% reduction in the average length of stay of those admitted and discharged under Recovery Solutions vs. state operation
• Recognized by The Joint Commission as a Top Performer on Key Quality Measures
• Continuum of Care includes re-entry into the community with follow-up care and coordination with community-based services
• Virtual elimination of restraint and seclusion
• Achieved Joint Commission accreditation in July 1999, approximately one year ahead of contractual obligation
• Daily operation of the existing facility continued without disturbance while a new, state-of-the-art, purpose-built replacement facility was constructed
• Safely transitioned 450 employees and 325 residents from the old facility into the new facility within a five-day period without any disruption of normal services