The Hershel "Woody" Williams VAMC's Doctoral Internship in Health Service Psychology is based on a practitioner-scholar model of training in applied clinical practice with a special emphasis on rural Appalachian culture.  It is designed to train generalist interns to function as independent, ethical, and competent entry-level professional psychologists. The internship subscribes to the following characteristics most commonly associated with the practitioner-scholar model of training:  A scholarly approach to practice via reflection and critical thinking, an application of empirically-based research data to clinical practice, an emphasis on the psychologist as an avid consumer of empirical research, recognition of the importance of generating knowledge through practice, an expectation that interns will attend and become active participants in scheduled weekly academic/didactic activities and development of mentoring relationships.   Our philosophy is to implement and promote established, reliable, and efficient treatment modalities and protocols to the greatest extent possible and to actively encourage our interns to draw upon empirical literature to enhance the development of their professional skills over time.  As practitioner-scholars, we strive to remain abreast of current empirical findings in our chosen areas of professional practice and to further our knowledge of treatment advances in order to inform clinical decisions. 

The training program works from a developmental model in which interns move from close supervision and instruction to relatively independent practice, assuming increasing levels of professional responsibility over the course of each rotation and the internship year.

The training schedule includes a combination of 3 major rotations and an elective minor rotation. Interns will participate in three major rotations (up to three days a week, actual time depends on training plan), selected from General Mental Health, Home-Based Primary Care, Pain Psychology, Palliative Care, Primary Care-Mental Health Integration, Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery, PTSD Clinical Team, Substance Use Disorders and SUD Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program, completing one major rotation each four months.  In addition, interns may elect to complete a minor rotation (4 hours a week; actual time depends on training plan) in one of the following areas: Consult-Liaison Service, Health Behavior & Prevention, LGBTQ+ Healthcare, Military Sexual Trauma (MST), Neuropsychology (6 months only), or PTSD/SUD.  An EBP mentorship program is embedded into the program, as is mental health consultation, training and experience with psychological assessment, training and experience providing supervision, and assessment, supervision and diversity seminars.  Interns will receive training/experience in telemental health.  For more detailed information, please see our training website.