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Internship in Professional Psychology |
VA Tennessee
Valley Healthcare System
History: Founded in the
middle of the last century, the VA Medical Centers in
Nashville, Tennessee and in Murfreesboro, Tennessee
(Alvin C. York Medical Center) were administratively
separate institutions for many years.
Historically the Medical Center in Murfreesboro was a
large, long-term psychiatric hospital. In the
1980s an affiliation was established with Meharry
Medical School and the Center’s medical and surgical
facilities were extensively upgraded. The
Nashville VA Medical Center is adjacent to and has had
a long-standing affiliation with Vanderbilt University
Medical Center. The Alvin C. York VA Medical
Center has been training psychology interns as a part
of the Consortium since 1994, the Nashville VA Medical
Center since 1980.
The two medical
centers merged administratively, into the VA Tennessee
Valley Healthcare System (TVHS), in the late
1990s. TVHS consists of two campuses,
the Alvin C. York Campus and the Nashville Campus, as
well as thirteen Community Based Outpatient Clinics,
which provide services closer to veterans who live at
a distance from the campuses.
When the merger was
first contemplated, the Psychology Services at both
medical centers began to work to integrate their
training programs. As the merger progressed the
two Psychology Services merged into one, funding six
intern positions, with a single Training Committee
coordinating the training program.
Over the last several
years TVHS has hired a significant number of new
psychologists and initiated new Mental Health
programs. The training program has been
structured to incorporate new faculty interested in
training and new training experiences. These
changes included the decision to reserve one position
for a Neuropsychology training track, featuring two
three-month Neuropsychology rotations with different
supervisors. This track is farther described
below and is considered a separate program by NMS with
its own match number. The other five positions
are labeled the General Track and are considered a
single program by NMS. The training experience
for these positions will consist of four three-month
rotations chosen from those described
below.
Changes
for 2012-13: If you reviewed this
website before it was updated for 2012-2013 it is
important to note that there have been a few changes
in the TVHS program. The Inpatient
Psychiatry supervisor has retired and the rotation is
not offered, and the Women's Clinic Rotation is also
not available for 2012-2013; both have been
removed from the website.
Training
Objectives: It is the
objective of the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System
training program to prepare interns as generalists
with a strong base of experience in assessment,
intervention, and consultation.
Although most training in this primary placement takes
place in a medical center, the experience is
sufficiently broad that it should generalize to a wide
range of post-internship settings. A second
important objective is to prepare interns to move with
competence and confidence into the role of working
professional at the conclusion of the
internship. Interns who successfully complete
the program are prepared, by the depth and variety of
their internship experience, to function confidently
in a variety of work settings including medical
centers, academic departments, university counseling
centers, and community mental health centers,
depending somewhat on their choice of secondary
placement. A third objective is to assist
interns in learning to function as effective
participants in the health care delivery system,
interacting professionally and with appropriate
assertiveness with other disciplines involved in the
provision of health care. It is the intention of
the faculty to model behavior reflective of committed,
competent, caring, thoughtful, and ethical
psychological practitioners and to encourage interns
to reflect on their personal characteristics and how
these affect their work in therapy and other
professional interactions.
GRECC: The Geriatric
Research, Education and Clinical Center, a research
oriented consortium involving TVHS, Vanderbilt Medical
Center and Meharry Medical Center, and supported
nationally by the VA, funds two internship
positions. We have chosen not to single out
particular intern slots as geropsychology training
slots, so all interns participate in the training
sponsored by the GRECC and thus acquire some training
and experience in geriatrics. Psychology does
not design the GRECC Training Program, and it changes
somewhat from year to year.
Rotations: Unlike the other
Consortium sites VA TVHS has a system of training rotations
structured so that interns receive significant depth
of experience across a broad range of specialty
areas. The interns' time at the VA will be
divided into four, three-month rotations, with
approximately three days a week spent in
rotation-related activities. The rotations
available at the two campuses of the VA Tennessee
Valley Healthcare system are described
below.
Outpatient
Psychotherapy: In addition to their
rotation based training activities interns will carry
an outpatient psychotherapy caseload throughout the
internship year, with approximately four therapy hours
a week beyond the requirements of the individual
rotations. These cases may involve individual
therapy with male or female clients, or couple
therapy. There is great diversity in the
demographics of the client population and in the
nature of the psychological problems brought to
therapy. Three interns will see their therapy
cases at each campus; therapy cases will probably be
scheduled on Friday afternoons.
Research
Possibilities: There is great
potential for research within the Tennessee Valley
Healthcare System and intern involvement in research
is possible. In particular VA interns will have
the opportunity to participate in ongoing Geriatric
Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC)
projects involving the examination of long-term
cognitive outcomes of in critical illness. Other
research opportunities are described briefly under the
appropriate rotation description. The primary
focus of the internship, however, remains the
acquisition of clinical experience, and significant
involvement in research is optional and will
require initiative and a commitment of additional
time on the part of the intern.
Training
Tracks: One internship position
is reserved as a Neuropsychology Track.
This position will have a unique NMS match
number. Applicants who apply for this position
should have an interest in specializing in
Neuropsychology. The successful
applicant's first two training rotations will be
Neuropsychology rotations, one with Dr. Marshman and
the other with Dr. Denning. For breadth of
training the Neuropsychology Track Intern will choose
at least one of the two remaining rotations from among
the Mental Health rotations and the other from among
the Behavioral Medicine rotations. The other
five VA Interns will be in the General Track,
which will consist of four three month rotations which
may or may not include one Neuropsychology rotation
depending on the intern's preference. To ensure
breadth of training General Track interns should
select at least one rotation from the Behavioral
Medicine one from the Mental Health rotations.
Rotation
Selection: There are more
potential training rotations within TVHS than there
are interns to fill them. Assignment of specific
rotations will be accomplished within the first two
weeks of the internship. Assignments will be
based primarily on intern preference, although faculty
judgment in relation to interns' training needs,
practical issues such as office space availability,
and the number of interns interested in specific
rotations will also be taken into account.
Rotation assignment will be guided by the following
factors/constraints derived from practical limits and
faculty judgment.
- There will be only
three interns at each campus at a time due to office
space constraints.
- No intern may complete
both OEF/OIF Rotations.
- Any interested intern
will be able to complete at least one rotation in
the area of PTSD, in the PTSD program, the OIF-OEF
Rotation, or the Poly Trauma Rotation.
- Interns in the General
Track must select at least one rotation from the
Behavioral Medicine rotations, and at least one
rotation from among the Mental Health
rotations.
This internship is
intended to be a generalist internship; however, the
selection of specific rotations allows interns to
develop emphasis areas in behavioral medicine, PTSD,
Neuropsychology and Geropsychology, all as practiced
in a medical setting. The rotations are grouped
into three categories as follows with the campus
location indicated by (N) or (M). Behavioral Medicine:
Organ Transplant Rotation (N); Hospice/Palliative
Care Rotation (M); Geropsychology Rotation (M); Mental Health Rotations:
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Program (N);
OEF/OIF Rotation(N & M); Poly-Trauma Rotations
(N). Neuropsychology Rotations:
the two Neuropsychology Rotations (N) and (M).
Constraints
on Secondary Placement Selection: The training
experience within TVHS is diverse and covers many of
the various kinds of experiences interns are expected
to receive; therefore, relatively few constraints are
placed on interns’ secondary placement choices other
than the requirement that interns select a placement outside
of either VA facility. Faculty judgment of
intern training needs will still take precedence in
some cases, and choices are always constrained by
the interaction of the availability of training
experiences and supervision and the preferences
expressed by other members of the intern class.
Secondary
placement experiences available this year
within VA TVHS for interns with primary placements
elsewhere include Psychotherapy with the veteran
population(individual, couple and group), OIF/OEF
Program at both campuses, Women's Clinic, Clinical
Research, Poly Trauma in Nashville and
Biofeedback. Secondary placement possibilities
may change from year to year so specific experiences
cannot be guaranteed for 2012-13.
Interviewing: Since all interns
accepted at the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System
will work at both VA campuses, faculty at both
campuses will be involved in the interview
process. Thus, if you are invited for an
interview, you will spend the morning at one campus
and the afternoon at the other. Please note that
this will involve travel between the campuses.
Arrangements for this will be your
responsibility.
Travel: The Campuses are
located approximately forty miles apart, and the
internship will require a substantial amount of
travel between campuses. Travel time from
campus to campus varies from 50 to 60 minutes with the
time of day and direction of travel.
Additional
Criteria for Acceptance: American
citizenship and an APA accredited graduate program are
nationwide requirements for VA internship
positions. Please Note: The requirements
noted here are necessary for all VA Internships
nationwide: Before being accepted for
employment in the VA system all potential employees
including interns must pass a pre-employment
physical examination and a background check. These
will be performed after match day, but before the
beginning of the internship. Below is the text
from a national VA internship website regarding
citizenship, drug screening, and for males,
selective service registration.
A
CERTIFICATION OF REGISTRATION STATUS, CERTIFICATION
OF U.S. CITIZENSHIP, and DRUG SCREENING are required
to become a VA intern or VA postdoctoral fellow. The
Federal Government requires that male applicants to
VA positions who were born after 12/31/59 must sign
a Pre-appointment Certification Statement for
Selective Service Registration before they are
employed. All interns will have to complete a
Certification of Citizenship in the United States
prior to beginning the internship. VA will not
consider applications from anyone who is not
currently a U.S. citizen. VA conducts drug screening
exams on randomly selected personnel as well as new
employees. Interns and Fellows are not required to
be tested prior to beginning work, but once on staff
they are subject to random selection as are other
staff. Interns and Fellows are also subject to
fingerprinting and background checks. Match result
and selection decisions are contingent on passing
these screens.
Positions: 6 (one reserved for
the Neuropsychology
track)
Salary:
$23,974
Starting
Date: July 2, 2012
Ending
Date: June 28,
2013
Contact:
Jonathan E.
May, Ph.D.
(615)
873-6827
Faculty:
Erlete
Ascensao, Ph.D.; Emory University, Social Psychology
Ph.D. University of Tennessee, Knoxville,
Clinical Psychology Ph. D. Interests:
Behavioral Medicine, Body-Mind Connection,
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy.
Regina Austin, Ph.D.; University of Tennessee,
Knoxville, Clinical Psychology, Ph.D. Interests:
OEF/OIF veterans and treatment of trauma, Couples
therapy with the Gottman method, Strength-based &
solution-focused psychotherapy whether interpersonal,
CBT, spiritual, or EBT.
Mary Beth Covert, Psy.D., ABPP; Regent
University. Assistant TVHS Training Director. Interests:
Positive Psychology, Integration of Psychology and
Spirituality, Forgiveness of Self and Others,
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Women’s Issues.
John H. Denning, II,
Ph.D. Louisiana State University. 2-Year
Neuropsychology Postdoctoral Fellowship: Johns Hopkins
University School of Medicine, Department of Physical
Medicine and Rehabilitation. Interests:
Neuropsychological Assessment, Malingering/Symptom
Validity Assessment, Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Mild
Cognitive Impairment.
Pamela Drury, Ph.D.;
Vanderbilt University. Neurobiology Postdoc – Duke
University Medical School. Clinical Respecialization –
Fielding University. Interests:
Neuropsychology, Mild Traumatic Brain Injury,
Treatment of Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress,
Co-Morbid TBI and PTSD.
Elizabeth Fenimore,
Ph. D.; Pacific Graduate School of Psychology.
Neuropsychology Postdoc: Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson
Center; Pi Beta Phi Rehabilitation Institute;
Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Posttraumatic Stress, Neuropsychology, Rehabilitation,
Geropsychology.
Sharon M. Gordon,
Psy.D.; Antioch/New England Graduate School.
Chief of Psychology Section. Interests:
Neuropsychology, Geropsychology, Behavioral
Medicine.
Thomas W. Hagood,
Ph.D.; University of Southern Mississippi. Interests:
Evidence Based Treatments, Posttraumatic Stress
Disorder, Substance Abuse, Pain Management.
Shari L. Harwell,
Psy.D.; Florida Institute of Technology. Interests:
Trauma, Sexual Dysfunction, Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy, Individual/Group/Couples Therapy.
Daniel F. Kearns,
Psy.D.; Florida Institute of Technology. Interests:
Behavioral Medicine, Group and Individual
Psychotherapy, Psychological Aspects of Chronic Pain
Management.
Elizabeth M. Latty,
Ph.D.; Northwestern University. Interests:
Evidence-based treatment of PTSD and related anxiety
disorders, Sex and relationship therapy (including
treatment of couples, sexual disorders &
dysfunctions, gender identity & sexual
orientation-related concerns), Behavioral medicine,
and Integrated Mental Health/Primary Care.
Kimberly C. Marshman,
Ph.D.; Florida State University. Neuropsychology
Postdoc; Memphis VA and St. Jude's Children's Research
Hospital/Lebonheur Children's Hospital. Interests:
Neuropsychological Assessment and Consultation,
Behavioral Medicine, Geropsychology, Clinical
Research.
Jonathan E. May,
Ph.D.; Vanderbilt University. Consortium
Director and TVHS Training Director. Interests:
Individual and Group Psychotherapy, Treatment of
Sexual Dysfunction, Treatment of Combat-Related
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Psychology Training.
Stacey Owen, Ph. D.;
Auburn University. Interests:
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Women’s Issues, Health
and Rehabilitation Psychology, and Work-Life
Balance.
Michele M. Panucci,
Ph.D.; University of Wisconsin, Madison. Interests:
Psychotherapy, Treatment of Female Veterans,
Personality Assessment, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder,
Attachment, Health Psychology Issues, e.g. weight
management and smoking cessation.
Erin L. Patel, Psy.D.;
Nova Southeastern University. Interests:
Geropsychology,
Behavioral Medicine.
Jo Cara Pendergrass,
Ph.D.; Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and
Science. Neuropsychology/Neuroimaging Postdoc;
Dartmouth Medical School. Interests:
Neuropsychology, Geropsychology,
Neuroimaging/Neuropsychological Research in Clinical
Populations.
Randolph S. Petersen,
Ph.D.; Nova Southeastern University. Neuropsychology
Postdoctoral Fellowship: University of Virginia Health
Sciences Center. Interests: Neuropsychological
Assessment, Psychological Assessment, Mild Traumatic
Brain Injury, Rehabilitation, and Co-morbidity in
TBI.
Saundra A. Saporiti,
Psy.D.; Nova Southeastern University. Interests:
Psychological Aspects of Organ Transplantation,
Behavioral Medicine and Health Psychology, Trauma.
Lori Simms, Ph.D.;
University of North Texas (Ph.D.). Vanderbilt/VA
Consortium (Internship); University of Oklahoma Health
Sciences Center (Postdoc). Interests:
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Treatment of
Co-occurring Disorders, Evidenced-Based
Psychotherapies, Personality Assessment.
Lori J. Vehring,
Psy.D.; Nova Southeastern University. Interests:
Behavioral
Medicine, Non-pharmacologic Pain Management,
Complimentary and Alternative Treatments for Chronic
Medical Conditions, Treatment for Female Veterans.
9-9-2011