Practicum Program

The Psychology Practicum Program at VALBHS accepts applications from psychology doctoral students from the following programs: 

1. Fuller Theological Seminary, School of Psychology
2. Loma Linda University (LLU)
3. Pepperdine University
4. Rosemead School of Psychology/Biola University
5. University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
6. University of Southern California (USC)
7. Azusa Pacific University (APU)

We will offer 4 practicum student positions across all of the doctoral programs for the 2026-2027 training year. 

Practicum Start Date: July 13, 2026
Mandatory Orientation Week: July 13-July 17, 2026 (Orientation may be in-person)
Practicum End Date: July 9, 2027 

Practicum students are expected to be on-site (in-person or telehealth, depending on the rotation) for 16 hours per week under the clinical supervision of their primary rotation supervisor, which is typically divided across two days. These days are determined during orientation week based on practicum student availability and clinical training opportunities.  For more information regarding clinical training opportunities, please see “Program Structure” section below. Practicum students will complete a full 52-weeks of training, beginning on July 13, 2026 and ending on July 9, 2027. Accommodations can be made for practicum students who need to travel for internship interviews, complete practicum early, or dissertation defense.

Application deadlines and interview notification dates are listed below. 

Application Deadline: By January 16, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.
Interview Notification Date: By January 26, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.
Offer Notification Date: By February 6, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.

Prerequisites: The VA Long Beach (VALB) practicum training program is considered an advanced training site and most appropriate for a student that will be in the third year of their doctoral program at the beginning of the 2026-2027 practicum training year or a student that will have had one full year of clinical therapy experience working with adult populations by the 2026-2027 practicum training year (e.g., students with MFTs, MSWs, or other relevant advanced degrees prior to starting their doctoral program).

Application procedures vary by doctoral program; however, all applicants must submit:

1. Cover letter
2. CV
3. Two letters of recommendation, at least one letter from a prior/current clinical licensed supervisor. 

Please consult with your program for more details regarding the application process. All application materials should be emailed directly to the Associate Director of Predoctoral Training, Grace Kim, Ph.D.

Candidate Interviews

All application materials will be reviewed by the Associate Director of Predoctoral Training, Dr. Grace Kim, as well as the Director of Psychology Training, Dr. Leela Farina. Candidates will be informed via email by January 26, 2025 as to whether or not they have been invited for a personal interview. Exact interview dates and times are TBD, but will occur during the last week of January 2026 and first week of February 2026. Interviews will all be virtual this year. They will be 30 mins in duration and conducted by Dr. Grace Kim and another staff member of VALB. 

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 

1. U.S. Citizenship. HPTs must be U.S. citizens.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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 Executive website.
5. 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.
6. 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.  More information about this document can be found at the Office of Academic Affiliations (see section on psychology internships).
7. 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.  For more information about this document, please visit Office of Academic Affiliations.
   1. 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 and the COVID-19 vaccine. The flu vaccine and COVID-19 vaccine are mandatory for all VA trainees and staff, except in the rare case of a documented medical exemption or deeply held religious beliefs that precludes being vaccinated.
   2. 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.
8. 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).  These documents and others are available online for review at Office of Academic Affiliations. Falsifying any answer on these required Federal documents will result in the inability to appoint or immediate dismissal from the training program.
9. 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.  For more information visit DigitalVA.

Additional information regarding eligibility requirements for appointment as a VA psychology HPT can be found at Psychology Training. 

VALBHS includes the main medical center complex in Long Beach, as well as five community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs) located in West Long Beach (Villages at Cabrillo), Placentia, Laguna Hills, Santa Ana, and Santa Fe Springs. VALB is a part of the Veteran's Integrated Service Network (VISN) 22, which also includes the New Mexico VA, Northern Arizona VA, Phoenix VA, Southern Arizona VA, San Diego VA, Loma Linda VA, and the Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System consisting of the West Los Angeles VA, the Sepulveda VA Ambulatory Care and Nursing Home, the Los Angeles Ambulatory Care Center, and outlying clinics. Our medical center has been undergoing extensive renovation with two large new buildings, and it is located adjacent to California State University Long Beach. Residents from the University of California at Irvine (UCI) Medical School rotate through Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, VALB, and UCI Medical Center, which is 13 miles east of us. 

Established in 1947, the Psychology Training Program has always been considered a significant component of mental health services, and it has been fully integrated into VALBHS. Since 1980, we have trained 322 doctoral interns, representing over 100 graduate programs from around the country. The internship program was initially granted accreditation by the American Psychological Association in February 1980. Also, for many years we have been training practicum students (please see “Current and Former Practicum student” section below), typically from local universities, as well as postdoctoral residents. 

Most staff psychologists are members of the Mental Health Care Group and our Chief of Mental Health is psychiatrist, Lawrence Albers, M.D. Our Chief Psychologist is Vanessa Hurwitz, Ph.D.  Our Director of Psychology Doctoral Internship Training Programs is Leela Farina, Ph.D., and our Director of Psychology Post-Doctoral Training Programs is Spring Johnson, Ph.D. Christine Kim, Ph.D. and Grace Kim, Ph.D. are the Associate Directors of Psychology Training, coordinating the Neuropsychology Clerkship practicum program and the General psychology practicum program respectively. The Directors of Training are advised by the Executive Training Committee. Over half of our training psychologists have been hired in the past 10 years.  We also have one psychology technician who manages our psychological testing lab. 

We provide generalist training within the context of a VA healthcare facility. Like all VA training programs we primarily serve adult veterans and some active military service members, the majority of whom are male, although an increasing percentage of younger veterans and active duty service members are women.  Because we are also a general medical and surgical facility as well as a broad provider of psychological and psychiatric services, we have many opportunities for a health psychology focus.  

Our Psychology 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 practicum 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). 

Practicum students are expected to be developing a solid grounding in the science of psychology. We can teach generalist psychology and empirically supported treatments, but we have to assume that our trainees come with the underlying scientific rigor that can only be provided by their undergraduate and graduate programs. Although our psychology staff provides a number of specialized services, we believe that training in clinical and counseling psychology at the doctoral level should be broadly based rather than narrowly focused so trainees can immerse themselves in new areas of clinical endeavor to prepare them for practicum and beyond. Primary areas of skills are in clinical assessment and intervention, consultation, research and other scholarly inquiry, and awareness of and sensitivity to professional, ethical, legal, and diversity issues. The degree of responsibility given to the practicum student and the amount of structure provided depends on the student’s level of prior experience and grasp of the particular rotation.

Our psychology training program, staff, and leadership are committed to increasing 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 are committed to infusing diversity discussions and training into every aspect of our program, including individual and group supervision, didactics, grand rounds, and seminars. 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 and at times potentially uncomfortable self-reflection in supervision and seminars, engaging in local and national VA diversity and inclusion training opportunities, and consultation with our diverse interprofessional staff. 

Training Schedule and Rotations 

Applicants will be provided information about all supervising staff psychologists and their rotations (entire list of available rotations is listed below in "Training Experiences" section) and associated training experiences prior to orientation week. Practicum students will rank their preferred rotations and supervisors for the training year and submit the rotation rankings to Dr. Grace Kim. Rotation schedules will ultimately be determined by Dr. Grace Kim. Practicum student preferences, availability, and areas of specialization are strongly considered when determining these rotation schedules. However, if practicum students have gaps in their training, it is important to fill those gaps throughout the training year. Practicum students’ rotations will also be assigned after the psychology interns’ rotation schedules have been determined, thus potentially limiting the number of available rotations. Please note that while Dr. Grace Kim will do her best to accommodate practicum student preferences, no specific supervisor or rotation is guaranteed. 

Practicum students will complete two consecutive 6-month rotations.  A visual depiction of the training year schedule is listed below: 

Rotation 1: First 6-months (August - February)
Rotation 2: Second 6-months (February - August)

Supervision

Supervision of clinical rotations: Each practicum student will have two primary licensed staff psychologist supervisors throughout the year (one on each rotation) who are each responsible for the training experiences on their specific rotations. Supervisors assist in selecting patients and making referrals, representing Psychology with the practicum student in team meetings, and scheduling individual face-to-face and perhaps some group supervision sessions. Practicum students can expect at least 1 scheduled hour of face-to-face individual supervision from their primary rotation supervisor per week. Practicum students may also receive additional supervision from delegated supervisors within their rotations, and there are opportunities for informal training with interns and postdoctoral residents in group formats.

Supervision from psychology intern/postdoctoral residents: Practicum students will also be supervised on a general psychotherapy case by a psychology intern/postdoctoral resident during both rotations throughout the training year (1 case each 6-month period). 2.5 hours per week (out of the 16 hours) will be allocated to this training experience: 1 hour for the provision of therapy for a general psychotherapy case, 1 hour to meet with intern/resident for 1:1 supervision, and 0.5 hour for administrative duties related to the therapy case. Audiotapes/Digital Recordings of the psychotherapy session as well as of the supervision meetings may be reviewed during the intern/resident group supervision of supervision seminar to facilitate best practices in clinical patient care and supervision. 

Practicum Program Seminar

Practicum students will also participate in the practicum program seminar, facilitated by Dr. Grace Kim. The day and time of the seminar is every other Wednesday 12-1pm.  The first few seminars aim to help promote orientation to VALB’s policies and services and address any practicum student questions. Afterwards, the seminar will include a combination of topics relevant to the VA clinical setting, address innovations and trends in psychology, encourage development of intersectional multicultural competence, as well as professional development. 

Workload/Time Allocation

As noted above, practicum students are expected to work 16 hours per week, over the course of two days, although the schedule is flexible depending on student needs and schedule. The training program can also include rotation-specific educational opportunities such as seminars and case conferences, depending on the practicum student’s rotation schedule. 

During the first month of the training year, practicum students 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:

Practicum students are welcome to participate in any of the additional opportunites listed below.  Please receive approval from your supervisor prior to attending the non-lunch time meetings.

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Seminar: This seminar is held weekly on Tuesdays from 8:00 – 9:00am and is coordinated by Dr. John Huang.  Presentations will cover didactics on a wide range of EBPs offered throughout the VA as well as case presentations/consultations demonstrating application of these EBPs on clinical rotations.  Practicum students are welcome to attend on a weekly or PRN basis based on EBP topic and availability. Participation is optional and contingent upon approval from each practicum student’s supervisor(s). Be advised that practicum students are here only two days a week and may want to prioritize clinical casework over formal didactic seminars. However, many rotations have informal, rotation-specific didactics that can satisfy this training opportunity.

Mentorship: In addition to supervision, practicum students have the option of receiving professional mentorship from psychology staff. A list of available mentors will be provided upon request 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 practicum student at any point in their training experience. 

Other Didactics: There are many other didactic training opportunities, available through TMS, neighboring Southern California VA’s, and our VA regional network VISN 22. Please request permission from your supervisors and Dr. Grace Kim to attend any day-long workshops/seminars that will take you away from your training.

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).

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 Long Beach VA campus and the Village at Cabrillo. 

Supervisor: Ashley A. Vaillancourt, PhD
Note: Not currently open to practicum students

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

Supervisor: Kristina Moncrieffe, Psy.D. 
Note: Not currently open to practicum students

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 Long Beach VA 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.

Primary Supervisor: Lauren Wakabayashi, Psy.D.

Program: The Hematology/Oncology Service at VALB 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 VALB. 

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.

Supervisors:  Spring Flores Johnson, Ph.D., Christine Kim, Ph.D., Erin Moniz, Ph.D.
Note: Rotation not currently available to General Track practicum students.

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:

The Long Beach VA 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. 

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.

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)
Sante 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).

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.

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

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

Program: The PTSD Clinical Team (PCT) is an outpatient, specialty mental health clinic serving Veterans with a primary diagnosis of 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)
• Present Centered Therapy
• 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.

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. 

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.

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

Program: Founded in January 2005 through a VA Special Needs Grant, the Women's Mental Health Clinic serves veterans by providing gender-specific and sensitive services. 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) 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 staff 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. 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 trainee 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.