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Site Name: VA San Diego Healthcare System/University of California, San Diego

Department: Psychology Internship Program (116B)

Department : Psychology Internship Program (116B)

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Member Site Information
APPIC Member Number: 1125
Program Type: Internship
Membership Type: Full Membership
Site: VA San Diego Healthcare System/University of California, San Diego
Department: Psychology Internship Program (116B)
Address: VASDHS
3350 La Jolla Village Dr
San Diego, California 92161
Country: United States
Metro Area: San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA
Distance from Major City:
Phone: 858-534-8047
Fax:
Training Director Email: cwierenga@health.ucsd.edu
Co-Training Director Email:
Web Address: https://medschool.ucsd.edu/som/psychiatry/education/Programs/Pages/psychology-internship.aspx
Brochure Website's Address: https://psychiatry.ucsd.edu/_files/education/va-ucsd-internship-2024-2025.pdf
Primary Agency Type: Medical School
Additional Agency Types:
  • Academic Health Center
  • Child/Adolescent Psychiatric or Pediatrics
  • Community Mental Health Center
  • Consortium
  • Medical School
  • Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Member of APPIC since:
Accreditation
APA Accreditation Accredited
CPA Accreditation Not Accredited
Internship Staff/Faculty Information
Training Director: Christina Wierenga
Chief Psychologist: Elizabeth Wrape
Number of Full-Time Licensed Doctoral Psychologists on Staff/Faculty 40
Number of Part-Time Licensed Doctoral Psychologists on Staff/Faculty 0
Position Information
Start Date: 07/01/2025
Funded
Number of Full Time Slots Expected Next Class: 19
Number of Part Time Slots Expected Next Class: 0
Stipend
Full Time Annual Stipend for Next Class: 38450
Part Time Annual Stipend for Next Class: 0
Fringe Benefits: Dissertation Release Time, Health Insurance, Sick Leave, Vacation
Other Fringe Benefits (not indicated above): Paid Federal Holidays
Brief description of the typical work day for an intern at this training site As there are 19 separate positions, there is no one typical workday but interns are expected to provide direct clinical care ~60% of the time with the remaining time spent in didactics, treatment team meetings, patient preparation, research, etc.
Does this site have practicum psychology students on site? Yes
Doctoral Psychology Practicum StudentsYes
Masters Psychology Practicum StudentsYes
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: 11/01/2024 11:59 PM EST
Interviews at this site are: Not Offered
A Virtual Interview is: Required
Interview notification date: 12/15/2024
Tentative interview date: 01/06/2025-01/10/2025
Interview process description:

Applications are due by 11/1/24.  Applicants will be invited by phone or email for a virtual interview by 12/16/24 and will be asked to choose 1 day to interview from the following days: 1/6/25, 1/7/25, 1/8/25, 1/9/25, 1/10/25.  Interviews will include individual interviews and group internship overviews.  Applicants will interview with several staff members at the VA and/or with faculty at University sites.  They will also meet the current interns. All interviewing and overviews will be conducted remotely.
How to obtain application info: Visit Website
Preferred method of contacting the program: Email the Program
We have matched with interns from these programs:
Internship Applicant Requirements
US Citizenship Required: No
If NOT a U.S. Citizen, Authorization to Work or to Engage in Practical Training (CPT or OPT) in the US is Required: Yes
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):
Does your program require applicants to submit supplemental materials (i.e., an assessment report and/or a case/treatment summary):
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: For VA rotations: The VA is unable to consider applications from anyone who is not currently a U.S. citizen. Verification of citizenship is required following selection. All VA-paid interns must complete a Certification of Citizenship in the United States prior to the start of training within the VA. Applicants born male after 12/31/1959 must have registered for the draft by age 26 to be eligible for any US government employment, including selection as a paid VA trainee. Applicants born male must sign a pre-appointment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration before they can be processed into a training program. Exceptions can be granted only by the US Office of Personnel Management; exceptions are very rarely granted. For further details regarding vaccination requirements, background check, and other requirements, please see the internship program brochure.
Program Description

The University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry in affiliation with the Psychology Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS) and Rady Children's Hospital, offers a 12-month, full-time, APA-accredited predoctoral internship in clinical psychology. The program trains doctoral candidates to function as autonomous professionals in a variety of health care settings, with particular emphasis on the role of the psychologist in a teaching hospital, adult or child outpatient setting, and/or an inpatient child and adolescent psychiatric setting.The program emphasizes the Boulder, Scientist-practitioner model of training in psychology. We particularly welcome applicants who are oriented more toward research and clinical interests (i.e., academic careers). For each intern, the program is comprised of year-long placements in two major rotations. The rotational structure of the program allows interns to maximize their exposure to the experiences available at each site. The possible combination of training opportunities for an intern is fairly unique to this nationally recognized program. Major rotations include adult/child inpatient/outpatient services, eating disorders, behavioral medicine, substance use disorders, mood disorders, PTSD/trauma, TBI, neuropsychology, and serious mental illness. The psychology internship training program is well integrated into the many training programs within the VA and UCSD Department of Psychiatry, affording psychology interns the opportunity to work alongside other trainees including psychiatry and psychology residents and fellows. Our large program affords a myriad of training resources while maintaining a strong sense of community and collaboration as our trainees progress toward independence. The program begins July 1st. Interns have options to join health insurance programs. Most internship graduates go on to post-doctoral fellowships, many in research activities and many in the UCSD/VA San Diego system.

Internship Training Opportunities

Populations
Infants:
Toddlers:
Children: Yes
Adolescents: Yes
Adults: Yes
Family: Yes
Older Adults: Yes
Inpatients: Yes
Outpatients: Yes
LGBTQ+: Yes
Ethnic minorities: Yes
Spanish-speaking: Yes
French-speaking:
Deaf/Hearing-impaired:
Students: Yes
International Students:
Rural: Yes
Urban: Yes
Low income: Yes
People without housing: 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: Experience (21% to 30%)
Family Therapy: Experience (21% to 30%)
Group Therapy: Experience (21% to 30%)
Community Intervention: Experience (21% to 30%)
Consultation/Liaison: Experience (21% to 30%)
Crisis Intervention: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Brief Psychotherapy: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Long-term Psychotherapy: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Cognitive Rehabilitation: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Primary Care: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
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: Exposure (1% to 20%)
HIV/AIDS:
Eating Disorders: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Sexual Disorders:
Sports Psychology:
Rehabilitation Psychology: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Physical Disabilities: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Learning Disabilities: Experience (21% to 30%)
Developmental Disabilities: Experience (21% to 30%)
Assessment: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Neuropsychology-Adult: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Neuropsychology-Child: Experience (21% to 30%)
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: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Substance Use Disorders: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Forensics/Corrections:
Sexual Offenders:
Geropsychology: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Pediatrics: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
School:
Counseling:
Vocational/Career Development:
Multicultural Therapy: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Feminist Therapy:
Religion/Spirituality:
Empirically-Supported Treatments: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Public Policy/Advocacy:
Program Development/Evaluation:
Supervision: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Research: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Administration:
Integrated health care - primary: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Integrated health care - specialty: Exposure (1% to 20%)
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://medschool.ucsd.edu/som/psychiatry/education/Programs/Pages/psychology-internship.aspx  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 2024-2025
Number of Completed Applications: 286 290 313 291 377 258 276
Number of applicants invited for interviews: 95 104 108 112 122 106 108
Total number of interns: 19 20 19 19 19 19 19
Total number of interns from APA/CPA accredited programs: 19 20 19 19 19 19 19
Total number of interns from Ph.D. programs: 18 20 18 18 19 17 18
Total number of interns from Psy.D. programs: 0 0 1 1 1 2 1
Total number of interns from Ed.D. programs: 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Number of interns that come from a Clinical Psychology program 18 18 19 19 19 19 18
Number of interns that come from a Counseling Psychology program 0 2 1 0 0 0 1
Number of interns that come from a School Psychology program 18 0 0 0 0 0 0
Range of integrated assessment reports: lowest number of reports written 0 2 8 8 8 4 0
Range of integrated assessment reports: highest number of reports written 0 107 105 77 92 105 106
Summary of Post Internship Employment Settings of Each Internship Class (1st Placement)
2022-2023 2023-2024
Academic teaching:
Community mental health center: 0 0
Consortium: 0 0
University Counseling Center: 0 0
Hospital/Medical Center: 6 7
Veterans Affairs Health Care System: 9 9
Psychiatric facility: 0 0
Correctional facility: 0 0
Health Maintenance Organization: 0 0
School district/system: 0 0
Independent practice setting: 0 0
Other (Academic Psychology Department): 4 3
Link to Program's Trainee Admissions, Support, and Outcome Data:
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