> ![](media/image1.png){width="1.125in"
> height="1.6979166666666667in"}**Psychology Internship Program**
>
> **Miami VA Medical Center**\
> Psychology Service (116B)
>
> 1201 NW 16th Street
>
> Miami, FL 33125
>
> *(305) 575-3215*

***\
**[http://www.miami.va.gov/](http://www.visn8.med.va.gov/miami/)*

**MATCH Numbers: 1220**

**Primary Care/Behavioral Medicine: 122012**

**Neuropsychology: 122013**

**Geropsychology: 122014**

**Psychiatry: 122015**

**Applications due: November 7, 2008**

## Accreditation Status

The predoctoral internship at the **Miami VA Medical Center** is fully
accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American
Psychological Association.

The next site visit will be during the academic year 2010.

## Application & Selection Procedures 

Intern candidates must be United States citizens who are currently
enrolled as advanced doctoral students in a Clinical or Counseling
Psychology program. (Please note that residents and legal aliens are not
eligible for funded internship positions.) Only students in programs
approved by the American Psychological Association are eligible. No
slots are pre allocated to any graduate program, and multiple candidates
can be accepted from any one graduate program. The Miami VA Healthcare
System Psychology Predoctoral Internship Program offers training only
for full-time positions; part-time positions are not available.

Candidates should have all course work completed by the time internship
begins. All major requirements of the graduate school program, including
qualifying examinations, should also be completed. Additionally,
candidates should have begun work on their dissertation. Specifically, a
dissertation proposal should be accepted by the student\'s dissertation
committee prior to internship. All candidates should have substantial
practicum experience. At least 1000 hours of clinical experience
(including supervision hours) are required for internship. The Miami VA
Healthcare System is an equal opportunity employer. The South Florida
area has an extremely diverse, multi-cultural population which is
reflected in the VA staff and patient population. Minority applications
are encouraged.

**Application Procedures**

The items listed below must be received by Friday, November 7, 2008 in
order to be considered for the Miami VA Healthcare System internship
program. Only completed applications will be reviewed by the Training
Committee for the final round of consideration. Confirmation of the
status of applications will be sent out in mid December. Nevertheless,
the candidate bears primary responsibility for making sure all materials
arrive in time.

***Send the following items to:***

> ***Tim Lawler, Ph.D., MPH, Director of Training***
>
> Psychology - 116B
>
> 1201 NW 16th Street
>
> Miami, FL 33125-1693
>
> *(305) 575-3215*

1.  Standardized APPIC Application Form (typed, please). This form is
    available on the APPIC Web Site and can be accessed at
    http://www.appic.org/. When completing your application, please
    return a "hard copy" to us; we will not accept application forms via
    the Internet. Additionally, this form can be duplicated for use with
    other participating APPIC sites. Finally, be sure to complete the
    "Specialty Slots" page located at the end of this brochure for use
    with downloaded applications from the APPIC Web Site. Applications
    cannot be processed without this information.

2.  Current Curriculum Vita.

3.  Current copy of your graduate transcripts from your graduate school
    in a sealed envelope.

4.  APPIC Verification of Internship Eligibility and Readiness Form
    completed by your graduate program Director of Training. This form
    is required regardless of any other correspondence provided by your
    Director of Training.

5.  Two letters of recommendation from psychologists familiar with your
    clinical practicum work in sealed envelopes with each author's
    signature across the seal.

6.  A copy of a psychological assessment report that you have written
    which deals at least in part with diagnostic and personality issues.
    Neuropsychological reports are acceptable if they have a section
    that also deals with diagnostic/personality topics. Please include
    reports on adults only. Black out any identifying and confidential
    material.

***Please send ALL items listed above in one mailing if possible.***

The Psychology Service Training Committee will review all applications
during November and December. At that time, approximately 40 of the
applicants will be selected for the final round of consideration. All
applicants will be notified of their final round status by email in mid
December. Finalists will be invited to interview with the Training
Committee during January. Personal interviews are preferred, but special
arrangements for telephone interviews can be made if travel is
impractical.

Intern Selection

All applications are reviewed by members of the Psychology Training
Committee in November and December. Applicants are asked to group
themselves based upon their training interests, experience, and
education. Applications in each \"specialty group\" will then be
reviewed by the supervisors in this area. Approximately half of the
applicants in each group will then be selected as finalists and invited
for interviews. Please remember that this is always a relative process
since each applicant is being compared to the other applicants in a
particular year. Thus, while an applicant may have an interest in
Neuropsychology, for example, the applicant will be compared to other
candidates who may have strong experience and training. It would
therefore be wise for an applicant to not only consider his or her
training interests, but also his or her experiences, credentials, and
training and choose the specialty area that would make for the strongest
overall application. Each applicant may choose two specialty areas and
rank order his/her interest in each. Applicants will be evaluated in
both areas, but will be included as a candidate in only one area as a
finalist.

In late January, the Training Committee will meet and evaluate all
finalists. The Committee will vote on each finalist and the resulting
rankings will be used to formulate rank order lists. Interns are
selected according to the procedures set forth by APPIC. Rank Order
Lists will be submitted in accordance with APPIC Match Policies by
February 4, 2009. The results of the Match will be released on February
23, 2009. Written confirmation of offers and acceptances is required.
For more details of APPIC Guidelines, please read the APPIC Policy
listed on the website.

This internship site agrees to abide by the APPIC Policy that no person
at this training facility will solicit, accept or use any
ranking-related information from any intern applican

## Psychology Setting 

Psychology Service at the Miami VA Healthcare System entered into an
alliance with Psychiatry Service and voluntarily agreed to integrate and
cooperate in all areas of service and administration in order to provide
more comprehensive care to our veterans while increasing our efficiency
and worth within the medical center. This has enabled us to create
several new programs, allowing us to expand our services as the Mental
Health and Behavioral Sciences Service under an Associate Chief of Staff
for Mental Health. Psychology and Psychiatry remain separate and
individual professional sections, however. Each section is under the
direct supervision of a chief and continues to maintain its own
professional identity, credentialing and privileging, training program,
continuing education program, peer review system, and other unique
characteristics. Psychologists share leadership roles with psychiatrists
and are intimately involved in the planning and provision of clinical
services in all capacities and in all sections. All of the clinical
programs and teams are overseen by a Mental Health Council, which is led
by the ACOS for Mental Health and includes the Chief of Psychology, the
Chief of Psychiatry, the Associate Chief of Nursing for Psychiatry, the
Chief of Social Work Service, and the Chief of Recreation Therapy.

The psychology staff is composed of 24 doctoral level Clinical and
Counseling psychologists, master's-level technicians, a secretary and
clerk, and volunteers. Psychology staff members are responsible for
their assigned program areas and provide evaluation, consultation,
assessment, interventions, and research. Psychologists are involved in
almost all areas of the VA Medical Center including Primary Care,
Medicine, Surgery, Psychiatry, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation,
Spinal Cord Injury, Geriatrics, Extended Care and the Community Living
Center.

Psychologists also develop and provide specialized programs such as
habit management, psycho-education and support groups for patients,
families, and other hospital staff. They are heavily involved in
training and continuing education, not only with psychology residents,
interns and practicum students, but with trainees and professionals from
other disciplines as well. Most staff psychologists have faculty
appointments in the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and
the Psychology Departments at the University of Miami and Nova
Southeastern University.

There are approximately 21 licensed doctoral psychologists on staff who
are available for supervision. Nearly all treatment philosophies and
specializations are present on this diverse staff, along with teaching
expertise and research interests.

The Medical Center has an extensive research program concentrating on
mental health, HIV, prostate cancer, infectious diseases, neurological
disorders, renal disease and in diseases affecting bones and joints.
Residency training programs are provided to 150+ residents in most of
the medical and surgical subspecialties as well as Pathology, Pharmacy,
Social Work, Audiology/Speech Pathology, Nuclear Medicine, Nutrition &
Food Service, Physical & Occupational Therapy, Psychiatry and Radiology.
As a result, an active teaching role has been developed to accomplish
the hospital's mission of patient care, medical education and research,
and a complete range of medical, surgical and psychiatric subspecialty
services are provided. Additionally, the University of Miami Miller
School of Medicine was awarded a \$2 million grant from the DW Reynolds
Foundation to train medical students and residents about the care of
frail older adults in treating major geriatric syndromes competently.
This program will involve the University's institutional clinical
partners -- Miami VAHS, Jackson Memorial Medical Center, and Miami
Jewish Home and Hospital for the Aged.

In addition to pre-doctoral psychology interns, there are two
post-doctoral psychology fellows (residents) in Clinical Psychology. The
facility also serves as a psychology practicum placement site for three
local universities\' APA-accredited doctoral training programs.

## Training Model and Program Philosophy

The goal of the Miami VA Medical Center Psychology Predoctoral
Internship Program is to produce a professional who functions
competently and ethically based upon a scientist-practitioner model. The
internship program helps the intern to set practical goals for his or
her career, and then set up an appropriate training program to meet
these goals. Interns are expected to achieve competency in
assessment/diagnosis, individual and group intervention skills,
consultation, assuming a professional and ethical role, cultural
diversity, supervisions and research/scholarly inquiry. They also focus
on a coherent and marketable area of expertise that will allow them to
become highly proficient in specific skills. Several of the staff
psychologists at the Miami VA Medical Center also currently have or have
had a private practice, and possess practical knowledge of functioning
as an independent service provider as well as in a large institutional
setting. Emphasis is placed on learning the most current techniques and
philosophies that are backed by empirical research and recognized as
current professional standards. Specific skills are favored over
generalist approaches.

Continuing education is also strongly emphasized, and there are many
opportunities for formal training at the Miami Medical Center Complex as
well as the South Florida area. Authorized Absence is routinely granted
for professional development.

The major focus of the internship is on developing clinical skills. All
training rotations provide ample opportunities for direct clinical
experience. Psychological assessment, psychodiagnosis, interviews,
consultation, and individual and group psychotherapy are all emphasized,
as well as, cultural and individual differences, scholarly inquiry, and
development of an ethical and professional identity. All supervisors
provide individualized evaluation and feedback on clinical skills, and
the intern\'s professional growth occurs within a clinical role and
setting. Interns will also be asked to develop a research/scholarly
inquiry project while at the Miami VA Medical Center. This will be
either an outcome measure or performance improvement measure completed
during the first nine months of the internship year with a presentation
to staff and other interns sometime during the final three months of
internship.

The Miami VA Healthcare System Psychology staff is strongly committed to
training and devotes an extraordinary amount of time and energy to
fellow, intern and graduate practicum student training. Psychology
interns have performed exceedingly well in this medical center, and have
earned a reputation for competence that is respected by all disciplines.
In fact, psychology interns have become a highly valued commodity in all
areas of the Miami VA Healthcare System, and their participation on a
rotation is routinely requested. This provides a great number of
training opportunities, as well as helping to develop a sense of pride,
satisfaction and flexibility as a professional psychologist.

## One advantage of training in the VA system is that it is still relatively less sensitive to the pressure to generate billable patient contact hours to justify psychology positions. This directly benefits training in a number of ways. First, the psychology staff is able to devote a significant amount of time to training and supervision. Second, interns are not pressured to carry caseloads that may limit their ability to process their learning experiences. Furthermore, training cases are assigned to interns based on the educational value of the case and the intern\'s interests and abilities. Finally, interns are not assigned to training rotations to fill staffing needs. Thus, the Miami VA Healthcare System psychology internship program is able to push interns to their limits without overwhelming them or taking advantage of them.

## Program Goals & Objectives

**Competency Standards for Interns**

The Miami VAHS utilizes a competency based scientist-practitioner model.
Our philosophy is that competencies can and will be demonstrated through
a variety of formats. The Training Committee has identified six minimal
competencies that must be demonstrated by all interns.

**A. Assessment/Diagnosis Competency**

> ***1. Psychological Evaluation:*** Interns are expected to be able to
> administer, score, and interpret a basic and standardized
> psychological assessment battery of tests. This battery of tests
> includes the WAIS-III, the MMPI-2, the MCMI, the Adams Sentence
> Completion Test, SIMS, Word-Memory, and the SCID. Interns will also be
> able to collect relevant data from the patient\'s chart and files, and
> obtain information by conducting an appropriate clinical interview.
>
> ***2. Psychological Reports:*** Interns are expected to be able to
> write up an integrated and relevant report that clearly summarizes the
> assessment results, presents the patient\'s strengths and weaknesses,
> and makes appropriate recommendations and responses to the
> consultation question.
>
> ***3. MMSE*** - Interns are expected to be able to administer and
> score the MMSE, using purchased forms. They will also be expected to
> interpret this screening tool and make recommendations for further
> evaluations as needed.
>
> ***4. Diagnosis:*** Interns are expected to be able to make
> appropriate diagnostic recommendations based upon DSM-IV criteria
> using history, assessment, and clinical interview data.

**B. Intervention Competency**

> ***1. Conceptualization:*** Interns will be able to understand and
> describe patients\' problems in a theoretical framework that helps to
> provide guidelines and strategies for appropriate interventions with
> the patient.
>
> ***2. Individual Psychotherapy:*** Interns will be able to demonstrate
> appropriate and effective skills in individual psychotherapy. Interns
> will be able to establish rapport with patients. Interns will be
> competent in active listening skills, cognitive-behavioral
> interventions, and brief psychotherapy. Interns will be familiar with
> psychodynamic background and skills.
>
> ***3. Group Psychotherapy:*** Interns will be able to demonstrate
> appropriate and effective skills in group therapy. Interns will be
> able to demonstrate psychoeducational skills as well as more
> traditional therapeutic skills in support groups or process groups.

**C. Consultation/Communication Competency**

> ***1. Clinical Pertinence:*** The intern will be able to determine the
> relevance and clinical pertinence of a referral or consultation from
> another professional, focusing on if the referral question is clear
> and answerable. The intern will be able to provide appropriate and
> relevant feedback about the referral question to the referral source.
>
> ***2. Clinical Data:*** The intern will be able to gather relevant and
> important data for determining the clinically pertinent question and
> an appropriate response by talking to the patient and his or her
> treatment team, examining the patient\'s charts and records, and
> consulting with appropriate staff and supervisors.
>
> ***3. Communication Skills:*** The intern will be able to
> conceptualize and communicate all professional services including
> consultations, assessments, and interventions in a clear and
> understandable way to other professionals, patients, and their
> significant others. This communication will be in both verbal and
> written form. Interns will be able to establish constructive and open
> relationships with all parties concerned, and will ensure that
> communication will continue where needed or appropriate (i.e.,
> follow-up).
>
> ***4. Treatment Team:*** Interns will be able to function as valued
> and useful members of the multidisciplinary treatment team with which
> they work. They will respect the strengths and resources of other
> professionals, and will use these resources as appropriate. Interns
> will be able to educate the treatment team about the skills and
> resources that they bring to the team as psychologists. Interns will
> be able to establish open communication and rapport with the treatment
> team, and function as a team member and colleague.
>
> ***5. Timeliness:*** Interns will provide all professional services
> within the time limits established by Psychology Service and the Miami
> VA Healthcare System. Interns will be aware of all guidelines and
> requirements about timeliness, and will recognize their importance for
> effective and professional service care delivery to patients.
>
> ***6. Documentation:*** Interns will document in writing all
> professional services and interactions as appropriate and required.
> Interns will be aware of all requirements and guidelines about
> documentation established by Psychology Service and the Miami VA
> Healthcare System. Interns will work closely with their supervisors to
> document in a professional, informative, and responsible manner.
> Interns will recognize the legal, ethical, and professional importance
> of documentation.

**D. Professional/Ethical Competency**

> ***1. APA Guidelines:*** Interns will be familiar with the most
> current version of the Ethical Principles established by the American
> Psychological Association.
>
> ***2. Florida DPR Guidelines:*** Interns will be familiar with
> relevant guidelines and legal issues established by the Florida
> Department of Professional Regulation, including legal obligations to
> inform state agencies when they suspect abuse of children, elderly, or
> disabled.
>
> ***3. VA Healthcare System Guidelines***: Interns will be familiar
> with relevant guidelines and rules established by the Department of
> Veterans Affairs and the Miami VAHS, including Patients Rights and
> Responsibilities.
>
> ***4. Practical Implications:*** Interns will be able to apply ethical
> and legal principles in their daily clinical practice and professional
> interactions. They are aware of the need to consult with supervisors
> when ethical and legal questions arise. They should be sensitive to
> the impact these considerations have on their functioning as a
> psychologist and as a professional in the VA health care system. They
> are familiar with professional liability issues and risk management
> techniques.
>
> ***5. Professional Responsibilities:*** Over the course of the
> internship year, interns should develop a primary professional
> identity as a psychologist, and should demonstrate this by taking on
> and carrying out professional responsibilities. Interns are also aware
> of the problems created by taking on too many responsibilities, and
> learn to limit the load to the amount that they can competently
> handle.
>
> ***6. Professional Appearance:*** Interns are aware of the importance
> of appearance in their professional identity. They are familiar with
> guidelines established by Psychology Service and the Miami VAHS about
> appearance and dress codes. They are aware of the transference issues
> that may be created by particular styles of dress, appearance, or
> other items worn or exhibited.
>
> ***7. Professional Role:*** Interns act appropriately within the role
> of a professional, both as a psychologist and as an employee of the
> Department of Veterans Affairs. They are aware of and observe
> appropriate boundaries and conduct. They recognize that their
> behaviors will reflect not only upon themselves but upon other
> psychologists and VA employees as well.
>
> ***8. Professional Judgement:*** Interns should demonstrate sound
> professional judgement. In particular, interns should recognize and
> respond to potential for self-harm and dangerousness to others, severe
> and acute psychopathology, and the ability to make decisions about
> appropriate services and roles provided as professionals.

**E. Cultural Diversity Competency:**

> ***1. General Multi-Cultural and Age-Specific Issues:*** Interns
> recognize the
>
> importance of being aware of individual differences, particularly
> those associated with gender, culture, race, age, sexual orientation,
> religion and similar factors. Interns are able to identify such issues
> when assessing and working with patients and their families, and take
> these issues into account when providing consultation, making
> psychodiagnostic conclusions and recommendations for treatment.
>
> ***2. Assessment/Intervention Issues:*** Interns are aware of
> limitations of psychological testing results when appropriate norms
> are not available on the relevant sub-groups. Interns recognize the
> importance of these issues when providing psychological interventions
> and education and make sure to address such issues when appropriate
> and take them into account when targeting problems and interventions
> with patients and their families. Interns raise and discuss these
> issues during supervision and obtain background information when they
> encounter issues with which they are not familiar.

**F. Research/Scholarly Inquiry Competency:**

> ***1. Empirical Methodology:*** Interns are familiar with empirical
> methodology such as experimental and quasi-experimental designs,
> clinical trials, statistical analysis, data collection, and methods
> for creating and implementing a valid research project that tests a
> hypothesis. Interns should also be familiar with issues in quality and
> performance improvement such as the Plan, Do, Check, Act model.
>
> ***2. Professional Reports:*** Interns will be able to write a clear,
> comprehensive yet concise report which summarizes their research
> designs and hypotheses, the sample of subjects utilized, measures and
> interventions utilized to gather data and information, results and
> statistical analyses conducted, and conclusions and recommendations
> based upon the project. Interns will also make a professional
> presentation to their peers and supervisors based upon the completed
> project.

***Demonstration of Competencies***

The Miami VAHS has defined itself as a competency based
scientist-practitioner model. As such, the demonstration of competencies
is an integral part of the evaluation process. The demonstration of
competencies is an ongoing process. Interns are provided three primary
venues through which to demonstrate competencies: entry-level
assessment, case conferences, and rotations.

## Program Structure

The internship program consists of required weekly educational seminars
and weekly case conferences along with formal training rotations.
Rotations are categorized in four different areas: Behavioral Medicine,
Geropsychology, Neuropsychology, and Psychiatry. Interns each choose a
\"specialty\" area from these four, and will take two full rotatons in
that area. Approximately 25 of a week\'s 40 hours are devoted to work on
the training rotation, with 6 hours allocated to psychotherapy and
assessment, 4 to seminars and case conference, and 2 hours to a
research/program evaluation project. The internship year is divided into
four, three-month rotations. Some specialty rotations may last six
months. Three psychotherapy cases and a minimum of five complete
psychodiagnostic assessment cases are provided to interns during the
year, separate from clinical rotations. In addition to supervision
provided by the rotation supervisor, interns also meet for a minimum of
one hour per week with their psychotherapy supervisor, one hour (as
needed) with their assessment supervisor, and one hour per week in group
supervisior with the director of training.

In the first two weeks of internship, psychology supervisors make a
personal presentation to the intern class about their rotations
supervisory styles, and research interests. Interns have an opportunity
to examine available training opportunities and discuss them with the
supervisors before choosing their training rotations and ranking
requests for psychotherapy and assessment supervision. Interns draw up a
Training Contract for the internship year that serves as a guideline for
their selection of rotations. This contract will be used by the intern
and Training Committee to select and approve the intern's training
rotations for the year.

Interns are required to have one three-month rotation working with a
psychiatric population or, because of extensive previous training in
psychopathology and with diverse psychiatric populations, the intern may
request that this requirement be waived. It will be the responsibility
of the intern to submit this request to the Training Committee for
consideration. Eligible rotations include all of the training rotations
listed in this brochure under the heading \"Psychiatry.\" Interns
provide a ranked list of all of their rotation preferences to the
Training Committee along with their Training Contract. The Committee has
always granted the top two requested specialty rotations of each intern,
and usually all requests are approved as long as scheduling conflicts
can be resolved.

Interns attend formal educational seminars that meet on a weekly basis.
These seminars cover psychological assessment, interventions, ethics,
licensure, and special populations. Interns also give three case
presentations on assessment cases and two presentations of videotaped
therapy sessions during the year in the Case Conference Series. These
classes have top priority in the interns\' schedules. There are many
other educational programs including Grand Rounds, which are offered at
the Miami VA Medical Center and the University of Miami Miller School of
Medicine during the year, and interns are encouraged to attend these as
schedules permit.

Each intern will carry at least three individual psychotherapy cases at
any one time with a separate supervisor specifically for those cases.
The length of therapy will depend on the needs of the patient and be
justified by treatment goals and plans; therefore, over the course of
the year, interns will be involved with several therapy cases
independent of their rotations. Interns will meet with their therapy
supervisor for at least one hour per week to discuss these cases.
Interns are also required to complete at least five comprehensive
psychodiagnostic assessment reports during the year. A separate
supervisor is also assigned for these assessment cases. Interns use a
combination of objective and projective instruments for evaluations.

Each intern will receive at least two hours of individual supervision
from the rotation supervisor each week. Supervisors meet with the
Training Committee on a regular basis to provide verbal feedback on the
progress of each intern. A formal written evaluation is given to each
intern at the end of each three-month rotation. Final Rotation
Evaluations are designed to focus on the individual growth of the intern
in regard to the six competency areas required by the internship and on
areas of continued need. These forms are designed to provide specific
feedback that will help the intern to grow as a professional. Interns
are asked to provide feedback to the supervisor at the end of the
rotation.

A comprehensive evaluation is composed by the Training Director at the
middle and end of the internship year, and is drawn from all sources of
supervisor feedback, both written and verbal. These comprehensive
evaluations are sent to the Training Director at the intern\'s graduate
school. Interns also provide feedback to the Training Director about
their supervisors and the internship program in general.

Administratively, the rotation supervisor is the intern\'s immediate
"boss". Interns clear all leave, educational activities, research, and
off-site excursions with their supervisor first. The internship program
emphasizes the intern-supervisor relationship, and thus the supervisor
is given maximum control over his or her training rotation.

The patient population at the Miami VA Healthcare System consists almost
entirely of veterans. (Some veterans' dependents and active duty service
men and women also receive services at this facility.) These are adults,
aged 19 to 100, and mostly male but with an increasing number of
females. The patients come from a diverse ethnic and cultural background
with an equally diverse set of problems. Some rotations may provide
opportunities to work with the veterans\' families. There are no
opportunities to work with children.

## 

## Training Experiences 

**Rotations**

**I. Behavioral Medicine**

Behavioral Medicine is the application of psychological theory to
interventions with medical patients. Staff of the Psychology Service of
the Miami VA currently function as consultants, members of
interdisciplinary treatment teams, and managers of psychological service
programs in various medical sections of the hospital. Primary Care is a
structure of providing medical service that is both comprehensive and
preventative. It is health-oriented and directed toward achieving
medical as well as psychological and social goals with each patient. The
foundation of Primary Care is the multidisciplinary treatment team, on
which psychologists have traditionally played central roles.

Each of the rotations described below provides training in Behavioral
Medicine. During any one, the intern may choose to spend one-half
his/her time providing psychological service to medical outpatients in
the hospital's Primary Care clinics. A specialty training certificate in
Behavioral Medicine is awarded to interns who complete six months of the
rotations described below. The two interns chosen to fill the two
Behavioral Medicine positions will spend nine months on Behavioral
Medicine rotations and one-half of each rotation in Primary Care. An
outline of the intern's activities in Primary Care follows the
descriptions of the Behavioral Medicine rotations. Interns on all
Behavioral Medicine rotations will generally have the opportunity to
co-supervise doctoral-level practicum students.

***Primary Care (Mental Health Consultation & Liaison)***

*Supervisors: Regina Pavone, Ph.D. and Paul Hartman, Ph.D.*

Interns spend one-half of their time in the Primary Care program during
any Behavioral Medicine rotation. Primary Care is the coordinated
interdisciplinary provision of health care that consists of health
promotion, disease prevention, comprehensive management of acute and
chronic medical and mental health conditions, and patient education. A
primary care provider coordinates access to and integration of other
components of health care, such as inpatient, long-term, or subspecialty
care and psychosocial support. Under Primary Care, a provider or
provider team is the primary source of a patient's medical care, and the
place that patients turn to for health care information and support. One
goal of the training experience is integration of the intern into the
interdisciplinary treatment teams within the Primary Care clinics. For
the psychology intern emphasis is given to brief,
problem/solution-focused intervention. However, assessment and case
conceptualization are comprehensive and consistent with traditional
psychodiagnostics and a biopsychosocial theoretical base. Stress
management, proactive emotionally adaptive psycho-education, and
treatment compliance interventions are typical. The intern will, in
addition to individual counseling and interdisciplinary consultation,
conduct groups that focus on psycho-education/prevention, habit
management and replacement, pain management, general stress management,
and psychosocial support/process. Interns are encouraged to take
significant responsibility for development of additional Behavioral
Medicine intervention programs for Primary Care populations of specific
interest to them. Throughout the rotation the intern will be expected to
assume progressively more responsibility for acting independently under
supervision.

***Behavioral Medicine & Extended Care***

*Supervisors: Raegan Radenheimer, Psy.D. and Paul Hartman, Ph.D.*

Interns on the Behavioral Medicine and Extended Care Service (which
includes the Intermediate Care Unit, Hospice, the Geriatric Evaluation
and Management Unit, Acute Medicine, Oncology, and Renal Service)
provide a full range of psychological services to medically fragile and
primarily geriatric patients and their families. These services include
assessment with specialized training in bedside clinical interviewing of
chronically and catastrophically ill patients who represent a wide
variety of medical diagnoses such as cancer, end-stage renal disease,
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular problems, and
dementia. Interventions with aging and terminally ill patients use
treatment approaches emphasizing supportive, palliative care in
assisting patients to cope with grief, depression, anxiety, and other
psychological issues attendant to grave medical illnesses. Strategies
for pain management and adjustment to treatment regimens may be employed
where appropriate. In addition, interns may provide crisis interventions
as well as pre and post bereavement therapy to patients\' families.
Interns may also work as co-therapists in a weekly support group for
oncology patients and their families, as well as a bereavement support
group.

As members of the multidisciplinary treatment team, interns work closely
with physicians, nurses, social workers, dieticians, pharmacologists,
and rehabilitation personnel. An intern\'s typical workday in Extended
Care might begin with individual supervision, followed by participation
with the treatment team in ward rounds and weekly treatment planning
meetings. The day might include bedside clinical interviews (including
mental status examinations) and brief supportive contacts with seriously
ill patients. Longer term individual psychotherapy might be provided to
patients who are willing and able to explore existential issues in
terminal illness. Other treatment modalities such as group and family
therapy might be offered. Interns may also be involved in program
development and evaluation as well as staff training and education in
areas such as stress management, psychological aspects of terminal care,
and case consultation.

***Behavioral Medicine & Pain***

*Supervisor: Tim Lawler, Ph.D., MPH*

This half-time rotation provides an opportunity to work with inpatients
and outpatients with acute and chronic pain and concurrent psychological
problems. Patients are referred from a variety of outpatient clinics and
inpatient units including medical/surgical wards and intensive care.
Psychological evaluation (particularly deficits in cognitive functioning
and personality variables which may lead to treatment difficulties),
group and individual psychotherapy and counseling, and staff
consultation/education are all opportunities available to interns on
this rotation. Additional behavioral medicine interventions, including
patient education and methods to increase treatment compliance are
frequently utilized. Interns on this rotation attend Pain Management
Multidisciplinary Team meetings.

***Behavioral Medicine & Rehabilitation***

*Supervisor: Diane Polakoff, Psy.D.*

Behavioral Medicine and Rehabilitation is concerned with patients\'
adjustment to disability and their compliance with treatment in a
medical setting. An intern participating in this rotation can choose
from a number of activities, with an emphasis on the assessment and
treatment of inpatients on the Intensive Rehab Unit or outpatients in
various clinics. Patients followed by Physical Medicine and
Rehabilitation Service include veterans recovering from and adapting to
traumatic brain injury, stroke, amputation, orthopedic surgery,
neurosurgery, pain, and other medical conditions. Opportunities for
training include behavioral medicine interventions; psychological
assessment and neuropsychological screening; brief psychotherapy,
behavior modification; neuropsychological rehabilitation and
computerized cognitive retraining; group and family interventions;
patient education; and collaboration with other disciplines that
comprise the multidisciplinary team. Further opportunities for training
include co-facilitating the weekly stroke, and head injury groups, the
bi-weekly PTSD, Vietnam veterans' group; and refining and developing the
stroke education series that is presented twice each year to the
veterans and their families.

***Behavioral Medicine & Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation***

*Supervisors: Salome' Perez, Ph.D. and Pilar Somoza, Ph.D.*

This behavioral medicine rotation may be either three months or six
months and may be taken either full-time or split half-time with the
Primary Care rotation. It gives the intern the opportunity to become a
member of an interdisciplinary medical rehabilitation team on the
hospital's Spinal Cord Injury/Dysfunction (SCI/D) Rehabilitation Unit.
The Unit is comprised of a 36-bed inpatient floor as well as the SCI/D
Home Care Section that treats patients in their home setting. It is the
primary care medical service for over 350 spinal cord injured veterans
in South Florida. Patients range in age from young adult to geriatric.
Their spinal cord injuries were sustained in combat, as a result of
accident, or disease process. The SCI/D Rehab Unit serves newly injured
patients, as well as patients with long-term injuries.

The intern will have an opportunity to provide individual therapy, as
well as family and couples therapy. She/he will attend rounds and
interdisciplinary treatment planning meetings. While the most general
goal of the intervention is to foster adaptive coping with disability,
patients seen by the intern are often experiencing diagnosable problems
of depression, anxiety, personality disorder, substance abuse, chronic
pain, brain injury, or dementia. Interventions are eclectic and tend to
include psycho-education, cognitive-behavioral skills training, and
psychodynamic explorations. There is also the opportunity to develop and
co-facilitate group interventions (i.e., support group for spinal cord
injury patients and their families).

***Behavioral Medicine & Sleep Disorders***

*Supervisor: William Wohlgemuth, Ph.D.*

The sleep disorders rotation is a three-month, half-time rotation. It
will provide the intern with experience working with a
multi-disciplinary team comprised of physicians, nurses and a
psychologist. Experiences will include becoming familiar with the
diagnostic nosology in sleep medicine (International Classification of
Sleep Disorders) interviewing and diagnosing patients in the sleep
disorders clinic, becoming familiar with polysomnography (PSG),
understanding the results of overnight PSG, and learning about
appropriate treatment for a wide range of sleep disorders. Of particular
relevance to psychology interns will be training in behavioral sleep
medicine. This training entails applying behavioral therapy to sleep
disorders, for example, CBT for insomnia or therapy to enhance
compliance with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). The intern
in this rotation may have the opportunity to learn how to 'score' sleep
and/or become involved in research projects involving sleep.

***Behavioral Medicine & Weight Management (MOVE)***

*Supervisors: Jason R. Dahn, Ph.D. and Raegan Radenheimer, Psy.D.*

This half-time rotation provides an opportunity to work with a
multidisciplinary team as part of the VA's national program to reduce
obesity, MOVE (Managing Overweight/Obesity for Veterans Everywhere), in
both patients and employees. The intern will work closely with staff
members in patient education, nutrition, and physical rehabilitation.
Patients are referred from primary care and participate in the staged
levels of the MOVE program (http://www.move.med.va.gov/). The intern
will be involved in multiple levels of intervention which may include
meeting with patients individually to interpret and implement tailored
assessment feedback, facilitating 10-week intervention (either in-person
or via telehealth) with other team members with a focus on
cognitive-behavioral strategies for weight management, and participating
in psychological clearance evaluations for bariatric surgery. In
addition, the intern may facilitate a twice monthly support group
session for individuals in the "maintenance" phase of weight management,
addressing relapse issues and barriers impeding achievement of weight
management goals. Additional behavioral medicine interventions,
including patient education and methods to address barriers to
adherence, are frequently utilized. Interns on this rotation attend
twice monthly multidisciplinary team meetings.

**II. Geropsychology**

***Geriatrics And Extended Care***

*SUPERVISORS: Peter Goldsmith, Ph.D., Paul Hartman, Ph.D., Neil J.
Kenney, Psy.D. , and Raegan Radenheimer, Psy.D.*

Interns on the Geriatric and Extended Care Service (which includes the
100-bed Nursing Home Care Unit, the Intermediate Care Unit, Hospice, the
Geriatric Evaluation and Management Unit, Acute Medicine, the Geriatric
Primary Care Clinic), provide a full range of psychological services to
medically and/or psychologically fragile primarily geriatric patients
and their families. Opportunities may be available to incorporate
training experiences into Home Based Primary Care, which would involve
providing psychological services to veterans and their families on home
visits throughout Broward County and Miami-Dade County through the Home
Based Primary Care team. Clinical experiences through Geriatrics and
Extended Care include assessment with specialized training in bedside
clinical interviewing of chronically and catastrophically ill patients
who represent a wide variety of medical diagnoses such as cancer,
end-stage renal disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
cardiovascular problems, and dementia. Interventions with aging and
terminally ill patients use treatment approaches emphasizing supportive,
palliative care in assisting patients to cope with grief, depression,
anxiety, and other psychological issues attendant to grave medical
illnesses. Psychotherapeutic interventions for caregivers of patients,
or veterans who play a care giving role, are also common in this
setting. Strategies for pain management and adjustment to treatment
regimens may be employed where appropriate. In addition, interns may
provide crisis interventions as well as pre- and post bereavement
therapy to patients\' families. Exposure will also be provided to the
Minimum Data Set (a comprehensive multidisciplinary evaluation),
dysphagia, wound care, and common equipment employed in long-term care
settings.

As members of an interdisciplinary treatment team, interns work closely
with physicians (including psychiatrists), nurses, social workers,
dieticians, pharmacologists, and rehabilitation personnel. An intern\'s
typical workday in Extended Care might begin with individual
supervision, followed by participation with the treatment team in ward
rounds and weekly treatment planning meetings. The day might include
bedside clinical interviews (including mental status examinations) and
brief supportive contacts with seriously ill patients. Longer term
individual psychotherapy might be provided to patients who are willing
and able to explore existential issues in medical illness. Other
treatment modalities such as group and family therapy might be offered.
Interns may also be involved in program development and evaluation as
well as staff training and education in areas such as stress management,
psychological aspects of terminal care, and case consultation. There are
opportunities for interns to work with specialized interdisciplinary
programs for end-of-life care issues. Full and half time rotations are
available through negotiation with the supervisors.

***GEROPSYCHOLOGY SPECIALIZATION***

*SUPERVISORS: Peter Goldsmith, Ph.D., Paul Hartman, Ph.D., Neil J.
Kenney, Psy.D., and Raegan Radenheimer, Psy.D.*

The six-month full time specialization rotation in Geropsychology offers
education and training in geriatrics, research, program development, and
administration as well as opportunities for longer term treatment
interventions. This specialization features cooperative training with
the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. As a Geriatric
Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC), one of many specially
funded programs nationwide, the Miami VAHS supports a wide spectrum of
innovative interdisciplinary research and educational and clinical
programs aimed at improving the health care of the aging, high risk
veteran population.

The goal of the Geropsychology specialization rotation is to train the
intern in skills which will enable him or her to obtain, integrate,
understand, and report information relevant to treating geriatric
patients. The rotation also helps interns learn to interact with other
disciplines as well as to develop competency as professional
psychologists. Finally, interns will develop practical intervention
skills that can be used to directly help geriatric patients and their
families.

***Assessment:*** Interns will be trained in assessment techniques for a
variety of geriatric patient populations, including a) medically
fragile, bed-bound patients who may be terminally ill, b) ambulatory
long-term care patients, c) patients with cognitive impairment, and d)
outpatients in the Geriatric Primary Care Clinic. Techniques include
clinical interviewing, psychodiagnostic evaluation of psychological
functions using objective and projective measures, cognitive screening
and evaluations, and evaluations of daily living skills and functional
assessments. Interns will be trained to use this data for diagnosis,
problem identification, treatment planning, discharge planning and
placement, monitoring long-term change, and providing useful information
to other members of the treatment team. Greater exposure to the Minimum
Data Set will be provided.

***Intervention:*** Treatment approaches include supportive palliative
care in assisting patients to cope with grief, depression, anxiety, and
other psychological issues attendant to aging and/or chronic medical
illnesses. Interventions for compliance with and adjustment to treatment
regimens are also presented. Long term individual psychotherapy is
provided to patients who are willing and able to explore existential
issues in aging and chronic/terminal illnesses. Interns also provide
crisis intervention and pre- and post-bereavement therapy to patients
and their families. More specific interventions are also presented for
such areas as chronic pain, dementia, and cognitive dysfunctions.

***Consultation:*** As members of interdisciplinary teams in a variety
of settings (e.g., Nursing Home, Geriatric Outpatient Clinic, Extended
Care), interns work closely with physicians, nurses, social workers,
dieticians, pharmacologists, chaplains, and rehabilitation specialists
in planning and executing treatment for patients. Interns also provide
staff with training and education in areas such as psychological aspects
of terminal illness, medical care, stress management, quality of life,
and issues with Advance Directives. There are opportunities for
consultation in specialized Extended Care programs including Hospital
Based Primary Care, Adult Day Health Care, Hospice, the Geriatric
Evaluation and Management Unit, the Acute Geriatric Unit, and Geriatric
Primary Care. Opportunities may be available to incorporate training
experiences into Home Based Primary Care, which would involve providing
psychological services to veterans and their families on home visits
throughout Broward County and Miami-Dade County through the Home Based
Primary Care team.

Interns will also participate in specialized training and educational
programs sponsored by the University of Miami School of Medicine, GRECC,
Miami Area Geriatric Education Center, and the Miami VAMC. A weekly
Geriatric Seminar/Journal Club is provided for University of Miami
Geriatric Fellows, and is available to interns. Settings for training
include the Miami VAMC Intermediate Care Unit, the Geriatric Evaluation
and Management Unit, and the Miami VAMC Nursing Home Care Unit.
Additional specialized training in end-of-life care and Geriatric
Primary Care is offered as is greater exposure to dysphagia and wound
care.

**III. Neuropsychology**

***Clinical Neuropsychology***

*Supervisor: Carlton S. Gass, Ph.D., ABAP*

The Neuropsychology Clinic is staffed by Dr. Gass, a neuropsychology
technician, and a number of students from local doctoral training
programs. The Clinic provides consultation services to all areas of the
Medical Center. For this rotation, no prior neuropsychological training
is required, though competence in using the WAIS-III is a prerequisite.
The 6-month full-time Clinical Neuropsychology rotation satisfies the
pre-doctoral requirements for a neuropsychology internship established
by Division 40 of the American Psychological Association. A certificate
of specialty training in Neuropsychology is awarded to interns who
complete the six-month rotation. A three-month rotation is available for
interns who are interested in introductory training in the basic
principles and methods of neuropsychological assessment, as well as
fundamental aspects of functional neuroanatomy and neuropathology.
Interns have the opportunity to present clinical cases and assist in the
training of neuropsychology practicum students.

***Assessment***

The major training focus on this rotation is diagnostic assessment of
patients with known or suspected brain dysfunction. Skill development
will occur in numerous areas, including clinical interviewing,
behavioral observation, test administration, scoring, interpretation,
and clinical report writing. An over-riding emphasis is on understanding
brain-behavior relationships. The Halstead-Russell Neuropsychological
Evaluation System - Revised (HRNES-R) is generally used with
supplementary tests that include the MMPI-2, the Rey Complex Figure, and
Mazes.

Our assessment philosophy emphasizes the importance of quality service,
psychometric integrity, detailed observation, collection of essential
interview data, and the appropriate use of qualitative information.
There are no minimum requirements regarding report productivity, though
interns on the 6-month rotation typically complete 10 to 20 full-battery
cases, and interns on the 3-month rotation complete five to ten cases.

The patient population is diverse with respect to age, background, and
diagnosis. Patients are referred by departments throughout the entire
Medical Center, with questions commonly pertaining to diagnosis,
competency, measuring changes over time, and assisting in planning a
program of rehabilitation.

Common diagnostic groups include dementia of various etiologies,
traumatic brain injury, stroke, chronic alcoholism, Parkinsonism,
schizophrenia, PTSD, bipolar disorder, depression, and multiple
sclerosis.

***Common assessment outcomes in this clinical setting are:***

1.  Alleviating people's fears of having Alzheimer's disease or other
    neurodegenerative conditions.

2.  Resolving, at least partially, the anguish of family members over an
    unknown diagnostic situation. Preparing families for more effective
    coping when mental deterioration is inevitable.

3.  Providing reassurance to the patient and/or family members that
    his/her brain, which is the substrate of mental abilities, is
    intact.

4.  Clarifying for patients the parameters of their impairments and
    remaining strengths.

5.  Assistance in diagnosing a potentially reversible source of
    cognitive impairment.

6.  Serving as a bridge to mental health services.

7.  Exposing unnecessary and costly treatments that were based on
    misdiagnosis.

8.  Protecting incompetent individuals from themselves.

9.  Protecting competent individuals from those persons who would take
    away their freedom.

Functional Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology

Training in functional neuroanatomy and neuropathology is provided
through weekly case conferences, assigned readings, attendance in
neurology ward rounds, brain cutting (part of the autopsy), and in the
weekly Grand Rounds held by the Departments of Neurology,
Neuropathology, and Neurosurgery at the University of Miami Miller
School of Medicine. In the context of our clinical work, we have the
benefit of computer-based medical records including visual access to
brain scan (CT/MRI) results.

***Research, Clinical Feedback, and Intervention***

Opportunities for clinical research (including dissertation) exist and
are encouraged. Although the principle focus of this rotation is on
diagnostic assessment, post-assessment feedback to patients and their
families is routinely provided. Interns who are interested in treatment
and rehabilitation can usually obtain supervised individual and group
therapy experience with brain-injured patients.

**IV. Psychiatry**

***Behavioral Health Clinic***

*Supervisor: Martha Corvea, Ph.D.*

The Behavioral Health Clinic provides outpatient mental health services
to patients who manifest a broad range of psychiatric disorders and
levels of functioning from the chronically and persistently mentally ill
to adjustment disorders (often in response to readjusting to civilian
life post-discharge from the military). Many patients are medically
compromised lending complexity to their presentation and treatment
needs. The BHC staff is multidisciplinary and comprised of psychiatry,
social work, nursing, recreation therapy and psychology staff. The team
works together to tailor treatment to individuals. Interventions include
individual and group psychotherapy, psycho-educational classes, a day
activities center, psychotropic mediation management and case management
services.

Interns on this rotation will receive training in individual and group
psychotherapy, psychoeducation, and family/couples therapy if indicated.
Opportunities for interns to develop specialized groups in an area of
interest are available. Interns will participate in patient evaluation
and as well as treatment planning and multidisciplinary treatment team
meetings. Opportunities are available to perform psychological
assessments on appropriate cases. This is a full-time 3-month rotation.

***Psychosocial Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (PRRTP)***

*Supervisor: Philip C. Burda, Ph.D.*

***Acute Inpatient Psychiatry (AIP)***

*Supervisor: Jason Dahn, Ph.D.*

The PRRTP is an 18-bed rehabilitation program that provides
comprehensive biopsychosocial treatment to chronic mentally ill patients
and patients with substance abuse problems. The PRRTP staff is composed
of different disciplines who work together to provide complete
assessment and treatment care. Patients are given a variety of
therapeutic interventions including participation in a therapeutic
community, psycho-educational classes, computer-assisted psychotherapy,
and group and individual psychotherapy. Social skills, functional
skills, and vocational rehabilitation are also provided. Being a
residential program, patients supervise themselves on evenings and
weekends acting as House Managers. Length of stay is 8 to 12 weeks.

Training opportunities include a wide variety of experiences with
diverse psychiatric disorders. Some of the common diagnoses include
borderline personality disorder, schizophrenia, paranoia, bipolar
disorder, anxiety disorders, post traumatic stress disorder, major
affective disorders, and substance abuse. Interns spend most of their
time conducting group and individual psychotherapy, with opportunities
for brief psychological assessments as well.

Interns will co-lead a classic process therapy group with a practicum
student and carry at least two individual therapy cases. In addition,
the interns may attend psycho-educational classes presented by PRRTP
staff and attend treatment team meetings, participate in rounds and
treatment planning. Interns may conduct some of these structured
psycho-educational classes. The supervisor has a psychodynamic
orientation in conceptualization of the patients\' diagnoses and
problems. More directive interventions such as cognitive-behavioral
therapy are usually used with this population when appropriate.
Supervision focuses on the therapeutic relationship and helping the
intern to develop him or herself as a therapeutic agent rather than on
specific techniques.

Interns can also learn to interpret and write up brief psychodiagnostic
reports using a standard battery with a rapid turnaround time. Clinical
screening interviews of patients are also part of the assessment.

The Acute Inpatient Psychiatry portion of this rotation provides a
unique opportunity to work with individuals who have acute and, in many
cases, severe psychopathological conditions including Schizophrenia,
Bipolar, and other psychotic disturbances. Some of these patients are
transferred to the PRRTP (see above) after their acute stay. In this
portion of the rotation, interns conduct group and individual
psychotherapy. They also have the opportunity to write brief
psychological assessment reports and participate as team members on the
inpatient unit. Opportunities may be available to gain supervisory
experience with practicum students from local doctoral training
programs.

***Computer Assisted Therapy Laboratory***

A major innovation that is also available to PRRTP interns as an
optional training opportunity is the Computer Psychoeducation
Laboratory. Personal computers are used by the patients for a variety of
therapeutic interventions. Many of these are psycho-educational, such as
stress management, communication, problem solving, anger management, and
medication management. The patients have responded enthusiastically to
computer assisted therapy, and the staff have developed a wide range of
software, including specialized educational programs on problems such as
PTSD and depression. Training opportunities include learning to develop
and write software, training patients on computers, and evaluating the
effectiveness of the training. Research opportunities are also
available.

***PTSD Clinical Team (PCT)***

*Supervisors: Pam Slone, Ph.D., Camille Gonzalez, Psy.D., and Alanna
Hochman, Psy.D.*

The PCT program provides outpatient therapy services to veterans with
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder incurred during their military service as
a result of combat and/or non-combat related trauma. A multidisciplinary
team provides evaluation and individualized treatment planning.
Treatment objectives are to decrease PTSD symptoms, to improve coping
resources and self-image, and to increase self-awareness of behaviors
and feelings. Treatment modalities include individual and group therapy,
family/couples therapy, psycho-education, and psychotropic medication
management. The Miami PTSD Clinical Team provides outreach on an
educational level and works closely with the Outpatient Substance Abuse
Clinic, the Women's Health Clinic (e.g., sexual trauma) and the local
Vet Centers.

Interns on this rotation will receive training in individual
psychotherapy, group therapy, and family/couples psychotherapy. Interns
will participate in screening evaluations of new patients, as well as
assisting with treatment planning. Opportunities are available to
perform psychological assessments on appropriate cases. This rotation is
offered on a 3-month basis or a 6-month basis for those who are
interested in specializing in the treatment of PTSD or those wanting
more comprehensive experience in the treatment of this disorder.

***PTSD Residential Rehabilitation Program (PTSD-RRP)***

*Supervisor: Gary S. Kutcher, Ph.D.*

The PTSD-RRP is a 16-bed residential psychiatric unit which was
specifically designed to treat veterans suffering from military-related,
after being thoroughly screened for a planned 14-week stay. The PTSD-RRP
interdisciplinary team evaluates and treats veterans from all parts of
the continental United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
who have served in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Beirut, Persian Gulf, Somalia,
Afghanistan and/or Iraq, as well as duty stations all over the world.

The PTSD-RRP staff is composed of a multidisciplinary team including a
psychiatrist, psychologist, psychology technician, social worker,
clinical nurse, and professionals from various supportive therapeutic
services. The PTSD-RRP functions as a therapeutic community offering a
variety of integrated treatment approaches including individual and
group therapy, specialized combat groups, psychoeducation classes, anger
management, and recreational and music therapy. PTSD-RRP patients also
receive specialized computer assisted therapy from in a Computer
Assisted Therapy Laboratory that includes PTSD psychoeducation. Finally,
there are several ongoing research projects in the areas of assessment
and diagnosis of PTSD, and sleep phenomenology associated with PTSD.

Interns working on PTSD-RRP will have the opportunity to participate in
psychological screening interviews and assessments, individual and group
psychotherapy, psychoeducational classes, multidisciplinary team
meetings, and research. Interns will participate in the development of
additional educational topics to be included in the Computer Assisted
Psychoeducation program. This is a full time three-month rotation.

***Substance Abuse Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program
(SARRTP)***

*Supervisor: Richard Simon, Ph.D.*

The SARRTP is a 24-bed residential rehabilitation program for treatment
of substance dependence. A large proportion of patients are diagnosed
with major psychiatric disorder in addition to substance dependence.
Length of stay is 91 days. Dr. Simon is the Program Director of SARRTP.

The program utilizes a biopsychosocial conceptualization of the
development of substance dependence. Treatment is provided by a
multidisciplinary staff representing psychology, psychiatry, social
work, nursing, occupational therapy, recreation therapy, and music
therapy. Most treatment is carried out in group format. However, each
patient is assigned to a staff person as his/her individual counselor.
Individual counselors meet regularly with and develop comprehensive
individualized treatment plans for their assigned patients in
collaboration with the entire staff. The greatest emphasis in treatment
is placed on increasing patients' motivation for change and assisting
them to develop and practice a comprehensive relapse prevention plan.

Interns on this rotation will receive training and experience in process
group therapy, conducting psycho-educational groups, and problem-focused
individual therapy. They function as members of the multidisciplinary
treatment team and are assigned particular patients for whom they serve
as the individual counselor.

Often, graduate training in psychology does not provide intensive
experience in treatment of alcohol and drug addiction, including with
patients dually diagnosed with substance dependence and other major
psychiatric disorder. Interns who have taken this rotation in the past
describe having developed much improved skill in treating this very
common clinical problem.

This rotation is three months full time. Interns may choose to complete
comprehensive (full-battery) psychological assessment on SARRTP patients
through their assessment supervisors. While there is no research
requirement, interns are expected to increase their knowledge of
contemporary issues of inquiry in regard to addictive behavior. Staff of
SARRTP is most interested at this time in program evaluation research,
specifically methods of increasing the likelihood our patients who
complete the Program engage actively in after-care treatment.

**Seminar Series**

***Topic*** ***Presenter***

Ethics (4 sessions) Drs. Lawler, Dahn, Somoza

Florida laws & regulations Drs. Giardina, Monette

Research & IRB Dr. Malphurs

Patient Education/Employee Wellness S. Hurley, MPT

Computer training/HIPAA/Cyber security A.Goldstein & others

Mental Status Exams Dr. Lawler

MMPI (3 sessions) Dr. Gass

Charting/Workload Dr. Burda

MCMI Dr. Hartman

SCID I (2 sessions) Dr. Slone

Clinical Interviews Dr. Burda

Sims/Word Memory Test Drs. Gass/Hartman

VA Disability ratings Dr. Stocking

WAIS admin/scoring (2 sessions) Drs. Lawler, Castillo, Misdraji

WAIS interpretation Dr. Gass

Military History Dr. Kutcher

Report Writing Dr. Slone

Suicide Dr. Simon

SCID II Dr. Slone

Individual Differences: SCI & Adjustment Dr. Perez

PTSD & Substance Abuse Dr. Gonzalez

Administration roles for psychologists Dr. Findley

Psychopathology Dr. Dahn

Military Sexual Trauma Dr. Pavone

Psychopathology (2 sessions) Dr. Somoza

Psychopharmacology (2 sessions) Dr. Giron

Suicide, part II Dr. Simon

Termination issues Dr. Perez

Treatment Planning Dr. Pavone

Individual Differences: Pain Dr. Lawler

Military Sexual Trauma Dr. Pavone

Post-docs & job preparation Dr. Lawler

Child abuse Dr. Gonzalez

Nutrition Kim Matwiejow, RD

Ind. Diffs: Rehabilitation Drs. Polakoff/Hochman

Ind. Diffs: GLBT Stephanie Haun, M.S.Ed

Ind. Diffs: African-Americans Dr. Kelly-Scurry

Ind. Diffs: Hispanics Dr. Corvea

Sleep (3 sessions) Dr. Wohgemuth

Elder Abuse: Identification & Prevention Dr. Corvea

Positive Psychology Dr. Castillo

Mindfulness Dr. Misdraji

EPPP study guide Dr. Kenney

Decision-making capacity Dr. Radenheimer

Substance Abuse Tx Dr. Simon

Sexual functioning Dr. Dahn

Serial killers Dr. Goldsmith

Patient health literacy Dr. Lawler

Supervision (multiple sessions) Staff

## Requirements for Completion

**EVALUATIONS**

***Rotation Evaluations.*** Formal and informal feedback on your
performance as an intern are provided by your supervisors on a regular
basis. Formal written evaluations are made by the rotation supervisor at
the conclusion of the three-month rotation period with a mid-rotation
meeting to determine if progress is satisfactory or adjustments need to
be made. Intern performance is rated against the specific competencies
addressed in each rotation. Interns will review written evaluations and
be asked to indicate either agreement or disagreement with each of the
evaluations and sign it. Interns may request a copy of the evaluation
for themselves. These written evaluations are given to the Director of
Training. In addition, the Long Term Therapy Supervisor and Assessment
Supervisor also provide written evaluations at the midpoint and end of
the internship year.

The Director of Training keeps minutes on all such feedback. Rotation
supervisors should be meeting a minimum of two hours per week for verbal
feedback with the interns. Long-term therapy supervision should be at
least one hour per week. Assessment supervision is provided for each
individual assessment. Supervision with the Director of Training will be
held one hour weekly. It should also be noted that supervisors
(including the Training Director) may also provide supervisory feedback
and evaluation on a less formalized basis when appropriate or necessary.
A written copy of this feedback may be provided to the intern and/or
filed in the intern\'s records at the discretion of the supervisor.

***Comprehensive Evaluations.*** The Director of Training integrates all
supervisor feedback into formal written evaluations for the intern\'s
graduate school at the middle of the year and at the conclusion of the
internship. The Director of Training meets with each intern, provides
the intern with a copy of this evaluation, and discusses the intern\'s
progress and perceptions of the training program with each intern. If
your graduate school requires additional feedback or has its own forms,
please inform the Training Director.

These comprehensive evaluations are based on the Competency Standards,
which are used in devising the training contracts for the internship
year as well as for each rotation. Interns must reach the Advanced
Criteria Level for each competency for successful completion of
internship.

***Intern Feedback.*** Interns are asked to complete a feedback form
about each rotation and supervisor at the end of each three-month and/or
six-month rotation period. Interns also provide feedback about the
training program at the end of the internship year to the Training
Director. Interns are asked to raise any acute concerns or problems
either directly to the Training Director and/or the Training Committee,
or through their Intern Representative. Feedback should include a review
of the relevant training contracts and whether the intern's expectations
were met by the training and supervision provided.

***Performance Deficits.*** One of the goals of internship is for
interns to identify and work on gaps and deficits in their knowledge,
skills, and experience. The internship program helps interns identify
such areas through supervisor evaluations. The internship provides
opportunities for improving knowledge and skills through didactic
presentations and clinical rotations. It is expected that interns will
make sufficient improvement in these areas so that they will be able to
meet the Competency Standards listed above. Interns must meet these
standards in order to graduate from and get official credit for
completing the predoctoral internship. Usually, the process of
supervisor evaluations and the supervisory feedback meetings by the
Training Committee ensures that interns receive adequate training and
supervision to achieve satisfactory levels of performance.

If a problem or deficit is identified to be of sufficient seriousness
that the intern would not be able to graduate from the internship
program, this problem must be brought to the attention of the Director
of Training and the Training Committee immediately. It is the ethical
responsibility of interns and especially supervisors to bring such
issues to the Training Committee for discussion, even if the presenter
is not completely sure about the problem. If an intern is not made aware
of a deficit, he or she cannot remediate it. The Training Committee will
then meet to decide if the intern should be put on probation (see
below). If a supervisor gives an intern an unsatisfactory rating on a
formal evaluation, either mid-rotation or final, this will automatically
result in the intern being placed on probation. An intern can also be
placed on probationary status for significant or repeated instances of
unethical, illegal, or unprofessional behavior. It should also be noted
that flagrant ethical and legal violations, such as sexual relations
with a patient, may result in an intern being immediately terminated
from the internship.

***Probation.*** As noted above, if an intern receives an unsatisfactory
rating on a quarterly or final evaluation, the intern is automatically
placed on probation. This would include mid-year and end-of-year formal
evaluations by interns\' long-term therapy and assessment supervisors.
In addition, if the Director of Training, a supervisor or intern becomes
aware of a serious deficit or unprofessional conduct on the part of an
intern that would create doubts or questions about their ability to
satisfactorily meet the Competency Standards for successful completion
of the internship, this issue must be brought before the Training
Committee. The Training Committee will carefully evaluate the situation,
including speaking with the intern and his or her supervisors, as well
as reviewing any written material relevant to the issue including
evaluations or clinical work. The Training Committee may request
information in writing from the intern and supervisors.

In instances where concern is expressed about an intern\'s performance
without an unsatisfactory rating from an intern\'s supervisor, the
Training Committee will decide by majority vote whether the intern does
have a serious enough deficit or problem that would jeopardize his or
her ability to successfully complete the internship. An intern on
probation CANNOT graduate or successfully complete the internship until
the intern has been removed from probation.

If an intern is placed on probationary status, the Director of Training
will notify the intern\'s Training Director at his or her graduate
school program. The Performance Improvement Contract will also be sent
to the intern\'s graduate program. The Director of Training of the Miami
VAHS Internship Program will provide regular updates to the intern\'s
graduate school Training Director on the intern\'s status and progress,
both in writing and verbally.

***Removal from Probation.*** An intern can only graduate from and
successfully complete the internship if s/he is not on probationary
status.

***Termination from Internship.*** If an intern is on probation and the
supervisors and Training Director do not believe that the intern is
achieving satisfactory progress toward acceptable levels of performance,
or believe that the intern has not been able to remediate the problem or
deficit, the Training Committee may have to consider alternatives such
as partial credit for internship and/or early termination from the
internship program. Similarly, if the intern does not cooperate with
devising a remediation program or refuses to cooperate with this
process, termination will be considered by the Training Committee.

In all of these situations, the Director of Training will be in
intensive communication with the intern\'s graduate school Training
Director so that he or she can be involved in the process. If the
Training Committee votes to terminate the intern or provide only partial
credit for the internship, the Director of Training will meet with the
intern and talk to the graduate school Training Director in order to
come up with an appropriate plan for the intern\'s future course. The
intern may appeal a termination decision with the same process used to
appeal final comprehensive evaluations.

***Illegal, Unethical, or Unprofessional Behavior.*** If a supervisor or
fellow intern believes that an intern has engaged in significant or
repeated instances of illegal, unethical, or unprofessional behavior,
then he or she is required to report these concerns to the Training
Director. The Training Director will investigate the situation and
report findings to the Training Committee and Chief of Psychology. The
Training Committee can place the intern on probation by majority vote,
and for very serious problems, immediately terminate the intern from the
internship program by a majority vote. Interns are responsible for and
will be held up to all of the appropriate ethical guidelines and
professional laws established by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the
local Psychology Service, the American Psychological Association, and
the Florida Department of Professional Regulation.

## Facility and Training Resources

Each predoctoral interns will be assigned an office to share with a
classmate, but will have his/her own telephone and networked computer.
Internet and MICROMEDEX access are also available at each computer
station. Secretarial support is limited for all psychology staff, but
access to needed equipment, materials, and medical center resources is
available to staff and trainees service wide. Additionally, predoctoral
interns will have lab coats and laundry service, pagers, and free
parking at the facility.

Full library resources are available. The medical center maintains a
professional library with over 2500 volumes and 390 current journal
subscriptions, 22 of which are journals related to Psychology. Direct
access to MEDLINE, PSYCHLIT, MDConsult, PsychARTICLES, WEBMD, MICROMEDEX
as well as other databases is available. Services include interlibrary
loans, literature searching, database education, and meeting rooms.
Additionally, access to the University of Miami Miller School of
Medicine\'s Library with 214,544 volumes and 1788 journal subscriptions
is available to all Psychology Staff, post-doctoral fellows, and
interns. Access to the University of Miami main campus library is also
available to our staff and interns. The VAHS Medical Media Service
provides support for printing/copying, access to video teleconferencing
resources, telemedicine and a variety of audiovisual equipment for
educational purposes.

***Administrative Policies and Procedures***

Conflict Resolution and Grievances / Due Process. If an intern has
conflicts or difficulties with a supervisor, the intern\'s first
recourse is to speak to the Miami VAHS Training Director. The Training
Director will make very effort to explore the intern\'s concerns and
attempt to mediate any problems between the intern and supervisor. If
the intern has conflicts or difficulties with the Training Director, or
believes that the Training Director has not adequately addressed the
intern\'s concerns, the intern may then speak to the Intern
Representative or another supervisor, and ask to have the issue
addressed by the entire Training Committee. The intern may also present
issues directly to the Training Committee at one of its meetings. The
Training Committee will then explore the situation and may gather
additional information, request written responses, or interview all
parties involved. The Training Committee may make suggestions and
recommendations for resolution of the problem.

If the intern is not satisfied with the results of bringing the issue
before the Training Committee, the intern may then file an "official
grievance". The intern will write up a summary of the problem, actions
that have been taken, and the reasons why the intern continues to be
dissatisfied with the situation. The intern will submit this "grievance
report" to his or her graduate school Training Director and the Miami
VAHS Training Committee. All parties involved are then invited to make
written responses to the grievance including the supervisor, Training
Director, graduate school Training Director, and Training Committee. The
grievance, along with all of the written responses, will then be
forwarded to the Chief of Psychology Service who will make a final
decision about the resolution of the grievance.

Interns always have the right to consult with their graduate school
Training Director about difficulties during internship. They may also
consult with the American Psychological Association Education
Directorate and Office of Accreditation, as well as the Association of
Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers.

***Our privacy policy is clear:** we will collect no personal
information about you when you visit our website.*

*This program does not require self-disclosure.*

***Training Staff***

**Psychology Staff**

***Philip C. Burda, Ph.D.*** (Southern Illinois U., Clinical, 1984).
Chief of Psychology. Coordinator of Psychology Computer Psychoeducation
Program. Assigned to the PRRTP part-time. Expertise in individual and
group psychotherapy, psychological assessment, computer assisted
psychotherapy, treatment of chronic psychiatric patients,
psycho-educational interventions and therapeutic community. Therapeutic
approach is psychodynamic conceptualization with emphasis on therapeutic
relationship. Research interests include computer assisted
interventions, social support, and sex roles. Adjunct faculty at
University of Miami Department of Psychology, University of Miami Miller
School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, and Nova Southeastern
University School of Psychology. Diplomate American Board of Assessment
Psychology.

***Martha Corvea, Ph.D., MPA*** (Florida State University,
Clinical,1987). Assigned to Behavioral Health Clinic. Provides
individual and group psychotherapy to outpatients with chronic mental
illnesses.

***Jason R. Dahn, Ph.D.*** (Michigan State University, Clinical, 1999).
Staff Psychologist. Assigned to Acute Inpatient Psychiatry and to
Behavioral Medicine. Expertise in individual and group psychotherapy,
psychological assessment, treatment of chronic psychiatric patients, and
psycho-educational interventions with emphasis on behavioral medicine.
Therapeutic approach integrates psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral
therapy with emphasis on therapeutic relationship. Research interests
broadly include issues common to psychiatry and behavioral medicine
(e.g., weight management, sleep problems, sexual dysfunction, medication
adherence, etc.).

***Carlton S. Gass, Ph.D., ABAP*** (U. Louisville, Clinical, 1984.
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Neurology Department, U. of Miami, 1985).
Diplomate, American Board of Assessment Psychology. Coordinator,
Neuropsychology Laboratory. Responsible the neuropsychological
assessment of patients with known or suspected brain impairment.
Clinical expertise in neuropsychology, psychological assessment, MMPI-2
interpretation, and applied research. Clinical research interests
include the MMPI-2, personality and emotional aspects of brain injury,
human memory, and cognitive aspects of psychopathology. Adjunct faculty,
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Departments of Neurology
and Psychiatry; Department of Psychology, University of Miami and Nova
Southeastern University. Consulting editor for Archives of Clinical
Neuropsychology and, previously, Psychological Assessment.

***Peter Goldsmith, Ph.D.*** (Nova U., Clinical, 1989). Geropsychologist
in Nursing Home Care Unit. Duties include neuropsychological evaluation
(including decision making capacity) and therapy with Nursing Home Care
Unit residents and their families as well as consultation, training, and
education. Expertise and interest in geropsychology, neuropsychology,
medical psychology, forensic psychology, palliative/hospice care,
support for families of terminally ill patients, Advance Directives,
psychological aspects of dysphagia, and wound care. Case
conceptualization and therapeutic approach are eclectic. Voluntary
Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of
Medicine.

Camille Gonzalez, Psy.D. (Carlos Albizu University, Clinical, 2002).
Staff Psychologist assigned to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Clinical
Team, which provides outpatient psychiatric services to veterans with
military related PTSD. Clinical responsibilities include psychological
evaluations, individual and group therapy, family/couples therapy, and
psychoeducation classes. In addition, conduct dual diagnosis (substance
abuse/PTSD) groups at the VAHCS Outpatient Substance Abuse Clinic.
Currently a member of the medical center\'s Polytrauma and Seamless
Transition Teams focused on assisting OEF/OIF veterans adapt and
re-adjust to civilian life. Therapeutic approach is eclectic, with a
cognitive- behavioral emphasis. Research interests include
dual-diagnosis, malingering, and effective treatment interventions.

***Paul Hartman, Ph.D.*** (U of Miami, Biological Psychology, 1986;
California School of Professional Psychology-Fresno, Clinical Psychology
Respecialization, 1995) Assigned to Geriatric Psychology and Behavioral
Medicine. Expertise in individual, family, and group therapy;
psychological assessment; and neuropsychological screening. Approach to
therapy is cognitive-behavioral, with emphasis on the therapist-patient
relationship. Relaxation, imagery, or hypnosis techniques are often
utilized.

***Alanna Hochman, Psy.D.*** (Nova Southeastern University, Clinical,
2004). Staff psychologist assigned to the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Clinical Team (PCT) and the Polytrauma team. Duties include providing
psychological services to veterans returning from Operation Enduring
Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) with PTSD (PROMISE) as
well as veterans coping with polytraumas. Also provide dual diagnosis
(co-morbid PTSD and substance abuse) and tele-mental health services.
Clinical responsibilities include individual and group psychotherapy,
psychological assessments, and consultations. Clinical expertise and
interest in the treatment of PTSD, rehabilitation psychology (especially
traumatic brain injury and other polytrauma issues), behavioral
medicine, cultural diversity issues, and neuropsychological evaluations.
Conceptualization consists of an eclectic and integrated approach,
determined by the patient's background, diagnosis, and treatment goals.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is predominantly used, with an emphasis on
humanistic/existential and solution-focused modalities.

***Regina Kelly-Scurry, Ph.D.*** (U. North Carolina - Chapel Hill,
Clinical, 1980). Staff Psychologist at Oakland Park Outpatient Clinic.
Responsibilities include assessment of and direct care to psychiatric
and medical patients and coordinator of the clinic's smoking cessation
program. Clinical expertise in individual and group psychotherapy,
medical psychology, stress management/relaxation training, biofeedback,
HIV test counseling, weight control, smoking cessation, multi-cultural
issues in therapy, and readjustment problems of Gulf War veterans.
Research interests include relationship between attitudes toward suicide
and suicidal behavior.

***Neil J. Kenney, Psy.D.*** (Nova Southeastern University, Clinical,
2005). Assigned to Home Based Primary Care. Duties include psychological
assessments, neuropsychological screenings, individual and group
psychotherapy. Professional interests include health psychology,
geropsychology, neuropsychology, patient/caregiver coping with
degenerative illness, conceptual models of alcohol/substance abuse,
individual and group psychotherapy. Therapeutic approaches vary
dependent on the referral issue and/or client characteristics though
often integrate aspects of Cognitive Behavioral, Client-Centered, and
Insight-Oriented/Existential Therapy. Adjunct faculty, Nova Southeastern
University, Florida International University, Touro College South, and
Everglades University.

***Gary S. Kutcher, Ph.D.*** (U. Miami, Clinical, 1992). Staff
Psychologist and Clinical Director of the VA's PTSD Division (composed
of the PTSD Residential Rehabilitation Program (PTSD-RRP), PCT and
Specialized PTSD program/PROMISE). Principle clinical responsibilities
are in the PTSD Residential Rehabilitation Program (PTSD-RRP).
Privileged in psychological assessment and individual and group
psychotherapy. Therapeutic approach is generally integrative with a
"Reality Therapy" and cognitive-behavioral bent. Research interests
include psychological assessment and diagnosis of PTSD. Assistant
Professor, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Department of
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

***Timothy Lawler, Ph.D., MPH*** (Loyola U. of Chicago, Counseling,
1989). Director of Training. Assigned to Behavioral Medicine: Pain
Clinic and weight management programs. Therapeutic approach is
cognitive-behavioral. Research interests include medical cost offset
through psychological services & patient education, telehealth, provider
practices in pain management, and pain and weight management treatment
efficacy. Adjunct Assistant Professor at University of Miami Miller
School of Medicine, Department of Medicine and Department of Psychiatry
and Behavioral Sciences; Adjunct faculty, Barry University, Clinical
Psychology Department.

***Regina Pavone, Ph.D.*** (U of Miami, Counseling, 1996). Mental Health
Consultation and Liaison specializing in disease management. Clinical
responsibilities include consultation to Primary Care clinics, specialty
clinics and medical surgical units: Women Veterans Health Programs, the
Sexual Trauma Team, Special Immunology and Hepatology Services. Case
conceptualizations are developed from biopsychosocial and
object-relations models. Therapeutic approach varies according to
patient characteristics and referral issue. However, a cognitive and
behavioral approach under girds most interventions with medical
psychology referrals. Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Miami,
Department of Psychology and Voluntary Instructor, University of Miami's
Miller School of Medicine, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

***Salome' Perez, Ph.D.*** (Georgia State U, Clinical, 1998). Assigned
to the Behavioral Medicine Section and to Spinal Cord Injury/Dysfunction
(SCI/D) Rehabilitation Service. Duties include evaluation, treatment,
consultation to medical and nursing staff, research, and program
development. Strong emphasis on humanistic/existential approaches to
therapy, and in long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy. Research
interests include the role of spirituality in psychology, issues of
diversity in the disability population, and pain issues in the SCI
population.

***Diane Polakoff, Psy.D.*** (Nova U., Clinical, 1987). Staff
psychologist assigned to the multidisciplinary team of the
Rehabilitation Medicine Service. Duties include: brief psychotherapy
(adjustment counseling with patients and families), behavior
modification, psychological/neuropsychological screenings, and
educational services. Treatment modalities are individual, group and
family interventions. Clinical expertise; Cognitive-behavioral therapy,
neuropsychological assessment, relaxation therapy & computerized
cognitive rehabilitation.

***Diana Pure, Ph.D.*** (University of Illinois at Chicago, Clinical,
1992). Local Recovery Coordinator. Clinical expertise in group and
individual psychotherapy.

***Raegan Radenheimer, Psy.D.*** (Xavier University, Clinical, 2006).
Assigned to Geropsychology / Palliative Care. Responsibilities include
conducting evaluations addressing differential diagnosis, mood
assessments, functional status examinations, and treatment planning.
Additional responsibilities include providing a full range of
therapeutic interventions supportive, palliative care to veterans
focusing on psychological issues related to aging and chronic/terminal
illness, outpatient individual psychotherapy to veterans and family
members dealing with aging, grief, and terminal illness, and group
psychotherapy. Consultation and psychoeducation is also a very important
duty. Professional interest includes palliative care, successful aging,
motivational interviewing, caregiver stress, capacity evaluations, and
neurocognitive assessment.

***Richard Simon, Ph.D.*** (University of Pittsburgh, Clinical, 1984).
Program Director of the Substance Abuse Residential Rehabilitation
Program. Clinical expertise in treatment of substance dependence and in
group and individual psychotherapy. Strong background in
cognitive-behavioral therapies with a current integrative orientation.
Professional interest in issues of treatment program development and
evaluation and coordination of a multidisciplinary treatment team.

***Pam Slone, Ph.D.*** (University of North Texas, Clinical, 1996).
Staff Psychologist assigned to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Clinical
Team, which provides outpatient psychiatric services to veterans with
PTSD. Clinical responsibilities include psychological evaluations,
individual and group therapy, family/couples therapy, psychoeducation
classes, and relaxation training. Member of Sexual Trauma team providing
evaluation and treatment for female and male military sexual trauma.
Clinical expertise in assessment and treatment of PTSD, as well as
administration and scoring of the SCID-I and SCID-II. Therapeutic
approach is eclectic, with a cognitive- behavioral emphasis. Research
interests include diagnosis and treatment of PTSD, and structured
therapeutic treatment of trauma.

***Pilar Somoza, Ph.D.*** (Florida State U., Clinical, 1990). Assigned
to Spinal Cord Injury. Duties include psychological assessments,
diagnostic evaluations, individual and group psychotherapy, and
consultations. General interests include clinical diagnoses,
psychopathology, and psychopharmacology. Adjunct faculty, University of
Miami Miller School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry.

***Elaine Stein, Psy.D.*** (Illinois School of Professional Psychology,
Chicago, Clinical, 1998). Assigned to Health Care for Homeless Veterans
Section. Duties include research project development, intervention,
program evaluation, and consultation throughout VISN 8 HCHV Programs.
Clinical expertise in the treatment of PTSD and behavioral medicine.
Member of the Women's Sexual Trauma Team providing evaluation and
individual therapy for veterans who have suffered sexual trauma during
active duty. Case conceptualization and treatment approach includes
strong emphasis on humanistic, existential, and transpersonal approaches
to therapy as well as cognitive behavioral theories and use of
mindfulness particularly in the treatment of PTSD. Interests include
integration of spirituality and psychology, holistic and energy medicine
treatments, and treatment effectiveness of PTSD.

***George Stocking, Ed.D.*** (U. Miami, Counseling, 1970). Assigned to
vocational rehabilitation. Expertise in vocational assessment and
interventions. Extensive experience in advocacy efforts in
rehabilitation at both local and national levels. Interests in clinical
and patient advocacy specialization in blind services.

***William Wohlgemuth, Ph.D.*** (U. of Miami, Clinical, 1995). Assigned
to the sleep disorders center. Duties include the diagnosis and
treatment of a variety of sleep disorders. Therapeutic approach is
cognitive-behavioral. Certified in Behavioral Sleep Medicine from the
American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Currently an NIH funded investigator
using combined pharmacological/behavioral treatments for chronic
insomnia (R01-MH062119). Additional duties include running the smoking
cessation program using QuitSmart (developed by Dr. Robert Shipley).

## Trainees

Each year's class of seven interns comes from a wide variety of training
programs. In the past four years, about half of each class came to us
from Ph.D. programs, and half from Psy.D. programs. The vast majority
have been enrolled in Clinical Psychology tracks, but we have also had a
good number of interns from Counseling Psychology.

While we have always had at least one intern from a local university
(University of Miami, Nova Southeastern University, Carlos Albizu
University) in each class, most of our interns are new to (or returning
to) the Miami area. Past, current, and next years' classes have
completed their graduate coursework at the following institutions:

## Duke University, Fuller Theological Seminary, Argosy University, La Salle University, Regent University, University of Arizona, University of Akron, Pacific Graduate School, Wright State, Pepperdine University, Florida State University, Florida Institute of Technology, Xavier University, Forest Institute of Professional Psychology, Illinois Institute of Technology, Farleigh Dickenson University, and George Mason University.

## Local Information

Miami and its surrounding areas offer an incredibly cultually diverse
living experience in a tropical environment. While often considered an
ideal venue for outdoor activities, the area also offers rich cultural
events including the nation\'s largest book fair, a new cultural arts
center (for opera, ballet, symphony orchestras and plays), and a myriad
of cultural festivals reflecting the diversity of the local population.
A dozen colleges and universities, medical and other professional
schools, and the nation\'s largest community college add to the area\'s
\"liveability.\"

***Additional information can be found on the following website:***

> http://www.Miamiandbeaches.com