The 2009– 2010 Psychology Training Program Year

The Psychology Training Program at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center offers a predoctoral internship training program in clinical psychology with full accreditation by the American Psychological Association. The major goal of the program is the development of psychologists who have the skill, knowledge and maturity to deliver psychological services competently in a humane and responsible manner. There are opportunities to examine a broad range of psychological problems and to gain practical experience, which parallels and complements the academic background of clinical students. All activities during the training year are coordinated and supervised by the Psychology staff. Each intern’s program is specifically designed to meet that student’s needs, interests and skill levels.

As a federal agency, we are an equal opportunity employer, mandated to utilize fully all workers’ talents, without regard to race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation or disability. We are committed to going beyond this, to the creation of a community that recognizes and values the inherent worth and dignity of every person. We believe that diversity among its members strengthens our staff, stimulates creativity, promotes the exchange of ideas, and allows us to provide more sensitive and effective patient care. We offer opportunities for clinical training with a diverse clinical population, and we would like to represent this same diversity in our intern class. We warmly encourage minorities and persons of diverse backgrounds of all types to apply to the Cincinnati VAMC internship. Our program is based on a mentorship model, and we are proud of a multicultural staff that is able to provide this kind of relationship and training focus.

Due to space constraints on the VA website, we are only able to provide a brief overview of our program. For a more complete description, please email the Director of Training for the full pdf of our brochure.

Program Overview

The internship year is separated into four components: major rotations, minor rotations, a long term outpatient psychotherapy caseload, and training conferences. Interns participate in two six-month major rotations and one year-long minor rotation. During a typical week, an intern spends three days on his/her major rotation, eight hours on the minor rotation, three hours doing long-term outpatient psychotherapy, and approximately three hours in training conferences. All doctoral members of the Psychology staff are actively involved in the predoctoral clinical internship program. Typically, each intern is formally assigned four doctoral staff psychologists as primary supervisors (for the two major rotations, the minor rotation, and the outpatient experience) with an absolute minimum of four hours of supervision per week (at least two of which are individual supervision). Informally, all members of the staff are available for consultation and/or contracted supervision. In addition, the internship class meets regularly with the Director of Clinical Training. Self-disclosure may be required as part of some of these supervised experiences. Intern candidates are encouraged to ask for more specific guidelines about this regarding particular rotations.

Major rotation opportunities

• Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans Program
• Dual Diagnosis and SA/PTSD Services of the Substance Dependence Programs
• Health Psychology/Chronic Pain
• Neuropsychology
• Posttraumatic Stress and Anxiety Disorders Program
• Residential Rehabilition Service of the Substance Dependence Programs

Minor rotation opportunities
Each intern chooses a minor rotation that lasts the entire year. This is meant to supplement the interns’ experience by giving the opportunity either to connect with a staff member with whom they would not otherwise have an opportunity to work or to work with a different population, than is available tothem on their major rotations. Because the internship places a particular emphasis on training psychologists who are well–rounded, the minor rotation is also often used to fill gaps in previous training. The minor rotation can either be done within the VA Medical Center or in a facility in the community. This minor rotation is eight hours per week, which includes one hour of supervision with a licensed psychologist.
While the major focus of this internship program is the acquisition and development of clinical skills, students with a strong clinical background may choose research as a minor rotation. Working with a staff psychologist, the intern would develop, carry out and analyze results for a specific research project. At the end of the year, the work product would be a publication–quality summary of the research effort.

Internship Period & Stipend
The internship year begins August 3, 2009 and ends July 30, 2010. The training stipend is $23,826. The intern receives ten paid federal holidays and thirteen days of leave for vacation and/or professional development. State and federal income tax and FICA (Social Security) are withheld from interns’ checks. The United States government covers interns for malpractice under the Federal Tort Claims Act.

Eligibility Requirements
Applications for the predoctoral clinical psychology internship program are welcome from students who have met the following requirements:

• U.S. citizenship
• Three years of graduate study, completion of comprehensive exams, and acceptance as a doctoral candidate into an APA–approved clinical or counseling psychology training program (Ph.D. or Psy.D.)
• Completion of a minimum of 300 AAPI Intervention and Assessment Hours
• Completion of a minimum of 1000 AAPI Grand Total Practicum Hours
• Completion of a minimum of 150 adult psychotherapy hours conducted (individual or group)
• Dissertation proposal approved by beginning of internship
• Application Procedure

Application Procedure

Applications must be received no later than November 12, 2008, and must include:

• A completed APPIC Internship Application Form
• A statement of rotation preferences included in the cover letter (for the purpose of scheduling interviews only)
• Three letters of recommendation

  Note: Please do not send more than three letters since, in the interest of fairness, we will arbitrarily discard any material we did not request.

• A current Curriculum Vitae
• An official transcript of all graduate work

Please gather all materials and submit as a completed application packet to:

A selection committee comprised of the Director of Training, two staff psychologists, and two current interns review all completed applications. Applicants may seek consideration for any or all training tracks. Those not meeting the eligibility requirements will be notified as soon as possible. We seek applicants who have a sound clinical and scientific knowledge base from their academic program, strong basic skills in standard assessment, psychotherapy, and research techniques, and the personal characteristics necessary to function well in our internship setting. Our selection criteria are based on a “goodness–of–fit” with our training opportunities. We prefer to build an intern class that comes from many different kinds of programs and theoretical orientations, from different geographical areas, of different ages, of different cultural backgrounds, and with different life experiences. Of the over 100 applications we typically receive in a given year, we usually offer on–site interviews to 60–65 candidates. Our program and the Cincinnati VA Medical Center as a whole are committed to Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity in Employment. Applicants are welcome to call the Director of Training with any questions or concerns.

Visiting Our Site - We strongly recommend a half–day visit to our facility, which includes interviews with staff members and present interns. These will take place on the following days:

Applicants will be notified by email whether or not they will be invited to interview. If so, the interview date will be coordinated by e–mail, based on applicant preference and availability. We review applications as they are received; all applicants will be notified of their interview status by December 05, 2008. We regret that we are unable to offer phone interviews.

Please Note: This internship site agrees to abide by all APPIC policies, including that no person at this training facility will solicit, accept, or use any ranking–related information from any intern applicant prior to Uniform Notification Day.

This predoctoral clinical internship is fully approved by the American Psychological Association. For information, please contact:

It is important for us to let you know that, in accord with the Federal Drug–Free Workplace Program, interns accepted here may be asked to submit a urine specimen as part of their pre–employment physical. Other branches of the federal government may also conduct routine background checks as an additional pre–employment requirement. Incorrect, incomplete or falsified information may be grounds for your dismissal. By submitting an application for internship, you are agreeing to these conditions, as well as authorizing release of information. You are also agreeing to abide by all policies and procedures of a federal workplace, should you accept an internship position at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center.
Our match numbers are:

• General Clinical — 150411
• PTSD — 150413

Contact information:
Telephone: 513-861-3100, ext 4831
Email: maureen.cash@va.gov

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