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Site Name: VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System

Department: Psychology

Department : Psychology

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Member Site Information
APPIC Member Number: 2461
Program Type: Internship
Membership Type: Full Membership
Site: VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System
Department: Psychology
Address: 1310 24th Avenue South
116B
Nashville, Tennessee 37212
Country: United States
Metro Area: Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Distance from Major City: Nashville/Murfreesboro TN
Phone: 615-873-8941x
Fax:
Email: maria.cottingham1@va.gov
Web Address: https://www.va.gov/tennessee-valley-health-care/work-with-us/internships-and-fellowships/clinical-psychology-programs/
Brochure Website's Address: https://www.va.gov/tennessee-valley-health-care/work-with-us/internships-and-fellowships/clinical-psychology-programs/
Primary Agency Type: Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Additional Agency Types:
Member of APPIC since: 09/04/2017
Accreditation
APA Accreditation Accredited
CPA Accreditation Not Accredited
Internship Staff/Faculty Information
Training Director: Maria Cottingham
Chief Psychologist: Erica White
Number of Full-Time Licensed Doctoral Psychologists on Staff/Faculty 63
Number of Part-Time Licensed Doctoral Psychologists on Staff/Faculty 0
Position Information
Start Date: 07/01/2024
Funded
Number of Full Time Slots Expected Next Class: 6
Number of Part Time Slots Expected Next Class:
Stipend
Full Time Annual Stipend for Next Class: 26297
Part Time Annual Stipend for Next Class: 0
Fringe Benefits: Dissertation Release Time, Health Insurance, Licensing Exam Release Time, Professional Development Time, Sick Leave, Vacation
Other Fringe Benefits (not indicated above):
Brief description of the typical work day for an intern at this training site
Does this site have practicum psychology students on site? Yes
Doctoral Psychology Practicum StudentsYes
Masters Psychology Practicum StudentsNo
Do Psychology Interns/Postdocs Have the Opportunity to Supervise Practicum Students?Yes
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: 11/01/2023 11:59 PM EST
Interviews at this site are: Not Offered
A Virtual Interview is: Required
Interview notification date: N/A
Tentative interview date: 12/07/2023, 12/11/2023, 01/09/2024, 01/19/2024
Interview process description:

Review of applications will begin immediately following the November 1, 2023 deadline.  A subcommittee comprised of DOT, ADOTs, and additional psychology supervisors involved in Intern training will be formed to review applicant files, identify candidates for interviews, conduct interviews, and identify top candidates for each position.   Applicants will be interviewed virtually.  Applicants will virtually interview with multiple supervisors throughout the interview day at both the Nashville and Murfreesboro sites.  When interviews are completed, a rank-ordered list of applicants is compiled.  Applicants not deemed to be a good fit with the internship program are not included in the ranking.  The TVHS Internship Program will participate in the APPIC Phase I and Phase II matching process. 

Interview dates for the 2023 recruitment cycle will be 12/7/2023, 12/11/2023, 1/9/2024, &  1/19/2024. 
How to obtain application info: Visit Website
Preferred method of contacting the program: Email the Program
We have matched with interns from these programs: University of Southern Mississippi Southern Methodist University University of Texas at Austin University of Alabama at Birmingham Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology Loma Linda University University of Maryland University of South Carolina Vanderbilt University San Diego State University Pacific University University of South Alabama Nova Southeastern University Saint Louis University The Chicago School of Professional Psychology University of Houston William James College Carlos Albizu University-Miami Spalding University University of Detroit-Mercy Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Palo Alto University Florida Institute of Technology St. Mary's University of Minnesota Baylor University University of Louisville University of Tennessee University of Kansas Kansas City University Fielding Graduate University Fuller Graduate School of Psychology
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 application deadline
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):
Accepted / Not-Accepted Program Types
Clinical Psychology Accepted
Counseling Psychology Accepted
School Psychology Accepted
APA-Accredited Accepted
CPA-Accredited Accepted
PCSAS-Accredited Accepted
Non-Accredited
Ph.D Degree Accepted
Psy.D. Degree Accepted
Ed.D. Degree
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 aim of this doctoral internship program is to provide generalist training that will prepare interns to work as entry level or early career psychologists or fellows within a variety of clinical settings in the VA healthcare system. There are two separate tracks - General and Neuropsychology.

VA TVHS interns will have specific clinical experiences and didactics to prepare them for a career in a VA healthcare system. Interns will have the opportunity to work in VA specific clinical settings, such as Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI), Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Programs (BHIP), and the Veterans Recovery Center (VRC); while similar models of care may be available in the community, these specific models have been developed especially for the VA and are relatively consistent across VA systems.  Additionally, VA TVHS interns will participate in didactics which are focused on VA recognized Evidence Based Psychotherapies (EBPs), VA practice guidelines, and leadership potential within the VA healthcare system.  Other rotations may include PTSD, Pain Psychology, Transplant Psychology, Palliative Care, and Inpatient Psychiatry, all of which provide the intern with exposure to patient populations that are typically encountered in the VA healthcare system.  Neuropsychology track interns will also receive specialized training in neuropsychology, through participation in the Neuropsychology rotation, as well as neuropsychology-specific didactic offerings. Individuals completing the Neuropsychology track will be well prepared for formal 2-year post-doctoral fellowships and ABPP Certification in Neuropsychology moving forward. Supervisors will be working from the lens of preparing future VA psychologists when evaluating interns on the specific objectives in the VA TVHS Psychology Internship Evaluation Form. 

 

 

Internship Training Opportunities

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

(training opportunities continued)

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

(training opportunities continued)

Experience
Health Psychology: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Women's Health: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
HIV/AIDS: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Eating Disorders: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Sexual Disorders:
Sports Psychology:
Rehabilitation Psychology: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Physical Disabilities: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Learning Disabilities:
Developmental Disabilities:
Assessment: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Neuropsychology-Adult: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Neuropsychology-Child:
Serious Mental Illness: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Anxiety Disorders: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Trauma/PTSD: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Sexual Abuse:
Substance Use Disorders: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Forensics/Corrections:
Sexual Offenders:
Geropsychology: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Pediatrics:
School:
Counseling:
Vocational/Career Development:
Multicultural Therapy: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Feminist Therapy:
Religion/Spirituality:
Empirically-Supported Treatments: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Public Policy/Advocacy:
Program Development/Evaluation: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Supervision: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Research: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Administration: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Integrated health care - primary: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Integrated health care - specialty: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Other:

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/tennessee-valley-health-care/work-with-us/internships-and-fellowships/clinical-psychology-programs/  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: 247 115 111 118 117 126 195
Number of applicants invited for interviews: 148 59 57 56 54 56 73
Total number of interns: 14 6 6 6 6 6 6
Total number of interns from APA/CPA accredited programs: 14 6 6 6 6 6 6
Total number of interns from Ph.D. programs: 10 3 2 2 0 2 3
Total number of interns from Psy.D. programs: 4 3 4 4 6 4 3
Total number of interns from Ed.D. programs:
Number of interns that come from a Clinical Psychology program 10 5 4 6 5 6 5
Number of interns that come from a Counseling Psychology program 4 1 2 0 1 0 1
Number of interns that come from a School Psychology program
Range of integrated assessment reports: lowest number of reports written 2 0 0 8 18 0 14
Range of integrated assessment reports: highest number of reports written 61 60 156 78 44 32 134
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: 3
Veterans Affairs Health Care System: 3
Psychiatric facility: 0
Correctional facility: 0
Health Maintenance Organization: 0
School district/system: 0
Independent practice setting: 0
Other (Academic Psychology Department): 0
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