Social Work Fellowship

Areas of emphasis

The Social Work Fellowship program has two areas of emphasis: the Palliative Care Social Work Fellowship and the Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery (PSR) Fellowship. The Social Work Fellowship program started in 2002 with the Palliative Care Fellowship and the second area of emphasis the PSR Fellowship started in 2022. 

Palliative Care Fellowship

The core clinical training setting for the Palliative Care Fellowship is the 18-bed Palliative Care Unit, which serves Veterans with end-stage diseases and those undergoing palliative rehabilitation, radiation, and/or chemotherapy who expect to return home upon conclusion of treatment. 

Upon admission, each Veteran undergoes a comprehensive interdisciplinary evaluation focused on the Veteran’s physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs. The team reviews the data from these initial assessments and develops a comprehensive, individualized plan of care.

The core function of the PCU is interdisciplinary teamwork. Team members work daily in close collaboration among themselves and with the veterans and their families. The team meets twice weekly to review veterans.

The Palliative Care program offers bereavement services to friends and family of Veterans who died in the hospital; fellows have the opportunity to play an important role in this process. Fellows also gain experience working with Veterans and families facing advanced disease and end of life and develop skills and confidence in communicating and collaborating with treatment team members.

Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Fellowship

The PSR fellowship program focuses on training in the provision of recovery-oriented services to Veterans across the continuum of care. 

Fellows work primarily with Veterans experiencing serious and persistent mental illness, with primary diagnoses including psychotic disorders, severe mood disorders and severe post-traumatic stress disorder.  The program combines clinical training, interprofessional collaboration, advocacy and didactic education to create future leaders in PSR and recovery-oriented services.  

Primary clinical rotations are in the Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center (PRRC) and Mental Health Intensive Case Management Team (MHICM). 

The PRRC is a CARF-accredited program serving approximately 100 individuals with serious and persistent mental illness.  Veterans participate in the program for an average of 18 months, engaging in psychotherapy, social skills training, psychoeducational activities, recreation therapy and community integration activities.  

MHICM provides intensive recovery-oriented mental health services to approximately 95 Veterans with severe mental illness.  The goal of MHICM intervention is to enable Veterans to live meaningful lives in the community of their choosing, and staff and fellows in MHICM typically work with Veterans in their homes or other community settings.