Internship Program

Our Psychology Internship Training Program at VALBHS is committed to close supervision and competency-based training in a highly collegial setting. We endorse the scientist-practitioner model of psychology, and the internship training experience is organized accordingly. We are guided by both the original Boulder Model (Raimy,1950) and the update of the scientist-practitioner model as articulated at the 1991 Gainesville conference (Belar & Perry, 1992). Interns are strongly encouraged to complete the defense of their dissertations prior to their internship start date in order to take full advantage of the rich training opportunities available throughout the internship year.

Prior to our internship, candidates are expected to have a solid grounding in the science of psychology.  We can teach generalist psychology and evidence-based treatments, but we have to assume that our interns come with the underlying scientific rigor that can only be provided by their undergraduate and graduate programs. We tailor our internship program to meet the individual training needs of each intern. Although our psychology staff provides a number of specialized services, we believe that training in health service psychology at the doctoral level should be broadly based rather than narrowly focused so interns have one last chance to immerse themselves in new areas of clinical endeavor. Our main training competency areas are research, ethical and legal standards, individual and cultural diversity, professional values, attitudes, and behaviors, communication and interpersonal skills, assessment, intervention, supervision, as well as consultation and interprofessional/interdisciplinary skills. 

Program Goals and Objectives

The overarching aim of our Psychology Internship Training Program is to provide psychology students with strong generalist training in order to function effectively as health service psychologists in a broad range of interprofessional settings. For the neuropsychology track interns, there is an additional aim to provide special emphasis training in neuropsychology that prepares them to meet the requisite competencies to go on to neuropsychology postdoctoral fellowships in a VA or other general healthcare facility.

We provide our interns with the experiences necessary to function as ethical, scientifically grounded, psychologically flexible, and solidly trained graduates who are ready to move on to specialized postdoctoral training settings or academic and research positions. One primary objective is to expose our interns to an increasingly complex array of treatment approaches and therapeutic challenges as they progress through the internship year, consistent with our apprenticeship model. Specific goals within that primary objective are spelled out in our intern competencies discussed below in the section titled "Requirements for Completion.” These competencies are ordered into nine domains following the APA Commission on Accreditation standards that will be further discussed in that section.

Commitment to Patients and Trainees

The psychology service reflects the hospital mission of emphasizing care and respect for the physical, psychological, and spiritual health and wellness of all. We seek to develop an inspiring environment that fosters authenticity, belonging, and creativity. As a federal employer and an equal opportunity training program, our facility and department of Psychology strongly adhere to policies on non-discrimination and accommodations to facilitate success in our training programs. We encourage applications to our internship program from diverse applicants. VALBHS Psychology Department believes that diversity presents in multiple facets. We consider diversity as including various cultures, values, and experiences of trainees and faculty, as well as different theoretical models, research paradigms, and ways of professional practice. Our training program and service regularly work towards creating a culture of humility with respect to knowledge, awareness, and skills.

Our psychology training program, staff, and leadership value multicultural competence as a major objective of training.  We benefit from the rich diversity of our staff, trainees, Veterans, and our local Long Beach community, and we infuse these discussions and training into every aspect of our program, including individual and group supervision, research and trainee projects, didactics, grand rounds, hiring, and seminars.  We are committed as a staff to examining ways in which we fail to meet the needs of our diverse patients and trainees, and to engaging with our limitations, assumptions, and biases, to make sincere efforts towards growth.  We expect that trainees will be committed to increasing their own multicultural competence through a variety of means, including tailoring treatment interventions and assessment approaches through an intersectional lens, genuine self-reflection in supervision and seminars, engaging in local and national VA training opportunities, and consultation with our interprofessional staff.  This work has always been critical, though often overlooked; we are committed to not looking away now.

Program Structure

Our internship program offers six full-time funded internship positions for the 2026-2027 class. Five of these positions are in the General Track and one is in the Neuropsychology Track (general internship with a special emphasis in neuropsychology). 

*For information on the adjustments we have made to training during COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and the hospital-wide safety protocols in place, please see the addendum on page 44 (at the end of this brochure).  We have no way of knowing whether or how the pandemic will impact training during the 2026-2027 training year, but please know we continue to prioritize trainee and Veteran health and safety, and have been flexible in adapting to changes as they are needed while maintaining a high-quality training program that addresses trainee goals and needs.  We plan to continue to be flexible as the situation evolves and appreciate the flexibility of our potential applicants, interviewees, and trainees as we navigate this together.

Accreditation Status

The doctoral internship at VALBHS is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association. Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 2002

Phone:  or
e-mail American Psychological Association
Webpage: APA Accreditation

Application Requirements and Process 

We rely on the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers’ (APPIC) portal for all application materials. We currently offer positions in two tracks: 

1. General Track—112911
2. Neuropsychology Track—112912 (general internship with special emphasis in neuropsychology)

For General Track internship applicants, we expect at least three years of doctoral level study with 450 hours of practica intervention and 100 hours of assessment experience accrued prior to the application deadline. For Neuropsychology Track internship applicants, we expect at least three years of doctoral level study with 300 hours of practica intervention and 300 hours of assessment experience prior to the application deadline.  Please note, our hours requirements have not changed; however, we are well aware of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on training for some students over recent years, and we will consider that impact when reviewing applications.

Along with the usual materials requested by the APPIC Application for Psychology Internships (AAPI Online), we request 3 letters of recommendation. In your cover letter, please indicate:

• Which track you are applying to, the General Track or the Neuropsychology Track (general internship with special emphasis in neuropsychology). Applicants can only apply to one track.
• How you see our internship furthering your training in psychology
• The rotations of most interest to you
• How completing an internship with us will fulfill your career development goals and aspirations

No additional supplemental materials (e.g., writing sample) are required. Please consider your interest in VA Long Beach (VALB) carefully; in 2025 we had 176 completed applications for only six internship slots. 

Candidate Interviews

All application materials will be reviewed by the Psychology training program staff.  We will send interview invitations via email by December 1st, 2025.  Interview days are Jan 7th, 9th, 12th, and 14th, 2026.  Please contact the Director of Training if you have not heard from us by Dec 8th, 2025.

Interviews will be offered only via virtual format, even for local applicants. Interview day will last from approximately 8am until 2pm. The day will start with a general orientation by the Director of Training, followed by two 60-minute individual interviews with staff members (one structured interview with set questions and one unstructured interview). General track internship applicants will interview with two general staff psychologists. Neuropsychology track internship applicants will interview with a neuropsychologist in addition to another general psychology staff member. We will make every effort to match you with two of your top choices for staff interviewers involved in internship training. Following interviews, candidates will hear rotation presentations from staff and have opportunities to ask questions using a virtual breakout session structure. 

VALBHS doctoral internship program is invested in providing access for all people with disabilities and will provide accommodations if we are notified before the interviews. Reasonable accommodation requests for the interview process are readily entertained and expedited by the training faculty. 

Match Process

We adhere strictly to the match policies established by APPIC. As noted in the “Program Structure” section below, we have two separate tracks with separate match numbers: 

General track (APPIC Match Number: 112911) 
Neuropsychology track (APPIC Match Number: 112912). 

This internship site agrees to abide by the APPIC policy that no person at this training facility will solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information from any intern applicant. The only information that we may communicate to applicants prior to the February deadline is whether they are still under consideration for admission. 

Additional information regarding the match is available through the APPIC National Matching Program.

VA Eligibility Requirements

Internship funding can be provided only to students who are in good standing at an American Psychological Association (APA)- or Canadian Psychological Association (CPA)-accredited graduate program in Clinical, Counseling, or Combined psychology or at a Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS) accredited program in Clinical Science. Students with a doctorate in another area of psychology who meet the APA or CPA criteria for re-specialization training in Clinical, Counseling, or Combined Psychology are also eligible. Only 52-week full-time internships are available. 

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) adheres to all Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action policies.  As a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Health Professions Trainee (HPT), you will receive a Federal appointment following the selection process, and the following requirements will apply prior to that appointment 

U.S. Citizenship. HPTs who receive a direct stipend (pay) must be U.S. citizens.  

U.S. Social Security Number.  All VA appointees must have a U.S. social security number (SSN) prior to beginning the pre-employment on-boarding process at the VA.

Selective Service Registration.  Male applicants born after 12/31/1959 must have registered for the Selective Service by age 26 to be eligible for U.S. government employment, including selection as a paid or WOC VA trainee. For additional information about the Selective Service System, and to register or to check your registration status visit Selective Service System. Anyone who was required to register but did not register before the age of 26 will need to apply for a Status Information Letter (SIL) and request a waiver. Waivers are rare and requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the VA Office of Human Resources Management. This process can take up to six months for a verdict.

Fingerprint Screening and Background Investigation. All HPTs will be fingerprinted and undergo screenings and background investigations. Additional details about the required background checks can be found at the National Archive, Office of the Federal Register's web page. 

Drug Testing. Per Executive Order 12564, the VA strives to be a Drug-Free Workplace.  HPTs are not drug-tested prior to appointment, however, are subject to random drug testing throughout the entire VA appointment period. You will be asked to sign an acknowledgement form stating you are aware of this practice. See item 8 below. 

Affiliation Agreement. To ensure shared responsibility between an academic program and the VA there must be a current and fully executed Academic Affiliation Agreement on file with the VHA Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA). The affiliation agreement delineates the duties of VA and the affiliated institution. Most APA-accredited doctoral programs have an agreement on file.  

TQCVL. To streamline on-boarding of HPTs, VHA Office of Academic Affiliations requires completion of a Trainee Qualifications and Credentials Verification Letter (TQCVL). An Educational Official at the Affiliate must complete and sign this letter. Your VA appointment cannot happen until the TQCVL is submitted and signed by senior leadership from the VA facility.  

Health Requirements. Among other things, the TQCVL confirms that you, the trainee, are fit to perform the essential functions (physical and mental) of the training program and immunized following current Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines and VHA policy. This protects you, other employees and patients while working in a healthcare facility. Required are annual tuberculosis screening, Hepatitis B vaccine as well as annual influenza vaccine. The flu vaccine is mandatory for all VA trainees and staff, except in the rare case of a documented medical exemption or deeply held religious belief that precludes being vaccinated.

Primary source verification of all prior education and training is certified via the TQCVL. Training and Program Directors will be contacting the appropriate institutions to ensure you have the appropriate qualifications and credentials as required by the admission criteria of the training program in which you are enrolled.

Additional On-boarding Forms. Additional pre-employment forms include the Application for Health Professions Trainees (VA 10-2850D) and the Declaration for Federal Employment (OF 306). Falsifying any answer on these required Federal documents will result in the inability to appoint or immediate dismissal from the training program.

Proof of Identity per VA. VA on-boarding requires presentation of two source documents (IDs).  Documents must be unexpired and names on both documents must match. 

Interns in the General Track will be assigned four 6-month clinical rotations that span different types of VALBHS clinics, with two rotations co-occurring at each time. Rotations will be assigned using the method described below in the "Training Schedule and Rotations" section. 

The intern in the Neuropsychology Track is required to complete a year-long rotation in neuropsychology in addition to two 6-month general clinical rotations. This combination of rotation experiences as well as the programmatic elements described below provides the intern with generalist psychology training with a specific emphasis in neuropsychology. The internship program at VALBHS is part of the Association for Internship Training in Clinical Neuropsychology (AITCN) and offers training opportunities consistent with the Houston Conference on Specialty Education and Training in Clinical Neuropsychology. For additional details regarding the specific neuropsychology training opportunities available within the neuropsychology rotation, please see the “Training Experiences” section listed below. Interns completing the Neuropsychology Track will be well-prepared for competitive postdoctoral fellowships in neuropsychology as well as board-certification in clinical neuropsychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). 

A visual depiction of the training year schedule for both general and neuropsychology track (general internship with special emphasis in neuropsychology) interns is listed below: 

General Track Rotation Schedule:

First 6-months (August – February)                       

Rotation 1                                                                          
Rotation 2                                                                         

Second 6-months (February – August)

Rotation 3
Rotation 4

Neuropsychology Track Rotation Schedule:

First 6-months (August – February)                       

Rotation 1: Neuropsychology                                   
Rotation 2                                                                          

Second 6-months (February – August)

Rotation 3: Neuropsychology 
Rotation 4

Training Schedule and Rotations

Utilizing information gained during Interviews, the Training Program brochure, and any additional questions or information gleaned from Training Program Director and/or Supervisors, interns will rank order their rotation preferences during the summer before the internship year begins. There will be additional opportunities to consult with the Director of Training as needed. Rotation schedules will then be drafted by the Director of Training and confirmed with Training Program Supervisors before being sent out to interns for review. Intern preferences and areas of specialization are strongly considered when determining these rotation schedules, but if interns have gaps in their training, it is important to fill those gaps throughout the training year. In order to ensure generalist training for all interns, rotation assignments must span different types of clinical settings. Please note that while the Directors of Training will do their best to accommodate intern preferences, no specific supervisor or rotation is guaranteed.

Workload/Time Allocation

All interns are expected to work 40 hours per week. This includes programmatic experiences and clinical rotation experiences. All interns are required to complete 2,080 hours of training (including any granted annual leave, sick leave, and authorize absence). Please see the COVID-19 addendum at the end of this brochure for details on how this may have changed during pandemic restrictions.

During the first month of the training year, interns are expected to identify their training goals and to work with their rotation supervisors to develop a schedule of activities for the year designed to meet these goals. The conceptualization going into the Individualized Training Plan (ITP) should involve self-assessment together with discussions with the supervisors to facilitate personal and professional growth and development.

A breakdown of the encouraged weekly time distribution across programmatic and clinical rotation experiences is listed below:

Programmatic Experiences:

Seminars:  5 hours/week
Supervision of practicum student/Assessment case: 3 hours/week
Misc. Administrative Time:  4 hours/week
TOTAL = 12 hours

Clinical Rotation Experiences:

Clinical Work:  18 – 20 hours/week (across both rotations)*
Administrative Time:  8 –10 hours/week (across both rotations)*
TOTAL = 28 hours

*The time allocation for clinical rotation experiences will differ depending on clinical rotation. 

Supervision

Receiving supervision: Interns will schedule a total of four hours of supervision per week (10% of the interns' supervised professional experience time). At least two hours per week will be individual face-to-face supervision: interns are required to schedule at least one hour per week of individual face-to-face supervision with each of their two concurrent rotation supervisors. Additional weekly individual and group supervision is provided by the supervisors of the comprehensive assessment and provision of supervision cases (please see sections on the assessment and provision of supervision requirements below) and may also be provided by delegated supervisors within clinical rotations. Each intern has four primary supervisors throughout the year who are each responsible for the training experiences on their specific rotations. Supervisors assist in selecting patients and making referrals, representing Psychology with the intern in team meetings, and scheduling individual face-to-face and perhaps some group supervision sessions.

Providing Supervision: All interns (both general and neuropsychology track) will also have the opportunity to provide supervision to practicum students and receive group supervision of this experience in the Supervision of Supervision Seminar (please see seminar section below). Interns are allotted three hours of protected time per week to provide this supervision experience.

Assessment

Interns are required to complete one comprehensive assessment case with integrated report during the internship year (this can include psychodiagnostic testing, neuropsychological testing, capacity testing, and/or various health psychology evaluations). For those interns on rotations in which testing is part of their clinical rotations, one of these cases will suffice for assessment seminar, and the intern will present on that case. For those interns on rotations in which no comprehensive assessments are conducted within the clinic, a case will be assigned through Assessment Seminar and supervised by Assessment Seminar facilitator(s). A second case may be assigned for interns who need additional assessment experience in order to meet the minimum levels of achievement required for the assessment competency items.  

Seminars and Other Meetings

Intern Seminar (weekly): Presentations for this seminar are coordinated by the Internship Training Director. These presentations are designed to build upon the existing knowledge base of our interns. A combination of topics will be chosen that are relevant to the VA clinical setting, address innovations and trends in psychology, encourage development of intersectional multicultural competence, and foster professional development. 

Intervention - Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Seminar (weekly): This seminar is coordinated by a staff psychologist and includes many guest presentations by other staff and supervisors. Presentations will cover didactics on a wide range of EBPs offered throughout the VA as well as trainee and staff case presentations demonstrating application of these EBPs on clinical rotations. Interns are expected to consider cultural and diversity factors and how they may impact implementation of specific EBPs. 

Supervision of Supervision Seminar (weekly): This seminar is coordinated by staff psychologists. In this seminar, interns will be introduced to various theories and models of clinical supervision as they develop their own philosophy and approach to supervision, whether they go on to be a research and/or clinical supervisor. Following the supervision didactic series, this seminar will serve as group supervision for interns who will be providing supervision to advanced practicum students on general individual psychotherapy cases.

Case Consultation Seminar (weekly): This seminar is coordinated by staff psychologists and will include didactic presentations, readings, experiential exercises, and case consultation covering a wide range of issues. 

Assessment (bimonthly): This seminar is coordinated by staff psychologists and/or neuropsychologists. In this seminar, interns will be introduced to a wide range of psychological assessments including, but not limited to, the assessment of moderate to severe psychopathology, personality issues, cognitive impairment, and health-related assessments. The seminar will focus on assessment didactics, including: basic interpretations of commonly used tests at the VA (e.g., MMPI -3, PAI, MCMI-IV, self-report measures, MoCA) as well as introduction to common assessments at the VA (e.g. organ transplant, bariatric surgery). The seminars will also involve case presentation/consultation for interns who are completing their comprehensive assessment batteries and integrated reports.

Additional Opportunities

Long-term Psychotherapy Case: Interns are allowed to carry up to one long-term psychotherapy case throughout the training year. Supervision may be provided by either the original supervising psychologist from the first half of the year, or if agreed upon, by the supervisor of the intern’s clinical rotations in the second half of the year.  

Intern Project: Interns have the option to complete a project of their choice during the year-long internship training year. This project may vary depending upon the individual intern's training experiences and career goals and may be conducted independently or in collaboration with other trainees or staff. If interested in completing a research project, interns will need to find a project advisor to develop and conduct their project. The project advisor can be any VALB staff member. The goal of the optional project is for the intern to study or to develop some component of services that will be of utility to others in the field. This project may have a research focus (e.g., program utilization or effectiveness), an educational objective (e.g., training other staff, patients or their family members; developing a Continuing Education (CE) module), a program development aim (e.g., new peer-led service, or community reintegration program), or clinical service provision goal (e.g., development of new treatment modality, or application of treatment to an under-served population). Other creative ideas are welcome. All projects should be based on scientific literature and have some form of measurable evaluation of their effectiveness and impact. If opting to complete a project, interns will need to complete a written Intern Project Proposal at the beginning of the training year, detailing their plan for developing and implementing the project over the training year. Interns who opt to complete a project will also be required to develop a PowerPoint presentation and present the details and results of their completed Intern Project to the department at the end of the training year. Upon completion of the project, the project advisor will evaluate the internship project using the Intern Project Outcome Evaluation form to determine how well the project met the established minimum levels of achievement.

Chief Intern: Interns will have the opportunity to serve as “Chief Intern,” selected at the beginning of the training year. This can also be a rotating responsibility of two or three interns throughout the year. The Chief Intern provides monthly updates on the intern class to all Psychology staff and trainees via email, and gives a brief report on the intern cohort during Psychology staff meetings. The Chief Intern is also responsible for organzing the interns to meet for a regular intern lunch and other social/connection activities according to the group preferences.  Other responsibilities of the Chief Intern include refining our intern interviewing process for each successive set of January interviews and serving as a general liaison between the internship class and the Directors of Training. If desired, there are opportunities to expand the duties of the Chief Intern if it fits into their current rotation schedules.

Psychology and Interdisciplinary Meetings

Staff Meetings: These occur monthly on rotating Wednesdays via Teams, and trainees are invited to attend from 11:00 a.m. – 11:25 a.m. 

Psychology Community Meetings: These occur monthly, alternating between the 1st Thursday every other month at 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. and the 2nd Tuesday every other month at 1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m., both via Teams. Hear from Mental Health leadership on various topics including administrative issues, workload, system redesign, staff acknowledgements, and program updates.

Team Meetings: These occur weekly on various days/times such as within the Combat PTSD or Women’s Mental Health clinics. You may discuss with your supervisors which meeting(s) occur within your clinics.

Huddles: These occur daily in the mornings, depending on the team. They are brief, structured meetings that provide relevant updates and issues. You may discuss with your supervisors, and whether it is possible and beneficial for you to attend. 

The above meetings represent opportunities to interact with the broader psychology staff, as well as interdisciplinary staff from other areas. Interns will discuss with their supervisors which meetings are possible and beneficial to attend; interns will plan to attend at least two meeting occurrences during the Fall and two during the Spring.

Mentorship: In addition to supervision, interns have the option of receiving professional mentorship from psychology staff. A list of available mentors will be provided at the beginning of the training year. The role of a mentor is non-evaluative and flexible (CA-licensed is not required) and the mentor does not serve as a supervisor to the intern at any point in their training experience. 

Other Didactics: The internship program also includes educational opportunities such as lectures, locally hosted trainings (e.g., VALBHS hosts a yearly Polytrauma conference), as well as training opportunities through neighboring Southern California VAs.

Below is a list of clinical rotations that are available for psychology interns at VALBHS for the 2026-2027 training year. Please note that this list is subject to change due to changes in staffing or the development of new rotations. 

1. Acute/Geriatric Inpatient Mental Health
2. Addiction and Recovery Treatment (ART) Program
3. Blind Rehab Center (BRC)
4. Couples Therapy Note: Availability TBD
5. Geropsychology: Community Living Center (CLC)
6. Geropsychology: Home Based Primary Care (HBPC)
7. Medical Psychology/Consultation & Liaison (C&L)
8. Mental Health Integration (MHI) in Hematology/Oncology
9. Neuropsychology Note: Not currently open to General Track Interns
10. Outpatient Mental Health: Behavioral Health Interdiscipinary Program (BHIP)
11. Outpatient Mental Health: Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) in Laguna Hills, Placentia, Santa Ana, Santa Fe Springs
12. Pathways to Recovery Center (PRC) located at Century Villages at Cabrillo
13. Primary Care-Mental Health Integration (PC-MHI)
14. PTSD Clinical Team
15. Spinal Cord Injury/Dysfunction (SCI/D)
16. Suicide Prevention
17. Women's Mental Health (WMH)

1. Acute/Geriatric Inpatient Mental Health

Supervisor: Wes Cook, Psy.D., Heather Mesa, Psy.D.

Program: The inpatient psychologists will offer supervision on the Acute Inpatient Mental Health Unit and Geriatric Inpatient Mental Health Unit. Trainees will work with an interdisciplinary team in providing care to Veterans hospitalized psychiatrically. Trainees will get an opportunity to work with Veterans with severe mental illness (SMI). Diagnoses treated include schizophrenia spectrum disorders, bipolar disorders, major depressive disorder, PTSD, substance use disorders, and personality disorders. Trainees can elect to work on an acute adult unit, and/or a geriatric unit depending upon need and interest. Veterans on the geriatric unit commonly have diagnoses of dementia, in addition to aforementioned mental health conditions.

Psychology Training Provided: This rotation can be adapted based on the trainee’s interests and experiences, but will generally include the following:

• Trainees will obtain experience co-leading and eventually leading process and psychoeducational inpatient groups (e.g., brief integrative approaches).
• Trainees will gain experience with conducting individual therapy with Veterans on the unit (e.g., brief integrative approaches, MI, solution focused, and supportive).
• Trainees will obtain experience being a member of an interdisciplinary team. This includes attending rounds with psychiatrists, psychiatry residents, medical students, nursing staff, occupational therapists, social workers, and chaplains. If the team has difficulty with a patient’s presenting issues, Psychology may be called upon to help with consultation, behavior management, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning.
• Trainees will have the opportunity to have collaborative safety planning sessions with patients. A safety plan will be created that patients can use for crisis management and suicide prevention.
• Trainees will have program development opportunities, including attending monthly interdisciplinary team meetings and expanding inpatient group programming.

Note: This rotation requires trainees to be on-site and meet with Veterans on the Unit(s).

2. Addiction and Recovery Treatment (ART) Program

Supervisor: Lilia Sheynman, Ph.D.

Program: The ART Program offers experience and training in working with all facets of addiction. We offer an opportunity to work on an outpatient basis with a diverse population of Veterans at various stages of addiction treatment. Trainees will work with an interdisciplinary team in providing care to Veterans who often present with co-occurring diagnoses. Trainees will also gain experience working with Justice-Involved Veterans and those seeking residential treatment. 

Psychology Training Provided: This rotation can be adapted based on the trainee’s interests and experiences, but will generally include the following:

• Trainees will facilitate/co-facilitate evidence-based practice group treatment (seeking safety, harm reduction, CBT-SUD, etc).
• Trainees will have the opportunity to conduct psychosocial evaluations and intakes into the ART Program
• Trainees will carry a small caseload (2-4 Veterans) for individual psychotherapy. This will include creating treatment plans and utilizing measurement-based care to monitor treatment outcomes.
• Trainees will gain experience working as a part of a multidisciplinary team comprised of Addiction Therapists, Psychiatrists, Residents, Nurse Practitioners, Nurses, Psychologists, and Social Service Assistants.
• Trainees will also have the opportunity to consult and interact with all other branches of the medical center as part of coordinating care
• Trainees will have the opportunity to facilitate groups in both the outpatient and intensive outpatient programs (IOP).
• Trainees will be trained on ASAM level of care determinations. 

Note: This rotation requires trainees to be both at the VALB campus and the Village at Cabrillo. 

3. Blind Rehabilitation Center (BRC)

Supervisor: Ashley A. Vaillancourt, PhD

Program: The Major Charles Robert Soltes, Jr., O.D., Blind Rehabilitation Center (BRC) is a 14-bed residential, inpatient rehabilitation program. We are 1 of 13 VA Blind Rehab Centers across the United States, making this a unique and specialized training setting. Notably, the skills learned in this rotation are beneficial for trainees interested in working with health/medical/rehabilitation populations. 

We serve Veterans and occasional active-duty service members who are legally blind or visually impaired. They are referred from across CA and nearby states to attend our program. Patients range in age from 20’s to their 100’s but most patients are older veterans in their 50s to 90s with legal blindness and others health conditions that may or may not be related to their vision loss (e.g., Diabetes, Hypertension, COPD). A smaller subset of returning Veterans with traumatic brain injuries or other neurological conditions and vision loss participate. The comprehensive rehabilitation training program in comprised of a variety of disciplines including Blind Rehabilitation (i.e., Living Skills, Manual Skills, Orientation & Mobility, Visual Skills, and Accessible Technologies), Medicine (i.e., Nurse Practitioner, Attending Physician), Optometry, Psychology, Recreation Therapy, and Social Work.

The psychologist and intern work closely with the above interdisciplinary team members to develop individualized rehabilitation treatment plans. Our goal is to assist the Veteran in maximizing their rehabilitation potential during their stay. Assessments are completed for every admitting Veteran regarding adjustment to vision loss/blindness, cognitive functioning and overall mental and behavioral health. You will learn to administer brief cognitive screens, adapted for vision loss. More importantly, you will learn how to utilize information collected during interviews to create meaningful recommendations for Veteran and staff.  Interventions include: disability affirmative psychotherapy, individual and group psychoeducation, stress reduction/relaxation training, behavioral management, and family education.  More comprehensive neuropsychology assessment opportunities may be available for those interested. As much as possible, I try to tailor the clinical experiences available to fit your needs and training goals. 

While most trainees do not go on to work with the blind, feedback is consistent that the skills learned are generalizable to complex medical populations and benefit those seeking assessment/conceptualization skills within this population.  

Psychology Training Provided: Interns obtain experience in reviewing medical records and observing and evaluating Veterans participating in the blind rehabilitation training program. As part of the assessment, interns will assess the psychological functioning of each patient as well as their adjustment to vision loss/blindness and coping mechanisms, including social support. In addition, during the initial assessment, interns will conduct cognitive screening exams. Training will include use of modified or alternative assessment tools appropriate to visually impaired and blind persons. Following the initial assessment, interns will be expected to produce a written report that will be shared with interdisciplinary team members working with the Veteran in a timely fashion and written in a manner that is suitable for a rehabilitation setting. Furthermore, interns will have the opportunity to assist Veterans to identify or develop coping strategies and deliver brief, evidence-based interventions focused on promoting rehabilitative gains and self-efficacy. Similarly, interns will have the opportunity to deliver group and family education programming as well as didactics to interdisciplinary team members. Interns also gain considerable experience working with interdisciplinary medical teams utilizing the consultation-liaison framework as well as develop a specialty knowledge base with regard to blindness, rehabilitation psychology, health psychology, and geropsychology. Depending on the interest of intern, there is opportunity to gain experience with neuropsychological testing. The knowledge and skills learned on this rotation can be readily generalized to other medical and rehabilitative populations. As such, this rotation can be particularly valuable in helping increase marketability for individuals hoping to work in a medical or rehabilitation setting.

EBP opportunities: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Motivational Interviewing; 

Assessment opportunities: Neurocognitive screening (MoCA for the Blind, Oral TMT A&B) and possibility (not guaranteed) for comprehensive neuropsychology evaluations 

Note: This rotation requires trainees to be on-site and meet with Veterans at bedside. No teleworking/telehealth options available.

4. Couples Therapy 

Rotation availability TBD, pending staffing.

Program: This rotation offers training in the specialty area of couples therapy with a minor emphasis on family outreach, support, and education. Couples are referred to this rotation by other providers from throughout the healthcare system, leading to diverse presentations.

Psychology Training Provided:  BP opportunities include Integrative Behavioral Couples Therapy (IBCT) and Cognitive Behavioral Conjoint Therapy (CBCT) for PTSD.  Assessment opportunities are on a training-needs basis.  

Couples psychologists bring both research and clinical experience working with couples, and approach their work from evidence-based modalities depending on the clinical presentation and case conceptualization. There is a strong emphasis on case conceptualization based in attachment theory with attention to cultural factors in the conceptualization of relational dynamics. Supervisees can expect to focus heavily on learning and/or expanding skills in IBCT with a minor emphasis on CBCT if interested and appropriate (i.e., primarily for trainees with prior exposure to or experience in trauma-focused treatments). Couples psychologists also employ methods emphasized by the Gottman approach, and DBT particularly in her treatment of high-conflict couples. Trainees on this rotation will receive individual supervision, and group supervision if available.   

EBP Opportunities: Integrative Behavioral Couples Therapy (IBCT), Cognitive Behavioral Conjoint Therapy (CBCT) for PTSD.

Group Therapy Experiences: Trainees may have opportunities to co-lead the following groups, based on their interest and schedules and group availability.

• Cognitive Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD (CBCT-PTSD) Couples Group: This is a time-limited, evidence-based therapy for couples when at least one partner has a diagnosis of PTSD. CBCT-PTSD focuses on how the couple’s interactions maintain individual distress, and aims to reduce the impact of PTSD on the Veteran and the relationship. The treatment involves components that may look similar to IBCT (e.g., time-outs, improving communication), CPT (e.g., stuck points, cognitive restructuring), and PE (e.g., reducing avoidance, increasing engagement). Supervisees will co-facilitate.
• Couples Graduate Group: This group is a part-process, part-psychoeducation group therapy for couples who are no longer in acute distress but desire to continue improving their relationship. Supervisees will co-facilitate to help couples build a deeper understanding of one another, improve communication skills, and give/receive support from other couples. Supervisees will co-facilitate if/when this group is available.

Family Education, Treatment, and Community Outreach: Trainees may have an opportunity to triage and coordinate care for Veterans seeking parenting or family-oriented services. 

5. Geropsychology: Community Living Center (CLC) 

Supervisors: Phuong Chau, Ph.D., ABPP-CN, Morgan Macaluso, Ph.D.

Program: The CLC rotation is an 85-bed subacute transitional care unit where veterans receive skilled nursing care, rehabilitation services, and/or inpatient residential hospice care.  Veterans receiving care in the CLC range in age from 25 to 100+ and frequently have complex medical, psychiatric, cognitive, substance use, and/or social problems.  Common reasons for admission to CLC include wound care, infections requiring IV antibiotics, amputation, post-surgical recovery, cancer treatment, deconditioning, respite care, and/or comfort care for life-limiting illness. 

The CLC psychologist is an integral member of a large interdisciplinary team comprised of physicians, nurse practitioners, nursing staff, social workers, pharmacists, dieticians, chaplains, and recreation, physical, and occupational therapists.  Psychology services are typically provided at bedside. 

Our training program emphasizes supervised clinical experiences that are tailored to interns’ degree of prior training, experience, and competence in key domains. Training focuses on (1) helping interns to appreciate the diversity of experience of adults with complex medical needs; (2) the biopsychosocial and lifespan developmental perspectives necessary for understanding older adults; (3) the complex ethical dilemmas that can arise in inpatient medical care; (4) the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration; and (5) the utilization of evidence-based practices in a skilled nursing and rehabilitation setting.

In general, CLC trainee skills of focus include:

• Interdisciplinary team consultation and collaboration
• Brief/problem focused and comprehensive psychological, cognitive, behavioral, and functional assessment
• Neuropsychological assessment in older adults including differential diagnosis (e.g., delirium, dementia, depression)
• Evaluations of decision-making capacity (e.g., can the Veteran make medical decisions, manage finances, live alone)
• Adapting psychotherapy interventions for older adults and at hospital bedside
• Consultation within complex systems (e.g., families, health care teams, community service networks)
• Providing nursing and rehabilitation staff education and support

EBP Opportunities: Mostly short-term problem-focused or solution-focused therapy, with facets of ACT, CBT, MI, CPT, DBT skills. Also opportunities to implement behavioral interventions in dementia care.

Training opportunities that are specific to the primary supervisor are as follows:

• Interns working with Dr. Morgan Macaluso would primarily work with veterans admitted to CLC for skilled nursing care and/or subacute rehabilitation, as described above. If interested, a trainee may also be involved with our inpatient hospice service.  Hospice is a 17-bed service embedded within CLC that is staffed by a separate interdisciplinary team to provide comfort care to veterans with life-limiting illness.  Hospice training opportunities include bedside psychotherapeutic interventions focused on end-of-life matters, anticipatory grief support and education to family, delirium identification and management, and interdisciplinary collaboration to facilitate comfort care.
• Interns working with Dr. Phuong Chau would see Veterans either in the CLC (as described above) or at the Acute Rehabilitation Unit (ARU).  ARU is a small (<10 bed) inpatient physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) unit that provides intensive rehabilitation services to those recovering from acute surgery, stroke, brain injury, or other medical debility.  The Intern will be working within an interdisciplinary rehabilitation team setting. Clinical opportunities can include: mood/adjustment assessment, brief psychotherapy, inpatient neuropsychological assessment, capacity assessment, family support and education, pain management support, motivational interviewing around health behavior changes, and interdisciplinary collaboration to help Veterans achieve optimal care and rehabilitation outcomes. 

Note: This rotation is primarily onsite and will require the intern to be on-campus for majority of clinical duties/responsibilities, although there may be some opportunity for telework.

6. Geropsychology: Home Based Primary Care (HBPC)

Supervisors:  Megan E. Gomez, Ph.D., Angela W. Lau, Ph.D.

Program: VA Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC) is a program that provides comprehensive longitudinal primary care in the homes of Veterans with complex chronic disabling disease. The care is delivered by an interdisciplinary team comprised of medicine, nursing, social work, kinesiotherapy, dietetics, pharmacy, and psychology. HBPC manages (1) patients with multiple interacting chronic medical problems requiring interdisciplinary and longitudinal intervention to maintain health status, retard functional decline, and reduce or delay institutionalization; (2) patients with advanced terminal illness who want palliative care; and (3) patients who are hospice-appropriate but are not ready/willing to enroll in hospice care or do not want to discharge from our services at the end-of-life.  

The psychologist provides assessment and intervention to individuals and families to address psychological issues that are interfering with their medical care, compromising their health status and functional capacity, and/or reducing their quality of life. Cases include helping patients cope with grief, depression, anxiety, and other psychological issues related to the aging process, having chronic medical illnesses, and/or other life stressors; interventions to increase adherence to and adjustment to treatment regimens; and working with caregivers to improve patient well-being and treatment adherence, and/or to reduce caregiver stress.

Psychology Training Provided: In the HBPC program, interns conduct psychological/cognitive assessment, psychotherapy, family interventions, and become active members of an interdisciplinary treatment team.  

Roles and responsibilities of interns during this rotation include the following:

• Attending and actively participating in weekly HBPC team meetings via treatment planning, education, and consultation
• Providing psychodiagnostic interviews, brief cognitive testing, neuropsychological assessments, and/or psychotherapy intervention with referred HBPC patients in a patient’s place of residence (private homes, assisted living facilities or other extended care facilities).
• Providing consultation to staff regarding a patient’s mental health issues and/or improving patient-centered care.
• Providing staff in-service and education.

Skills emphasized on this rotation are: a) development of an understanding of normal functioning in aging, such as age-related changes in cognitive and physical functioning, and common developmental issues/tasks associated with aging; b) assessment of older adults through use of clinical interviewing, psychodiagnostic evaluation, neuropsychological screening, and evaluations of daily living skills; c)  individual psychotherapy with older adults with chronic medical illnesses; d) provision of services to the family in coping with caregiving and addressing problems that arise during the course of a medical or mental illness, including major neurocognitive disorder;  and e) active participation in a treatment team through consultation, staff education, and facilitating team functioning. The primary theoretical orientation of the rotation is cognitive-behavioral, although other approaches can be integrated when appropriate.

Assessment

1. Diagnostic interviews: mood, anxiety, adjustment disorder, cognitive disorder, possibly thought disorders, substance use disorders
2. Screening tests for cognitive functioning (e.g., SLUMS, MOCA, BLESSED, COGNISTAT)
3. Neuropsychological assessment and integrated report writing
4. Providing feedback of test results and recommendations to staff, patient, family
5. Behavioral assessment to identify factors associated with non-adherence to medical regimens, behavioral medicine problems (e.g., smoking, sleep, pain)
6. Assessment of caregiver stress
7. Capacity evaluations to inform team’s understanding of patient’s level of comprehension of his/her medical care, ability to safely live alone, or ability to manage their personal/financial matters

Treatment**

1. Provide effective individual psychotherapy for a variety of problems (e.g., depression, anxiety, PTSD, grief and loss, adjustment reactions, caregiver burden)
2. Provide intervention for such things as smoking cessation, insomnia, dietary control/weight loss, poor adherence to medical regimens, pain management
3. Work collaboratively with team members to enhance adherence to medical regimens
4. Provide intervention with caregivers to reduce emotional stress, enhance understanding of the patient’s strengths and limitations, communicate effectively with other care providers
5. Provide effective interventions with couples or families to relieve relationship difficulties and/or promote collaboration with HBPC team.

**EBP’s are always encouraged if applicable and desired by the patient. However, due to the unique characteristics of the HBPC patient population, interns are more likely to be challenged to practice cultural sensitivity and to experience, firsthand, translating clinical research into clinical practice by having to adapt EBP protocols and/or creatively apply EBT techniques during psychotherapy or behavioral medicine interventions. 

Team Functioning

1. Communicate effectively with members of the interdisciplinary treatment team, both during team meetings and with individual staff members, about patients’ mental health issues
2. Attend and actively participate in weekly patient care plan meetings: patient case review, presentation of patients from psychological perspective, incorporation of information presented by other team members and provide education and recommendations as necessary for identified patients
3. Assist team members in understanding psychological information and helping them enhance the effectiveness of their interventions with patients.
4. Present at least one in-service to the team
5. Identify and intervene appropriately in team process issues
6. Assist team members, as needed, in managing their own emotional responses and stress with respect to issues such as patients’ deaths, conflict with patients or their families.

Note: This rotation is hybrid (virtual and in-person); some responsibilities require Intern to be on campus. 

7. Medical Psychology/Consultation & Liaison (C&L) 

Supervisor: Kristina Moncrieffe, Psy.D. 

Program: The Medical Psychology Service consists of two services: outpatient rotation and Consultation and Liaison (C&L) inpatient rotation where both rotations provide interns with the opportunity to work with Veterans experiencing psychological distress in the context of chronic medical conditions. Patient referrals come from a variety of medical teams in the VA, including internal medicine, oncology, orthopedics, cardiology, palliative/hospice care, transplant services, pulmonology, etc. The patient population is diverse with medical conditions such as recent amputations, cancer, stroke, heart attack, ESRD, ALS, post-Covid complications, and more. Patient concerns are predominantly adjustment to illness or injury, coping with/processing terminal diagnoses, experiencing depression/anxiety in response to co-occurring medical conditions and surgeries, and managing complex treatment side effects. Interns have the opportunity to provide pre-surgical transplant (kidney, lung, stem cell) mental health/cognitive evaluations on an outpatient basis. 

Interns also have the opportunity to work as a consultant to Acute Medicine teams doing exciting, fast-paced consult-liaison work with medical inpatients and their multidimensional care teams, consisting of physicians, psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, dieticians, and chaplains. Opportunities through C&L include a balance of brief interventions, cognitive assessments, capacity evaluations, behavioral management, and interdisciplinary team consultation with a focus on assisting issues that are actively interfering with patients' hospital stay and discharge planning. Please note experience through C&L service is not guaranteed and is dependent on referral sources and clinical skills of intern. 

Psychology Training Provided: The intern will obtain experience in observing, evaluating, and facilitating the adjustment of individuals with chronic medical illnesses, disabilities, and end-of-life issues. The intern will learn to promote coping strategies and assist reintegration into meaningful life activities and roles. The intern will gain valuable experience working within interdisciplinary medical teams and also within a consultation-liaison framework. The intern will be exposed to mental health readiness evaluation, brief cognitive assessments, adapting psychotherapy interventions, providing psychological services to patients and families at the end of life, consulting with complex systems (i.e., families, health care teams, community service networks), providing medical staff psychoeducation and support, and participating in IDT meetings/huddles/hospital rounds.

EBP Opportunities: ACT, Meaning-Centered Therapy, CBT. Given population needs, clinical approaches are often integrative with a focus on a biopsychosocial approach including supportive therapy and existential themes. 

Assessment Opportunities: Mental health readiness evaluations for pre-surgical transplants (AUDIT-C, BDI-II, GAD, PHQ-9, RBANS, SLUMS, MoCA, MMSE, 3MS), capacity evaluation screenings, additional neuropsychological tests depending on cognitive concerns related to transplant evaluations. 

Note: This rotation requires the trainee to be on campus at the VALB location; please note C&L requires ambulating to multiple locations across our large VA hospital campus. Please feel free to reach out to supervisor to discuss any questions/concerns.

8. Mental Health Integration (MHI) in Hematology/Oncology

Primary Supervisor: Lauren Wakabayashi, Psy.D.

Program: The Hematology/Oncology Service at VALBHS provides systemic therapies for Veterans diagnosed with cancer, along with management of other non-cancerous blood-related disorders. Mental Health Integration (MHI) is a part of the multidisciplinary approach (including social work, registered dietician services, chaplaincy, pharmacy and palliative treatment) to care for Veterans who receive a new diagnosis, change in prognosis or a recurrence, and also for those in remission. Veterans are seen by MHI providers outpatient and while inpatient in the main medical center. The MHI Hematology/Oncology providers are embedded in the outpatient hematology/oncology clinic for same-day access appointments. We also meet with Veteran’s in-person or through telehealth depending on their preference. We receive consults from not only hematology/oncology providers, but from other oncology/specialty providers throughout the VALBHS. 

Psychology Training Provided: Trainees will be able to advance their skills in clinical health psychology by working with Veterans diagnosed with cancer. The trainee will start by observing and then evaluating and facilitating treatment based on the expressed needs of the Veteran related to mental health concerns due to cancer-related distress. They will learn the intricacies of psycho-oncology and how to interact with other providers in a medical setting and as part of a multidisciplinary team. Not only will students be able to conduct services outpatient, but there will also be the option to see individuals while they are admitted for care and while receiving treatment in the infusion clinic. Thus, students will learn skills for consultation-liaison services. These skills can be applied to not only cancer patients, but other medically complex patient populations. 

Assessment Opportunities: This is not an assessment focused rotation, however, continued assessment for suicide risk (Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale) and using screeners (e.g., PHQ-9 and GAD-7, etc.) at visits may be utilized. 

EBP Opportunities:  CBT, ACT, Meaning-Centered Therapy 

Note: This rotation requires the trainee to be on campus for in-person clinical services.

9. Neuropsychology

Supervisors:  Spring Flores Johnson, Ph.D., Christine Kim, Ph.D., Erin Moniz, Ph.D.

Note: Rotation not currently available to General Track interns.

Program: The Neuropsychology Clinic provides clinical neuropsychological consultation to the entire healthcare facility, including Psychiatry, Neurology, Geriatric and Evaluation Management (GEM)/Geropsychology, and limited consultation from the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)/Polytrauma program. Gaining experience evaluating a wide variety of Veterans with neurological, psychiatric and/or concomitant disorders and exposure to multiple diagnostic tools are the core strengths offered at this program.  

Clinical Neuropsychology Seminar, Case Conference, and Neuroanatomy Didactics: Formal didactics are held weekly and mainly focus on clinical, academic, professional and research that is relevant in the field of Clinical Neuropsychology. This forum encompasses topics such as behavioral neurology; functional neuroanatomy (brain-behavior relationships), and review of radiological findings, diagnostic syndrome analysis (e.g., aphasia, dementia etc.), cultural consideration for test selection and interpretation, and ABPP board certification. Case conferences and journal article review will also be conducted during the seminar. 

Psychology Training Provided: The intern can expect to be exposed to a wide variety of test batteries for neuropsychological assessment, utilizing different approaches (i.e., screening, process, and fixed-flexible batteries). By the time the intern has completed the rotation, they can also expect to select an appropriate testing battery based on the referral question and patient's likely neuropathology and history. Information obtained from the assessment is used to answer diverse referral requests, e.g., identifying the presence, localization, and nature of brain lesions or dysfunction; establishing baseline functioning; and identifying the pattern of neuropsychological and personality strengths and weaknesses. This information is used to aid in establishing diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation planning, and prognosis. The intern will have the opportunity to carry out an assessment from start to finish including comprehensive chart review, clinical interview, testing, scoring, report writing, and feedback sessions. 

Neuropsychological Assessment Protocol Offered:

VALBHS has access to a significant number of tests.  Below are a few examples of tests/batteries and/or questionnaires available. By no means is this list exhaustive.

• Halstead-Reitan Battery
• Performance Validity Measures (TOMM, Victoria SVT, Dot Counting)
• Premorbid Intelligence Estimates (TOPF, WASI, OPIE-IV)
• Intelligence Testing (WAIS-IV)
• Aphasia/ Dementia Screening Batteries (DRS-II, MoCA, RBANS, NAB, BDAE, MAE)
• Memory Testing (CVLT-3, HVLT-R, BVMT-R, WMS-IV)
• Executive Functioning (D-KEFS, WCST)
• Social Reasoning/ Behavioral Questionnaires (Iowa Gambling Task, Advanced Clinical Solutions, TOP-J, ILS, FRSBE, Brief-A)
• Psychological Functioning (BDI-II, BAI, GDS, PCL, CES, PHQ-9; GAD-7; Katz ADLs/IADLs; caregiver burden scales)
• Psychological and Personality Testing for select complex cases (MMPI-3, PAI, MCMI-IV, MBMD) 

Research Opportunities: Involvement with research is encouraged, but not mandatory in this clinic. Research opportunities in developing new studies as well as assisting with existing research will be available. The clinic has general databases built or that may be expanded on. Students are encouraged to work on posters and/or papers for publication. Opportunities to assist with clinical research investigating differential diagnosis; improving diagnostic screening and cognitive profiles and emotion in Veteran’s with mild cognitive impairment, neurodegenerative illness (AD, VaD), mTBI, and stroke (vascular risk factors) may be available. 

10. Outpatient Mental Health: Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP)

Primary Supervisors: Suzanne Amadi, Ph.D., Kayla Costello, Ph.D., Mandrila Das, Ph.D., Mary Jacob Mathew, Ph.D., Bailey Shoenberger, Ph.D., Patricia Yglesias, Ph.D., Joshua Yuhan, Ph.D.

Adjunct: Leela Farina, Ph.D., Veronica Palad, Ph.D.

Program: This rotation offers experience providing outpatient individual and group psychotherapy for Veterans presenting with a wide range of problems including PTSD, Anxiety Disorders, Mood Disorders, Adjustment Disorders, interpersonal and relational difficulties, pervasive emotion dysregulation, substance abuse, cognitive impairments, gender dysphoria and gender transition issues, and co-morbid medical complications. Patients are referred to this rotation by psychiatrists and nurse practitioners from the BHIP mental health teams, Primary Care-Mental Health Integration program, and the Urgent Mental Health Clinic. Clinically, this rotation highlights the use of well-formulated CBT case conceptualizations to guide treatment and clinical decision making. Given the wide range of presenting concerns, training will emphasize a balance between adherence to evidence-based treatment protocols and the flexible use of evidence-based techniques and case conceptualizations to tailor treatment based on individual differences. Trainees will be members of Interdisciplinary Teams with their supervisors, consulting with psychiatry, nursing, social work and peer specialists on a routine basis. 

Psychology Training Provided:  Trainees on this rotation can select Dr. Palad, Dr. Glivings, or Dr. Farina as rotation supervisors depending on their "goodness of fit" and the specific interests of the supervisors and trainees. (Note that Dr. Glivings offers supervision solely in-person in the clinic; other supervisors offer virtual supervision.) Supervision will be individual as well as occurring within the IDT. Please note that the IDT meetings encourage conceptualization skills as well as eliciting and providing targeted and concise consultation in a busy hospital setting. Trainees will also participate in the BHIP triage clinic two hours per week where they will hone brief assessment and triage skills within BHIP services. 

EBP Opportunities: Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for PTSD, Prolonged Exposure (PE) for PTSD, individual therapy informed by Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for BPD, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Interpersonal Therapy for Depression (IPT-D), Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy (ERP), and Motivational Interviewing (MI). Group treatments include CBT for Depression and Anxiety, Unified Protocol for Emotional Disorders, Trauma Skills, Anger Management, Mindfulness and ACT, and Managing Emotions (informed by DBT Skills). 

Assessment Opportunities:  Primarily trainees will conduct brief assessments of presenting problems utilizing the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) Scale, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-10), PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), and the McLean Screening Instrument for BPD (MSI-BPD) for the purpose of triaging therapy needs and developing initial treatment plans. In addition, trainees are encouraged to use paper-and-pencil symptom measures to track treatment outcome. Occasional opportunities for personality assessment and/or cognitive screens utilizing MMPI, PAI, RBANS, and MoCA are available.

11. Outpatient Mental Health: Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs)

Gardena Supervisors: David Correia, Ph.D., Brynne MacPhail, Ph.D. 
Laguna Hills Supervisor: Tammi La Tourette, Ph.D.
Placentia Supervisor: Katherine Jazyk-Larson, Psy.D.
Santa Ana Supervisor: Caroline Prouvost, Ph.D. (only offers in-person supervision)
Santa Fe Springs Supervisors: Maritza Duran, Ph.D., Terisha Simmons, Ph.D.

Program: The CBOCs serve a diverse population of Veterans and trainees will be exposed to a variety of presenting problems including depression, anxiety, PTSD, chronic pain, acute and chronic medical conditions, relationship difficulties, and anger management. 

Psychology Training Provided: Trainees will participate in the triage clinic, as well as provide individual psychotherapy to a diverse population of Veterans.  Additional opportunities include co-facilitating psychotherapy groups such as Bridge to Wellness, Managing My Eating, STAIR, ACT for PTSD, etc. Training opportunities may vary by CBOC and supervisor.

Because of the nature of the CBOC, trainees can expect to treat a wide variety of presenting problems and obtain a solid foundation of outpatient psychotherapy experience. Trainees on this rotation will have the opportunity to provide individual and group psychotherapy in an outpatient setting. Trainees can be expected to carry a caseload of individual therapy clients and assist in running time-limited therapy groups or skills-based groups. Depending on the clinical interest of the trainee, there may also be limited opportunities for longer-term therapy, psychological testing, crisis intervention, and primary care consultation as well as opportunities to interact with the Veteran’s court and/or VASH program staff. Additional training opportunities may include Eating Disorders Specialty training (assessment training opportunities and skills based group for addressing disordered eating behaviors). The clinics offer the opportunity to be part of interdisciplinary teams of psychologists, social workers, nurses, primary care physicians, and addiction therapists as well as opportunities to interact with other medical services (e.g., optometry, audiology, pharmacy) if housed at the particular clinic. 

EBP opportunities: The staff psychologists are trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR).

12. Pathways to Recovery Center (PRC) 

Supervisor: Heather Nelson, Psy.D.

Program: Trainees will get an opportunity to work with Veterans with serious mental illness (SMI) in a community-based setting as part of an interdisciplinary treatment team. Our team is comprised of psychologists, nurses, and a peer support specialist. We also work alongside a vocation rehabilitation specialist and psychiatry residents. Diagnoses treated include schizophrenia spectrum, bipolar, and depressive disorders, along with co-occurring substance use disorders. Many Veterans also carry diagnoses of PTSD and severe anxiety disorders. We offer in person, virtual, and hybrid groups. 

The PRC is a Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center (PRRC). Our purpose to is offer holistic services that promote mental health recovery, community integration, and improved quality of life for individuals with serious mental illness. We adopt a client-centered, culturally-sensitive, evidence-based approach to foster healing and mental health recovery. We capitalize on Veterans’ strengths to empower them to accomplish their goals and reach their full potential. We aim to help Veterans build purposeful, satisfying lives filled with valued activities and social connections. We strive to help reduce the suffering that can come with a severe mental health condition by offering tools to help with illness management. We aim to reduce the impact that a severe mental health condition has on a Veteran’s life. We offer skills and resources to help our Veterans improve their wellness and live self-directed, purposeful, and meaningful lives in their home and community.

Psychology Training Provided: 

• Trainees will gain experience functioning as a PRC coordinator and carrying a caseload. This involves conducting individual therapy, completing treatment plans and measurement-based care, offering advocacy/support, and consulting with the treatment team.
• Trainees will obtain experience co-leading and leading PRC groups. Trainees will have the opportunity to create and lead a group that offers evidence-based approaches to treating severe mental health conditions and co-occurring substance use disorders.
• Trainees will obtain experience being a member of an interdisciplinary team. This includes attending rounds and staff meetings, and consulting with the team as needed.

EBP Opportunities: Current Psychology groups offered include Recovery-Oriented Cognitive Therapy, DBT, Interpersonal Psychotherapy, Illness Management, Addiction Education, and Relapse Prevention. ACT, CBT, and Motivational Interviewing skills are incorporated. Science-based Positive Psychology practices are also taught.

Note: This rotation is in-person and requires trainees to be on-site at Century Villages at Cabrillo in Long Beach.

13. Primary Care-Mental Health Integration (PC-MHI)

Supervisors at LB: Katherine Courtney, Psy.D., Stacy Hardin, Ph.D.
Supervisors at CBOCs: Varpas De Sa Pereira, Ph.D., Michael Leibow, Psy.D., DrPH

Program: The mission of Primary Care-Mental Health Integration (PC-MHI) is to detect and address a broad spectrum of behavioral health needs among primary care patients, with the objective of prevention, early identification, and short-term treatment of identified problems. A central goal is to support the primary care provider in identifying and treating patients with mental health diagnoses and/or need for behavioral interventions. The aim is to address problems within the Primary Care service context and collaborate with the Primary Care team. Behavioral health visits are brief (generally 20-40 minutes), limited in number (1-6 visits) and are provided in the Primary Care practice area. This model of co-located, collaborative care with embedded behavioral health providers in Primary Care clinics represents a main entry point in the continuum of care which should include “a range of effective delivery methods that are convenient to Veterans and their families” (VA Strategic Plan, 2010, p. 33).

Psychology Training Provided:  The PCMHI rotation is an interprofessional outpatient mental health service embedded within Primary Care. A primary function of this rotation is to provide trainees with experience and training in providing patient-centered care while working collaboratively with providers from other professions (e.g., psychiatrists, physicians, nurses, and nurse practitioners). PCMHI patient referrals are based upon patient request, primary care provider recommendation, and/or cutoff scores on the VA measures of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Psychology trainees will have the opportunity to provide same-day access to initial PCMHI assessments via warm-handoffs from Primary Care teams.  Upon initial referral, patients meet with a co-located mental health provider and complete a brief clinical interview and self-report measures. Based on their level of functioning and interests in treatment, patients may be offered a medication consultation with a PCMHI psychiatrist, group psychotherapy, and/or brief individual evidence-based psychotherapy with a PCMHI psychologist. Within this program, interns will be trained in a wide range of clinical activities, including brief functional assessment and triage, evidence-based psychotherapy, consultation, and coordination of treatment. Treatment modalities commonly used include psychoeducation, behavioral activation, motivational interviewing, mindfulness-based interventions, cognitive behavioral therapy, behavioral medicine interventions/health promotion, and relaxation training. Patients with more severe psychopathology (e.g., bipolar disorder, personality disorders, and psychotic symptoms) and/or impairment are referred directly to more intensive interventions in the mental health department on a case-by-case basis. After completing the PCMHI rotation, interns will be able to:

• Conduct brief functional assessments
• Triage patients to appropriate level of care including options within PCMHI or referral to specialty mental health
• Provide brief evidence-based interventions for a variety of mental health concerns, including depression, anxiety, anger management, stress management, grief, sleep disturbances, mild substance abuse and PTSD.
• Provide consultation to providers within the Primary Care and PCMHI programs including communication of assessment findings and collaborative treatment planning.

The following groups based on EBPs may be available for trainees in the PCMHI rotation:

• CBT for Depression group
• CBT-Insomnia group
• Stress Management Group
• Tinnitus Group
• Brief CBT for Chronic Pain

Interns may have the opportunity to learn these individual evidence-based interventions and assessments:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain (CBT-CP)
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-i)
• Prolonged Exposure-Primary Care
• Problem-Solving Training
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
• Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Reproductive Mental Health
• Pre-Bariatric Surgery Evaluation

14. PTSD Clinica Team (PCT)

Supervisors: Nathanial Hawkins, Ph.D., John Huang, Ph.D., Daniel Taule-Nadal, Psy.D., & Melissa Stewart-Buret, Psy.D. 

Program: The PCT is an outpatient, specialty mental health clinic serving Veterans with a primary diagnosis of combat-related PTSD.  Our mission is to promote recovery from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Recovery does not mean forgetting past traumas, it means keeping the memories, but no longer suffering from them. Recovery means that the Veteran accepts and acknowledges the reality of past events, accepts all the feelings evoked by the past, and makes a commitment to a present-day focus and to improving the quality of his/her life.

The PCT consists of an interdisciplinary team including psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, nurses, and support staff. This program follows a “whole health” model, with a goal of treating the body and mind following traumatic events. Emphasis is placed on evidence-based treatments, while offering flexibility and meeting each Veteran’s unique needs with a phase-based approach. Following intake evaluation and admission to the program, Veterans may participate in a variety of treatment approaches including psychopharmacology, trauma-focused therapy (individual and group formats), introductory/coping skills groups, relaxation and stress management groups, and additional adjunctive therapy options on their road to program completion and graduation. While Veterans admitted to the program have a primary diagnosis of PTSD, many present with a variety of comorbid conditions (e.g., depression, alcohol/substance abuse, history of childhood trauma, etc.)

Psychology Training Provided: Trainees working within the PCT provide individual and group psychotherapy to Veterans with PTSD. We offer a variety of evidence-based treatments for PTSD. Trainees typically carry a caseload of 3-5 individual clients and co-lead 1-3 groups.

Trauma-focused EBPs are offered by all supervisors; however, some training opportunities will vary based on primary supervisor, training interest, and interest of Veterans. At the beginning of the training year, primary supervisors are assigned with consideration for supervisor availability, trainee preference, and training needs/goals. 

Training Opportunities may include:

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• Cognitive Behavioral Coping Skills Group for Substance Use Disorders (CSG-SUD)
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)
• Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
• PTSD Program intake evaluations
• Drum Circle Therapy Group
• Interdisciplinary team consultation
• Mindfulness
• Moral Injury
• Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET)
• Prolonged Exposure (PE)
• Tai Chi Movement Group
• Trauma Informed Guilt Reduction Therapy (TrIGR)
• Women’s PTSD Group
• Written Exposure Therapy (WET)

Assessment Opportunities:  Interns have the opportunity to observe and also conduct intake assessments for admissions into the program which are modeled after the CAPS.  Additional measures used include the combat exposure scale, PTSD checklist-5, CSSRS (suicide risk assessment) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9.

15. Spinal Cord Injury/Disorder (SCI/D) 

Supervisors: Sarah Brindle, Ph.D., Natasha Garcia-Willingham, Ph.D., David Kerner, Ph.D., Jeff Shulze, Ph.D., Judy Su, Ph.D.

Program: The Spinal Cord Injury/Disorder (SCI/D) Health Care Group is the largest VA SCI center in the United States. It is a thriving program, with some of the greatest resources in the entire hospital. Patients in this setting present a broad spectrum of SCI/Ds, from the newly injured individual facing a catastrophic life change, to the individual injured many years ago who is now coping with decreased functional ability as a result of the aging process.  Five staff psychologists, along with interns, practicum students, and postdoctoral fellows, provide mental health and behavioral health services to Veterans with SCI/Ds on an inpatient and outpatient basis.  The inpatient population includes three SCI/D hospital wards, and one 12-resident long-term care ward (CLC) that provides SCI/D-specific care.

SCI/Ds can result from traumatic injury such as a fall, gunshot wound, or motor vehicle accident, or from a variety of non-traumatic causes such as a spinal tumor or multiple sclerosis.  Persons with SCI/Ds are classified as either tetraplegic or paraplegic. The tetraplegic (quadriplegic) individual has experienced a traumatic injury or impairment in one or more cervical segments of his or her spinal cord, resulting in sensory and motor loss in the arms, hands, as well as in all areas below the damaged level. Paraplegics have damaged or diseased spinal cords in the thoracic, lumbar, or sacral segments, causing loss of sensory and motor function (paralysis) at the point of injury and below.

SCI/D rehabilitation and treatment demands a broad interdisciplinary approach, both for acute rehabilitation and for ongoing care. The psychologists and interns work within closely-knit teams that include physicians, pharmacists, social workers, rehabilitation therapists, case managers, dietitians, respiratory therapists, psychiatrists, and especially the nursing staffs of the three SCI units. Psychology staff assesses each patient and provide interventions that address a wide variety of adjustment, mental health, and health behavior concerns. Frequently seen problems include adjustment to disability; depression and anxiety; pain; and compliance/adherence concerns. Intervention approaches include individual counseling, education, and psychotherapy, sex therapy, relaxation training, pain management, social skills training, patient education, couples therapy, and psychosocial support for the injured person's family and other social support systems.  There is a small neuropsychological testing service housed within SCI/D and trainees have the opportunity for cognitive testing and report writing during this rotation, depending on the availability of referrals. In addition, close consultation with the SCI/D team forms a central part of the psychologist’s role.  

Psychology Training Provided: Interns obtain experience in observing, evaluating, and facilitating the adjustment of individuals following a disabling injury.  The intern learns to promote coping strategies and assist reintegration into meaningful life activities and roles. Interns gain valuable experience working within interdisciplinary medical teams and also within a consultation-liaison framework.  It is expected that the intern will fulfill the behavioral health needs of the unit through assessment, consultation, treatment, and the use of appropriate referrals. Longer-term outpatient work is also available, as are opportunities for staff in-service training. The concepts and strategies learned are not unique to the treatment of SCI/D patients, but can be generalized to other medical populations. It is not expected or necessary for trainees to have specific interest in SCI/D per se. Because many job openings for psychologists now require some background working with physicians and medical teams, this rotation is especially useful for interns seeking to enhance their marketability in that area.

Assessment Opportunities: Flexible-battery neuropsychological testing for a variety of referral questions, including establishing cognitive baseline in aging, diagnostic clarification in cognitive decline, questions of capacity for medical decision-making/independent living, and clarifying strengths and weaknesses to inform treatment planning.  Patients are mostly (but not all) older adults, and presenting problems/common diagnoses can include Multiple Sclerosis, Vascular Dementia, Traumatic Brain Injury, psychiatric diagnoses, and cognitive decline related to multiple etiologies. Tests administered are determined on an individual basis, depending on the question and factors unique to the patient (e.g., limited use of hands due to SCI), but include measures of a variety of domains.  Please note, this is not an assessment-focused rotation, but there are some opportunities for neuropsychological testing and brief cognitive screening.

Assessment opportunities outside the neuropsych clinic in SCI include a structured clinical interview in Annual Evaluation clinic, as well as outcome measures (e.g., Satisfaction with Life Scale) in acute rehab (SCIIRP).

EBP Opportunities:  CBT, ACT

Group Opportunities:  Several opportunities to co-facilitate groups are available and trainees can participate in groups even if they not facilitated by their primary supervisor.  These include the ROLLS new injury group for acute rehabilitation patients, a spirituality support group, an adaptive yoga/meditation group, a Women with Disabilities group, and an interdisciplinary Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Support Group.

Note: Most responsibilities require the trainee to be on campus for in-person clinical services, although some remote work may be arranged. 

16. Suicide Prevention

Supervisors: Adrienne Chong, Ph.D., Audrey Martinez, Ph.D., Jared Roush, Ph.D., Mary “Jillisa” Steckart, Psy.D. 

Program: Suicide is a major public health issue that disproportionately affects Veterans. The VA has since embraced suicide prevention as its top clinical priority. The Suicide Prevention Program (SPP) is comprised of an interdisciplinary team including psychologists, registered nurses, and a licensed clinical social worker. The Suicide Prevention Coordinators (SPCs) and Suicide Prevention Case Managers (SPCMs) serve as champions for the VA’s public health approach to suicide prevention and support suicide prevention initiatives throughout VALBHS. SPP is a unique program that offers support to both Veterans and clinical staff. SPP team members engage in consultation with health care providers regarding suicide risk assessment and suicide risk mitigation strategies, and they engage in chart review to assist in making determinations regarding activating High Risk for Suicide Patient Record Flags. The SPP team routinely conducts comprehensive suicide risk evaluations and may provide time-limited or single-session, evidence-based psychotherapy for suicide prevention, including safety planning and lethal means safety counseling. Additional emphases in SPP include responding to referrals from the Veterans Crisis Line and educating staff on topics related to suicide prevention. 

On the Suicide Prevention rotation, trainees provide outreach, assessment, monitoring, and psychotherapy services for Veterans at high risk for suicide. The Suicide Prevention rotation offers focused training in suicide risk assessment and mitigation, and interdisciplinary collaboration in support of suicide prevention initiatives, with the flexibility of adding therapy cases to the rotation. Over the course of the training rotation, interns will learn to conduct comprehensive suicide risk assessments, safety planning, lethal means safety counseling, provide time-limited psychotherapy for patients, and gain exposure to suicide prevention process improvement efforts that occur across the facility.

Psychology Training Provided: The intern on the Suicide Prevention rotation provides psychological assessment, treatment, and consultation services in SPP. Training will focus on recovery-oriented care and suicide prevention across both clinical and administrative domains.  

Skills of focus include: 

• Interdisciplinary team consultation, staff education, and collaboration
• Learn to quickly build rapport and assess for immediate needs
• Suicide risk screening and comprehensive suicide risk assessments
• Suicide-specific treatments including safety planning intervention and lethal means safety counseling
• Provide brief psychological services to patients, including individual and group psychotherapy
• Adapt psychotherapy interventions for patients in acute distress or at high risk for suicide

EBP Opportunities: Safety Planning Intervention.

17. Women’s Mental Health (WMH)

Supervisors: Grace Kim, Ph.D., Shana Napier, Ph.D., Catherine Nash, Psy.D.

Program: Founded in January 2005 through a VA Special Needs Grant, WMH serves veterans by providing gender-specific and sensitive services. The WMH is unique in that it is one of few dedicated gender-specific programs in the VA nationally and affords the opportunity for training in a wide array of therapies to treat general mental health conditions as well as specialized focus in learning treatments for PTSD. Our treatment philosophy follows a holistic and evidence-based approach, which influences our conceptualization of patients as well as the types of interventions that we use. WMH is currently comprised of licensed staff integrated across the hospital including three full-time psychologists, Dr. Shana Napier (WMH Champion), Dr. Grace Kim (Associate Director of Predoctoral Training), and Dr. Catherine Nash (Women’s SUD Psychologist). In addition, Dr. Kayla Costello (Part-Time WMH psychologist), Jenny Williams, LCSW (full-time clinician), and Sandra Greenman (full-time WMH certified peer support specialist) make up the WMH team. The team regularly consults with psychiatry, primary care, and other specialty care in the service of patient-centered care. 

Women’s Mental Health provides individual and group psychotherapy to women Veterans who present with a wide range of presenting problems.  We offer a variety of evidence-based treatments such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Prolonged Exposure, Cognitive Processing Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, Psychodynamic/TLDP, Seeking Safety, and Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation, among others. Please note, WMH doctoral level trainees are not able to participate in the formal DBT program, but can provide DBT-informed therapy, when applicable. In addition, WMH offers a wide variety of evidence-based groups addressing topics such as emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, harm reduction, PTSD, perinatal skills, and coping skills. The clinic is also in the process of enhancing gender-specific SUD services and trainees may have the opportunity to co-facilitate groups if interested. WMH psychology interns may have opportunity to provide informal supervision of practicum students (via co-leading groups together), will engage in collaborative treatment planning sessions with Veterans, and can develop new groups and/or projects if there is need and interest among our women Veterans. There is a great deal of flexibility for the WMH intern to choose cases and groups that suit their training goals.

Historically, supervisees who have an interest have developed groups that fit the interest and needs of our women Veterans. Examples of such groups are below:

• the Mindful Self-Compassion Group
• Hope & Happiness Group
• Pride & Grit
• Virtual Women’s Wellness Fair 

Psychology Training Provided: On this rotation, training is heavily influenced by the trainee’s training needs and interest and a strength of our program is that trainees will get both generalist training, as well as specialty training in trauma treatment and gender-specific care.  Trainees will typically participate in a weekly triage session, 1-2 groups, and carry a caseload of 3-5 individuals with a variety of presenting problems, including but not limited to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Depression, Panic Disorder, personality disorders, Reproductive Mental Health concerns, gender diversity concerns, and relationship problems. However, the caseload for trainees varies on training goals, developmental level of the trainee, project interests, etc. Most of the patients on this rotation have a complex trauma history, often including childhood physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse, and a large number of our referrals for therapy are for PTSD related to Military Sexual Trauma (MST). Depending on the case, trainees may engage in crisis intervention, short-term focused psychotherapy, or longer-term psychotherapy. 

Training Opportunities

1. Trauma focused outpatient psychotherapy (group and individual)
2. Generalist outpatient psychotherapy (group and individual)
3. Development of new programming that fits the interests and needs of WMHC Veterans
4. Collaboration with WMH interdisciplinary team (psychiatry, psychology, social work, nursing, and peer support)

EBP Opportunities: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) interventions (not full program DBT training), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR), Interpersonal Therapy for Reproductive Mental Health (IPT for RMH), Seeking Safety.

Assessment Opportunities: Self-report symptom measures and some outcome assessment. 

In order to successfully complete the internship year, the following criteria must be met:

Supervised Professional Experience:

All VA internships are exactly 52-week experiences. To successfully complete the program, each intern needs the combination of supervised professional experience, any educational leave (authorized absence), accrued sick and annual (vacation) leave to total 2080 hours. In the event of extended sickness, time off for pregnancy and child care or other exigencies, the intern may have to placed on leave without pay (LWOP) status, thereby delaying his or her finishing the internship with the cohort class and necessitating the continuation of training into the subsequent training year.  This is not in any means intended to be punitive, simply it’s just a fact of life that comes with signing a commitment letter for VA training and our commitment to be flexible around unforeseen life events. 

Satisfactory performance in all nine profession-wide competency domains:

Before and during orientation week, interns' prior training experiences are reviewed. This is done to identify areas of strengths and growth edges to facilitate the development of an individualized training plan (ITP) that best meets the specific training needs of each intern. In keeping with our generalist philosophy, interns are encouraged to address those areas in which they have had limited experience (e.g., working with certain populations, particular assessment approaches such as use of neuropsychological instruments or personality testing, or exposure to various theoretical orientations) in addition to areas of specialization. 

It is expected that upon completion of the program all interns will demonstrate competence in the following nine profesion-wide competency domains based on the APA’s Commission on Accreditation Standards of Accreditation in Health Service Psychology: 

Research
Ethical and Legal Standards
Individual and Cultural Diversity
Professional Values, Attitudes, and Behaviors
Communication and Interpersonal Skills
Assessment
Intervention
Provision of Supervision
Consultation and Interprofessional/Interdisciplinary Skills

Interns are formally evaluated on these competencies using the General Competencies Evaluation Form at four points throughout the year; mid-evaluations at 3-month and 9-month intervals and full evaluations at 6-month and 12-month intervals. In addition to the General Competencies evaluation form, the neuropsychology track (general internship with special emphasis in neuropsychology) intern is formally evaluated on six neuropsychology-specific competencies using the Neuropsychology Competencies Form at the same time intervals. Evaluations include numerical ratings (1-5 scale) and the required minimum level of achievement (MLA) to successfully complete the internship program is a rating of 3 across all competency items by the end of the training year. Narrative feedback on competency items is also provided, which offers more personalized and specific information about the intern's progress, performance, as well as clinical strengths and any areas that should be addressed for additional professional growth. The 6- and 12-month evaluation forms will be reviewed with the intern and sent to the doctoral training program after the successful completion of our internship. 

Interns’ progress toward meeting these competencies is reviewed on a monthly basis via status reports provided by intern supervisors. Following these reports, each supervisor then provides a summary of what was shared with the intern to facilitate transparency and professional development. Feedback and discussion regarding strengths and areas for improvement is a routine, ongoing and expected process that is part of supervision throughout the training year.

All trainee forms and evaluations are stored either physically and/or digitally in private and secure locations.  Digital files are kept in a private and secure folder that only the Directors of Training can access.  Any physical files are kept in a locked filling cabinet in the Director of Training’s locked office.

Didactic Training:

Interns are required to attend the different seminars and the required didactics on their selected rotations. 

Assessment Experience: 

Interns are required to complete one comprehensive assessment case with an integrated report during the training year typically completed within one of the rotations. Relevant competency elements of the General Competencies Evaluation Form will also be evaluated and reviewed with the intern by the assessment supervisors.

Supervision of Supervision:

Interns are required to demonstrate competence in clinical supervision by supervising at least one psychotherapy case performed by a psychology practicum student. Relevant competency elements of the General Competencies Evaluation Form will also be evaluated and reviewed with the intern by the Intern Supervision of Supervision Seminar Coordinators. Interns will also receive written feedback from the practicum student that they supervise, although this information is more for learning purposes and does not influence the intern’s successful completion of internship. 

Research:

Interns are required to present at least 1 peer-reviewed article in supervision each month, as well as present at least 1 peer-reviewed article to support their case presentations in Diversity Seminar.  

Interns are provided with office space and secure networked computers necessary for patient care and administrative responsibilities.  They have access to the VA Medical Library services to search entire text databases like Ovid, as well as VA Intranet and Internet resources for clinical work and research. Within the Psychology Department there is an Assessment office, which includes a wide variety of psychological assessment instruments, test scoring programs, and statistical programs (e.g., SPSS). 

Leave Requests: VALBHS policy on Authorized Leave is consistent with the national standard. Interns accrue four hours of Annual Leave (AL) per pay period (about 13 days per year) and four hours of Sick Leave (SL) per pay period (about 13 days per year). Interns must accrue these hours, as they will not be available during the first two weeks of training.

Authorized Absence (AA): Interns are also granted up to 10 days of educational leave (authorized absence) for activities that will support the mission of the VA, such as conferences, a day to defend your dissertation and another to graduate, as well as VA postdoc interviews (but not for non-VA postdoc interviews). 

Nondiscrimination Policy: VALBHS highly values cultural and individual differences. We are an equal opportunity employer, and prohibit discrimination based on race, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, or status as a parent.  We avoid any actions that would restrict program completion on grounds that are not relevant to success in training.  In addition, we aim to foster a training environment that supports trainees in gaining greater competence in issues of diversity as they relate to patient care. 

Reasonable Accommodations: It is the policy of VA to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). 

Liability Protection for Trainees: When providing professional services at a VA healthcare facility, VA-sponsored trainees acting within the scope of their educational programs are protected from personal liability under the Federal Employees Liability Reform and Tort Compensation Act 28, U.S.C.2679 (b)-(d).

Due Process: All trainees are afforded the right to due process in matters of insufficient competence and/or problematic behavior as well as grievances. Our due process document is distributed to every intern during orientation and reviewed with them subsequently. A copy of our internship due process procedures document is available on request. 

Privacy policy: We collect no personal information from you when you visit our web site.

Self-Disclosure: We do not require interns to disclose personal information to their clinical supervisors except in cases where personal issues may be adversely affecting an intern's performance and such information is necessary to address these difficulties.

Health (FEHB) and Life Insurance (FEGLI):  

FEHB: All legally married same-sex spouses are now eligible family members under a Self and Family enrollment. In addition, the children of same-sex marriages will be treated just as those of opposite-sex marriages and will be eligible family members according to the same eligibility guidelines. This includes coverage for children of same-sex spouses as stepchildren. For interns who already have a Self and Family insurance plan, coverage for their same-sex spouse will begin immediately upon notifying their FEHB carrier that there is a newly eligible family member. 

FEGLI: All legally married same-sex spouses and children of legal same-sex marriages are now eligible family members under the FEGLI Program, which means that employees may add coverage for a same-sex spouse and any newly eligible children. 

VALBHS Psychology – COVID-19 Response

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, VALBHS Psychology training committee developed additional policies and procedures to ensure that trainees are able to meet their training goals throughout the training year. The federal government and VA Health Care System recognizes psychologists and psychology trainees as essential employees during pandemic situations. As a result, trainees may potentially work a mixture of on-site and telework depending on their specific rotation requirements. Additionally, the first week of orientation will be conducted on-site and in-person.

Trainees may also receive video supervision with some or all of their supervisors during the training year. It is important for each trainee to research the licensing laws applicable to them to determine whether video supervision is allowed. The program can provide 100% in-person supervision in these cases. It should be noted that while that program supports telework, it is possible at any time that the facility Medical Center Director or the Office of Academic Affairs (OAA) could call trainees back to work on site full time.