User:
Site Name: Hefner VA Medical Center
Department: Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences
On-site interviews will be offered during the weeks of January 6 and January 13. There will be a total of five interview days from which to choose, and the interviews will be from 9am to 3pm. Each applicant will meet a variety of staff members and current interns, but the formal interview will be with at least two staff members that are pre-assigned by the Training Director and the Assistant Training Director. Each interviewee will also complete a writing sample during their on-site interview. On-site interviews are preferred, although we can accommodate phone interviews as well.
The Psychology Internship Program provides comprehensive generalist training to interns from APA-approved clinical and counseling psychology graduate programs in an intellectually challenging and professionally nurturing environment. There are two training tracks (generalist and health psychology) but the overall philosophy of our training program is that comprehensive generalist skills form the foundation for competent, independent, professional psychology practitioners. As practitioner-scholars, interns are expected to develop a theoretical framework for the application of therapeutic skills. Core competencies include assessment (including using psychometric measures), differential diagnosis, case consultation, and interdisciplinary team functioning. Additonal focus of training is on recovery, evidenced-based treatments, and telehealth. Interns have ongoing supervision, the intensity of which will taper throughout the internship as the interns progressive and cumulative training leads toward independent practice. Structure: Interns complete a minimum of three rotations during the internship year: a 12-month, 50% time rotation providing outpatient and consultation services for the generalist interns or primary care/home-based primary care for the health psychology interns; a second rotation (6 month, 25% time) in an inpatient setting; and an elective rotation (6 month, 25% time), selected according to interests and training needs. In all settings, participation in the interprofessional team process is an integral part of training. Interns receive 4-6 hours of formal supervision a week including up to two hours of group supervision. Consistent with a mentoring approach, interns may work with several supervisors throughout the year in their inpatient and their outpatient rotations. Didactic training: Interns spend an average of 3 hours a week in seminar and didactic activities designed to produce practitioner-scholars capable of translating theory, knowledge, and scientific inquiry into practice. Didactic offerings incorporate the application of an empirical knowledge base to case formulation, treatment planning, and treatment implementation.
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Additional information about training opportunities: Not all rotations or experiences may be available at all consortium sites, and some internship programs may not have updated this information recently. Please consult the program's web site http://www.salisbury.va.gov/services/Psychology.asp or other application materials for a complete description of the training opportunities available at each site.
