Neuropsychology Postdoctoral Fellowship

The aim of the fellowship is to provide licensed psychologists with advanced competence for independent practice in the specialty of clinical neuropsychology. Graduates of the program will be well-prepared to provide well-rounded clinical neuropsychology services in complex medical settings, working with patients across the adult lifespan who present with a broad range of neurologic, medical, and psychiatric disorders, as well as a broad range of referral considerations. Graduates of the program will be prepared to seek board certification in clinical neuropsychology. 

Eligibility

Applicants must be: 

• U.S. citizens and have graduated from an APA-accredited, CPA-accredited, or PCSAS-accredited doctoral program in Clinical Psychology and an APA-accredited CPA-accredited, or PCSAS-accredited internship in Clinical Psychology prior to start of the fellowship year.
• Provide a certification of registration status, certification of U.S. citizenship, and drug screening.
• Applicants who are male-assigned at birth born after 12/31/59 must sign a Pre-Appointment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration prior to employment.
• Subject to random drug screening exams on randomly selected personnel, as well as, new employees. Postdoctoral Fellows are not required to be tested prior to beginning work, but once on staff, they are subject to random selection as other staff.
• Obtain fingerprinting and background checks. Selection decisions are contingent on passing these screens. 

Stipend

Stipends are set nationally by the VA Office of Academic Affiliations. For 2025-2026, the first-year fellowship stipend is $53,832, and the second-year stipend is $56,741. Stipend for the 2026-2027 training year will be set in January 2026, and will be updated.

BVAHCS Psychology Service falls under the Mental Health Service Line (MHSL). The MHSL is one of the largest outpatient clinics, with over 140 healthcare providers, administrative officers, and administrative support staff. The MHSL provides a wide range of services and specialty clinics throughout the facility. There are 36 licensed psychologists in the MHSL, all of whom are members of the Medical Staff. Psychology Service is but one component of the MHSL, with other services including Psychiatry, Social Work, Pharmacy, Nursing (e.g., Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses, Licensed Professional Nurses), Primary Care, and Peer Support Specialists. 

Psychology Service is dedicated to contributing to best practices guidelines, adhering to ethical standards, incorporating clinical research into clinical practice, and providing exceptional care to Veterans. The service is well-respected in the facility, with psychologists serving as chairs and members of numerous medical center committees, including major committees such as the Ethics Committee, Medical Center Records Committee, Disruptive Behavior Committee, and Racial Acknowledgement Committee. Clinics covered by Psychology Service include the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Clinic, General Mental Health Clinic, Substance Treatment and Recovery Clinic, Mental Health Neuropsychology Clinic, Pain Rehabilitation Outpatient Program, Rehabilitation Neuropsychology Clinic, Primary Care – Mental Health Integration, Tele-Mental Health Team, Home-based Primary Care, Behavioral Sleep Medicine, and Southeastern Blind Rehabilitation Center. 

Staff psychologists are highly involved in clinical service and training of doctoral students, interns, and psychiatry residents. Many are involved in didactic teaching in the facility and throughout the UAB campus. Evidence-based approaches are strongly emphasized and utilized by staff psychologists. MHSL psychologists are nationally certified in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (for Depression, for Insomnia, and for Chronic Pain), Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure, Integrative Behavioral Couples Therapy, and Interpersonal Therapy for Depression, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Motivational Enhancement Therapy, and Skills Training in Affect and Interpersonal Regulation. Three staff psychologists are national VA consultants for Evidence-based Psychotherapies (one for CBT-Insomnia and two for Interpersonal Therapy-Depression), and two are in training to become consultants for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Interpersonal Therapy for Depression. 

MHSL Leadership:

Sean Hatton, M.D. 

Dr. Hatton is an internal medicine physician and the acting Chief of the Mental Health Service Line pending hire of a new Service Chief. 

Chebon Porter, Ph.D. 

Dr. Porter is a licensed clinical psychologist and serves as Chief Psychologist for the Mental Health Service Line. 

Psychology Training Program Leadership 

Anna Grace Cooper, Psy.D., ABPP is the Director of Psychology Training. 

Sean D. Hollis, Ph.D., ABPP-CN is the Neuropsychology Fellowship Program Director.

The BVAHCS Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship in clinical neuropsychology was funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA) beginning in 2014. The fellowship formally began in August 2015. We have been an APPCN member since 2024. 

The BVAHCS is well-equipped with the infrastructure to facilitate a supportive and advanced learning program for the fellow. The fellow has access to: 

• A private office equipped with a telephone, printer, and networked PC, as well as, access to patient care databases and electronic charting system, online mental health testing instruments, internet access, and access to online library databases and materials.
• Numerous hard-copy neuropsychological and psychological testing instruments, scoring protocols [both hard-copy and electronic], and a library [both hard-copy and electronic] of evidence-based treatment manuals, self-help materials, and other treatment resources.
  • Funding available through the Mental Health Service (MHS) for additional materials as needed.
• Clerical support staff, office supplies, fax machines, voicemail, and copy machines. 

A wide range of assessment instruments are provided, including testing equipment specifically purchased for the fellowship. Among the instruments used in the fellowship are: 

• Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence – Second Edition (WASI-II); Wechsler Test of Adult Reading (WTAR); Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status – RBANS; Wechsler Memory Scale – Fourth Edition (WMS-IV); California Verbal Learning Test – Third Edition (CVLT-3); Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV); Controlled Oral Word Association (COWAT; FAS and Animals); Trail Making Test, Parts A &B; Executive Clock Drawing Task (CLOX); Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST); Rey Complex Figure Test (RCFT), Grooved Pegboard; Bosting Naming Test (BNT); Beck Depression Inventory – Second Edition (BDI-II); PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), Dementia Rating Scale – Second Edition (DRS-2), Multilingual Aphasia Examination – Third Edition, The Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination – Third Edition, Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM), and Delis Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS).

Faculty: The following faculty list represents the core fellowship faculty members and, along with facility Director of Training, comprises the Fellowship Training Committee.

Angela Dupont, Ph.D.

Dr. Dupont joined the Birmingham VA in August 2023. She completed her internship at the Loma Linda VAMC and her postdoctoral fellowship at BVAHCS. She serves as the neuropsychologist for the Mental Health Neuropsychology Clinic. She provides clinical supervision of interns and practicum students in addition to fellowship supervision. She is pursuing ABPP certification in clinical neuropsychology.

Chebon A. Porter, Ph.D.

Dr. Porter is a licensed clinical psychologist with over 20 years of service in the BVAHCS. He founded the neuropsychology postdoctoral fellowship in 2014. He serves as lead psychologist for the Birmingham VA and served as the Director of Training until February 2020, per his promotion to Lead Psychologist. He is a member of the MHSL leadership team. Dr. Porter serves on the Medical Psychology Curriculum Committee for the APA-accredited doctoral program in medical/clinical psychology in the Department of Psychology, University of Alabama School of Medicine (UAB), as well as, offering a psychology internship major rotation in the Southeastern Blind Rehabilitation Center. Dr. Porter holds adjunct appointments in the UAB Department of Psychology and UAB Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology. He continues to serve on thesis and dissertation and graduate student committees, and teaches didactics on supervision and internship preparation. Dr. Porter remains highly involved in clinical teaching by supervising training rotations in the SBRC, Palliative Care Unit, and outpatient group Dialectical Behavior Therapy.

Sean Hollis, Ph.D., ABPP-CN

Dr. Hollis is a licensed clinical psychologist who has been certified in clinical neuropsychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. He serves as the neuropsychologist for the Rehabilitation Neuropsychology Clinic. He has been active in clinical research on neuropsychology. He serves as the Alabama state representative to APA division 40 for early career psychologists. He is also the chair of the National Academy of Neuropsychology’s membership committee. He is highly involved in clinical training of doctoral students, interns, and postdoctoral fellows. He is associate director of the BVAHCS/UAB neuropsychology didactic series for interns and graduate students.

Anna Grace Cooper, Psy.D., ABPP

Dr. Cooper is a licensed clinical psychologist who has been board certified in clinical psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. She completed her doctorate in clinical psychology at Spalding University, and her internship at the W. G. Hefner VA in Salisbury, NC. She has been providing clinical care within the PTSD Clinical Team since 2020 at BVAHCS. She has served as the Assistant Training Director of Psychology since 2021, and is highly involved in training of psychology interns on the PTSD Clinical Team rotation. She is trained in several EBPs for PTSD, including CPT, PE, WET, CBCT, COPE, and ERRT.

 Competencies: 

The fellowship is designed to be consistent with the competency model outlined by the APA in the Standards of Accreditation for Health Service Psychology (2017). These include: 

• Level 1 competencies: integration of science and practice, cultural diversity, ethical and legal standards.
• Level 2 competencies: professional values and attitudes, communication and interpersonal skills, supervision, systems, professional development, and leadership.
• Level 3 competencies: neuropsychological assessment of adults (including advanced knowledge of brain behavior relationships, differential diagnosis of neurological and psychological conditions, the assessment of those conditions, and advanced competence in report writing), feedback and intervention as related to the specialty of Clinical Neuropsychology (including effective written and verbal communication of results and provision of therapeutic feedback), consultation and interprofessional/interdisciplinary skills as related the specialty of Clinical Neuropsychology, teaching and supervision. 

The fellowship is designed with a particular focus on competencies in neuropsychological assessment and brain-behavior relationships, as well as cognitive rehabilitation. Consistent with the current implementing regulations, the fellowship adheres to competency-based training that demonstrates consistency with professional value of individual and cultural diversity, consistency with existing and evolving body of general knowledge and methods in the science and practice of psychology, and training, expectations, and evaluations pertinent to the level of training as a fellow. 

By the end of their second year, fellows will be eligible for state or provisional licensure or certification for the independent practice of psychology and be eligible for board certification in clinical neuropsychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology.

Goals and Objectives: 

The BVAHCS is ideally suited for advanced training in clinical neuropsychology. The facility heavily emphasizes interdisciplinary treatment team approaches and interdisciplinary training, which places the fellow in a collaborative learning environment routinely interacting with other psychologists, psychiatrists, other medical specialties (e.g., neurology, primary care, nephrology, surgery, optometry), nurse practitioners, social workers, peer support specialists, rehabilitation specialists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and physical therapists. BVAHCS is located amid a large university medical center, housing innumerable clinics, didactic opportunities, and cutting-edge research laboratories. This places the fellow in an active and challenging learning environment. Moreover, the structure of the fellowship and the breadth of training experiences in the facility provide the opportunity to advance specialty training in neuropsychology in multiple settings and populations.

The fellowship is structured to meet the Division 40 and Houston Conference guidelines for specialty training in clinical neuropsychology. The fellowship focuses on ensuring competency in neuropsychological assessment, consultation, and advanced understanding of brain-behavior relationships pertinent to effective diagnostic, intervention, and coordination of care practices in a wide array of psychological and neuropsychological syndromes.

Specific objectives include enhancing competency in provision of neuropsychological services in both inpatient and outpatient settings to include advanced expertise in administration, scoring, and interpretation of neuropsychological evaluations to a wide array of Veterans across the adult lifespan with myriad clinical issues, including [but not limited to], dementing conditions, vascular insult, TBI, age-related changes, degenerative neurological conditions, autoimmune disorders, vision loss, renal failure, PTSD, and depression. Integral to these objectives is to fully integrate evaluative findings with the patient’s biopsychological and biomedical history, psychopathological, pharmacological, life span developmental issues, and cultural issues to provide accurate diagnoses and treatment recommendations. Objectives also include demonstrating advanced knowledge of current research evidence and empirically-supported treatments [for referral and/or implementation] and rehabilitation strategies, and utility of applied research by participating in and/or conducting research pertinent to neuropsychology and rehabilitation. 

The following clinics represent the core training areas for the aforementioned goals and objectives.

Core training clinics are the Mental Health Neuropsychology Clinic and the Rehabilitation Neuropsychology Clinic, both at the Birmingham East VA Clinic. The fellow has designated office space at Birmingham East. The fellow is also able to train in additional clinics via minor rotations. 

Mental Health Neuropsychology Clinic

Supervisor: Angela Dupont, Ph.D. 

The MH Neuropsychology Clinic is an ambulatory outpatient neuropsychology consultation-based clinic staffed by one full-time licensed clinical neuropsychologist. The modal cognitive complaint of referred veterans is forgetfulness/poor recent memory functioning, and the primary reason for referrals to the clinic is to rule out a dementing disorder (e.g., Alzheimer’s type dementia). The clinic serves Veterans of all ages per referral from all outpatient mental health clinics, Neurology, Geriatrics, and Primary Care. Veterans are often seen within the context of a larger dementia work-up that routinely includes brain imaging and comprehensive blood work. In addition to individuals with various subtypes of dementia (e.g., Alzheimer’s type, vascular, frontotemporal, Lewy-body, Parkinson’s-related, and those due to atypical Parkinsonism), the clinic routinely performs evaluations on Veterans with memory and cognitive dysfunction secondary to chronic mental health disorders (e.g., PTSD, major depression, bipolar disorder, substance abuse, and psychotic disorders), medical conditions with associated cognitive dysfunction (e.g., chronic pain and untreated sleep apnea), and age-related changes in cognition.

Fellowship activities in this clinic include neuropsychological assessment/evaluation of referred Veterans and follow-up feedback of test results and diagnostic impressions to Veterans and family members. Embedded in this experience are assigned readings, review of relevant research literature, integrated report writing, and provision of verbal feedback to Veterans and their families, as well as verbal consultation/feedback with referring physicians, nurse practitioners, social workers, and psychologists. The Mental Health Neuropsychology Clinic also serves as a major hub for psychology intern and doctoral student training. Thus, in addition to training in direct patient care services, the fellow assists in supervision of junior-level trainees. 

Rehabilitation Neuropsychology Clinic

Supervisor: Sean Hollis, Ph.D., ABPP-CN

The Rehabilitation Neuropsychology clinic is a consultation-liaison service, specializing in the interface between medicine and rehabilitative neuropsychology and is staffed by one full-time-licensed clinical neuropsychologist. Referrals/consults are received from throughout the medical center, including PM&R TBI and SCI clinics, Neurology (Stroke Clinic, Memory Disorders Clinic, and other services), Mental Health, Geriatrics, and Primary Care. Veterans who have a history of TBI [due to combat and non-combat related events], CVA, SCI, and autoimmune disorders (e.g., Lupus, ALS, and Multiple Sclerosis) comprise the main referral base to the RNC. The majority of patients range in age from 20-40 and are OEF/OIF Veterans who have sustained mild, moderate, or severe TBIs secondary to blast injuries and/or motor vehicle accidents during their time in combat. The neuropsychological evaluation for such individuals is part of a comprehensive assessment conducted by the multi-disciplinary TBI Team, including physician and nurse practitioner service, social work, physical and occupational therapy, and neuropsychology. Co-morbid conditions, such as PTSD, depression, substance use disorders, and pain disorders are common. This clinic also serves Veterans of all ages with other rehabilitation needs. It is not uncommon for an evaluation to be focused on a) differential diagnosis of dementia (in elderly patients with a history of TBI or stroke), b) identification of cognitive issues in those with chronic medical and/or mental health disorders, and c) pre-surgical neuropsychological assessment for deep brain stimulation candidates. Because many Veterans who are seen on this service have multiple co-morbid medical and psychiatric disorders and present without clear neurological findings, the neuropsychological assessment assists in determining the presence, pattern, and severity of cognitive impairment, which is often complex and challenging. 

Southeastern Blind Rehabilitation Center 

Supervisor: Malcolm-Barker Kamps, Ph.D. 

The SBRC is a CARF-accredited 20-bed inpatient rehabilitation treatment facility for visually impaired Veterans. The SBRC Psychology Service is supervised by Chebon A. Porter, Ph.D., licensed clinical psychologist. The SBRC is staffed by over 40 healthcare professionals, including master’s level blind rehabilitation specialists, a full medical staff (e.g., LPNs, RNs, CRNP, physician), optometry, social work, and recreation therapy. The patient population is representative of Veterans from all living eras. All Veterans admitted to the SBRC go through an admission process requiring approval from psychology, medical staff, optometry, and social work services. As SBRC Veterans come from both in-state and out-of-state referral bases, this is a highly collaborative treatment team involving both intra-facility and inter-facility collaboration. All SBRC Veterans meet criteria for legal blindness and/or catastrophic disability, with vision impairments ranging from degenerative diseases to trauma. A wide array of psychiatric issues is present in this patient population, with the most frequently observed diagnostic entities including PTSD, specific/situational phobia, adjustment disorders, sleep disorders, major depression, cognitive impairment (e.g., secondary to dementia or TBI), substance use disorders, and characterological issues. There is also a high degree of medical comorbidity (e.g., traumatic brain injury, CVA/vascular disease, muscular-skeletal, diabetes, heart disease, dementia, pain disorders, pulmonary disease). Rehabilitation programs are tailored to Veterans’ needs and include training in low vision, orientation and mobility, living skills, communications, manual skills, computer access technology, GPS, Orcam, and iPhone. Psychology Service maintains an active presence per assessment, intervention, consultation, and programmatic leadership. Fellowship duties include comprehensive neuropsychological assessment, cognitive and psychological testing, cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy, group psychotherapy, family education, staff education, and continuous collaboration with SBRC rehabilitation specialists, social work, and medical staff via participation in interdisciplinary treatment team meetings. 

Psychology Service is also actively involved in practices to ensure continuity of care, including consultation with Visual Impairment Services Team Coordinators (VIST) and myriad healthcare providers at the Veterans’ home stations. The fellow plays an integral role in this process and participates in the admission process by consulting in review of cases involving dementia, TBI, or other pertinent psychiatric issues potentially impacting the rehabilitation program and learning objectives. This review may involve chart review [including remote access], telephone contact with the referring VIST, and/or telephone contact with the Veteran and/or family. For potential intra-facility transfer from the medical wards, the fellow provides a bedside assessment. The fellow provides brief to full neuropsychological assessments to SBRC veterans based on chart review, diagnostic/prognostic concerns, and consultation request via medical/SBRC staff. Typical consultation requests involve undiagnosed dementia or other cognitive impairment and identification of relative learning strengths and weaknesses to incorporate into SBRC training. Pertinent to these activities include feedback to the Veteran [and family when indicated], SBRC staff, and consultation with medical staff to recommend neuroimaging and other coordination of care activities post-discharge (e.g., referral to Neurology at home-station). Psychotherapies target myriad adjustment and psychiatric issues pertinent to benefitting from the rehabilitation experience, identifying specific means of goalsetting per accommodation to learning needs based on cognitive impairment, and issues pertinent to inpatient rehabilitation, such as dietary/medication management/compliance, pain management, and Veteran/family education per treatment course and continuity of care postdischarge. The fellow also provides supervision to psychology doctoral students and psychology interns.

PTSD Clinical Team (PCT) 

Supervisors: Anna Grace Cooper, Psy.D., ABPP, Susan Isbill, Ph.D., & Tony Intoccia, Psy.D. 

Adult veterans seek treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and co-morbid disorders from the PTSD Clinical Team (PCT). This team represents the largest sub-specialty group in the VA’s Mental Health Clinic. This is a rapidly growing area of clinical career opportunity and can serve to outfit fellows with clinical skills that will prove valuable in both military and civilian treatment. Evaluation is completed through diagnostic interviews and symptom severity scales. There are possible opportunities for experience with the CAPS-5. The PCT runs a recovery-oriented program. Interventions are multi-modal and include individual psychotherapy, assessment, and group psychotherapy. The primary individual therapies offered are Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure, and Written Exposure Therapy, which are the gold-standard treatments for PTSD. We also offer Cognitive Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD and Exposure, Relaxation, and Rescripting Therapy for Trauma Nightmares. PCT also offers time-limited skills groups, such as Anger Management and Skills Training for Affective and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR). A minor focus is military sexual trauma treatment.

Behavioral Sleep Medicine (BSM) 

Supervisors: Anthony Molloy, Ph.D., Courtney J. Bolstad, Ph.D., DBSM (CBT for Nightmares consultant/trainer) 

The Birmingham VA Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic was developed in 2020. The clinic provides comprehensive treatment of sleep problems using evidence-based cognitive behavioral approaches. Common services include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Nightmares, and positive airway pressure (CPAP) desensitization. Referrals come from within the Mental Health Service, Sleep Clinic, Primary Care, Neurology, and Pain Program. Fellows under the supervision of Dr. Bolstad may accrue hours towards becoming a Diplomate in Behavioral Sleep Medicine (DBSM) and may have the opportunity to be involved in UAB’s Accredited Behavioral Sleep Medicine program. Fellows will spend the majority of their time engaged in conducting intakes and providing evidence-based behavioral interventions for sleep disorders. Fellows may also provide education, outreach, and consultation on behavioral treatment of sleep disorders to Mental Health, Primary Care, Sleep, and other medical specialty clinics within BVAMC. Clinical interview is the primary means of evaluation during intake. Veterans also complete several self-report questionnaires, including the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and sleep diaries, throughout treatment. Training may include review of objective data from polysomnography reports and positive airway pressure devices. Fellows will learn at least one evidence-based treatment for sleep disorders, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (individual and group), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Nightmares (individual), and/or positive airway pressure (CPAP) desensitization (individual and group). Dependent on case availability, fellows may also encounter veterans with REM sleep behavior disorder, hypersomnolence, circadian rhythm disorder, and other sleep problems.

General Mental Health Assessment and Brief Psychotherapy 

Supervisor: Katie Jackson, Psy.D. 

Fellows will complete comprehensive biopsychosocial intake evaluations as part of the Intake Access Clinic, which is the entry point into the Mental Health Service Line. Fellows will have the opportunity to conduct pre-surgical evaluations for solid organ and bone marrow transplant candidates and bariatric surgery candidates. Additionally, fellows might have the opportunity to provide brief psychotherapy interventions for issues such as adjustment to chronic illness, preparation for transplant or bariatric surgery, and health behavior changes. Fellows might also participate in multi-disciplinary clinic and/or meetings with the Organ Transplant Team and/or MOVE! Clinic.

Pain Rehabilitation Outpatient Program (PROP) 

Supervisor: Carin L. Eubanks, Ph.D. 

The Pain Rehabilitation Outpatient Program (PROP) is a CARF accredited, interdisciplinary team serving veterans with chronic pain. The PROP team is located in the Birmingham VA Clinic and includes the following team members: Psychology, Social Work, Pharmacy, Physician, Occupational Therapy, and Physical Therapy. Fellows work closely with all team members. The PROP rotation consists of an initial evaluation, individual psychotherapy, and group psychotherapy. Fellows will also have the opportunity to participate in weekly interdisciplinary team meetings and shadow other members of the team. Clinical interview is the primary means of assessment during the initial evaluation. Veterans admitted to PROP are given several self-report measures at admission, discharge, and three follow-up appointments. These measures are used to track progress and inform treatment planning. Fellows will have the opportunity to learn and implement CBT for Coping with Chronic Pain (CBT-CP) and co-facilitate psychotherapy groups, including Cognitive Coping and Anger Management / Assertive Communication.

Substance Treatment and Recovery (STAR) 

Preceptor: Gloria Roque, Ph.D. and Liz Outman, Ph.D. 

STAR is a multidisciplinary team that provides outpatient services to veterans with substance use disorders. The STAR approach is rooted in the disease model of addiction with the belief that addiction is a chronic, treatable condition. Although many of our patients participate in 12- step programs (Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, etc.), STAR focuses more on the development of coping skills in a cognitive-behavioral framework. The bulk of treatment occurs in the context of the Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), which typically lasts 90 days and includes individual assessment/treatment, group therapies, case management and random drug and alcohol screenings. The population is primarily male patients with substance use disorders, primarily alcohol, stimulants, and opiates. Many of our patients also have co-existing psychiatric conditions and psychosocial stressors which need to be addressed for them to meet their recovery goals. By the end of the rotation the fellow will be familiar with identification, assessment, and treatment of substance use disorders and gain valuable experience working as part of a multidisciplinary treatment team. Fellows’ interactions with patients will involve assessment/biopsychosocial intakes, group facilitation, and individual psychotherapy. Fellows will generally complete 1-2 biopsychosocial intakes and co-lead 1-2 IOP groups per week. Opportunities to learn and practice evidence-based group therapies (e.g., Seeking Safety, STAIR) and/or individual evidence-based intervention (e.g., COPE, PE, CBTSUD, MET) may also be available depending on the goals/interests of the fellow. Depending fellow preferences/interests and availability, fellows may also gain experience in clinical supervision/program administration.

Additional Activities

The fellow participates in a number of didactics. These include: 

1. Weekly attendance at the UAB Department of Neurology Grand Rounds.
2. Attending/presenting at the weekly UAB-BVAMC neuropsychology seminar, which includes case conferences, fact finding, journal club, and board review information.
3. Brain cuttings in the UAB Department of Pathology.
4. The BVAHCS weekly neuropsychology fellowship didactic seminar. 

Additionally, the fellow has access to auditing classes in the UAB School of Medicine, when such additional education is considered pertinent to the fellow’s training agenda. The fellow will also be tasked with developing a quality management project in one of three clinical domains of fellowship service (i.e., memory group recruitment and retention, acceleration of neuropsychology in PCMH, and assessment guided learning/teaching accommodations in the SBRC.)

Training Schedule

The fellowship begins and ends in early August. The fellow’s default tour of duty (TOD) is 7:30am-4:00pm, Monday-Friday, 40 hours/week for 104 weeks of service. Requests for a change in TOD will be considered but must be brought to the Fellowship Director and the Director of Psychology Training and must be approved by all relevant training supervisors. The fellowship is designed to include all training duties within the TOD. In addition to the in-clinic training schedule, the TOD incorporates time for administrative and organizational tasks and writing/charting, as well as pertinent didactic training and supervision. A personalized training plan for each fellowship year is developed within the first two weeks of the training year in collaboration with the Fellowship Director.

Training Methods and Supervision

The fellowship is based on a mentorship model of supervision in which the fellow functions as a junior colleague under the direct supervision of fellowship faculty.  Specific training and teaching modalities include modeling in interdisciplinary treatment team meetings, use of guided readings in the pertinent areas of interest, review of VHA administrative and policy issues, and regular participation in educational opportunities such as Grand Rounds, training workshops, classroom instruction (i.e., the fellow may have the opportunity to audit UAB classes in the areas of neuropsychology and neuroscience), professional conferences, neuropsychology case conference, and brain cuttings.  

The fellow participates in supervised clinical care in multiple clinics with a minimum of three hours of individual, face-to-face supervision per week.  Clinical supervision includes review of test administration, scoring, and interpretation, report writing, patient/family feedback, psychotherapy, and all other patient contact.  Supervision techniques include individual supervision, group supervision, clinical case presentation, and co-leading of groups.  The fellow also provides supervision to clinical psychology doctoral students and interns in layered supervision format that is addressed with the attending psychologist in each of the above clinics.   Finally, the fellow participates in a regularly scheduled supervision and guided learning/reading meeting with Dr. Sean Hollis, Ph.D., ABPP-CN and Dr. Angela Dupont, Ph.D. In total, the fellow receives a minimum of four hours of training and supervision per week with at least three of these hours involving supervision with a licensed clinical psychologist. 

Authorized Absence

The fellow may be granted Authorized Absence (AA) for educational and professional activities outside the medical center, including attendance at training workshops, seminars, and professional conferences.

Annual Leave and Sick Leave

The fellow accrues up to 104 hours of Annual Leave (AL) and 104 hours of Sick Leave (SL) over the course of each fellowship year.

Collecting Personal Information

Personal information is not collected on the Training Program website.

Self-disclosure

An area of professional competence assessed by the Psychology Postdoctoral Evaluation Form is the fellow’s ability to effectively manage stressors in the workplace, so as to minimize the potential for negative impact on his or her professional relationships. These factors are addressed in terms of the fellow’s preparation for supervision, response to supervision, overall utilization of supervision, awareness of personal characteristics, impact on the workplace environment and professional relationships, and professional conduct. The fellow is expected to be able to sufficiently cope with work-related stressors, new responsibilities, and patient-care issues while demonstrating awareness of any personal or professional issues that may impact his/her ability to practice. The fellow is encouraged and expected to seek supervision on all matters that may have an effect on professional conduct. The fellow is expected and encouraged to address these issues throughout the supervisory process in a manner that is non-defensive and open to feedback.

To successfully complete the fellowship, the fellow must demonstrate competency in all core areas identified on the Psychology Postdoctoral Evaluation Form. If the fellow’s performance falls below the required competency standards, the procedures outlined in the Psychology Training Program Manual [see sections: Postdoctoral Evaluation and Postdoctoral Fellowship Due Process Procedures] are followed. The fellow must meet all required competency standards by the end of the fellowship. In addition, the fellow must complete the equivalent of two consecutive years of a full-time training. This is a two-year fellowship in which the fellow must complete a minimum of 3,584 hours. Authorized Absence counts toward the 3,584 required hours. Annual Leave, Sick Leave, Leave Without Pay, and Federal Holidays do not count toward the 3,584 training hours.

Candidates are eligible for VA training programs if they have attended institutions accredited by the following:

American Psychological Association (APA)

Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) 

Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS) 

The following criteria are required for all VA Health Professions Trainee appointments: 

1.  U.S. citizenship. 

2.  Applicants who are male-assigned at birth born after 12/31/1959 must have registered for the draft by age 26. 

3. Residents are subject to fingerprinting, background checks, and random urine drug screens. Please be advised: Although the recreational or medical use of marijuana is legal in certain states, it is not legal at federal facilities. Thus, we cannot employ anyone who tests positive for marijuana.

4. TQCVL. To streamline on-boarding of HPTs, VHA OAA requires completion of a Trainee Qualifications and Credentials Verification Letter (TQCVL).   Your VA appointment cannot happen until the TQCVL is submitted and signed by senior leadership from the VA facility.  This document requires that you confirm the following health information and required vaccines for healthcare workers:

• Evidence or self-certification that you are physically and mentally fit to perform the essential functions of the training program
• Evidence of tuberculosis screening and testing per CDC health care personnel guidelines
• Evidence or self-certification of up-to-date vaccinations for healthcare workers as recommended ty the CDC and VA to include: Hepatitis B, MMR (Measles, Mumps, & Rubella), Varicella (Chickenpox), Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis), and Annual Flu vaccine.

**Health Professions Trainees (HPTs) are appointed as temporary employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs. As such, HPTs are subject to laws, policies, and guidelines posted for VA staff members.  There are infrequent times in which this guidance can change during a training year which may create new requirements or responsibilities for HPTs. If employment requirements change during the course of a training year, HPTs will be notified of the change and impact as soon as possible and options provided. The VA Training Director will provide you with the information you need to understand the requirement and reasons for the requirement in timely manner.**