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Psychology training programs
The psychology training program offers psychology externships, doctoral internships, and postdoctoral fellowships for doctoral-level trainees. Please see below for further information about our program and each of these training experiences.
About our Psychology Training Program
There are several core values and principles that guide how we operate our Psychology Training Program. Our program is grounded in the development of our trainees. We are committed to providing excellent clinical supervision and professional mentorship. Our primary focus is on creating a flexible, tailored, and hands-on training experience that meets the training and professional development needs of each trainee to prepare them for their career.
Because we are a combined VA and DoD site adjacent to Naval Station Great Lakes, we uniquely offer multiple rotations and opportunities to work with Naval Recruits and Active Duty Service Members (from all branches), as well as with Veterans.
We believe this provides our trainees a distinctive chance to experience the full span of a military career (Recruit, Active Duty, and Veteran), which in turns facilitates better understanding of a patient’s experience and better delivery of care.
Contact
Colby Schepps PsyD
Assistant Director of Psychology Training
Lovell Federal health care
Email: colby.schepps2@va.gov
Psychology externship
Application submission window is between January 19, 2026 - January 23, 2026, by 5 p.m. CST.
The unpaid Advanced Psychology Externship Program starts on July 28, 2026, and runs through June 30, 2027, 16 hours per week, and generally consists of clinical training, supervision, and didactics. We offer externship positions to advanced doctoral trainees in several clinics. For the 2026-2027 training year, we expect to have positions available in:
- Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans (DCHV) - 1 position
- Outpatient Mental Health clinic (MHC) - 4 positions
Learn more about the program in the Psychology Externship brochure.
Open House
Before you apply, to help you learn more about the overall training program at Lovell and the externship program specifically, we will host a virtual (on the Webex platform) open house. The open house will include an overview of the Psychology Training program led by the directors of Psychology Training, opportunity for Q&A, and a chance to meet with current externs.
The open house is optional. Attendance will not factor into the evaluation of applications or influence decisions about interview offers.
Open house: Thursday, December 11, 2025 from 9 - 10:30 a.m., Central Standard Time
Link to attend: https://veteransaffairs.webex.com/veteransaffairs/j.php?MTID=mb6804c8b28c492982d86ba5a45b489f7
Psychology internship
Application deadline: November 1, 2025
Number of available positions: Tentatively, 5 general track and 2 neuropsychology track
The Doctoral Internship Program adheres to the guidelines of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) and is fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association. Currently, we are accredited through 2032.
Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
Education Directorate,
American Psychological Association
750 First Street NE
Washington, D.C. 20002-4242
Phone:
E-mail: apaaccred@apa.org
https://accreditation.apa.org/
Learn more about the program in the Psychology Internship brochure.
Psychology postdoctoral residency
Application deadline: December 1, 2025
Available positions and tracks:
- Active Duty Military Psychology - 1 position
- Health Psychology - 1 position
- Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment programs - 1 position
- Trauma Recovery/Substance Use Disorders - 1 position
Open Houses
Before you apply, to help you learn more about the overall training program at Lovell and each specific emphasis area, we will host two, virtual (on the Webex platform) open houses. Each open house will include a 30 minute overview of the Psychology Training program led by the directors of Psychology Training, followed by 15 minute brief presentations of each emphasis areas. Lastly, there will be 30 minutes for applicants to join separate break-out rooms for each emphasis area to learn more about them. The open houses are optional. Attendance will not factor into the evaluation of applications or influence decisions about interview offers. Attendance will not be taken at the open houses.
Open house 1: Monday, October 20, 2025 from 9 -11 a.m., Central Standard Time
Link to attend: https://veteransaffairs.webex.com/veteransaffairs/j.php?MTID=mf7b1b8911844e5fd803bca18d1f0d66a
Open house 2: Wednesday, October 29, 2025 from 1- 3 p.m., Central Standard Time
Link to attend: https://veteransaffairs.webex.com/veteransaffairs/j.php?MTID=mdd3eba019abc3b23eb4bdc1989cf2b88
Lovell FHCC will adhere to the Common Hold Date (2/23/2026) process: https://www.appic.org/Postdocs/Postdoctoral-Selection-Standards
Our Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association. The last site visit occurred in June 2023.
Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
Education Directorate,
American Psychological Association
750 First Street NE
Washington, D.C. 20002-4242
Phone: 202-336-5979
E-mail: apaaccred@apa.org
https://accreditation.apa.org/
Learn more about the program in the Postdoc brochure.
Eligibility requirements
Per VA policy, we can only offer training positions to United States citizens who are pursuing a doctoral degree in clinical or counseling psychology from an APA-accredited institution (only externs may be non-US citizens).