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Site Name: VA Western New York Healthcare System

Department: Behavioral VA Careline (116B)

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Department : Behavioral VA Careline (116B)

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Member Site Information
APPIC Member Number: 1455
Program Type: Internship
Membership Type: Full Membership
Site: VA Western New York Healthcare System
Department: Behavioral VA Careline (116B)
Address: 3495 Bailey Avenue
116 B
Buffalo, New York 14215-1129
Country: United States
Metro Area: Not Applicable
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA
Distance from Major City: 270 miles west of NYC; 107 miles south of Toronto, Canada
Phone: 716-862-8581
Fax:
Training Director Email: Denise.Mercurio-Riley@va.gov
Co-Training Director Email:
Web Address: https://www.va.gov/western-new-york-health-care/work-with-us/internships-and-fellowships/
Brochure Website's Address: https://www.va.gov/western-new-york-health-care/work-with-us/internships-and-fellowships/#psychology-internship-at-buffa
Primary Agency Type: Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Additional Agency Types:
  • Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Member of APPIC since:
Accreditation
APA Accreditation Accredited
CPA Accreditation Not Accredited
Internship Staff/Faculty Information
Training Director: Denise Mercurio-Riley
Chief Psychologist: Denise Mercurio-Riley
Number of Full-Time Licensed Doctoral Psychologists on Staff/Faculty 27
Number of Part-Time Licensed Doctoral Psychologists on Staff/Faculty 0
Position Information
Start Date: 07/12/2027
Funded
Number of Full Time Slots Expected Next Class: 4
Number of Part Time Slots Expected Next Class: 0
Stipend
Full Time Annual Stipend for Next Class: 36690
Part Time Annual Stipend for Next Class: 0
Fringe Benefits: Dental Insurance, Health Insurance, Professional Development Time, Sick Leave, Vacation
Other Fringe Benefits (not indicated above): 4 days authorized absence allowed for professional activities not directly involving internship training, e.g., dissertation defense, interviews, graduation
Brief description of the typical work day for an intern at this training site Other than common activities each Friday (Didactic seminars, Group Supervision, Journal Club, etc.), weekly activities are specific to the training rotations requested by each intern. Interns now have the opportunity to complete mini-rotations, including a Special Populations mini-rotation.
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?No
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: 11/01/2026 11:59 PM EST
A Virtual Interview are: Required
Interview notification date: 12/15/2024
Tentative interview date: N/A
Interview process description:

Applicants are invited via email to interview in January. Each invited applicant will meet with the Director of Training, two rotation supervisors, and one intern.  Interviewers are chosen in response to applicant rotation interests, availability permitting. Applicants are encouraged to seek additional information from the Director of Training and/or to ask to talk with additional faculty in addition to their interviews.
How to obtain application info: Visit Website
Preferred method of contacting the program: Email the Program
We have matched with interns from these programs: Notre Dame, University of Maryland, Texas Women's University, Northeastern University, State University of New York at Buffalo, University of Montana, State University of New York at Binghamton, Alliant IU/California School of Professional Psychology-San Diego, Texas Tech University, Hawaii School Professional Psych, Argosy University, CUNY-City College, Clinical, PhD, University of Pittsburgh, Clinical, Ph.D., University of Akron, Counseling, Ph.D.
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 start of internship
Dissertation Proposal Approved: Yes, by application deadline
Dissertation Defended: No
Minimum Number of AAPI Intervention Hours (if applicable): 500
Minimum Number of AAPI Assessment Hours (if applicable): 100
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): No
Minimum Number of Years of Grad Training Required (if applicable): 4
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 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: https://www.va.gov/oaa/hpt-eligibility.asp
Program Description

The VA Western New York Healthcare System is a regional health care system, including tertiary care facilities, outpatient clinics, community-based outpatient clinics, and diverse mental health programs, serving veterans from Upstate New York, adjacent states, and Canada. Our internship is APA accredited and identifies with a scholar-practitioner model, including a strong emphasis on a scholarly knowledge base, diverse clinical skills for professional practice, and support for scientific activity, through a mentorship style of supervision that prioritizes intern developmental growth via diverse, intensive clinical activities. We currently have 4 doctoral internship positions. For the 2027-2028 training year, we will be recruiting for interns in 2 Tracks: Mental Healt and Health Psychology. The Geropsychology Specialty Track will not be offered during the 2027-2028 internship year, though interns can still gain experience with this population through the Community Living Center rotation.  Rotation assignments are generally half-time for 6 months, i.e., four rotations during the internship year, though we will consider other variations. Regardless of track, interns may select from ANY of the training rotations.  VA Western NY Healthcare System internship graduates have gone on to a wide range of post-doctoral fellowships, academic positions, clinical positions, and leadership roles, many within the Veterans Health Administration.

Internship Training Opportunities

Populations
Infants:
Toddlers:
Children:
Adolescents:
Adults: Yes
Family:
Older Adults: Yes
Inpatients: Yes
Outpatients: Yes
LGBTQ+: Yes
Ethnic minorities: Yes
Spanish-speaking:
French-speaking:
Deaf/Hearing-impaired:
Students:
International Students:
Rural: Yes
Urban: Yes
Low income: Yes
People without housing: Yes
Other:

(training opportunities continued)

Treatment Modalities
Assessment: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Individual Therapy: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Couples Therapy:
Family Therapy: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Group Therapy: Experience (21% to 30%)
Community Intervention:
Consultation/Liaison: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Crisis Intervention: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Brief Psychotherapy: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Long-term Psychotherapy: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Cognitive Rehabilitation:
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 :
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:
Sexual Disorders: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Sports Psychology:
Rehabilitation Psychology: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Physical Disabilities: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Learning Disabilities:
Developmental Disabilities:
Assessment: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Neuropsychology-Adult: Exposure (1% to 20%)
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: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Substance Use Disorders: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Forensics/Corrections:
Sexual Offenders:
Geropsychology: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Pediatrics:
School:
Counseling: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Vocational/Career Development:
Multicultural Therapy:
Feminist Therapy:
Religion/Spirituality:
Empirically-Supported Treatments: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Public Policy/Advocacy:
Program Development/Evaluation: Experience (21% to 30%)
Supervision:
Research: Experience (21% to 30%)
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/western-new-york-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 Internship Class
2017-2018 2018-2019 2019-2020 2020-2021 2021-2022 2022-2023 2023-2024 2024-2025 2025-2026 2026-2027
Number of Completed Applications: 69 45 20 34 37 41 36 32 32
Number of applicants invited for interviews: 38 28 10 26 24 22 23 23 20
Total number of interns: 4 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 5
Total number of interns from APA/CPA accredited programs: 4 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 5
Total number of interns from Ph.D. programs: 2 2 3 2 3 2 2 2 3
Total number of interns from Psy.D. programs: 2 1 1 2 1 2 2 2 2
Total number of interns from Ed.D. programs: 0 0 0 0 0 0
Number of interns that come from a Clinical Psychology program 4 2 3 2 1 3 4
Number of interns that come from a Counseling Psychology program 0 1 1 2 3 1 0
Number of interns that come from a School Psychology program 0 0 0 0 0 0
Range of integrated assessment reports: lowest number of reports written 2 8 2 6 0 0 0 5
Range of integrated assessment reports: highest number of reports written 13 19 86 56 96 78 182 10
Summary of Post Internship Employment Settings of Each Internship Class (1st Placement)
2022-2023 2023-2024 2024-2025 2025-2026
Academic teaching:
Community mental health center: 0 0 0 0
Consortium: 0 0 0 0
University Counseling Center: 0 0 0 0
Hospital/Medical Center: 1 1 1 0
Veterans Affairs Health Care System: 1 3 3 2
Psychiatric facility: 0 0 0 0
Correctional facility: 0 0 0 0
Health Maintenance Organization: 0 0 0 0
School district/system: 0 0 0 0
Independent practice setting: 1 0 0 2
Other (Academic Psychology Department): 0 0 0 0
Link to Program's Trainee Admissions, Support, and Outcome Data: https://www.va.gov/western-new-york-health-care/work-with-us/internships-and-fellowships/
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