VA Boston Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship

Training Program

Training Brochure

2009 -- 2010 Training Year

![](media/image1.png){width="6.295833333333333in" height="5.625e-2in"}

A F F I L I A T E D W I T H :

V A B O S T O N H E A L T H C A R E S Y S T E M

B O S T O N U N I V E R S I T Y S C H O O L O F M E D I C I N E

A N D

H A R V A R D M E D I C A L S C H O O L

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="1.1374015748031496in"
height="1.1374015748031496in"}![](media/image3.png){width="1.1318897637795275in"
height="1.1318897637795275in"}![](media/image4.png){width="0.9374015748031496in"
height="1.1251968503937009in"}

> **Training Brochure**

![](media/image5.jpeg){width="6.097222222222222in"
height="0.5625in"}**2009 -- 2010**

![](media/image6.jpeg){width="4.791666666666667in"
height="5.555555555555555e-2in"}

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Jennifer J. Vasterling, Ph.D.                                         |
|                                                                       |
| Chief, Psychology Service -- VA Boston Healthcare System              |
|                                                                       |
| Chair, Executive Committee -- Boston Consortium in Clinical           |
| Psychology                                                            |
|                                                                       |
| Amy K. Silberbogen, Ph.D.                                             |
|                                                                       |
| Director, Postdoctoral Fellowship Training Program                    |
|                                                                       |
| ![](media/image6.jpeg){width="4.791666666666667in"                    |
| height="5.555555555555555e-2in"}                                      |
|                                                                       |
| **Training Group**                                                    |
|                                                                       |
| **Clinical Psychology Training Program Track Directors**              |
|                                                                       |
| > **Geropsychology**                                                  |
| >                                                                     |
| > Michele Karel, Ph.D.                                                |
| >                                                                     |
| > Brockton Campus                                                     |
| >                                                                     |
| > **Integrated Mental Health in Primary Care and Suicide Prevention** |
| >                                                                     |
| > Melanie Vielhauer, Ph.D.                                            |
| >                                                                     |
| > West Roxbury Campus                                                 |
| >                                                                     |
| > **Medical Psychology**                                              |
| >                                                                     |
| > DeAnna Mori, Ph.D.                                                  |
| >                                                                     |
| > Jamaica Plain Campus                                                |
| >                                                                     |
| > **Post Traumatic Stress Disorder**                                  |
| >                                                                     |
| > Stephen Quinn, Ph.D. -- Behavioral Science Division                 |
| >                                                                     |
| > Eve Davison, Ph.D. -- Women's Health Sciences Division              |
| >                                                                     |
| > Jamaica Plain Campus                                                |
| >                                                                     |
| > **Returning Veterans and Substance Use**                            |
| >                                                                     |
| > Deborah Brief, Ph.D.                                                |
|                                                                       |
| Jamaica Plain Campus                                                  |
|                                                                       |
| > **Substance Abuse Treatment Program**                               |
| >                                                                     |
| > Deborah Brief, Ph.D.                                                |
| >                                                                     |
| > Jamaica Plain Campus                                                |
|                                                                       |
| **Neuropsychology Training Program**                                  |
|                                                                       |
| William Milberg, Ph.D., ABPP/cn                                       |
|                                                                       |
| Jamaica Plain Campus                                                  |
|                                                                       |
| **Neuropsychology Track Directors**                                   |
|                                                                       |
| **Geriatric Neuropsychology**                                         |
|                                                                       |
| Laura Grande, Ph.D.                                                   |
|                                                                       |
| Jamaica Plain Campus                                                  |
|                                                                       |
| **Polytrauma and Rehabilitation**                                     |
|                                                                       |
| Jennifer Vasterling, Ph.D.                                            |
|                                                                       |
| Maxine Krengel, Ph.D.                                                 |
|                                                                       |
| Jamaica Plain Campus and West Roxbury Campus                          |
|                                                                       |
| ![](media/image6.jpeg){width="4.791666666666667in"                    |
| height="5.555555555555555e-2in"}                                      |
|                                                                       |
| **Administrative Group**                                              |
|                                                                       |
| **Director of Admissions and Accreditation**                          |
|                                                                       |
| Stephen R. Lancey, Ph.D.                                              |
|                                                                       |
| Jamaica Plain Campus                                                  |
|                                                                       |
| **Administrative Officer for Mental Health**                          |
|                                                                       |
| Ms. Penny M. Lashua                                                   |
|                                                                       |
| Jamaica Plain Campus and Brockton Campus                              |
|                                                                       |
| **Management Analyst for Mental Health**                              |
|                                                                       |
| Ms. Christine Quigley                                                 |
|                                                                       |
| Jamaica Plain Campus and Brockton Campus                              |
|                                                                       |
| **Program Assistant**                                                 |
|                                                                       |
| Ms. Neysa Wright                                                      |
|                                                                       |
| Jamaica Plain Campus                                                  |
|                                                                       |
| **Program Assistant**                                                 |
|                                                                       |
| Ms. Stephanie Lane                                                    |
|                                                                       |
| Jamaica Plain Campus                                                  |
|                                                                       |
| Contact Us At:                                                        |
|                                                                       |
| Psychology Service (116B)                                             |
|                                                                       |
| VA Boston Healthcare System                                           |
|                                                                       |
| 150 South Huntington Avenue                                           |
|                                                                       |
| Boston, MA 02130                                                      |
|                                                                       |
| Phone: 857-364-4035 (Administration)                                  |
|                                                                       |
| 857-364-4707 (Director)                                               |
|                                                                       |
| Fax: 857-364-4408                                                     |
|                                                                       |
| Email: amy.silberbogen@va.gov                                         |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

Table of Contents

[Introduction](#introduction) 4

[Philosophy and Mission](#philosophy-and-mission-statement) 5

[Model of Training](#model-of-training) 5

[Objectives](#training-objectives) 7

[Goals of the Fellowship](#goals-of-the-fellowship) 10

[Organization of the Fellowship](#organization-of-the-fellowship) 11

[The Training Programs](#the-training-programs) 12

> [The Clinical Psychology Training Program](#the-training-programs) 13
>
> [Geropsychology Track](#Geropsychology) 13
>
> [Integrated Mental Health in Primary Care & Suicide Prevention
> Track](#PrimaryCare) 17
>
> [Medical Psychology Track](#MedPsych) 20
>
> [Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Track](#PTSD) 22
>
> [Returning Veterans and Substance Use Track](#ReturningVets) 24
>
> [Substance Abuse Treatment Track](#SATP) 25
>
> [The Neuropsychology Training Program](#NeuropsychTrainingProgram) 27
>
> [Geriatric Neuropsychology Track](#Neuropsych) 27
>
> [Polytrauma and Rehabilitation Track](#Polytrauma) 29

[Review and Remediation Procedures](#Review) 32

[Training Environment](#training-environment) 32

[Research Activities](#research-activities) 34

[Living Environment](#living-environment) 35

[Hours, Stipend, and Benefits](#section-1) 36

[APA Accreditation](#apa-accreditation) 37

[Application Procedure](#section-2) 37

Fellowship Training Brochure

2009 - 2010 Edition

# Introduction

Welcome to the VA Boston Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship Training
Program!

We were formerly known as the Boston Consortium in Clinical Psychology
Fellowship Program. During the spring and summer of 2007, the Fellowship
Program held a number of discussions internally and with the American
Psychological Association (APA) regarding possible confusion over our
name. All of our positions are funded by the Department of Veterans
Affairs and all training is conducted within the VA Boston Healthcare
System's (VABHCS) Medical Centers and Community Based Outpatient
Clinics. Our name change is one that is most descriptive of our current
configuration.

The structure of the VA Boston Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship
Program follows an integrated practice format as defined by APA's
*Policy Statements and Implementing Regulations*. The Fellowship Program
is organized into two separate areas: (1) the substantive traditional
practice area of Clinical Psychology, and (2) the specialty practice
area of Clinical Neuropsychology. Within the Clinical Psychology
Training Program, we offer training in six areas of emphasis ("tracks"):
Geropsychology, Integrated Mental Health in Primary Care and Suicide
Prevention, Medical Psychology, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,
Returning Veterans and Substance Use, and Substance Abuse. Within the
Clinical Neuropsychology Training Program, we offer training in two
areas of emphasis ("tracks"): Geriatric Neuropsychology, and Polytrauma
and Rehabilitation. Both Training Programs within the overarching
structure of the Fellowship Program are accredited by APA. Our most
recent Site Visit took place in April 2008.

During the 2009 - 2010 training year, the VA Boston Psychology
Postdoctoral Fellowship Program anticipates it will provide training for
nine full-time Fellows in the traditional practice of Clinical
Psychology. We will also provide funding for one full-time Fellow in
Clinical Neuropsychology. We are pleased to welcome you to our Medical
Centers and look forward to your application for admission.

# Philosophy and Mission Statement 

The overall goal of the VA Boston Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship
Training Program is to produce independently functioning clinical
psychologists. Our postdoctoral program's model for training
psychologists entails four broad, core components:

(1) We work to identify, respect, and nurture the unique personal
    attributes that the Fellow brings to his or her work with patients,
    by providing an environment with support and guidance through
    supervision and collaboration with faculty actively working in the
    field;

(2) We encourage and model a scientist-practitioner approach to
    professional psychology, wherein empirically-informed knowledge
    informs psychological assessment and intervention with children and
    adults and wherein questions arising from clinical practice drive
    research endeavors;

(3) We provide a range of training settings and experiences that allow
    Fellows to develop a breadth of expertise in psychological practice,
    as well as options for developing more specific interests in depth;

(4) We provide training in multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary care
    environments in which the Fellow develops confidence as a local
    mental health expert who collaborates effectively with a range of
    providers in the context of a large medical care system.

# Model of Training

The Postdoctoral Fellowship Training Program is committed to the
**scientist-practitioner / evidence -- based** model in the delivery of
clinical care, clinical research, and professional teaching. We
emphasize and demonstrate respect for the individual and diversity in
the delivery of clinical care, clinical research, and professional
teaching. We strive to provide Fellows with significant breadth and
depth of experience working with a variety of clinical populations while
simultaneously applying an approach utilizing scientific information in
the conceptualization, assessment, and treatment of clinical problems.
This goal is greatly facilitated by the rich and diverse clinical
research setting offered by the training sites. VA Boston is home to
numerous National Research Centers and Centers of Excellence, with over
thirty federally funded grants in the field of Mental Health and
Substance Abuse. This wealth of research resources creates an atmosphere
that embodies the scientist-practitioner model and infuses the
Fellowship training sites with a spirit of clinical empiricism that
influences and guides both the staff and the Fellows.

Within this context, members of the training staff seek, and often
achieve, a balance of scientist and practitioner in their professional
lives which serves as a clinical-academic model for each Fellow. For
example, some of the clinical experience offered to Fellows in each
training program is provided within a program of clinical research. As
such, both our training setting, and training model provide a rich
context within which Fellows are invited and encouraged to show clinical
science mastery in a content area of their choice in preparation for
competitive job searches in academic, medical center, or clinical
settings.

We believe that teaching Fellows in clinical service, scholarly
thinking, and clinical research design is best received and maintained
within a "junior colleague" model of training. Our commitment to the
Fellows' professional growth and scholastic development is conveyed in a
supportive training atmosphere emphasizing individual strengths. Fellows
are challenged to think critically, and constructive criticism is
offered in a non-threatening manner to encourage the Fellow's full
creative participation in all endeavors, scientific and clinical.

A guiding principle in all aspects of service delivery and clinical
research within the program is respect and human dignity for our
clients. We emphasize patients' rights, self-determination and the right
to choose, including the patient's right to adequate medical,
psychological, educational, recreational and other community services,
the patient's right to family participation in treatment, and delivery
of care with the utmost privacy in the least restrictive environment. We
honor cultural, ethnic, sexual orientation and gender differences in our
patients and deliver services accordingly.

Finally, we tailor our training to be consistent with the current
climate of clinical practice and research. As we prepare students for
practicing psychology in the new millennium, we are aware that Fellows
must be trained for delivery of brief, empirically defensible treatments
with a broad spectrum of patients. The Fellowship Program's didactics,
symposia, and seminars are utilized effectively towards this end to
inform and support the current model of clinical practice. Fellowship
offers a window to the realities of clinical research and practice and
we believe that the training that alerts Fellows to these external
economic, social, and political forces is important for a successful
career.

With the preceding in mind, The Fellowship Program operates utilizing
the following principles:

-   Emphasis on patient-centered care;

-   Emphasis on goal-directed treatment and outcomes;

-   Emphasis on maximizing individual strengths;

-   Emphasis on self-respect and human dignity;

-   Emphasis on the patient's right to adequate medical, psychological,
    housing, educational, recreational, and other community services;

-   Emphasis on patient rights, self-determination, and right to choose;

-   Emphasis on active patient and family participation in treatment and
    in the implementation of plans;

-   Emphasis on culturally appropriate services;

-   Emphasis on delivery of care in the least restrictive environment;

-   Emphasis on the value of peer support and interaction;

-   Commitment to personal growth and development.

To achieve these principles, the Fellowship Program assists Fellows in
the following ways:

-   First, we provide a structured, coherent, and integrated training
    program designed to develop clinically and academically well-rounded
    clinical psychologists.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Second, we provide intensive and systematic training in the
    application of psychological principles to human problems and expose
    the Fellow to a variety of patients, techniques, and approaches.
    This provides an opportunity for Fellows to develop and refine
    adequacy in conceptual skills, skills in interpersonal interactions
    such as therapeutic intervention, systematic observation of
    behavior, and psychological assessment; to develop values of
    professional responsibility and ethical behavior; and to integrate
    scholarly research findings in clinical practice.

-   Third, we expose Fellows to a diversity of approaches to help them
    develop critically in their assessment of mental health issues.

-   Fourth, we place emphasis on the Fellow's assuming increasing
    responsibility for setting individualized training goals and in
    assuming responsibility for major professional functions and patient
    care in their assigned tracks. We see as one of our major
    responsibilities to integrate the didactic learning of the
    university with the practical knowledge and skills of the
    professional psychologist. Our major resource in this endeavor is
    the significant investment of enthusiasm, energy, and time of many
    doctoral psychologists, dedicated to the supervisory/training
    process.

-   Fifth, we provide ample supervision throughout the Fellowship year.

-   Sixth, formal and informal teaching (seminars, lectures, etc.) are
    an integral component of the training program.

# Training Objectives

Psychology Fellowship training recognizes and values the unique skills
and characteristics of doctoral level psychologists, and aims to impart
these to Fellows. The doctoral psychologist has advanced and distinctive
skills in assessment, diagnosis, intervention, consultation, attention
to issues of diversity, supervision, and scholarly inquiry. These skills
are practiced in key areas including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder,
Substance Abuse, Geropsychology, Substance Abuse and Returning Veterans,
Medical Psychology, Primary Care, and Neuropsychology, in specialty or
outpatient settings.

The postdoctoral training program is designed to be consistent with the
American Psychological Association's guidelines for six general
competency areas to be addressed during Fellowship training. These
training objectives provide the basis for Fellows' evaluation of their
initial training needs and progress throughout the year, as well as the
supervisors' evaluations of each Fellow's progress. This general outline
of learning objectives is adapted to the Fellow's particular learning
goals during formulation of a training plan at the beginning of the
Fellowship year.

1.  *Theories and Effective Methods of Psychological Assessment,
    Diagnosis, and Interventions*

> *A. Knowledge Areas*

-   Life span development (including cognitive, emotional, and social
    processes)

-   Biological and biomedical aspects

-   Psychopathology

-   Psychopharmacology

-   Issues in assessment of adults and older adults

-   Issues in treatment of adults and older adults

-   Models of community coordination, prevention, education in mental
    health

> *B. Skill/Practice Areas*
>
> [Assessment:]{.underline}

-   Clinical diagnostic interviewing, DSM, differential diagnosis

-   Knowledge and use of psychological assessment devices (e.g.,
    self-report inventories)

-   Knowledge, use, interpretation, and recommendations re:
    psychological and neuropsychological tests

-   Functional assessment, medical and legal decision making,
    competency, child and elder abuse

-   Appreciation of and collaboration in multidisciplinary assessment

> [Treatment:]{.underline}

-   Individual therapy (linking diagnosis, theory, intervention)

-   Group therapy, psychoeducational group

-   Family therapy, psychoeducation for family caregivers

-   Establishing rapport with patients; handling one's own responses

-   Special applications

-   Coordination of care with community-based providers

*2. Consultation, Program Evaluation, Supervision, and/or Teaching*

> *A. Knowledge Areas*

-   Models of multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary team functioning

-   Methods for evaluating therapeutic and programmatic efficacy

-   Models of supervision

-   Issues in staff training and education

> *B. Skill/Practice Areas*

-   Interface with multidisciplinary team (constructive relationships,
    response to requests)

-   Critical evaluation of therapeutic or programmatic
    effectiveness/unmet needs

-   Prepares for and directs individual supervision hour

-   Provision of feedback to interns/externs

-   Supervision of an intern/extern under supervision (optional and as
    available)

-   Provision of staff training/education in didactic and clinical
    settings

*3. Strategies of Scholarly Inquiry*

> *A. Knowledge Areas*

-   Theories and methods

-   Preparing a research grant

-   Writing a paper for publication

> *B. Skill Areas*

-   Application of the scientific literature to clinical, consultation,
    and teaching work

-   Participation in or development of a research project

*4. Organization, Management, and Administration Issues Pertinent to
Psychological Service Delivery and Practice, Training, and Research*

> *A. Knowledge Areas*

-   Administration of mental health programs

-   Sustaining health care programs in today's fiscal realities

> B. Skill Areas

-   Committee participation (optional, e.g., various program committees
    addressing systemic changes)

*5. Professional Conduct; Ethics and Law; and Other Standards for
Providers of Psychological Services*

> *A. Knowledge Areas*

-   Professional Ethics (APA) and Federal/State Law

-   Biomedical Ethics

-   Ethical/Legal Issues in Psychology (e.g., informed consent,
    competency, guardianship)

-   Professional Issues in Psychology (e.g., standards for practice)

> *B. Skill Areas*

-   Response to and resolution of ethical problems in clinical settings

-   Participation in policy/committee work related to legal/ethical
    issues (optional)

*6. Issues of Cultural and Individual Diversity that are Relevant to All
of the Above*

> *A. Knowledge Areas*

-   Sociocultural, ethnicity and socioeconomic factors

-   Gender Differences

-   Sexuality Differences

> *B. Skill Areas*
>
> Understanding, sensitivity, and working effectively among issues of
> differences in:

-   Culture/ethnicity/religion

-   Gender and gender/sexual orientation issues

-   Age/cohort

-   Social environments and care systems

-   Physical/Cognitive/Mental dysfunction

# 

# Goals of the Fellowship 

Each of the Fellowship's programs (Clinical Psychology and
Neuropsychology) share common training goals. Sample goals of the
Fellowship are:

-   To develop a high standard of ethical practice and patient care.

-   To promote active participation in the training, clinical services,
    didactic instruction, administrative, and the overall activities of
    the Fellowship Training Program.

-   To develop professional competence in psychological theory,
    evaluation, diagnosis, intervention, and assessment.

-   To develop professional competence in the delivery of psychological
    services to a wide range of patients.

-   To encourage the development of professional skills in working with,
    and providing consultation to, other health care specialists within
    a multidisciplinary medical setting.

-   To promote an understanding of individual and cultural diversity and
    its impact on all components of professional practice.

-   To enhance the understanding of the scientific foundations of
    psychology, including an appreciation of empirically validated
    interventions, and the ability to contribute to science through
    research endeavors.

-   To prepare the Fellow to be competitive for entry level clinical and
    academic positions.

-   To enable the Fellow to complete Fellowship requirements necessary
    to apply for state licensure as a psychologist in most states.

# Organization of the Fellowship 

All full-time Clinical Psychology Fellows are supported from September
1, 2009 through August 31, 2010. Neuropsychology Fellows are supported
from September 1, 2009 through August 31, 2011. The organization of the
Fellowship provides Fellows access to different populations and an
opportunity to assume a variety of roles. The Fellowship includes
clinical, research, and educational components, described below. There
is a fair degree of flexibility in how each Fellow might design their
training experience with the Track Director's approval, consistent with
their interests and training needs. Further, the Fellows benefit from
opportunities for collegial learning and collaboration.

**Clinical Training**

Fellows are required to complete clinical activities in three core
areas: assessment, intervention, and consultation. The distribution of
time is determined jointly by the Fellow and the Training Program's
faculty and will integrate the Fellow's training interests and needs.

**Research Training**

It has been our experience that Fellows value and benefit from a
scientist-practitioner training program which encourages skillful use of
the empirical literature and opportunities for collaborative or
self-directed research. However, Fellows differ in their level of
motivation and interest to work on research during the Fellowship year.
Therefore, the research requirement is flexible and designed to meet
Fellows' training needs, and may occupy a minimum of 4 hours per week
(up to 8 hours per week) of the Fellow's time. To meet the research
requirement, Fellows may: write up a paper based on prior work (e.g.,
dissertation), collaborate with faculty on ongoing research, collaborate
with faculty on a program evaluation project, or design and implement an
independent research project under the mentoring of one faculty member.
Fellows are encouraged to present their work in a local, regional,
and/or national educational setting, or submit work for publication as
appropriate.

**Professional Development and Educational Offerings**

All Fellows attend a twice monthly seminar chaired by the Director of
Postdoctoral Fellowship Training. Here, we develop a sense of
professional community and peer support during the Fellowship training
year. Speakers are invited to present didactics on professional
development issues, leadership, ethics, diversity and ethnicity, and
professional identity. Examples of seminars that have been offered
recently include:

-   "Military Culture, Jargon, and Acronyms: A Tutorial in Understanding
    the Military"

> Presenter: David Zade, Ph.D.,

-   "Mental Health Administration"

> Presenter: Jennifer Vasterling, Ph.D.

-   "Understanding the Licensure Process"

> Presenter: Laura Grande, Ph.D.

-   "Research Productivity and Leadership in Psychology"

> Presenter: Terry Keane, Ph.D.

-   "Treating Veterans with TBI"

> Presenters: Maxine Krengel, Ph.D.

-   "Supervision and Multicultural Issues"

> Presenter: Rachel Levy-Bell, Ph.D.

-   "Returning Veterans"

> Presenter: Erin Daly, Ph.D.

-   "Gender Issues in the VA"

> Presenter: Jillian Shipherd, Ph.D.

-   "African Americans and Mental Health"

> Presenter: Landis Mitchner, M.D

-   "Competencies for Professional Psychology Practice"

> Presenter: Michele Karel, Ph.D.

-   "Organizational Ethics and Ethical Leadership"

> Presenter: Rodney Dismukes, Ph.D.

In addition to the core curriculum, each track has developed training
experiences that are intended to assist the Fellow in gaining knowledge
and skills in their area of specialization. These training experiences,
listed below, include didactic seminars, colloquia, symposia,
co-therapy, role modeling, observation, case conferences, rounds, group
supervision, and journal clubs. Also, Fellows across the different
specialty areas are given the opportunity to attend various seminars
conducted in other specialty areas. For example, the PTSD symposium is
open to all staff and students in training. In addition, a number of the
seminars conducted through the Predoctoral Internship Program are also
available to the postdoctoral students. For example, the half-day
symposium on Grant Writing is open to all staff and students.

# The Training Programs

**[The Clinical Psychology Training Program]{.smallcaps}**

Under the auspices of the Psychology Service of the VA Boston Healthcare
System, the VA Boston Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship offers
postdoctoral training in two separate areas: 1. the substantive
traditional practice area of Clinical Psychology, and 2. the specialty
practice area of Clinical Neuropsychology. Within the General Clinical
Psychology postdoctoral program, opportunities are available for
training in six areas of emphasis, herein referred to as tracks. These
tracks are: Geropsychology, Integrated Mental Health in Primary Care and
Suicide Prevention, Medical Psychology, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder,
Returning Veterans and Substance Use, and Substance Abuse Treatment. We
describe each track below:

**[Geropsychology]{.underline}**

**Track Director:** Michele Karel, Ph.D.

Psychology Service, 3-5-C

940 Belmont Street

Brockton, MA 02301

Telephone: (774) 826-3725

> Email: <michele.karel@va.gov>

**Location:** VA Boston Healthcare System

Brockton and Jamaica Plain Campuses

**Overview:** The program aims to train Fellows for specialized practice
in Geropsychology by becoming independently practicing psychologists
with expertise in assessment, intervention, consultation, and research
with older adults, their families, and related care systems.
Geropsychology is an emerging specialty area within professional
psychology. Our program is designed to be consistent with the American
Psychological Association's *Guidelines for Psychological Practice with
Older Adults* and the *Pikes Peak Model* developed at the *2006 National
Conference on Training in Professional Geropsychology*.

**Number of Fellows:** Three full-time Fellows are admitted each
year**.**

**Length of Training:** One year.

**Goals:** The goal of the Geropsychology Postdoctoral Fellowship track
is to produce independently functioning professional psychologists who
achieve a firm sense of competence in the majority of attitude,
knowledge and skill competency areas deemed important for geropsychology
practice by experts in the field. The Geropsychology program embraces
the four core components of the Fellowship's postdoctoral training model
(nurturing unique personal attributes of each Fellow; modeling a
scientist-practitioner model of training; providing a range of training
settings to allow both breadth and depth of training; and encouraging
Fellows to develop confidence in collaborating and consulting with other
disciplines in multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary care
environments). Further, Geropsychology training emphasizes: the
diversity of experience of older adults; the complex ethical dilemmas
that can arise in geriatric care; the importance of advocacy for
clients' needs; and the consolidation of the Fellow's professional
identity as a geropsychologist. Training objectives include development
of clinical competencies in the following areas:

-   psychodiagnostic interviews and differential diagnosis with older
    adults with complex medical, psychiatric, cognitive, and social
    comorbidities;

-   neuropsychological evaluations and recommendations to teams;

-   evaluations of decision making and other functional capacities;

-   psychotherapy with older adults in individual, group, couple, and
    family modalities;

-   collaboration and communication with multi- and inter-disciplinary
    health care teams;

-   collaboration with psychiatrists in psychopharmacological
    interventions;

-   consultation and staff education on psychological/behavioral issues;

-   comprehension, application, and dissemination of clinical
    geropsychology research base;

-   geropsychology program development, evaluation, and/or research.

-   supervision of novice counselors beginning work with older adults.

**Teaching Methods:** Fellows develop advanced skills in professional
Geropsychology through closely supervised and increasingly autonomous
clinical practice across a continuum of geriatric care in assessment,
intervention, consultation, and research.

*Clinical Settings.* The amount of time spent weekly in each setting is
determined by an initial needs assessment and training contract process,
integrating the Fellow's training interests and needs. Time on each
rotation includes at least one hour of individual supervision weekly
and, in the Community Living Center rotation, an additional hour of
group supervision weekly. Facilities for videotaping and audiotaping
clinical work are available. Fellows design a program that includes
clinical experience in two or three of the following four settings,
working part-time in each rotation over the course of the entire year:

(1) **Community Living Center:** Based at the Brockton campus, the
    Community Living Center is a four-unit 120 bed inpatient facility
    that includes long-term care, medical rehabilitation, and palliative
    care units, and a caregiver respite program. The facility serves a
    broad mix of mostly elderly, medically frail, and psychiatrically
    and/or cognitively impaired residents. The Fellow participates as a
    member of the treatment team for one 40-bed unit, and provides
    assessment, therapy, consultation, and staff education services.
    Fellows also provide supervision to college student "friendly
    visitors" learning to interview older adults. Opportunities for
    specialized work in palliative care are available.

> *Clinical Supervisors: Kelly Trevino, Ph.D. and Michele Karel, Ph.D.*

(2) **Geriatric Neuropsychology:** Based at the Jamaica Plain campus but
    serving all of VA Boston, the Geriatric Research, Education, and
    Clinical Center (GRECC) oversees a Geriatric Consultation Service
    and Neuropsychology Research Laboratory, among other programs. The
    Fellow contributes to interdisciplinary outpatient geriatric
    assessments by providing neuropsychological testing and relevant
    feedback and recommendations to the team, veteran, and family.

> *Clinical Supervisors: William Milberg, Ph.D., ABPP/cn, Laura Grande,
> Ph.D., Betsy Leritz, Ph.D., Sue McGlynn, Ph.D., ABPP/cn, Kit Brady,
> Ph.D.*

(3) **Acute Inpatient Geropsychiatry:** Based at the Brockton campus,
    two acute inpatient psychiatry units serve many veterans over the
    age of 60. Consulting to the interdisciplinary teams on the two
    units, Fellows provide neuropsychological assessment, interviews to
    assess suicide and violence risk, evaluations focused on questions
    of decision-making capacity (e.g., re: safety to return home to
    independent living or to make medical care decisions), as well as
    family consultations and short-term psychotherapeutic interventions.

> *Clinical Supervisors: John Pepple, Ph.D., and Benjamin
> Presskreischer, Psy.D., ABPP*

(4) **Geriatric Mental Health Outpatient Clinic:** Based at the Brockton
    campus, this outpatient clinic provides assessment, psychotherapy
    (individual, group, family), case management, and psychopharmacology
    services to older veterans with a wide range of medical and
    psychological/psychiatric difficulties. The Fellow provides intake
    evaluation and psychotherapy services, often collaborating with
    primary care, social work, and psychiatry providers. Fellows may
    lead or co-lead psychotherapy groups, including a family caregiver
    group.

> *Clinical Supervisor: Michele Karel, Ph.D.*

*Research Experience.* Fellows typically spend one day per week devoted
to research, writing, and/or program development activities. As part of
the initial training contract, Fellows define academic/research goals
for the year and choose a faculty advisor for these activities. To meet
the research requirement, Fellows may: write up a paper based on prior
work (e.g., dissertation), collaborate with faculty on ongoing research,
collaborate with faculty on a program evaluation project, design and
implement an independent research project under the mentoring of one
faculty member, write a grant proposal. Fellows are encouraged to
present their work in local, regional, and/or national educational
settings, and to submit work for publication according to interest.
There are a variety of ongoing research activities on which the Fellow
may collaborate, including:

1.  Decisional capacity evaluation in older adults: identifying key
    neuropsychological and clinical markers of capacity loss within
    diagnostic groups, improving performance-based measurement of
    capacity, and translating this research into practical tools for
    clinicians, attorneys, and judges.

> *Dr. Jennifer Moye*

2.  Decisional capacity evaluation in older adults: identifying key
    neuropsychological and clinical markers of capacity loss within
    diagnostic groups, improving performance-based measurement of
    capacity, and translating this research into practical tools for
    clinicians, attorneys, and judges.

> *Dr. Jennifer Moye*

3.  Cancer Survivorship Across the Lifespan: Identifying stress related
    symptomatology, stress related growth, and adaptation following
    treatment for cancer; Understanding gaps in mental health care
    during and after cancer treatment; Improving the transition from
    primary cancer treatment to primary care; Sexuality and body image
    after cancer treatment.

> *Drs. Jennifer Moye, Michele Karel, Kelly Trevino, Jennifer Schuster,
> & Elizabeth Archambault*

4.  Values and health care planning/decision making, including assessing
    values relevant to advance care planning and medical decision
    making; incorporating values assessment into capacity evaluations;
    palliative care program development and evaluation.

> *Dr. Michele Karel*

5.  Neuropsychological and neuroanatomical changes in individuals at
    risk for cerebrovascular disease; Relating cortical function to
    dementia risk and cerebrovascular disease; Gender differences in
    age-related cognitive decline associated with vascular disease risk
    factors; Effects of age and health on language; Associative learning
    in individuals with memory disorders; Development of cognitive
    screening measures for the early identification of cognitive
    problems in the primary care setting; Cognitive neuropsychology of
    vision and visual search in healthy and brain injured individuals.

> *Drs. William Milberg, Laura Grande, Betsy Leritz, Kit Brady, & Gina
> McGlinchey*

6.  Geriatric Depression: Examining the relationship between vascular
    disease, executive dysfunction, and depression in older adults.
    Examining the relationship between surgery, depression, and outcome
    in older adults. Developing interventions for the treatment of
    geriatric depression.

> *Drs. Armin Azar, Jim Rudolph, Michele Karel, Jennifer Moye, and
> William Milberg*

7.  Geropsychology training models and professional psychology
    competency assessment. Developing and evaluating tools to help
    assess psychologists' development of competencies for professional
    geropsychology practice.

> *Dr. Michele Karel*

8.  Psychology of religion and spirituality, including: assessing the
    relationship between religious coping/spiritual struggles and
    well-being; religious prejudice and its relationship with religious
    coping; the use and effects of confession and forgiveness on
    well-being; incorporating and assessing psycho-spiritual
    interventions in long-term care settings.

> *Dr. Kelly Trevino*

9.  Culture Change: As part of the effort to bring "culture change" to
    the inpatient long-term care, medical rehabilitation, and palliative
    care units, program development and evaluation opportunities exist
    regarding interventions to promote resident-centered care, a
    home-like setting, and resident quality of life; to enhance the
    knowledge and skill set of staff; and, to improve team functioning
    and job satisfaction.

> *Drs. Kelly Trevino, Jennifer Moye, & Michele Karel*

There are many additional research programs at VA Boston and affiliated
institutions through which Fellows may identify mentors in specific
areas of interest.

**Didactics and Supervision:**

Required:

-   Individual supervision for each rotation - Approximately three hours
    per week

-   Team meetings for clinical rotations - Varies by rotation

-   Geropsychology seminar - One hour biweekly

-   Geropsychology Fellow meeting - One hour monthly

-   Community Living Center group supervision - One hour weekly
    (Community Living Center rotation)

-   Community Living Center case conference -- Monthly (Community Living
    Center rotation)

-   GRECC multidisciplinary conference - One hour biweekly (GRECC
    rotation)

-   Neurobehavioral Aphasia rounds - Two hours biweekly (GRECC rotation)

Available:

-   Geropsychology research support meeting -- one hour biweekly

-   GRECC Lab meetings - One hour biweekly

-   Neuropsychology didactics -- One hour biweekly

-   Memory Rounds -- One and a half hours monthly

-   Neuroimaging Journal Club -- One hour weekly

-   Brain Cuttiings -- Trainees typically attend monthly

-   Psychiatry Grand Rounds - One and one-half hours biweekly

-   Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School
    Interdisciplinary Center on Aging Grand Rounds - One hour monthly,
    at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

-   Multiple educational offerings at affiliated institutions

**[Integrated Primary Care Behavioral Health and Suicide
Prevention]{.underline}**

**Acting Track Director:** Melanie Vielhauer, Ph.D.

Psychology Service (116B)

150 South Huntington Avenue

Boston, MA 02130

Telephone: (857) 364-4043

> Email: <melanie.vielhauer@va.gov>

**Location:** VA Boston Healthcare System

West Roxbury and Jamaica Plain Campuses

**Overview:** The postdoctoral Fellow will deliver services through
several clinics affiliated with the VABHS General Mental Health (GMH)
Program, including the Primary Care Behavioral Health Clinic (PCBH) at
the West Roxbury and Jamaica Plain campuses, and the Mood Disorders
Clinic (MDC) and Urgent Care Clinic (UCC) at the Jamaica Plain campus.
These clinics provide services to large numbers of veterans (e.g., PCBH
serves a population of approximately 6000 primary care patients at each
campus, over 40% of whom are thought to be in need of mental health
services (Hankins et al., 1999); MDC -- approximately 300 referrals per
year). The postdoctoral Fellow will devote three days per week to the
GMH/MDC/UCC and two days per week to the PCBH.

**Number of Fellows:** One full-time Fellow is admitted each year**.**

**Length of Training:** One year.

**Goals:** Training will foster the development of assessment, treatment
and consultation skills. The Fellowship position is structured to
enhance communication across primary care, urgent care and specialty
mental health services. The Fellow will develop skill as a liaison
between these services to coordinate care, identify and manage patients
at high risk for suicide or other violence, and reduce stigma associated
with mental health treatment. The Fellow will gain experience in
administrative oversight of a mental health clinic, supervision, program
development, evaluation of outcomes, and clinical research.

**Integrated Primary Care Behavioral Health**: The PCBH offers
co-located, immediate, collaborative mental healthcare within the
primary care context. The Fellow will receive training in psychological
assessment and brief treatments of veterans with a broad range of
clinical conditions who present to primary care (e.g., depression,
anxiety, trauma, substance use disorders). Evaluation and treatment in
the PCBH is necessarily brief, with a focus on identifying key issues of
concern to the primary care patient. Standardized self-report measures
inform the clinical assessment. The Fellow will learn to develop and
carry out short-term, evidence-based behavioral treatment plans (e.g.,
cognitive behavioral treatment, motivational enhancement). Mental health
care is integrated into existing primary care treatment, and thus
communication and liaison with the Primary Care team is essential.
Fellows will develop proficiency in providing individual consultation to
primary care staff on mental health issues and management of suicide
risk.

**Mood Disorders Clinic and Urgent Care Clinic** **-- Suicide
Prevention:** Through the MDC and UCC, the Fellow will gain experience
in evaluating and treating mood disorders (unipolar and bipolar) and in
assessing and managing suicidal risk. The Fellow will complete
diagnostic and suicide risk assessments. Assessments include structured
clinical interviews (e.g. SCID) and standardized self-report
assessments. Treatments are primarily evidence-based (e.g., short-term
cognitive-behavioral approaches) and involve both individual and group
modalities. The Fellow will have the opportunity to work collaboratively
with the Suicide Prevention Coordinator, a member of the GMH/MDC team,
to manage patients deemed to be at risk for self-harm. The Fellow will
also conduct evaluations in the UCC, which provides a unique opportunity
for training in risk assessment and stabilization of acute psychiatric
crises. While in the UCC the Fellow will gain additional experience in
consultation, as well as navigation of complex systems issues (e.g.,
coordinating voluntary or involuntary hospitalization, mandatory
reporting).

**Teaching Methods:** Fellows will receive training using multiple
modalities, including individual and group supervision, didactic
trainings (clinic-specific and Fellowship-wide), case conferences and
rounds. Live supervision is provided in the UCC. The Fellow will
participate in multidisciplinary PCBH and MDC/UCC team meetings that may
include psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, clinical nurse
specialists, primary care providers, and other trainees (psychology
interns, practicum students, and a psychiatry resident).

**Supervision:** Dr. Melanie Vielhauer is the Director of the GMH Clinic
and serves as the Acting Track Director and primary advisor. Dr.
Vielhauer and Dr. Barbara Kamholz co-direct the MDC. Dr. Shaun Burns is
the Clinical Director of the PCBH. Together, Drs. Vielhauer, Kamholz and
Burns provide the leadership for the postdoctoral training program. Drs.
Phillip Kleespies and Stephen Lancey, and Ms. Powers-Lupo will provide
additional supervision to the postdoctoral Fellow. Dr. Kleespies is a
senior psychologist and risk assessment expert affiliated with the UCC
and Dr. Stephen Lancey is a senior psychologist on the GMH/MDC team. Ms.
Powers-Lupo is one of three Suicide Prevention Coordinators overseeing
this key initiative across all sites of VABHS (3 main medical campuses
and 6 community-based outpatient clinics). Interaction with multiple
supervisors allows the Fellow to work closely with professionals with
different areas of expertise.

The Fellow will work closely with staff psychologists in PCBH and
GMH/MDC Services and meet regularly for individual supervision. GMH/MDC
and PCBH teams meet weekly to discuss clinical cases, administrative
issues, and current issues in mental health care. Fellows receive both
individual and group supervision during which clinical, career
development and research issues are addressed.

**Research:** Fellows may collaborate with staff on any number of funded
and unfunded clinical research projects, which will provide
opportunities for involvement in professional presentations and
preparation of empirical and review manuscripts. Fellows are encouraged
to identify research activities that would expand their current skill
set. Fellowship supervisors are involved in several areas of ongoing
research. Dr. Kamholz serves as Co-Investigator on three
federally-funded studies, including a longitudinal study of risk and
resilience factors for PTSD and substance use disorders in firefighter
recruits (NIMH; PI: Suzy Gulliver) and two clinical trials evaluating
combined CBT and pharmacotherapy for patients with co-occurring
disorders (anxiety and alcohol use, NIAAA, PI: Domenic Ciraulo;
schizophrenia and smoking, VA, PI: Gary Kaplan). In addition, Dr.
Kamholz is the PI for a NIDA-funded grant examining the phenomenology
psychiatric smokers and a recently-completed VA-funded clinical trial
for mood-based smoking cessation treatments. Dr. Vielhauer recently
served as a Co-Investigator on two studies evaluating mindfulness
telehealth interventions for PTSD (Samueli Institute/VA; PI: Barbara
Niles) and moderators of health literacy in diabetes management (NIH;
PI: Amy Silberbogen). She currently serves as a diagnostic reviewer on a
multi-site VHA study examining the consistency and accuracy of PTSD
disability examinations (VHA; PI: Theodore Speroff). Research published
by Dr. Burns examines the risks and benefits associated with perceptions
of health controllability for people living with HIV/AIDS, and obstacles
to employment experienced by people living with HIV/AIDS. Dr. Burns'
current research explores men's adjustment to chronic and
life-threatening illnesses and treatment-related side effects, and the
impact of gender norms on men's and women's health and health-related
behaviors.

**[Medical Psychology]{.underline}**

**Track Director:** DeAnna Mori, Ph.D.

Psychology Service (116B)

> VA Boston Healthcare System
>
> 150 South Huntington Avenue
>
> Boston, MA 02130
>
> Telephone: (857) 364-4121
>
> Email: <deanna.mori@va.gov>

**Location:** VA Boston Healthcare System

Jamaica Plain Campus

**Overview:** The Medical Psychology Service provides a broad range of
services to medical populations throughout the VA Boston Healthcare
System. In addition to participating in specific groups and clinics,
postdoctoral Fellows will work with individual patients on a broad range
of behavioral medicine issues. Treatment is typically geared toward
helping patients cope effectively with major medical illnesses and
invasive treatments, promoting healthy lifestyles, encouraging treatment
compliance, and enhancing overall quality of life. Much of the treatment
provided on Medical Psychology is short term, cognitive-behavioral, and
problem-focused, although there is also the opportunity to do less
structured, longer-term treatment.

**Number of Fellows:** One full-time Fellow is admitted each year**.**

**Length of Training:** One year.

**Goals:** The primary responsibility of the postdoctoral Fellow will be
to provide clinical services for men and women who are coping with
chronic medical conditions and to facilitate lifestyle change in those
patients who are at risk for chronic disease. Fellows will conduct
individual, couples, and group psychotherapy with a wide range of
populations including those with medical conditions and those seeking
healthy lifestyle assistance. The Fellow will learn to develop and carry
out evidence-based behavioral medicine treatment plans. Fellows will
conduct psychological assessments and complete evaluations for
pre-surgical and pre-treatment candidates, and will also have the
opportunity to conduct chronic pain, sexual dysfunction, and intake
evaluations. Fellows will provide consultation-liaison services to
multidisciplinary treatment teams throughout the healthcare system and
will develop expertise and confidence in presenting cases at team
meetings. To develop administrative skills, Fellows will be given the
responsibility to manage both the Renal and Medical Psychology consult
service during their training year. In addition, Fellows will be given
opportunity to engage in program development activities. Finally,
Fellows will gain experience in supervising interns and practicum
students.

Fellows will have the opportunity to work with the following clinical
programs or populations, in addition to other Medical Psychology
patients whose needs do not fall under one of the specific
clinics/programs:

-   End Stage Renal Disease Program

-   Psychology Pain Management

-   Cardiac Rehabilitation Program

-   Hepatitis C Clinic

-   Weight Management Program

-   Diabetes Clinic

-   Andrology Clinic

-   Healthy Lifestyle Programs (e.g. Stress Management)

-   HIV Clinic

-   Smoking Cessation

**Teaching Methods:** There are several methods of training for the
clinical Fellow. The Fellow will work closely with staff psychologists
on the Medical Psychology Service and meet regularly for individual
supervision. All of the psychotherapy groups are co-led and the Fellow
will participate in group supervision with his/her co-leaders. In some
cases, more senior staff will co-lead a group with the Fellow, providing
further opportunity for training. Fellows will also participate in
multidisciplinary treatment team meetings throughout the hospital, and
have the opportunity to learn about chronic conditions from different
disciplines (e.g., nurses, psychiatrists, physicians, nutritionists,
social workers, etc.). Fellows will also learn how to supervise other
trainees under the guidance of licensed, clinical staff.

Involvement in behavioral health research is an integral part of the
Fellow's training. Most of the supervisors on the Medical Psychology
Service are funded investigators who are actively involved in clinical
research. Fellows are encouraged to identify research activities that
would expand their current skill set. There are a wide range of
opportunities available to Fellows that include: grant writing, running
studies, data analysis, preparing papers and presentations, interfacing
with the local IRB board, etc. Areas of ongoing research include:
telehealth, diabetes, hepatitis C, exercise and healthy lifestyle
promotion, PTSD and comorbid chronic medical conditions, medical
adherence, pain, health literacy, and mindfulness.

**Didactics and Supervision:** Dr. DeAnna Mori is the Director of the
Medical Psychology Service and provides leadership for the postdoctoral
training program. There are a number of licensed supervisors who may
also provide supervision: Amy K. Silberbogen, Ph.D., Allison Collins,
Ph.D., Erin Ulloa, Ph.D., John Otis, Ph.D., Glenn Trezza, Ph.D., and
Stephen Lancey, Ph.D.

Dr. Mori serves as the primary advisor and training supervisor, with
other staff psychologists serving as supervisors and consultants to the
program. As a result, Fellows are offered the opportunity to work
closely with professionals with different areas of expertise. Fellows
receive both individual and group supervision during which clinical,
career development and research issues are addressed. In addition, the
entire Medical Psychology team meets weekly to discuss clinical cases,
research interests, and current issues in behavioral medicine.

**[Posttraumatic Stress Disorder]{.underline}**

**Track Co-Directors:** Stephen Quinn, Ph.D.

> Behavioral Science Division
>
> VA Boston Healthcare System
>
> 150 South Huntington Avenue
>
> Boston, MA 02130
>
> Email: <steve.quinn@va.gov>
>
> Eve H. Davison, Ph.D.
>
> Women's Health Sciences Division
>
> VA Boston Healthcare System
>
> 150 South Huntington Avenue
>
> Boston, MA 02130
>
> Telephone: (857) 364-4012
>
> E-mail: <eve.davison@va.gov>

**Location:** VA Boston Healthcare System

Jamaica Plain Campus

**Overview:** Clinical postdoctoral training in PTSD is conducted within
the two Divisions of the National Center for PTSD located at VA Boston:
the Behavioral Sciences Division (BSD) and the Women's Health Sciences
Division (WHSD; see preceding Overview for details on these Divisions).
The clinical postdoctoral Fellowship lasts for one year, and consists of
intensive clinical training in the provision of empirically supported
treatments to male and female veterans suffering from PTSD and other
trauma-related and comorbid disorders. In addition to the direct
provision of clinical services, Fellows will serve as members of the
WHSD interdisciplinary treatment team that collaborates with, and
consults to, other mental health and medical care providers in order to
address the high rates of medical comorbidities among trauma survivors.
We have found this collaborative and consultative model to be highly
effective in coordinating the care of complex clinical cases, and
believe that it constitutes a best-practice model of care that is
becoming an integral part of the future of VA healthcare. PTSD Fellows
also have the opportunity to participate in research in the two
Divisions by allocating up to one day per week as protected research
time.

**Number of Fellows:** Two full-time Fellows are admitted each year**.**

**Length of Training:** One year.

**Goals:** Both Fellows split their time between BSD and WHSD. The
primary responsibility of clinical Fellows in BSD will be the provision
of PTSD-related clinical services to male veterans. In addition to
learning specific techniques and protocols for empirically supported
treatments, Fellows are also provided supervision on the ideographic
conceptualization of cases, and prioritization of treatment targets. The
primary responsibility of clinical Fellows in WHSD will be the provision
of psychological services to female veterans with PTSD and other
trauma-related disorders, and consultation to other treatment providers
through their work in WHSD's Women's Stress Disorder Treatment Team
(WSDTT). WSDTT and BSD patients present with a range of comorbid Axis I,
Axis II, and medical disorders as well as PTSD. The Fellow will provide
up to 20 hours per week of direct clinical service. The clinical
services Fellows will provide to veterans include:

(1) Comprehensive psychological assessments

(2) Brief, problem-focused assessments and consultations

(3) Short-term interventions and psychotherapy (individual and group)

(4) Long-term psychotherapy (individual and group)

By the end of the training year, Fellows will have gained mastery of
multi-method comprehensive psychological evaluation and treatment of
lifespan trauma, sexual trauma, war-zone trauma, PTSD, and comorbid
psychopathology.

**Teaching Methods:** Clinical Fellows will be assigned a primary
supervisor within both BSD and WHSD; these two primary supervisors will
coordinate the overall training experience to meet the specific needs of
the Fellows, and will provide clinical supervision. Fellows will work
with at least one additional clinical supervisor in each Division,
including group co-therapists. In addition to supervision of clinical
cases, supervision will also be provided on methods of effective
consultation within a medical center. Clinical consultation with other
faculty is also readily available, both formally through regular
clinical team meetings and informally. In addition to individual
supervision, Fellows will attend group consultation for Cognitive
Processing Therapy (CPT) for PTSD.

At the beginning of the training year, Fellows will learn about the
various ongoing research activities at NC-PTSD. Staff conduct research
on diverse aspects of trauma, health, and PTSD, addressing basic
questions of etiology, mechanisms of action, and course, as well as
applied questions related to assessment, prevention, and treatment
outcome. Fellows may have the opportunity to join a research laboratory
or to participate in ongoing research with one or more staff members of
NC-PTSD, and will have up to eight hours of protected research time per
week.

**Didactics and Supervision:** PTSD Fellows participate in the following
didactics at the start of the training year:

-   NC-PTSD resources

-   Introduction to BSD and working with male veterans

-   Clinical issues related to PTSD assessment

-   Use of the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS)

-   Introduction to WHSD and military sexual trauma

-   2-day training in Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD

-   Psychometrics

-   Introduction to Women's Stress Disorder Treatment Team

-   Lethality assessment

**[Returning Veterans and Substance Use]{.underline}**

**Track Director:** Deborah Brief, Ph.D.

Psychology Service (116B)

> VA Boston Healthcare System
>
> 150 South Huntington Avenue
>
> Boston, MA 02130
>
> Telephone: (857) 364-4689
>
> Email: <Deborah.brief@va.gov>

**Location:** VA Boston Healthcare System

Jamaica Plain Campus

**Overview:** This one-year clinical postdoctoral Fellowship is designed
to train psychologists to provide specialized clinical services for
returning veterans with both alcohol and drug problems as well as
co-occurring psychiatric disorders including PTSD. As this is a new area
of training, the Fellow will have an excellent opportunity to be
involved in the development and evaluation of new treatment programs for
returning veterans with substance use problems and co-occurring
psychiatric problems. The Fellow will also have an opportunity to
participate in research focused on the evaluation of new methods of
treatment for returning veterans with substance use disorders and to
develop independent ideas for research.

**Number of Fellows:** One full-time Fellow is admitted each year**.**

**Length of Training:** One year.

**Goals:** The Fellow will learn how to assess the full range of alcohol
and drug problems in returning veterans including problem drinking,
alcohol and drug abuse, and dependence. In addition, the Fellow will
learn state-of-the-art methods of assessment for PTSD as well as other
co-occurring psychiatric disorders. The Fellow will also learn how to
effectively utilize evidence-based treatments for alcohol and drug use
problems such as motivational interviewing, cognitive-behavioral
therapy, and behavioral self-control strategies with the returning
veteran population. In addition, the Fellow will receive specialized
training in established treatments for co-occurring substance use
disorders and PTSD such as Seeking Safety and learn how to treat PTSD
symptoms and other problems with emotional regulation in the context of
a substance use problem using techniques such as Cognitive Processing
Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy. The Fellow will have an
opportunity to learn to provide intensive rehabilitation services within
the context of a residential treatment program and both brief and
long-term therapy in an outpatient setting. Other training activities
include learning how to supervise trainees, assistance with program
evaluation and performance improvement activities, and clinical
research.

At the completion of their Fellowship, Fellows will be able to:

1.  Conduct a comprehensive assessment of alcohol and drug use as well
    as co-occurring psychiatric problems including PTSD

2.  Provide treatment for returning veterans with alcohol and drug
    problems in both a group and individual format depending on the
    veteran's needs

3.  Provide treatment for a wide range of co-occurring psychiatric
    disorders including PTSD

**Teaching Methods:** Trainees will receive their clinical training in
the Substance Abuse Treatment Program (SATP), Center for Returning
Veterans (CRV), and in the National Center for PTSD (NC-PTSD) across the
Jamaica Plain and Brockton campuses. Supervision will be provided
individually and in a group format with faculty from each of these
programs. The Fellow will also participate in didactic training through
NC-PTSD through attendance at workshops in Seeking Safety and Cognitive
Processing Therapy and lectures on assessment of trauma and
trauma-related symptoms, war history, interviewing processes, lethality,
and treatment for returning veterans. These programs include an
opportunity to interact with numerous staff from psychology, social work
and psychiatry.

**Research:** The Fellow will have the opportunity to join a research
team that includes faculty in the SATP, NC-PTSD, and Medical Informatics
Unit at Boston University School of Medicine. This research group is
currently working on projects related to the application of new
technologies to treat problem drinking and other substance use problems
in returning veterans. Through this collaboration the Fellow will have
an opportunity to participate in the grant application process and to
work on the implementation of any projects that are funded in this area.
The Fellow will also have an opportunity to develop new ideas for
research and work on independent projects related to returning veterans.

**[Substance Abuse Treatment Program]{.underline}**

**Track Director:** Deborah Brief, Ph.D.

Psychology Service (116B)

> VA Boston Healthcare System
>
> 150 South Huntington Avenue
>
> Boston, MA 02130
>
> Telephone: (857) 364-4689
>
> Email: <Deborah.brief@va.gov>

**Location:** VA Boston Healthcare System

Jamaica Plain Campus

**Overview:** The one-year clinical postdoctoral Fellowship year in the
Substance Abuse Treatment Program (SATP) is designed to provide Fellows
with a comprehensive understanding of assessment and treatment
approaches for individuals with alcohol and drug problems as well as
co-occurring psychiatric disorders. The Fellow will work in both
residential and outpatient settings and learn to conduct comprehensive
assessments, both group and individual therapy, and provide
consultation. There is also an opportunity to receive training in the
provision of supervision, to work on program development and performance
improvement activities, and to become involved in clinical research. The
Fellow works as part of a multidisciplinary treatment team and has a
high level of input to clinical decision making.

**Number of Fellows:** One full-time Fellow is admitted each year**.**

**Length of Training:** One year.

**Goals:** The Fellow will work in the Substance Abuse Treatment Program
(SATP) on the Jamaica Plain campus and provide clinical services to male
veterans in the Substance Abuse Residential Rehabilitation Program
(SARRTP) and to both male and female veterans in the Outpatient Alcohol
and Drug Treatment Program (ADTP). The SATP provides specialized
training in cognitive-behavioral approaches to the treatment of alcohol
and drug problems including motivational enhancement and relapse
prevention techniques. Training is also provided in evidence-based
therapies for co-occurring disorders including Seeking Safety, Cognitive
Processing Therapy, Mindfulness techniques, and Dialectical Behavior
Therapy.

The primary responsibilities of the clinical Fellow in the residential
program will be:

1.  Comprehensive assessment

2.  Co-leading a variety of groups (e.g., relapse prevention, Seeking
    Safety, Mindfulness/DBT)

3.  Brief- and long-term individual psychotherapy

Other training activities include:

1.  Learning how to supervise trainees

2.  Assistance with program evaluation and performance improvement
    activities

3.  Clinical research

At the completion of their Fellowship, Fellows will be able to:

1.  Conduct a comprehensive assessment of patients in treatment for
    alcohol or drug use problems;

2.  Provide group and individual (both short- and long-term) therapy for
    individuals with alcohol and drug problems;

3.  Provide treatment for co-occurring psychiatric disorders in
    individuals with an alcohol or drug problem;

4.  Provide consultation for treatment providers in multidisciplinary
    settings on patients with alcohol and drug problems.

> **Teaching Methods:** There are several methods of training for the
> clinical Fellow in the Substance Abuse Treatment Program. The Fellow
> will work closely with at least two mentors and meet on a regular
> basis for individual supervision. All of the groups are co-led and the
> Fellow will participate in group supervision with his or her
> co-leaders. The Fellow will also meet with the clinical staff in daily
> rounds for the residential treatment program and in weekly outpatient
> meetings. Fellows will have an opportunity to learn how to supervise
> other trainees under the guidance of licensed clinical staff.
> Specialized readings are provided to supplement a Fellow's training
> depending on his or her interests and needs.

**Didactics and Supervision:** The Fellow will participate in individual
and group supervision. Additionally, the Fellow will participate in
daily rounds and meetings with multidisciplinary staff.

[]{#NeuropsychTrainingProgram .anchor}**[The Neuropsychology Training
Program]{.smallcaps}**

The Neuropsychology Training Program is independently accredited by APA
but functions within the structure and administration of the VA Boston
Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship program. William Milberg, Ph.D.,
ABPP/cn is the Director of the Neuropsychology Training Program.

There are two training tracks within the Neuropsychology Training
Program - one offering an emphasis in Geriatric Neuropsychology and one
with an emphasis in Polytrauma and Rehabilitation. **We will be
recruiting 1 Neuropsychology Fellow for the 2009 Training Year. Fellows
will receive general neuropsychological training during this first year;
in the second year, the fellow will be able to pursue more focused
training in either Geriatric Neuropsychology or Polytrauma, depending on
their interests.** We describe each track below:

**[Geriatric Neuropsychology]{.underline}**

**Track Director:** Laura Grande, Ph.D.

Psychology Service (116B)

> VA Boston Healthcare System
>
> 150 South Huntington Avenue
>
> Boston, MA 02130
>
> Email: laura.grande@va.gov

**Location:** VA Boston Healthcare System

Jamaica Plain Campus

**Overview:** The mission of the training program is to prepare Fellows
to function as independent scientists/clinicians in the field of
neuropsychology.

**Length of Training:** Two years.

**Goals:** Postdoctoral education and training is designed to provide
clinical, didactic, and academic training that will result in an
advanced level of competence in the specialty of clinical
neuropsychology as well as the education and training necessary for
independent practice in the specialty. The postdoctoral Fellowship
program is a required component in specialty education in clinical
neuropsychology.

The Fellowship includes professional activities within the seven core
domains delineated in the Petition for the Recognition of a Specialty in
Professional Psychology submitted by Division 40 of the APA to the
Commission for the Recognition of Specialties and Proficiencies in
Professional Psychology. These seven core domains are: assessment,
intervention, consultation, supervision, research and inquiry, consumer
protection and professional development. The Fellow, whose professional
activities involve working with diverse cultural, ethnic, and linguistic
populations, will gain the knowledge and skills to perform those
activities competently and ethically.

At the completion of the Fellowship, Fellows are expected to demonstrate
the following:

1.  Development of advanced skill in the neuropsychological evaluation,
    treatment and consultation with patients and professionals
    sufficient to practice on an independent basis;

2.  Development of advanced understanding of brain-behavior
    relationships;

3.  Scholarly activity, e.g., submission of a study or literature review
    for publication, presentation, submission of a grant proposal or
    outcome assessment;

4.  A formal evaluation of competency in Criteria 1 through 3;

5.  Fulfillment of eligibility for state or provincial licensure or
    certification for the independent practice of psychology;

6.  Fulfillment of eligibility requirements for board certification in
    clinical neuropsychology by the American Board of Professional
    Psychology; and

7.  Development of skills required for submission of research grant
    applications.

**Teaching Methods:** The Fellow will be affiliated with the
Neuropsychological Consult Service and the Geriatric Neuropsychology
Laboratory Service that functions within the Geriatric Research,
Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC). The Fellow will also be
associated with the Boston Polytrauma Network Site, the Aphasia Research
Center, Spinal Cord Injury Clinic, Center for Returning Veterans, the
Acute Palliative Care Team and the National Center for PTSD.

> The first year of the Fellowship program will focus on general
> training in advanced skills needed for professional practice in
> Clinical Neuropsychology. In the second year, the Fellow will have the
> opportunity to develop more specialized clinical skills and knowledge
> related to the assessment and treatment of elderly patients, and will
> have more time to conduct and complete a research project. The Fellow
> will function as part of the interdisciplinary Polytrauma Team and the
> GRECC team across both Fellowship years.

**Didactics and Supervision:**

Required:

-   Psychology Service Colloquia -- One to two hours per month

-   Staff Clinical Meeting -- One hour per week

-   Neurobehavior Team Meeting -- One hour per week

-   Fellowship Seminar -- Four hours per month

-   Neurobehavioral Grand Rounds -- Four hours per month

-   GRECC Multidisciplinary Seminar -- Two hours per month

Optional:

-   Neuropsychology Didactic Seminar -- Two hours per month

-   Neuroimaging Journal Club -- Three hours per month

-   Memory Disorders Research Center Rounds -- Two hours per month

-   Behavioral Neuroscience Seminar -- Two hours per week

-   Geriatric Grand Rounds -- Two hours per month

-   Rehabilitation Psychology Journal Club -- One hour per week

-   Spinal Cord Injury Grand Rounds -- monthly

-   Neuroanatomy / Brain Cutting Seminar -- monthly

-   Traumatic Brain Injury Patient Rounds -- Braintree Hospital -- Two
    hours per month.

**Research:** Fellows typically spend one day per week devoted to
writing and research activities during the first year of Fellowship.
During the second year, more time may be dedicated to focused research
activities. There are a variety of ongoing research projects on which
the Fellow may collaborate.

**[Polytrauma and Rehabilitation]{.underline}**

**Track Co-Directors:** Jennifer Vasterling, Ph.D.

Psychology Service (116B)

> VA Boston Healthcare System
>
> 150 South Huntington Avenue
>
> Boston, MA 02130
>
> Telephone: (857) 364-6522
>
> Email: <Jennifer.vasterling@va.gov>
>
> Maxine Krengel, Ph.D.

Psychology Service (116B)

> VA Boston Healthcare System
>
> 150 South Huntington Avenue
>
> Boston, MA 02130
>
> Telephone: (857) 364-4646
>
> Email: <mhk@bu.edu>

**Location:** VA Boston Healthcare System

Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury Campuses

**Overview:** The mission of the training program is to prepare Fellows
to function as independent scientists/clinicians in the field of
neuropsychology and rehabilitation psychology. This unique Fellowship
provides training consistent with both Division 40 (Neuropsychology) and
Division 22 (Rehabilitation Psychology) guidelines.

**Length of Training:** Two years.

**Goals:** Postdoctoral education and training is designed to provide
clinical, didactic, and academic training that will result in an
advanced level of competence in the specialty of clinical
neuropsychology and rehabilitation psychology, as well as the education
and training necessary for independent practice in these two specialty
areas.

Postdoctoral education and training is designed to be consistent with
the Fellowship's training mission and guidelines delineated in the
Petition for the Recognition of a Specialty in Professional Psychology
submitted by Division 40 of the APA to the Commission for the
Recognition of Specialties and Proficiencies in Professional Psychology.
These seven core domains are: assessment, intervention, consultation,
supervision, research and inquiry, consumer protection and professional
development.

At the completion of the Fellowship, Fellows are expected to demonstrate
the following:

1.  Development of advanced skill in the neuropsychological evaluation,
    treatment and consultation with patients and professionals
    sufficient to practice on an independent basis;

2.  Development of advanced understanding of brain-behavior
    relationships;

3.  Scholarly activity, e.g., submission of a study or literature review
    for publication, presentation, submission of a grant proposal or
    outcome assessment;

4.  A formal evaluation of competency in Criteria 1 through 3;

5.  Fulfillment of eligibility for state or provincial licensure or
    certification for the independent practice of psychology;

6.  Fulfillment of eligibility requirements for board certification in
    clinical neuropsychology by the American Board of Professional
    Psychology; and

7.  Development of skills required for submission of research grant
    applications.

Additionally, the Fellowship will also include activities that meet the
training specifications delineated in the Petition for the Recognition
of a Specialty in Professional Psychology submitted by Division 22 of
the APA to the Commission for the Recognition of Specialties and
Proficiencies in Professional Psychology. These six core domains are:

1\. Theories and effective methods of psychological assessment,
diagnosis, and interventions.

2\. Consultation, program evaluation, supervision, and/or teaching;

3\. Strategies of scholarly inquiry;

4\. Organization, management, and administration issues pertinent to
psychological service;

5\. Professional conduct; ethics and law; and other standards for
providers of psychological services;

6\. Issues of cultural and individual diversity.

**Teaching Methods:** The Fellow will be affiliated with the
Neuropsychological Consult Service and the Geriatric Neuropsychology
Laboratory Service that functions within the Geriatric Research,
Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC). The Fellow will also be
associated with the Boston Polytrauma Network Site, the Aphasia Research
Center, Spinal Cord Injury Service, Center for Returning Veterans, and
the National Center for PTSD.

> The first year of the Fellowship program will focus on general
> training in advanced skills needed for professional practice in
> Clinical Neuropsychology with a brief introduction to Rehabilitation
> Psychology. In the second year, the Fellow will have the opportunity
> to develop more specialized clinical skills and knowledge related to
> neuropsychology, rehabilitation, and the assessment and treatment of
> traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, polytrauma and PTSD. The
> rehabilitation focus offers the unique opportunity to translate
> intervention recommendations into practice and to provide services in
> an inpatient setting. Psychological interventions will include
> cognitive rehabilitation and education for the patient and families
> regarding head injury, PTSD, spinal cord injury, and readjustment. The
> Fellow will function as part of the interdisciplinary Polytrauma Team
> and the GRECC team across both Fellowship years. During the second
> year, the Fellow will serve on the Spinal Cord Injury Team.

**Didactics and Supervision:**

Required:

-   Psychology Service Colloquia -- One to two hours per month

-   Staff Clinical Meeting -- One hour per week

-   Neurobehavior Team Meeting -- One hour per week

-   Fellowship Seminar -- Four hours per month

-   Neurobehavioral Grand Rounds -- Four hours per month

-   GRECC multidisciplinary Seminar -- Two hours per month

Optional:

-   Memory Disorders Research Center Rounds -- Two hours per month

-   Neuroimaging Journal Club -- One hour weekly

-   Behavioral Neuroscience Seminar -- Two hours per week

-   Geriatric Grand Rounds -- Two hours per month

-   Rehabilitation Psychology Journal Club -- One hour per week

-   Neuroanatomy/Brain Cutting Seminar -- monthly

-   Traumatic Brain Injury Patient Rounds -- Braintree Hospital -- Two
    hours per month.

-   Seizure Clinic Rounds -- One hour per month

-   Human Neuropsychology Courses - Three hours per week.

**Research:** Fellows typically spend one day per week devoted to
writing and research activities during the first year of Fellowship.
During the second year, more time may be dedicated to focused research
activities. There are a variety of ongoing research projects on which
the Fellow may collaborate.

[]{#Polytrauma .anchor}

**Review and Remediation Procedures**

**Evaluation Methods**

Postdoctoral Fellows receive formal written evaluation of their progress
by each supervisor on a semi-annual basis at the least. Fellows provide
written evaluations of the Training Program on a semi-annual basis.
Evaluation methods are explained in detail in the Postdoctoral Training
Manual that Fellows receive upon arrival.

**Due Process Policy**

In the event of a grievance around the evaluation process, the
Fellowship Program has a due process policy that outlines both
remediation procedures and procedures for Fellows to follow if they have
a concern about the review process. The Due Process Policy is
incorporated within "Remediation Procedures" that are detailed in the
Postdoctoral Training Manual.

# Training Environment 

The VA Boston Healthcare System encompasses nine campuses within a
40-mile radius of the greater Boston area. The consolidated facility
consists of the Jamaica Plain campus, located in the heart of Boston\'s
Longwood Medical Community; the West Roxbury campus, located on the
Dedham line; and the Brockton campus, located 20 miles south of Boston
in the City of Brockton. In addition to the three main medical centers,
six Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) located in Worcester,
Framingham, Lowell, Quincy, Dorchester, and Causeway Street (Boston)
make up the VA Boston Healthcare System (VA BHCS).

**Jamaica Plain Campus**

The Jamaica Plain Campus offers state-of-the-art ambulatory care and
primary care services. The Ambulatory Care Center serves as a hub for
tertiary ambulatory services. This center's specialized services include
state-of-the-art audiology services, ambulatory day surgery, CAT
scanning, MRI, specialized aphasia treatment, an eye center providing
argon laser therapy of retino-vascular diseases, CO2 and YAG laser
treatment of cancer and Argon and YAG laser treatment of eye diseases,
and vitrectomy. A model Veterans Industries/Transitional Living program
for patients with Substance Abuse problems has recently been approved by
the Committee for Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).
Medical services located at this campus also include substance abuse (a
Center of Excellence in Substance Abuse Treatment), nuclear medicine,
and a Center for Excellence for oncology/hematology, which includes high
voltage radiation therapy/linear accelerator. Two National Centers for
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (also named Centers for Excellence)
include the Behavioral Science Division and the Women's Health Sciences
Division. Additional programs available at Jamaica Plain are a
Comprehensive Women's Health Center and mammography, an Operation
Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom program, and many other special
programs to meet gender specific needs as well as other special needs of
veterans due to environmental causes such as radiation, Persian Gulf, or
Agent Orange exposure.

**West Roxbury Campus**

The West Roxbury Campus serves as the tertiary inpatient medical center
for the VA Boston Health care System and the other VA medical centers in
the region. Recently named a Center for Excellence in Cardiac Surgery
this facility offers cardiac catheterization, CCU, and a renowned Open
Heart Surgery Program. The West Roxbury campus also has a nationally
recognized acute Spinal Cord Injury program, and is one of few VA
facilities that have a CARF-accredited acute medical rehabilitation
program and spinal cord injury program, supported by a swimming pool
that is located in the hospital proper. This campus supports an
interventional cardiology program with electrophysiology. In addition,
West Roxbury serves as the referral center for intensive inpatient
surgery and provides such unique and high-risk surgeries as, vascular
surgery, specialized general and cancer related surgery, orthopedics,
hand and joint replacement surgery, neurosurgery, plastic surgery, and
urology. The spinal cord injury program operates within a "hub and
spokes" model for the Northeast VA region to provide consistent care
excellence. West Roxbury maintains a 24-hour emergency department.

**Brockton Campus**

The Brockton Campus offers veterans a wide range of health care options
including long term care, which includes a chronic Spinal Cord Injury
(SCI) unit, mental health services, and comprehensive primary care. A
Center for Excellence in Health Care for Homeless Veterans, this campus
houses a 60 bed Domiciliary for Homeless Veterans. Also available in
Brockton is an inpatient psychiatric unit for women, one of only four
such units available in the entire VA system. This unit, in conjunction
with a recently opened outpatient Women's Health Center, offers women
veterans a complete spectrum of health care services. Both the Homeless
Veterans program and the Women's Program are regional referral centers
for veterans throughout New England. The Chronic Spinal Cord Injury Unit
offers specialized programs and respite care for veterans with spinal
cord injuries and disabilities. The Nursing Home Care Unit similarly
offers respite care programs to veterans throughout New England. The
Mental Health services offered at the Brockton Campus are extensive in
both the inpatient and outpatient arenas. Offering both chronic and
acute inpatient psychiatric programs, and programs in substance abuse,
this service was recently named a Center for Excellence for Seriously
Mentally Ill veterans.

**Support Services**

There are a wide variety of support services available to the Fellow.
The Medical Center's excellent Medical Library has branches in two of
the campuses. In addition to extensive journal and reference
collections, the library provides the capacity for computer generated
literature searches and is able to obtain materials from regional
university libraries, the Harvard Medical School Library and other VA
Medical Centers. The Medical Library is also able to locate and borrow
video training materials.

The Fellow has access to personal computers at all three Divisions.
There are videotaping facilities, including four studios with
observation windows, which allow the Fellow to make use of videotaped
supervision.

If needed, childcare is available at the Tyke Site at the Brockton
Division, the Tot Spot at the West Roxbury Division, and Small World at
the Jamaica Plain Division. These are nondiscriminatory, nonprofit,
on-site childcare facilities licensed to serve children between the ages
of 3 months to 6 years of age. The goal of the centers is to encourage
the social, emotional, physical, and intellectual development of each
child in an informal setting. Children are allowed to learn at their own
pace through experience with a variety of concepts and materials. The
centers also promote the growth of each child by placing emphasis on
activity and a positive self-image.

# Research Activities 

Research is an integral part of the overall VA Boston Healthcare
System's mission and plays a key role in enhancing the healthcare
services provided to our veteran population. The total Research and
Development Program for the three campuses, Brockton, West Roxbury and
Jamaica Plain, is one of the largest and most active in the VA system.
In recent years, total intramural VA funding has been in the range of
\$15 million. Extramural research funding from other federal agencies,
such as NIH and DOD, private proprietary companies, voluntary agencies
and foundations have added another \$10 -- 12 million per year. As a
referral center for neuro-psychiatric disorders, the Brockton campus has
major research efforts in the neurophysiology of mental illnesses,
problems in alcoholism and sleep problems associated with many mental
disorders. The research interests at the West Roxbury campus, as the
acute tertiary care division, spans several fields, with a strong focus
on gastrointestinal disorders, cardiology and cardiovascular diseases,
hematology, pulmonary medicine, urology, neurology, and spinal cord
injury. At the Jamaica Plain campus in conjunction with the Boston
Outpatient Clinic, there are significant research projects on substance
abuse, hemostasis, aphasia, language and memory disorders, PTSD, and
infectious diseases, among others. Investigators at both the Brockton
campus and the Jamaica Plain campus have been participating in a major
VA cooperative studies trial on the National Health Survey of Persian
Gulf War Veterans and their families. There are several special emphasis
programs and research centers at the VA Boston Healthcare System,
including the Massachusetts Epidemiology Research and Information
Center, the Normative Aging Study, the Dental Longitudinal Study,
NIDA/VA Medication Development Center, and two National Centers for
PTSD. There are also several programs in the area of Rehabilitation
Research and Development and Health Services Research and Development,
with the VA's HSR&D Management Decision and Research Center, located at
the Jamaica Plain Campus. There is very active participation on all
campuses in many of the VA's Cooperative Studies Program multi-center
clinical trials.

# Living Environment 

The nature of the Greater Boston area and the location of the different
Medical Centers provide the Fellow the opportunity to choose a variety
of lifestyles and housing. The West Roxbury and Jamaica Plain divisions,
several miles apart from one another, are within the city of Boston. The
Brockton division is south of Boston along Route 24, a major highway
connecting with routes to Cape Cod and other southeastern Massachusetts
population centers, such as Fall River and New Bedford. The city of
Providence, located less than an hour's drive, is accessible via major
highways from either division. There is a shuttle service between the
three Divisions that operates throughout the working day. It is possible
for the Fellow to live in or close to Boston and be part of an urban
lifestyle; housing costs in or near Boston are quite high. Moving out
from Boston, the Fellow will encounter more affordable housing and a
choice of city, small town, or rural settings.

No matter which setting the Fellow chooses, the cultural, educational
and recreational activities of Boston and New England are easily
accessible. Boston, known for its arts, history and educational
institutions, is little more than a half-hour from Brockton by car at
non-peak hours. There are also many forms of public transportation
available into the city. Commuter rail from Brockton to South Station in
Boston started operation in September of 1998. It is easy to get in and
out of Boston to see a play, visit a museum or experience the flavor of
the city's diverse ethnic groups. The New England region is attractive,
varied and readily accessible by car. The Berkshires, Cape Cod, Rhode
Island, southern Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont are all easily visited
as day trips. A trip to the beach, the mountains, Gillette Stadium (New
England Revolution and New England Patriots), Fenway Park (Boston Red
Sox), the Fleet Center (Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins), or Boston's
many museums offers the Fellow an opportunity for a change of pace while
staying close to home.

The Fellowship year often means relocation not only for the Fellow but
also for a partner. A wide range of educational opportunities are
available at the many colleges and universities in the Greater Boston
area, including Harvard University, Boston University, M.I.T., College
of the Holy Cross, Boston College, Northeastern University, Clark
University, Brown University, University of Rhode Island, and University
of Massachusetts Boston. In addition to full-time study at the main
campuses, there are many satellite, evening or part-time programs
available. The job market is relatively good for significant others who
may be looking for employment during the Fellowship year.

# 

# Hours, Stipend, and Benefits 

Post-doctoral Fellows must have graduated from a doctoral program in
Clinical or Counseling Psychology that is accredited by the American
Psychological Association. In addition, each Fellow must have completed
an internship that was accredited by the American Psychological
Association. Those applying who have not yet completed their internship,
or who do not possess their doctorate will not be admitted to the
Fellowship program.

-   All Fellows receive a full stipend -- no Fellow is accepted on a
    Without Compensation (WOC) status.

-   All Fellows are admitted into the full-time training programs
    (September 1 through August 31).

-   The Postdoctoral Fellowship requires that Fellows must complete 2080
    training hours, 500 of which need to be in direct clinical care, for
    satisfactory completion of the program. In addition, Fellows need to
    receive satisfactory (i.e., a score of "3 - Fair Demonstration" on
    all six core competencies).

-   The stipend, for one full year of training, is **\$43,796** before
    taxes.

-   Fellows are eligible for health insurance at a reduced cost.

-   No funds are available for relocation.

-   It is anticipated that Fellows will receive faculty appointments at
    *Boston University School of Medicine* and at *Harvard Medical
    School* during the training year*.*

-   Benefits include 10 paid holidays, 13 days of annual leave and, if
    needed, 13 days of sick leave. Finally, Fellows are given up to 64
    hours of paid educational leave to attend conferences, major
    professional meetings and symposia. Upon completion of the year of
    training, Fellows are eligible to enter Federal Service at the grade
    of GS-12.

-   The Federal Tort Claims Act applies to Fellows regarding the
    practice of psychological services and their own personal injuries
    that occur while on the job at the VA.

# APA Accreditation 

Continued VA funding of this Fellowship depends upon successful APA
accreditation review. The VA Boston Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship
Training Program is accredited by APA, having received its accreditation
in 2002. Our most recent site visit occurred in April 2008. The American
Psychological Association is located at

750 First Street, NE,

Washington, DC 20002-4242

Telephone: 800-374-2721; 202-336-5500

TDD/TTY: 202-336-6123

The Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation of the American
Psychological Association can be reached at: Telephone: 202-336-5979 or
Fax: 202-336-5978.

The office of Program Consultation and Accreditation can be reached
online at:
[www.apa.org/ed/accreditation](http://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation).

# 

# Application Procedures 

To be considered for the Fellowship, the applicant must hold a doctoral
degree in Clinical Psychology or Counseling Psychology from an APA
approved graduate program and have completed an APA approved
pre-doctoral internship. In addition, US citizenship is required.

Prospective applicants can apply to as many of the Fellowship training
programs and tracks as they wish. The application procedure begins with
a letter of interest. Your letter should describe:

1.  the history of your interest in the specific area(s) of interest

2.  any educational, clinical and research experiences relevant to the
    specific area(s) of interest

3.  a self-assessment of your training needs

4.  your personal goals for the Fellowship

5.  a statement of your career goals

If you are applying to more than one program or track, you should
explain your reasons for each.

**Application materials are due by January 1, 2009.** For ***each***
Fellowship program in which you wish to be considered for admission,
please submit materials below. **Please be sure to include all
application materials** **in one envelope. Materials mailed separately
may not be reviewed in a timely manner**:

1.  The letter described above

2.  Curriculum Vitae

3.  Transcript of graduate work (indicating awarding date of
    doctoral-degree)

4.  Three letters of recommendation - one from a faculty member
    personally familiar with your graduate school performance and at
    least one from a primary clinical supervisor during the pre-doctoral
    internship.

5.  Postdoctoral Fellowship Information Form -- Available on-line at
    <http://www.va.gov/BostonPsychologyFellowship>.

6.  A self-addressed, stamped postcard. This will be mailed back to you
    upon our entering your information in our database. Please note that
    it may take a few days after our receipt before your application is
    processed and the postcard mailed. Any questions about the
    ***receipt*** of your application should be directed to Dr. Lancey
    (<stephen.lancey@va.gov>) rather than the program or track
    directors.

The materials should be sent to:

> VA Boston Psychology Fellowship Program
>
> Psychology Service (116B)
>
> VA Boston Healthcare System
>
> 150 South Huntington Avenue
>
> Boston, MA 02130
>
> Email: amy.silberbogen@va.gov
>
> Phone: (857) 364-4707
>
> Fax: (857) 364-4408

Should applicants have any questions about psychology training at the
postdoctoral level in general, or within VA Boston, you are encouraged
to contact the track directors and/or program administrators. Names and
email-addresses of these faculty can be found on the page immediately
following the cover and on the table below.

Finally, applicants are reminded that they should feel free and are
welcomed to contact the Fellowship Director to discuss any issue of
relevance. Please contact Dr. Amy Silberbogen at
[amy.silberbogen@va.gov](mailto:michele.karel@va.gov) or by phone at
**(857) 364-4707.**

Applications will be reviewed by the training faculty, and selected
applicants will be invited to visit the Medical Center for a personal
interview. Interviews typically do not take place before February, but
may in certain circumstances. Invitations for a personal interview will
be made by the appropriate track or program director. The Fellowship
Program will also notify candidates when a decision is made that we are
unable to extend an interview offer. Until the Fellowship Program
notifies an applicant of an interview offer or informs them that an
offer will not be forthcoming, applicants should consider their
candidacy to be active. Please note that we are not participating in the
Postdoc Unified Notification Date at this time. If you have any
questions at any time about your application or status, please feel free
to contact the track director and/or program administrators.

-   **Doctoral Degree Requirement:** All offers of acceptance for a
    postdoctoral position within the VA Boston Psychology Postdoctoral
    Fellowship Program are strictly contingent upon applicants' having
    completed all requirements (clinical, academic, and administrative)
    for the doctoral degree. Evidence that the degree has been awarded
    must be provided no later than July 1, 2008 in the form of a copy of
    the diploma or a written attestation of such from the Department
    Chair. If this requirement is not met, the applicant may request a
    30-day extension. The Fellowship may or may not agree to the
    extension. If, at the end of the 30-day extension the applicant has
    not received the doctoral degree, or if the Fellowship does not
    initially agree to the extension, the offer of acceptance is
    withdrawn and considered null and void. At such time, the search
    process is re-opened and the applicant may re-apply without
    prejudice. The search will continue until such time as the position
    is filled or is cancelled.

-   One exception to this policy is in the case of an applicant who has
    completed all the requirements (academic and administrative,
    including dissertation) for the doctoral degree with the exception
    of an internship ending between July 1 and September 1. In such
    case, an extension will be granted.

-   Fellows have raised the issue of a graduation date that occurs after
    the start of the Fellowship year. Our policy has been that the
    completion of all academic (including acceptance of dissertation),
    clinical (including internship), and administrative (departmental
    chair approval) qualifies the candidate to begin the Fellowship
    year.

Please review the following table carefully for important training
program and contact information.

+------------------+-----------------+----------+---------------------+
| **Clinical       |                 |          |                     |
| Psychology       |                 |          |                     |
| Training         |                 |          |                     |
| Program**        |                 |          |                     |
+------------------+-----------------+----------+---------------------+
| **Track Name**   | ## Application  | **Appl   | **Questions?**      |
|                  |                 | ications |                     |
|                  | **Deadline**    | Being    | **Contact:**        |
|                  |                 | Ac       |                     |
|                  |                 | cepted** |                     |
+------------------+-----------------+----------+---------------------+
| Geropsychology   | January 1, 2009 | Yes      | Michele Karel,      |
|                  |                 |          | Ph.D.               |
|                  |                 |          |                     |
|                  |                 |          | <mi                 |
|                  |                 |          | chele.karel@va.gov> |
+------------------+-----------------+----------+---------------------+
| PTSD             | January 1, 2009 | Yes      | Steve Quinn, Ph.D.  |
|                  |                 |          |                     |
|                  |                 |          | <                   |
|                  |                 |          | steve.quinn@va.gov> |
|                  |                 |          |                     |
|                  |                 |          | Eve Davison, Ph.D.  |
|                  |                 |          |                     |
|                  |                 |          | <                   |
|                  |                 |          | eve.davison@va.gov> |
+------------------+-----------------+----------+---------------------+
| Substance Abuse  | January 1, 2009 | Yes      | Deborah Brief,      |
|                  |                 |          | Ph.D.               |
|                  |                 |          |                     |
|                  |                 |          | <de                 |
|                  |                 |          | borah.brief@va.gov> |
+------------------+-----------------+----------+---------------------+
| Integrated       | January 1, 2009 | Yes      | Melanie Vielhauer,  |
| Mental Health in |                 |          | Ph.D.               |
| Primary Care and |                 |          |                     |
| Suicide          |                 |          | <melani             |
| Prevention       |                 |          | e.vielhauer@va.gov> |
+------------------+-----------------+----------+---------------------+
| Medical          | January 1, 2009 | Yes      | DeAnna Mori, Ph.D.  |
| Psychology       |                 |          |                     |
|                  |                 |          | <                   |
|                  |                 |          | deanna.mori@va.gov> |
+------------------+-----------------+----------+---------------------+
| Returning        | January 1, 2009 | Yes      | Deborah Brief,      |
| Veterans and     |                 |          | Ph.D.               |
| Substance Use    |                 |          |                     |
|                  |                 |          | <de                 |
|                  |                 |          | borah.brief@va.gov> |
+------------------+-----------------+----------+---------------------+

+------------------+-----------------+----------+---------------------+
| *                |                 |          |                     |
| *Neuropsychology |                 |          |                     |
| Training         |                 |          |                     |
| Program**        |                 |          |                     |
+------------------+-----------------+----------+---------------------+
| **Track Name**   | ## Application  | **Appl   | **Questions?**      |
|                  |                 | ications |                     |
|                  | **Deadline**    | Being    | **Contact:**        |
|                  |                 | Ac       |                     |
|                  |                 | cepted** |                     |
+------------------+-----------------+----------+---------------------+
| Neuropsychology: | January 1, 2009 | Check    | Laura Grande, Ph.D. |
|                  |                 | back     |                     |
| Geriatric        |                 | after    | <l                  |
| Emphasis         |                 | 11/10/08 | aura.grande@va.gov> |
+------------------+-----------------+----------+---------------------+
| Neuropsychology: | January 1, 2009 | Check    | Jennifer            |
|                  |                 | back     | Vasterling, Ph.D.   |
| Polytrauma and   |                 | after    |                     |
| Rehabilitation   |                 | 11/10/08 | <Jennifer           |
|                  |                 |          | .vasterling@va.gov> |
|                  |                 |          |                     |
|                  |                 |          | Maxine Krengel,     |
|                  |                 |          | Ph.D.               |
|                  |                 |          |                     |
|                  |                 |          | <mhk@bu.edu>        |
+------------------+-----------------+----------+---------------------+

Thanks for your interest in the

VA Boston Psychology Fellowship Training Program!