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Site Name: VA Medical Center, Syracuse

Department: Behavioral Health (116)

Department : Behavioral Health (116)

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Member Site Information
APPIC Member Number: 1496
Program Type: Internship
Membership Type: Full Membership
Site: VA Medical Center, Syracuse
Department: Behavioral Health (116)
Address: 800 Irving Avenue
Syracuse, New York 13210-2796
Country: United States
Metro Area: Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Distance from Major City: 250 miles to NYC, Philadelphia, Montreal
Phone: 315-425-4400x53488
Fax: 315-471-0219x
Email: daniel.purnine@va.gov
Web Address: https://www.va.gov/syracuse-health-care/work-with-us/internships-and-fellowships/
Brochure Website's Address: https://www.va.gov/files/2023-09/Syracuse%20VA%20Internship%20Brochure%202024-25.pdf
Primary Agency Type: Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Additional Agency Types:
  • Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Member of APPIC since:
Accreditation
APA Accreditation Accredited
CPA Accreditation Not Accredited
Internship Staff/Faculty Information
Training Director: Daniel Purnine
Chief Psychologist: Angela Hester
Number of Full-Time Licensed Doctoral Psychologists on Staff/Faculty 18
Number of Part-Time Licensed Doctoral Psychologists on Staff/Faculty 2
Position Information
Start Date: 08/19/2024
Funded
Number of Full Time Slots Expected Next Class: 4
Number of Part Time Slots Expected Next Class: 0
Stipend
Full Time Annual Stipend for Next Class: 33469
Part Time Annual Stipend for Next Class: 0
Fringe Benefits: Health Insurance, Licensing Exam Release Time, Professional Development Time, Sick Leave, Vacation
Other Fringe Benefits (not indicated above): 104 hours vacation, 104 hours sick leave, 10 Federal holidays, up to 5 "professional development" days (e.g., conferences, VA postdoctoral interviews, dissertation defense), individual offices with networked computer.
Brief description of the typical work day for an intern at this training site A typical day involves a mixture of client contact hours, supervision, report-writing, preparation, team meetings, didactics, etc. A typical week includes involvement with Outpatient Mental Health, Assessment, and various specialty clinic rotations. One day per week is largely dedicated to didactics, meetings, and case-conferences.
Does this site have practicum psychology students on site? No
Is this program fully affiliated with one or more doctoral programs? No
Is this program partially affiliated with one or more doctoral programs? No
Internship Application Process
Accepting Applicants: Yes
Application Due Date: 11/07/2023 11:59 PM EST
Interviews at this site are: Not Offered
A Virtual Interview is: Required
Interview notification date: 11/30/2023
Tentative interview date: Dec 15 & 18 January 8 & 12
Interview process description:

We continue to use virtual media (i.e., Zoom), but follow a format similar to that which we used when interview days were in-person. Applicants are interviewed on 1 of 4 available dates from mid-December through early/mid-January. Interview days begin with a group of approximately 8 candidates present to hear an overview of the program by all Psychology Staff. This is followed by two individual interviews with training supervisors, a group meeting with current interns who share their own experiences of the program, and virtual facility tours. Many staff members are available for briefer individual meetings later in the day, depending on applicants' interests. Any substantial changes to this process will be shared with applicants and will be reflected in revisions of this description.
How to obtain application info: Visit Website
Preferred method of contacting the program: Email the Program
We have matched with interns from these programs: Multiple matches with: Binghamton Univ., Bowling Green, Drexel, Kent State, La Salle, Purdue, SUNY Albany, Syracuse Univ. See brochure for additional information.
Internship Applicant Requirements
US Citizenship Required: Yes
If NOT a U.S. Citizen, Authorization to Work or to Engage in Practical Training (CPT or OPT) in the US is Required: No
Canadian Citizenship Required: No
If NOT a Canadian Citizen, Authorization to Work in Canada or to Engage in Practical Training (CPT or OPT) in Canada is Required: No
Masters Degree Required: No
Comprehensive Exams Passed: Yes, by application deadline
Dissertation Proposal Approved: Yes, by start of internship
Dissertation Defended: No
Minimum Number of AAPI Intervention Hours (if applicable):
Minimum Number of AAPI Assessment Hours (if applicable):
Minimum Number of Combined Intervention and Assessment Hours (if applicable):
Minimum Number of Years of Grad Training Required (if applicable): 3
Accepted / Not-Accepted Program Types
Clinical Psychology Accepted
Counseling Psychology Accepted
School Psychology Not Accepted
APA-Accredited Accepted
CPA-Accredited Accepted
PCSAS-Accredited Accepted
Non-Accredited Not Accepted
Ph.D Degree Accepted
Psy.D. Degree Accepted
Ed.D. Degree Not Accepted
This institution, department, internship, or postdoctoral program requires trainees to sign a statement about personal behavior and/or religious beliefs as a condition of admission and/or retention in the program: No
How to obtain text of statement:
Other Requirements:
Program Description

The Syracuse VAMC Psychology Internship follows a practitioner-scholar model and emphasizes generalist skills as well as exposure to specialty clinics and populations. We currently offer four General Track positions.

The program is anchored by year-long experiences in outpatient General Mental Health (~15 hours/week), Assessment/Psychological Testing (7 hours/week), and Seminars and meetings (~4 hours/week). Interns are able to follow some longer-term cases through the Outpaient Mental Health clinic and benefit from refining Assessment skills throughout the year. Interns share their experiences and participate in group supervision through a Case Conference in Assessment and in GMH. There is an Assessment Seminar series as well as Special Topics seminars that address a number of professional issues, conditions, interventions, and diversity topics.

Approximately 15 hours/week are available for minor rotations across a variety of specialty clinics and services. Minor rotations are available with the PTSD Clinical Team (PCT), Substance Treatment Service (STS), Primary Care - Mental Health Integration (PCMHI), Research, Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC), and Psychosocial Rehabilitation. Additional training experiences are available in various group therapies. In each six-month semester, Interns establish a weekly schedule that may include one or more of the above clinical experiences.

Interns in the Research minor rotation can gain clinical and research experience with the Center for Integrated Healthcare (CIH), which is located on-site. CIH research examines brief interventions for trauma/PTSD, anxiety, depression, insomnia, suicide prevention, alcohol use, mindfulness, wellness, and treatment access/utilization. CIH also offers a 2-year CIH research post-doctoral fellowship.

For all Interns, one day a week is devoted to didactics and group supervision/case conferences. Training is available in Evidence-Based Psychotherapies (EBPs), including Cognitive Processing Therapy,  Prolonged Exposure Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia, among others. Please see our brochure for more information regarding rotations, EBPs, and our philosophy of training.

 

Internship Training Opportunities

Populations
Infants:
Toddlers:
Children:
Adolescents:
Adults: Yes
Family: Yes
Older Adults: Yes
Inpatients: Yes
Outpatients: Yes
Gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender: Yes
Ethnic minorities: Yes
Spanish-speaking:
French-speaking:
Deaf/Hearing-impaired:
Students: Yes
International Students:
Rural: Yes
Urban: Yes
Low income: Yes
Homelessness: Yes
Other:

(training opportunities continued)

Treatment Modalities
Assessment: Experience (21% to 30%)
Individual Therapy: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Couples Therapy: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Family Therapy:
Group Therapy: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Community Intervention:
Consultation/Liaison: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Crisis Intervention: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Brief Psychotherapy: Experience (21% to 30%)
Long-term Psychotherapy: Experience (21% to 30%)
Cognitive Rehabilitation: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Primary Care: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Evidenced Based Practice: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Evidence Based Research: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Supervision of Practicum students :
Other:

(training opportunities continued)

Experience
Health Psychology: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Women's Health:
HIV/AIDS: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Eating Disorders: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Sexual Disorders: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Sports Psychology:
Rehabilitation Psychology:
Physical Disabilities: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Learning Disabilities: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Developmental Disabilities:
Assessment: Experience (21% to 30%)
Neuropsychology-Adult:
Neuropsychology-Child:
Serious Mental Illness: Experience (21% to 30%)
Anxiety Disorders: Experience (21% to 30%)
Trauma/PTSD: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Sexual Abuse: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Substance Use Disorders: Experience (21% to 30%)
Forensics/Corrections:
Sexual Offenders: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Geropsychology: Experience (21% to 30%)
Pediatrics:
School:
Counseling:
Vocational/Career Development:
Multicultural Therapy:
Feminist Therapy:
Religion/Spirituality: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Empirically-Supported Treatments: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Public Policy/Advocacy:
Program Development/Evaluation: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Supervision:
Research: Experience (21% to 30%)
Administration: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Integrated health care - primary: Experience (21% to 30%)
Integrated health care - specialty: Experience (21% to 30%)
Other:

In addition to clinical rotations, interns attend Special Topics seminars, Assessment seminars, Diversity Seminars, Case Conferences, Team Meetings, and have access to Grand Rounds at SUNY Upstate Medical School.

Additional information about training opportunities: Not all rotations or training experiences may be available as described in the APPIC Directory. Please consult the program's application materials or their website at: https://www.va.gov/syracuse-health-care/work-with-us/internships-and-fellowships/  for a complete description of the training opportunities available at this training site. IF the site has not updated their information by August 1, feel free to contact the Training Director for additional information.

Summary of the Characteristics of the Specified Internship Class
2017-2018 2018-2019 2019-2020 2020-2021 2021-2022 2022-2023 2023-2024
Number of Completed Applications: 58 64 43 39 43 36 41
Number of applicants invited for interviews: 28 31 28 27 28 26 28
Total number of interns: 3 4 4 4 4 4 4
Total number of interns from APA/CPA accredited programs: 3 4 4 4 4 4 4
Total number of interns from Ph.D. programs: 3 4 4 4 3 3 2
Total number of interns from Psy.D. programs: 1 1 2
Total number of interns from Ed.D. programs:
Number of interns that come from a Clinical Psychology program 2 2 3 4 3 3 4
Number of interns that come from a Counseling Psychology program 1 2 1 1 1
Number of interns that come from a School Psychology program
Range of integrated assessment reports: lowest number of reports written
Range of integrated assessment reports: highest number of reports written
Summary of Post Internship Employment Settings of Each Internship Class (1st Placement)
2022-2023
Academic teaching:
Community mental health center: 0
Consortium: 0
University Counseling Center: 0
Hospital/Medical Center: 0
Veterans Affairs Health Care System: 2
Psychiatric facility: 0
Correctional facility: 0
Health Maintenance Organization: 0
School district/system: 0
Independent practice setting: 2
Other (Academic Psychology Department): 0
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