User:
Site Name: VA Caribbean Healthcare System
Department: Psychology Service (116B)
Interviews are conducted in January by 1 or 2 Faculty members. The interview is semi-structured, is conducted in Spanish and English (mostly Spanish), and seeks to obtain information on applicants' self-awareness, clinical experience, knowledge of theory and practice, work ethic, vocation, correspondence between expectations and program goals, language proficiencies, and attitude toward interdisciplinary work. Given that our program is oveseas from the Continental US, on-site interviews are preferred for potential out of region applicants to gather some impressions on how it would be like to train at an unique US jurisdiction.
The Psychology Internship Program at the VA Caribbean Healthcare System is a full-time training experience designed to promote the professional development of interns consonant with current professional and ethical standards. Our model of training is practitioner-scholar.
Our Internship Program is committed to providing significant experiences needed to develop conscientious, ethical, and competent psychology professionals capable of providing high quality psychological services. We are equally committed to providing a culturally sensitive and relevant training experience for bilingual (Spanish-English) trainees. We aim at developing psychology professionals not only capable of providing services within traditional lines, but also capable of responding to emerging service delivery trends and professional challenges. Furthermore, we provide a learning environment, within which trainees are treated with courtesy and respect in the context of a collegial relationship with their supervisors and other staff members. We assume the obligation of respecting the interns' right to accessible training staff, close supervision, and support to successfully complete their training. The training model we follow is primarily experiential and has a strong emphasis on practice informed by science. Specifically, we follow a practitioner-scholar training model that seeks to integrate research findings, psychological theory, and practice. Consonant with this model, the program encourages and assists interns to utilize empirical research and to develop critical thinking skills, gain understanding of the scientific literature, and base case conceptualization and clinical interventions on theoretical foundations. The population we serve is primarily Spanish-speaking Puerto Rican and all our documentation is done in the English language. Interns must be capable of providing psychological services fluently in both Spanish and English. Bilingual applicants of diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.
(training opportunities continued)
Veterans of the US Armed Forces, mostly of Latino ethnicity with Spanish as their main language.
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/caribbean-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.
