The VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System is committed to the training of professional psychologists consistent with a practitioner-scholar training model. Within a supportive and collegial atmosphere, we seek to facilitate development of a reflective approach to practice that integrates empirical knowledge and delivery of clinical services. Interns are viewed as making the transition from the student role to the professional colleague role over the course of the training year, honing clinical and communication skills and competencies ultimately required for effective independent practice. Opportunities are offered for continued training in areas of practice with which interns may already be familiar, as well as introduction to assessment strategies, treatment orientations, and other clinical challenges that may be less familiar.

At the start of the training year, interns undergo two weeks of orientation to the Mental Health Service and to the medical center. They visit rotation sites and meet with potential supervisors to compose a training experience that best fits their interests and needs. Trainings are provided in areas such as risk assessment; the VA electronic medical records system; diversity and multicultural considerations; principles and general methodology of cognitive behavior therapy and motivational interviewing; military culture, values, and traditions; and other relevant topics. This is also the opportunity to visit each program within the Mental Health Service, which exposes our new interns to the variety of services we offer as well as helping them better define their rotation interests. The Training Director acts as an advocate for interns and the training program within the medical center and Mental Health Service. The Director meets regularly with interns as a group and individually to hear and respond to their training needs and concerns.

Our internship offers full-time, generalist training in the practice of professional psychology within a multidisciplinary Veterans Affairs medical center. We accept 4 interns per year. Our program is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association and complies with all standards and regulations of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC), as well as APPIC Match Policies and Procedures. 

Wednesdays are devoted to didactics, group supervision and other training activities. The day will include morning Didactic Seminars covering topics such as clinical intervention and assessment, diversity, law and ethics, and a variety of empirically supported treatments. Wednesday afternoons include rotating learning activities focused on professional development, including opportunities for mock interviewing and supervision, as well as rotating experiences such as the Diversity Project, Ethics and Diversity Journal Club, Supervision Theory & Practice Seminar, and Group Supervision. In addition, we offer a Mentor Program, in which interns select a psychologist with whom they can meet individually throughout the year for ongoing support and encouragement and to discuss concerns and professional development issues in a safe, confidential atmosphere. The mentor will not be in an evaluative role with the intern.

Vision Statement: “To prepare our psychology interns for long-term success in health service psychology.”

Aims:

1. To develop in our interns strong core generalist skills in health service psychology through competency-based supervised training.

2. To prepare interns to function competently within an integrated health care system, particularly the Veterans Health Administration.

3. To support our interns in preparing for the next step in their professional careers.