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Training Philosophy
The VAWNYHS Psychology Internship program prepares students for independent practice as scholar-practitioner psychologists, within a training structure that is intern-centered and individualized with respect to intern developmental needs, values scientific activity, and encourages leadership in contribution to the health care system. We emphasize training and education over productivity for interns. We value diversity in our staff and intern classes. Our supervisors provide a range of professional role models, from scientist-practitioner to specialist clinician. Similarly, we offer a broad range of in-depth and specialized professional experiences, with flexibility to allow interns both to build core skills and to achieve advanced proficiency in areas of significant interest and experience.
Internship Goals
Our goals are to
- build broad and solid general competencies for independent clinical practice in psychology
- optimize the value of specific program offerings in helping interns to realize individual professional development goals
- supply highly competent scholar-practitioners for potential service to veterans within the VA Healthcare System
Interns who successfully complete the internship will:
- Be broadly competent in psychological assessment, psychotherapy and clinical intervention
- Function comfortably and effectively in interdisciplinary health care settings
- Possess necessary skills and internal standards for professional ethical behavior, diversity awareness, communication and self-management of activities
- Accurately and creatively apply scholarly knowledge and scientific principles to the solution of clinical problems
In addition,
- Many of our interns go on to provide leadership in clinical, organizational and academic settings.
- Interns planning careers in specialty areas should be able to meet all training requirements for competitive placement in post-doctoral training fellowships.
To facilitate the attainment of these goals, we identify strengths and weaknesses in interns’ previous training and develop individualized training objectives, based on global clinical competencies and individual career goals. Core training rotations are supplemented by didactic seminars, group supervision, a year-long intern project, medical center training activities and a relationship with a non-supervisory mentor to provide a multi-faceted and developmentally sensitive training experience. Interns are provided adequate time to learn and integrate training experiences and are supported in their development by strong supervisory relationships.
Training Model
Our internship program identifies with a scholar-practitioner model, including strong emphasis on a scholarly knowledge base for clinical practice, diverse clinical skills, and support for scientific activity. Intern developmental growth is prioritized via diverse, intensive clinical activities, supported by strong, mentorship-style supervision. Interns are encouraged to develop a life-long model of professional growth and development.
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This web site is intended for psychology interns who are considering the VA for internships. Veterans can find VA health care information at the VISN 2 website. |
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