Internships and Fellowships
VA Syracuse health care provides training programs for students at the college, university, and postgraduate levels. Explore our training programs to find out about how we can help you start your career as a health care professional.
Psychology Internship Program
The Syracuse VA Medical Center provides exceptional training to Psychology Interns who are interested in becoming well-rounded professional psychologists as well as developing specialty skills in areas such as PTSD and Health Psychology.
We offer four positions. For all Interns, the General Mental Health rotation, Assessment/Psychological Testing, and Seminars span both semesters. Minor rotations are six months in duration, comprised of one or more specialty training experiences that total about 15 hours/week. Current options include PTSD, Substance Treatment, Primary Care Mental Health, Home-Based Primary Care, Psychosocial Rehabilitation/Recovery, and Research (through the Center for Integrated Healthcare). CIH research examines brief primary care interventions for trauma/PTSD, anxiety, depression, insomnia, suicide prevention, alcohol use, mindfulness, wellness, and treatment access/utilization.
Interns at the Syracuse VA routinely describe their internship training year as well-balanced and individually tailored to their professional goals. Training faculty are perceived as supportive, flexible, and person-focused.
This is an APA-accredited Internship. Qualified doctoral candidates enrolled in APA-accredited programs in clinical psychology or counseling psychology are eligible to apply.
Training takes place at the Behavioral Health Outpatient Center as well as the Syracuse VA Medical Center, a 106-bed medical and surgical facility and Deans Committee hospital. Interns benefit from an atmosphere of professional growth and inquiry, as the Syracuse VA has active affiliations with SUNY Upstate Medical Center and other institutions, training hundreds of residents, interns, fellows, and students of various disciplines each year.
For more information about the Internship and the Application process, review:
APPIC Match Numbers
General Track: 149611
Applications Due
November 7, 2023
Eligibility Requirements
Review the eligibility requirements for all VA psychology training programs.
Also, see the section “Applying to the Program” in our brochure.
Contact Information/Training Director:
Daniel Purnine, Ph.D.
Syracuse VA Medical Center (116)
800 Irving Avenue
Syracuse, New York 13210
Email: Daniel.Purnine@va.gov
Phone:
Nationwide Opportunities
VA provides internships, postdoctoral fellowships, and doctoral practicum training in many sites across the U.S. Graduates of these programs will be eligible for employment as psychologists within the VA just like graduates from other accredited programs. Many existing VA internship and postdoctoral psychology training programs hold APA accreditation status. Learn more at www.psychologytraining.va.gov.
Syracuse VA: Current Position Vacancies
Accreditation Information
The Syracuse VA Psychology Internship is accredited by 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 20002
Phone: 202-336-5979/E-mail: apaaccred@apa.org
Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation
Resources
VA is the largest provider of training in Psychology in the nation with internships at 106 locations and 260 fellowship positions funded each year.
The Office of Academic Affiliations conducts education and training programs for health professions trainees to enhance the quality of care provided for Veteran patients.
We would like to hear your opinion regarding your recent clinical training experience at the VA facility. We rely on your feedback to improve VA educational programs.