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Site Name: VA Connecticut Healthcare System

Department: Clinical Health Psychology Section

Department : Clinical Health Psychology Section

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Member Site Information
APPIC Member Number: 9957
Program Type: Post Doctoral
Membership Type: Full Membership
Site: VA Connecticut Healthcare System
Department: Clinical Health Psychology Section
Address: Psychology Service - 116B
950 Campbell Ave
West Haven, Connecticut 06516
Country: United States
Metro Area: New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA
Distance from Major City: 75 miles from NYC
Phone: 203-932-5711x2468
Fax: 203-937-4951
Email: John.Sellinger1@va.gov
Web Address: https://www.va.gov/connecticut-health-care/work-with-us/internships-and-fellowships/
Brochure Website's Address: https://www.va.gov/connecticut-health-care/work-with-us/internships-and-fellowships/
Primary Agency Type: Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Additional Agency Types:
  • Academic Health Center
  • Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Member of APPIC since: 11/29/2005
Accreditation
APA Accreditation Accredited
CPA Accreditation Not Accredited
Postdoctoral Staff/Faculty Information
Training Director: John Sellinger
Chief Psychologist: Steve Martino
Number of Full-Time Licensed Doctoral Psychologists on Staff/Faculty 12
Number of Part-Time Licensed Doctoral Psychologists on Staff/Faculty 2
Number of Non-Psychologist Staff/Faculty who Supervise Post-docs 0
Position Information
Start Date: 09/01/2024
Funded
Number of Full Time Slots Expected Next Class: 3
Number of Part Time Slots Expected Next Class: 0
Stipend
Full Time Annual Stipend for Next Class: 60446
Part Time Annual Stipend for Next Class: 0
Fringe Benefits: Dental Insurance, Disability Insurance, Health Insurance, Licensing Exam Release Time, Professional Development Time, Sick Leave, Vacation
Other Fringe Benefits (not indicated above): Residents receive a co-terminus appointment in the Yale School of Medicine (Department of Psychiatry), which affords them access to educational resources on the Yale campus (e.g., access to Yale medical library).
Brief description of the typical work day for a postdoc at this training site Our Clinical Health Psychology residency program is guided by an individualized training plan developed by each resident at the outset of the training year. The four core domains of the training plan include advanced clinical practice, research, interprofessional teaching and training, and program development. A typical work day could involve clinical care in settings of interest to the resident, along with interprofessional interactions as they pertain to a residents' clinical work or to a research, teaching, or program development project in which the resident is involved. Our residents' typical day is dynamic, involving opportunities to learn and develop skills across a variety of settings and activities.
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
Postdoctoral Application Process
Application Due Date: 12/12/2023 11:59 PM EST
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 Florida Health Science Center; VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System; Eastern Kansas VA Medical Center; West Los Angeles VA Healthcare System; VA Connecticut Healthcare System; Miami VA Medical Center; Denver Health Medical Center; VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System; University of Miami School of Medicine/Jackson Memorial Hospital; Washington DC VA Medical Center; VA Pittsburgh; VA New Jersey Healthcare System; Cleveland VA Healthcare System; Asheville VA Healthcare System; Palo Alto VA Healthcare System; Boston VA Healthcare System
The program uses the APPA Centralized Application Service: Yes
Interviews at this site are: Not Offered
A Virtual Interview is: Required
Interview notification date: 01/02/2024
Tentative interview date: 01/16/2024
Interview process description:

We will offer virtual interviews to selected applicants. These interviews will be held in mid-late January. We will conduct group informational sessions at the outset of the interview day, which will be conducted by the Co-Director of Training. These sessions will serve to provide an overview of our training program, our VA medical center, and our local community. Time will be provided for Q&A before applicants begin their individual interviews with faculty. Each applicant will meet individually with 2 faculty members, with pairings based on convergence of applicant and faculty interests. Applicants will also have an opportunity for an informal group Q&A session with our current postdoctoral residents.

We will do our best to connect applicants with faculty with whom they are interested in meeting. If applicant and faculty schedules do not permit, we will arrange for virtual meetings/interviews on alternative days. There will also be an open "office hours" component to the interview day, during which applicants can drop-in and meet with any desired faculty members with who they won't be formally interviewing. Applicants will be notified of interview offers no later than January 2nd.
Postdoctoral Applicant Requirements
US Citizenship Required: Yes
If NOT a U.S. Citizen, Authorization to Work in the US is Required No
Canadian Citizenship Required: No
If NOT a Canadian Citizen, Authorization to Work in Canada is Required: No
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:
Program Description

Our program subscribes to the guidelines for the specialty of Clinical Health Psychology advanced by the American Psychological Association, and espouses a strong scientist-practitioner training model. Training involves focus on the following program aims:

(1) Research/scholarship - to produce Clinical Health Psychologists who are competent in applied research that both informs, and is informed by, clinical practice.

(2) Advanced Clinical Practice - to produce Clinical Health Psychologists who are competent in the use of a variety of evidence-based and culturally-informed assessment and intervention techniques.

(3) Interprofessional Teaching and Training - to produce Clinical Health Psychologists who are competent in providing interprofessional education and training relevant to the science and practice of clinical health psychology.

(4) Program Development/Policy Guideline Implementation - to produce Clinical Health Psychologists who are knowledgeable about healthcare systems, and within those systems, are competent in performing program evaluation and development, and in contributing to the development of policy/practice guidelines.

With the assistance of the faculty mentors, residents develop an individualized training plan to meet these 4 program aims. While residents are invited and encouraged to participate in existing projects (i.e., current research, teaching, clinical, or program development activities), training opportunities in other areas of behavioral medicine that are of particular interest to a resident are also supported.

Examples of opportunities available within the 4 core program aims are listed below:

RESEARCH: Current faculty research interest areas include: alcohol-tobacco interactions, smoking cessation/nicotine dependence, chronic pain, cardiovascular behavioral medicine, diabetes, health promotion, obesity, patient-provider communication, primary care psychology, oncology, women’s health, and palliative care.

ADVANCED CLINICAL PRACTICE: Several clinics/clinical areas are supported by the Clinical Health Psychology Section, including (but not limited to): Primary care, interdisciplinary pain clinics, oncology, smoking cessation, weight management, diabetes, palliative care, sleep clinic, liver clinics, women's health clinic, inpatient C&L, cardiovascular behavioral medicine, and the facility-wide health promotion programs (stress management, healthy lifestyles, etc.).

INTERPROFESSIONAL TEACHING AND TRAINING: Opportunities to teach, mentor, and supervise other trainees (predoctoral interns, practicum students, and undergraduate research assistants) and to deliver educational trainings to other health professionals and trainees are provided.

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT/POLICY GUIDELINE IMPLEMENTATION: Opportunities include the development and/or implementation of innovative, integrative, and multidisciplinary models of care across a variety of clinical settings. Residents often work with colleagues from other disciplines to identify needs and implement changes to clinical programs that can improve outcomes, or work to develop new programs to meet emerging needs in clinical settings that are of interest to the resident.

 

Postdoctoral 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:
Group Therapy: Experience (21% to 30%)
Community Intervention:
Consultation/Liaison: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Crisis Intervention: Experience (21% to 30%)
Brief Psychotherapy: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Long-term Psychotherapy:
Cognitive Rehabilitation:
Primary Care: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Evidenced Based Practice: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Evidence Based Research: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
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: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
HIV/AIDS:
Eating Disorders: Experience (21% to 30%)
Sexual Disorders: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Sports Psychology:
Rehabilitation Psychology:
Physical Disabilities:
Learning Disabilities:
Developmental Disabilities:
Assessment: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Neuropsychology-Adult:
Neuropsychology-Child:
Serious Mental Illness:
Anxiety Disorders: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Trauma/PTSD: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Sexual Abuse:
Substance Use Disorders: Experience (21% to 30%)
Forensics/Corrections:
Sexual Offenders:
Geropsychology: Experience (21% to 30%)
Pediatrics:
School:
Counseling:
Vocational/Career Development:
Multicultural Therapy:
Feminist Therapy:
Religion/Spirituality:
Empirically-Supported Treatments: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Public Policy/Advocacy: Experience (21% to 30%)
Program Development/Evaluation: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Supervision: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Research: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Administration: Experience (21% to 30%)
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/connecticut-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 Postdoctoral Class
2017-2018 2018-2019 2019-2020 2020-2021 2021-2022 2022-2023 2023-2024
Number of Completed Applications: 34 32 22 18 22 18 20
Where did Former Postdoctoral Fellows Go (1st Placement)?
2022-2023
Total Number of post-docs: 3
Still a Postdoctoral Fellow: 0
Academic teaching:
Community mental health center: 0
Consortium: 0
University Counseling Center: 0
Hospital/Medical Center: 1
Veterans Affairs Health Care System: 2
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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