> ![](media/image1.png){width="1.125in"
> height="1.4166666666666667in"}**Psychology Internship Program**

**White River Junction VA Medical Center**\
Richard Wren, Ph.D.

215 North Main Street

White River Junction, VT 05009

*(802) 295-9363 (x5686)*

> ***\
> **[http://www.whiteriver.va.gov](http://www.whiteriver.va.gov/)*

**MATCH Number: 1741**

**Applications Due: November 15, 2008**

## Accreditation Status

The predoctoral internship at the **White River Junction VA Medical
Center** (WRJ VAMC) is fully accredited by the Commission on
Accreditation of the American Psychological Association. The next site
visit will be during the academic year 2009.

## Application & Selection Procedures 

***General Qualifications:*** A candidate for the WRJ VAMC Psychology
Internship Program must be:

-   a U.S. citizen

-   a student in good standing in an APA accredited clinical or
    counseling psychology doctoral program

-   approved for internship status by their graduate program training
    director.

The WRJ VAMC encourages applications from members of all ethnic groups,
women and persons with disabilities.

The WRJ VAMC psychology internship program abides by all APA guidelines
and requirements. APA can be contacted at:

> ***Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation***
>
> Education Directorate
>
> American Psychological Association
>
> 750 First Street, NE
>
> Washington, DC, 20002-4242.
>
> \(202\) 336-5979
>
> [www.apa.org/ed/accreditation](http://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation)

The WRJ VAMC is also a member of Association of Psychology, Postdoctoral
and Internship Centers (APPIC) and participates in the National Matching
Service
([www.natmatch.com/psychint/](http://www.natmatch.com/psychint/)) and
abides by the APPIC guidelines as set forth in the APPIC MATCH POLICIES.
These policies can be accessed at the APPIC website
[www.appic.org](http://www.appic.org/).

***Specific Qualifications:*** The internship at the WRJ VAMC is a
clinically-oriented internship and so places a premium on those
experiences that prepare applicants for clinical practice informed by
scholarship. Highly regarded candidates will have 500 hours of closely
supervised clinical practicum experiences including individual
psychotherapy (i.e., brief and long-term psychotherapy with adults and
clinical interviewing) and psychological assessment with adults.
Candidates should have completed coursework in both psychodynamic
psychotherapy and cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy. Highly regarded
candidates will have supervised clinical experiences applying both of
these theoretical orientations. In addition, we seek to recruit
candidates who have only minor dissertation requirements remaining as
this allows for greater focus on internship related duties. WRJ VAMC
Psychology Internship Program strives to create an environment
supportive of diversity.

The WRJ VAMC training program emphasizes supervision as an important
modality for learning psychotherapy. As part of the supervision process,
our interns are asked to engage in self-reflection and some level of
self-disclosure about one\'s experiences as a psychologist in training
and as a psychotherapist. We encourage candidates to assess their
openness and comfort with self-reflection and self-disclosure in
supervision.

***Application Procedures:*** Interested persons who meet the
eligibility criteria should submit the following materials:

> 1\. A cover letter indicating intent to apply to the internship
> program and outlining training interests.
>
> 2\. APPI online or APPIC standard application.
>
> 3\. Curriculum vitae.
>
> 4\. Three letters of recommendation, one of which must be from a
> recent clinical supervisor.
>
> 5\. Official graduate and undergraduate transcripts.

Applicants may use the APPI online application or mail all application
materials (collected by the applicant and forwarded) in **ONE PACKAGE**.
For mailed applications, copies of official transcripts and letters of
reference should be enclosed in sealed envelopes with the appropriate
stamp or signature over each seal. All materials should be sent to the
address listed below.

> ***Richard Wren, Ph.D.***
>
> Veterans Affairs Medical Center (116A)
>
> 215 N. Main Street
>
> White River Jct., VT 05009-0001
>
> Email: Richard.Wren@va.gov
>
> Phone: (802) 295-9363, ext. 5686
>
> APPIC Program Code Number: 1741
>
> The deadline for receipt of application materials is November 15.

***Selection and Interview Process**:* Written application materials
will be reviewed upon receipt, and top candidates will be invited for
personal interviews. Candidates for interview will be selected based on
several criteria including meeting the requirements described above,
clinical experiences, and match with our program. Applicants will be
notified of their interview status before December 16. Please be sure to
indicate daytime and evening telephone numbers in your application
materials so you can be reached to schedule an interview.

The interview day typically begins at 7:45AM and ends at 3:00PM.
Applicants meet with internship faculty for personal interviews
throughout the day and have lunch with the current interns. Interviews
occur on the first three Wednesdays and second Monday in January.

The internship faculty meet to review the applicants invited for
interviews and rank order the candidates for the computer match. The
internship program complies with all APPIC guidelines in the recruitment
and selection of interns and participates in the computer match program.
The program adheres to the APPIC policy that no person at this training
program will offer, solicit, accept or use any ranking-related
information from any intern applicant or graduate program. The
internship program begins on July 1, 2008 and ends June 30, 2009.

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.1354166666666665in"
height="1.6041666666666667in"}***Psychology Setting***

The Psychology Internship program at the WRJ VAMC is located in the
Mental Health and Behavioral Science service. We, at the Mental Health
and Behavioral Science service, are very proud of our tradition of
integrating disciplines in the care of our patients. Psychologists,
psychiatrists, social workers, nurse practitioners and master\'s level
mental health professionals work alongside each other in meetings,
leading groups, collaborating on the care of individual patients and in
developing treatment offerings. In our service interns literally work
next to and collaborate with other mental health disciplines on a daily
basis. As a result, interns become used to regular consultation with
other staff and participate in inter-professional teams as a normal mode
of professional practice.

The Mental Health and Behavioral Science service has established
programs in general outpatient care and acute care (inpatient), primary
care (Primary Mental Health Clinic), substance abuse, MHICM (an
assertive community treatment program for individuals with severe and
persistent mental illnesses), recovery-based services (including
transitional housing, CWT and supported employment), PTSD outpatient
services, and psychology assessment. We are in the process of developing
an array of behavioral medicine programs in collaboration with specialty
care medical services. These programs include: diabetes education and
support groups, specialized assessment and intervention with oncology
patients, weight loss programs, and interventions for patients with
hypertension. We serve primarily, though not exclusively, patients from
the lower half of the socioeconomic strata. Recently there has been a
growing number of middle-class, working patients primarily represented
by the increasing numbers of veterans from the Global War on Terrorism.
Most patients receiving specialized mental health care are dually
diagnosed with one or more of the following diagnoses: substance use
disorder, PTSD, depression spectrum disorders, and personality
disorders.

The WRJ VAMC internship has a faculty of fourteen doctoral-level
psychologists (three of whom work at the Dartmouth College Counseling
Center), and one psychiatrist. Administratively, the program is
supervised by the Director of Internship Training, who oversees and
implements intern recruitment and selection, assigns interns to faculty
supervisors, and coordinates clinical experiences. In addition to the
psychology internship program, we sponsor training for advanced
practicum students and are developing a post doctoral fellowship in
health psychology.

***Medical School Affiliations:*** The WRJ VAMC is dually affiliated
with Dartmouth Medical School (DMS) and University of Vermont (UVM)
College of Medicine.

The WRJ VAMC affiliation with DMS supports more than 150 individuals in
17 specialties. Forty percent of the clinical medicine activity for DMS
students takes place at the VA and these students rank the VA superior
to their non-VA training options. This affiliation has also provided the
substrate to support the National Center for PTSD, the National Quality
Scholars Program, a field station in Patient Safety, VA Outcomes Group,
a Rural Health Initiative, a VA Research and Development Service and a
new Inter-Professional Patient Safety Fellowship.

The WRJ VAMC has supported a formal affiliation with the University of
Vermont (UVM) College of Medicine, Burlington, Vermont since 1994. This
affiliation provides the mechanism for medical residents, cardiology and
psychiatry fellows and students to rotate through our Fort Ethan Allen
Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) in Colchester, Vermont. This
CBOC also supports UVM trainees in advance nurse practice and social
work.

***Allied Health Affiliations:*** WRJ VAMC maintains over 40 other
current academic affiliations with colleges and vocational schools, to
provide a variety of professional and technical experiences for students
in nursing, physician assistants, optometrists, psychologists, physical
and occupational therapy, social work, radiology, medical technology,
and other fields.

## Training Model and Program Philosophy

The internship program at the WRJ VAMC subscribes to the following
characteristics commonly associated with the scholar-practitioner model
of training:

1)  A scholarly approach to practice via reflection and critical
    thinking;

2)  An application of scholarly work and empirically-based research data
    to the practice of psychological assessment and clinical practice;

3)  An emphasis on the psychologist as an informed consumer of scholarly
    work including theoretical material and empirical research;

4)  A recognition of the importance of generating knowledge through
    practice;

5)  An expectation that interns will attend and become active
    participants in academic/didactic activities.

Our internship program is based on the philosophy that sound and
effective clinical practice is built on knowledge of the theoretical and
empirical literatures, critical thinking, and self-reflection. We train
our interns to implement and promote established, efficacious treatments
and encourage our interns to draw upon theoretical and empirical
literature to enhance the development of their professional skills over
time. Moreover, we train our interns to view knowledge and understanding
of themselves as integral to the treatment process.

As scholar-practitioners, we strive to remain abreast of theoretical and
empirical literature and scholarly work in our chosen areas of
professional practice and to further our knowledge of treatment advances
in order to inform clinical decisions. In concert with this knowledge,
understanding of oneself as a clinician and as a person is seen as
essential to the establishment of a treatment alliance and the
application of efficacious interventions. Thus, we believe that
familiarity with, and understanding of, theoretical models, empirical
findings, and self-reflection should guide clinical practice.

## Program Goals & Objectives

The internship program at the WRJ VAMC is designed to teach early-career
professionals the skills and knowledge that will enable them to function
as independent, ethical, and competent psychologists consistent with the
scholar-practitioner model. The overall goal of the program is to
prepare advanced graduate students for generalist practice in
professional psychology in a variety of settings or to seek postdoctoral
training in a specialized area. Our intern graduates are well prepared
to begin working in a diverse number of environments including
outpatient clinics, inpatient treatment programs, medical center-based
care, college counseling centers, and working alongside clinicians in
primary care.

A second major goal is to develop psychologists who will be critical
thinking, self-reflective scholars and practitioners. We train our
interns to be active, continuous consumers of the professional
literature, to use this literature to inform their practice, to learn
from clinical experiences, and to use knowledge and understanding of
oneself as an important tool in clinical practice.

A third major goal of our training program is to train interns in two
theoretical orientations (cognitive behavioral therapy and psychodynamic
psychotherapy) to provide effective, empirically-supported treatment for
a variety of clinical conditions. We believe that the ability to draw
upon these two rich bodies of knowledge enables our interns to more
effectively conceptualize and treat a diverse group of patients with a
wide range of clinical issues.

A fourth major goal of our internship is to train our interns to assess
and treat patients with post-traumatic stress disorder using
empirically-supported treatments and using both individual and group
modalities.

Our internship program uses a competence-based practice and assessment
model. We strive to operationalize the skills and abilities we believe
are most essential to generalist practice. Interns\' skill levels are
formally assessed three times during the year. We begin with assessing
competence in seven general areas and then assess more specific
competencies in skill/practice areas.

The general competence areas in which interns are assessed are:

> • competence in professional conduct, ethics and legal matters;
>
> • competence in individual and cultural diversity;
>
> • competence in psychological diagnosis and assessment;
>
> • competence in professional consultation;
>
> • competence in psychotherapeutic interventions;
>
> • competence in group psychotherapy skills;
>
> • competence in scholarly inquiry and application of theoretical and
> scientific knowledge to practice.

These general areas are assessed every four months with a formal,
summative evaluation. Together with the intern, competence levels are
discussed and assessed using the following competency descriptions:

> A Advanced: skills comparable to autonomous practice as the licensure
> level
>
> HI High intermediate: occasional supervision needed
>
> I Intermediate: should remain a focus of supervision
>
> E Entry level: continued intensive supervision is needed
>
> R Remedial: needs remedial work

Descriptions of skills necessary at each competency level are clearly
articulated. By the end of the training year, interns are expected to
achieve competence at the high intermediate (HI) or advanced (A) level
on at least eighty percent with no ratings at the entry (E) or remedial
(R) level. Specific skills/competencies are also assessed for each
practice area/rotation and will be described in the Training Experiences
section.

## Program Structure

The internship is composed of a number of core experiences including
sub-specialty training in PTSD treatment. The core experiences include
the inpatient mental health service (four month rotation), the Primary
Mental Health Clinic in primary care (eight month rotation),
psychological/neuropsychological assessment (year long), the outpatient
psychotherapy clinic at the VAMC (year long) as well as outpatient
services at the Dartmouth College Counseling Center (nine months).
Interns engage in varied activities during the course of a work week
which approximates the schedules of staff members. A typical day for an
intern includes seeing outpatients, attending a seminar/case conference
or journal club and working on the inpatient mental health service or in
the Primary Mental Health Clinic. Interns typically work a forty-five
hour week and are expected to complete reading and other assignments for
seminars/journal clubs outside of this time.

Interns are taught skills in a variety of modalities. First, interns
learn by watching. Through live observation of faculty, interns observe
the skills they are expected to perform. For example, when the interns
begin the rotation in the Primary Mental Health Clinic, they observe
their supervisor conducting the brief assessments, meeting with the
medication prescriber and collaborating with the patient on treatment
recommendations. Interns gradually begin to conduct these functions
under the direct observation of a supervisor and then, with increasing
skill development, they perform these functions with supervision after
the intervention. Similarly, when on the inpatient service, interns
observe the inpatient psychologist participating in team meetings,
presenting assessment data, interviewing patients and offering feedback
in team meetings. When learning other skills e.g., administering the
Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), learning Cognitive Processing
Therapy (CPT) and Time-Limited Dynamic Psychotherapy (TLDP); interns
watch videotapes of other professionals performing these skills.

Second, interns learn through didactics. The didactics are meant to
compliment and inform the clinical work done on internship. All of the
interns participate in a CBT seminar and a TLDP seminar held in the
first few months of the internship year. These seminars are
practice-oriented and emphasize the development of skills needed to
implement these psychotherapies. Group supervision is used to process
cases and discuss interventions. Interns also participate in two journal
clubs (the Mental Health and Behavioral Science Journal Club as well as
the PTSD Journal Club at the National Center for PTSD) to improve
scholarship skills.

Third, interns learn by doing. Through video and audio-taped practice,
interns practice the skills they are learning. In weekly individual and
group supervision interns review this taped material and receive
formative feedback about their performance. Interns and supervisors
track their progress and every four months use formal, summative
assessments to gauge progress.

Because we emphasize generalist training, interns are expected to
achieve competence in a number of areas of practice that are described
in the next section.

***Supervision:*** Intensive supervision, both individual and in groups,
is the core of the internship experience. Interns will receive at least
two hours of individual supervision per week for their work in the VA
outpatient clinic, one hour of supervision for their work at the
Dartmouth College Counseling Center, as well as one hour of group
supervision in the weekly clinical case conference. Interns will also
receive group assessment supervision for each battery in the weekly
assessment case conference. In addition, interns will have a supervisor
for each clinical experience e.g., PMHC, inpatient service, etc. These
supervisory sessions introduces interns to a variety of clinical
approaches and help them to develop and understand a particular
treatment philosophy and develop a style of their own. While the
internship program espouses no single theoretical orientation, it does
require that all trainees become thoughtful and knowledgeable about the
evolution of their own professional identity and that they be able to
fully conceptualize their own clinical decisions.

Seven doctoral psychologists on the core faculty serve as supervisory
staff for outpatient psychotherapy (see section on Training Faculty).
Interns will be assigned three supervisors. At least one of those
supervisors will have a CBT perspective and one will have a
psychodynamic perspective. The supervisors will mentor the intern via
modeling, teaching, supervising skills, and professional demeanor. The
Director of Internship Training along with the supervisors will assist
the intern in establishing a caseload and acquiring the types of
experiences necessary for that particular individual to grow in the role
of psychologist. Each supervisor will ensure that the intern's training
objectives are met and will complete evaluations of intern performance
three times during the training year. Live observation, audiotapes, and
videotapes of sessions are used in the supervision process.

The faculty of the White River Junction VA internship values
self-reflection in professional training. We view self-reflection as an
integral component of being an effective, compassionate professional.
While supervisors vary in the level of self-disclosure they encourage in
supervision, some level of self-reflection and self-disclosure is part
of the supervisory process. Applicants and interns are encouraged to
discuss this issue with prospective supervisors.

## Training Experiences 

Based on a generalist model of training, interns participate in five
major clinical experiences during the year: full-year training in the
general outpatient psychotherapy (at the VAMC and the Dartmouth College
Counseling Center), full-year training in the psychology assessment
clinic, a full-year of training in the PTSD subspecialty; an eight month
rotation in the Primary Mental Health Clinic; and a four month rotation
on the inpatient mental health service.

***Outpatient Psychotherapy:*** Interns see outpatients in two setting:
the general outpatient mental health clinic at the VAMC and through a
nine month (partial day) rotation at the Dartmouth College Counseling
Center. In the VAMC outpatient clinic interns carry a caseload of about
twelve outpatients who are seen weekly in either short-term or long-term
psychotherapy. Interns are supervised in the practice of both
time-limited (TLDP) and long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy as well as
cognitive behavioral treatments in this clinic. In this clinic a
holistic, recovery-oriented approach to care is taken so interns work
closely with medication providers (nurse practitioners and
psychiatrists), social workers (homeless veteran coordinator, CWT and
supported employment coordinator) as well as collaborating with primary
and specialty care physicians.

A nine month rotation (October through June) at the Dartmouth College
Counseling Center provides interns with more diversity to their
caseloads. Interns treat late adolescents and young adults from a
culturally and ethnically diverse college student population in the
college counseling setting. Supervision in time-sensitive psychodynamic
psychotherapy is provided by internship faculty at the College
Counseling Center.

***Primary Mental Health Clinic (PMHC):*** Interns provide assessment
and short-term psychotherapy in the PMHC which is located in the Primary
Care Service. In this eight month rotation interns learn to conduct
brief, problem-focused assessments. Patients come to this walk-in mental
health clinic from primary and specialty care medicine for drop-in
access to mental health services. Patients are seen by both a therapist,
who conducts a brief psychosocial assessment, and a medication provider,
who conducts a brief biopsychosical assessment. Therapists and
medication providers consult with each other and the patient and make
treatment recommendations including referrals for psychotherapy, trials
of medication, hospitalization, and referral to support groups. In this
setting interns learn to consult with both psychiatric medication
providers as well as primary care physicians about each patient seen in
the clinic.

***Inpatient Mental Health Service:*** Interns work as part of a
multidisciplinary treatment team on the inpatient mental health service.
In this setting the interns provide psychological assessments; brief
psychotherapy; consult with nursing, social work and psychiatry staff;
and provide education to residents, medical students and staff about
psychological assessment and psychological interventions. Psychological
interventions consist of both group and individual treatments. The
interns co-lead a recovery-oriented group, WRAP (Wellness Recovery
Action Plan), for both inpatients and outpatients. This group is based
on an empirically-supported recovery model emphasizing empowering
patients to develop skills and tools to sustain their recovery.
Individual interventions are often short-term behaviorally-oriented or
cognitive-behaviorally-oriented approaches to symptom reduction and
management including teaching positive coping strategies like stress
management techniques and symptom management techniques like distress
tolerance.

***Psychology Assessment Clinic:*** In this clinic interns administer
and interpret a variety of psychological and neuropsychological
screening instruments, write integrated assessment reports and present
this feedback to both colleagues and patients. Because many of the
requests for assessment come from clinicians who are not psychologists,
emphasis is placed on collaborating with other professionals to clarify
referral questions and provide meaningful feedback to both the referring
clinician and the patient.

***PTSD Sub-Specialty Training:*** Fifth, our internship includes what
we call \"sub-specialty training\" in the assessment and treatment of
PTSD. The goal of this training is to prepare our interns to conduct
assessments of patients with PTSD and to learn an empirically-supported
treatment (cognitive processing therapy (CPT) or prolonged exposure
(PE)) for treating PTSD. Since a high preponderance of our patients have
PTSD, we feel this training is especially important for our interns (and
patients). In collaboration with staff from the National Center for
PTSD, interns first learn to reliably administer and score the Clinician
Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS). Interns then learn a twelve-session,
manualized version of CPT or PE and treat at least two patients with
PTSD using this intervention. As part of this sub-specialty training,
interns also learn to run a PTSD treatment group. These groups are
skills-oriented and include an empirically-supported, manualized group
for patients with PTSD and substance use disorders (Seeking Safety).

In addition to these experiences, interns also participate in the PTSD
Assessment Clinic. This is a clinic that provides screening of patients
with a suspected diagnosis of PTSD. In this clinic emphasis is placed on
helping patients better understand their symptoms and treatment planning
e.g., referral for individual or group treatment of PTSD.

***Seminars and Case Conferences:*** All interns attend two weekly case
conferences, one focused on assessment and the other focusing on
treatment. The Assessment Case Conference is taught by doctoral-level
psychology staff. This case conference deals with psychological testing
and requires interns to present findings of an assessment battery.
Scholarly readings are assigned to correspond to case presentations. The
Clinical Case Conference focuses on psychotherapy issues. Interns,
psychiatry residents, and staff present cases, watch videotapes of
psychotherapy and are assigned readings to correspond to case
presentations.

Interns also participate in a Psychology Seminar and two treatment
seminars: one pertaining to Time-Limited Dynamic Psychotherapy (TLDP)
and the other pertaining to Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). The
Psychology Seminar focuses on topics relevant to professional practice
at the WRJ VAMC. Topics include taking military and medical histories,
patient diversity, and supervision, to name a few. The TLDP seminar is a
combination of didactics and group supervision. Interns use the TLDP
model to treat at least two patients. The Cognitive Behavior Therapy
seminar focus on learning CBT treatment protocols and utilizes a
combination of didactics and group supervision. Interns treat two
patients utilizing CBT protocols.

Two additional seminars are offered on Tuesdays in conjunction with the
Dartmouth Psychology Internship Program. These seminars are held at the
WRJ VAMC and are taught by WRJ VAMC faculty, Dartmouth Medical School
faculty (regular and adjunct), and West Central Services staff members.
The seminars include Clinical Practice and Research. The Clinical
Practice seminar exposes interns to different kinds of clinical issues
and practice (e.g., ethics, diversity, psychopharmacology, professional
issues, and areas of specialization within psychology). The Research
Seminar provides consultation to interns working on their dissertations
and interested in publishing. This training is made available to interns
for professional enrichment and to establish collegial interactions with
psychology interns at a different training site.

In addition to the seminars, interns participate in weekly
multidisciplinary journal clubs. These are offered weekly by the
National Center for PTSD and the VAMC Mental Health and Behavioral
Science service. Staff members, psychiatry residents, and interns
present articles of their choosing to the groups and lead a discussion.

## Requirements for Completion

***Requirements:*** In order to remain in good standing, interns are
required to make progress toward competency in all domains; utilize
supervision for professional growth and achievement of competencies; and
participate in and complete readings/assignments for all seminars, case
conferences, journal clubs and supervision.

To successfully complete the internship interns are required to meet the
minimum practice expectations (see below), achieve competency in all
required domains and be in good standing throughout the year.

***Expectations:*** The following are expectations established to help
give interns an idea of the minimum workload standards for the year.
Interns must meet these minimum standards in order to successfully
complete internship. It should be noted that these are minimum standards
and that most interns are expected to exceed these standards during the
course of the year.

***Supervision and Didactics***

-   Minimum of three scheduled hours of individual supervision per week

-   Assessment Case Conference Group Supervision

-   Clinical Case Conference Group Supervision

-   Monthly meeting with the Training Director

-   Attend all seminars and didactics

***Workload***

-   Minimum of twelve (individual/group) treatment hours per week (six
    per supervisor) at VAMC outpatient clinic and three treatment hours
    per week at the Dartmouth College Counseling Center

-   Minimum of ten full assessment batteries (year)

-   Individual and group therapy

-   Completion of the PTSD Subspecialty

***Presentations***

-   On-going case presentations at Assessment Case Conference

-   On-going case presentations at Clinical Case Conference

-   On-going presentations at the TLDP seminar

-   On-going presentations at the CBT seminar

-   Two presentations at Mental Health and Behavioral Science service
    Journal Club

-   Four presentations at PTSD Journal Club

***Evaluations***

*Of You*

-   Three evaluations by all supervisors

-   Evaluations of case presentations

*Of Us*

-   Two evaluations of all supervisors

-   Two evaluations of the internship

-   Two evaluations of all seminars

-   One post-internship evaluation (at twelve months)

## Facility and Training Resources

Abundant resources exist to support intern training. Comfortable office
space and individual computers are provided for interns that allow them
access to electronic records, email, and the Internet. In addition, we
have an array of computer-administered and scored tests, statistical
software, and a wide assortment of psychological and neuropsychological
testing equipment.

The Learning Resource Center (LRC) at the WRJ VAMC maintains books and
periodicals encompassing an array of psychology and medical journals.
Interns can sign-up for the review service in which they receive the
tables of contents to selected journals to review and select articles
they wish to read. In addition, the LRC maintains audiocassettes,
videocassettes, and other audiovisual resources. The LRC also provides
Internet access for searches of professional literature. The Librarian
at the LRC is available to help interns with literature searches as well
as inter-library loan requests for journal articles and books.

## Administrative Policies and Procedures

***Time Requirements:*** The internship is a one year experience
requiring at least 40 hours of \"on duty\" time per week. The starting
date is July 1 and the end date is June 30. Interns are required to gain
a minimum of 2080 hours of training (minus leave time) during the
internship year. If interns are not able to complete the full 2080 hours
during the training year or have not satisfied the minimum requirements,
they can, with approval from the training director, complete the
remaining hours and requirements during the next training year; interns
will not receive a stipend for the additional hours required to complete
their training.

***Stipend:*** Interns receive a competitive stipend paid in 26 biweekly
installments. VA internship stipends are locality adjusted to reflect
different relative costs in different geographical areas. Currently, the
stipend is \$22,898 annually.

***Benefits:*** The internship appointments are for 2080 hours, which is
full-time for a one year period. VA interns are eligible for health
insurance (for self, married spouse, and legal dependents) and for life
insurance, just as are regular employees. As temporary employees,
interns may not participate in VA retirement programs.

***Holidays and Leave:*** Interns receive the 10 annual federal
holidays. In addition, interns accrue 4 hours of sick leave and 4 hours
of annual leave for each full two week pay period as an intern, for a
total of between 96 and 104 hours of each during the year.

***Authorized Absence:*** Subject to approval by the Director of
Training, interns may be given authorized absence without charge to
leave, when the activity is considered to be of substantial benefit to
VA in accomplishing its general mission or one of its specific
functions, such as education and training.

***Due Process Statement:*** It is the practice of the WRJ VAMC
internship program to attempt to address all problems and complaints at
the lowest possible level, utilizing formal procedures only when
standard supervisory approaches have proven unsuccessful in resolving an
issue. The input and recommendations of the intern's graduate program
director may be included in any remedial intervention plan that is
judged warranted by the Psychology Training Committee.

Since no one set of procedures can be established to cover all potential
problem scenarios, emphasis is placed on resolving issues (a) at the
lowest possible level, (b) using the least formal means, and (c) in a
manner that supports all parties involved.

The faculty of the WRJ VAMC internship value self-reflection in
professional training. We view self-reflection as an integral component
of being an effective, compassionate professional. While supervisors
vary in the level of self-disclosure they encourage in supervision, some
level of self-reflection and self-disclosure is part of the supervisory
process. Applicants and interns are encouraged to discuss this issue
with prospective supervisors.

***Self-Disclosure:*** As stated in the APA Ethics Code, an intern may
be required to disclose personal information if it becomes necessary to
evaluate or obtain assistance for the intern whose personal problems are
preventing them from performing their training or professionally related
activities in a competent manner or posing a threat to students or
others.

The faculty recognizes the benefit of personal psychotherapy for all
psychology trainees. We consider the decision to seek psychotherapy a
personal one, but may, in some circumstances, suggest or encourage
interns to seek personal psychotherapy.

## Training Staff

***Corson, John A., Ph.D.***

Chief Psychologist, VAMC White River Junction, VT

Professor of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School

[Interests]{.underline}: Health Psychology, Behavior and Group Therapy,
Assessment

***Detzer, Mark Ph.D.***

Psychologist, VAMC White River Junction, VT

Instructor in Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School

[Interests]{.underline}: Health Psychology, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

***Earle, Heather, Ph.D.***

Psychologist, Dartmouth College Health Service, Hanover, NH

Associate Director, Counseling and Human Development, Dartmouth College

[Interests]{.underline}: Time-Limited Dynamic Psychotherapy, Individual
and Couples Therapy, Multicultural Therapy, Supervision

***Friedman, Matthew, M.D., Ph.D.***

Executive Director, National Center for PTSD, VAMC White River Junction,
VT

Professor of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School

[Interests]{.underline}: PTSD, Psychopharmacology

***Goldstein (Ranslow), Elizabeth, Ph.D.***

Psychologist, VAMC White River Junction, VT

Director of the PTSD Clinical Team

Instructor, Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School

[Interests]{.underline}: PTSD, Cognitive Processing Therapy,
Time-Limited Dynamic Psychotherapy, Cultural Factors and Psychotherapy

***Hamblen, Jessica, Ph.D***

Psychologist; Deputy for Education, National Center for PTSD, VAMC White
River Junction, VT

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School

[Interests]{.underline}: PTSD, Disaster, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

***Hiatt, Mark, Ph.D.***

Psychologist, Dartmouth College Health Service, Hanover, NH

[Interests]{.underline}: Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy, Anxiety and
Mood Disorders, Adolescent and Young Adult Development, Sports
Psychology

***Jones, Rosalind, Ph.D.***

Psychologist, VAMC, White River Junction, VT

Instructor, Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School

[Interests]{.underline}: Neuropsychology, Time-Limited Dynamic
Psychotherapy, PTSD

***Kelliher, Stephen, Psy.D.***

Recovery Coordinator, VAMC, White River Junction, VT

[Interests]{.underline}: PTSD, Psychosocial Rehabilitation/Recovery
Based Interventions, Time-Limited Dynamic Psychotherapy, Cognitive
Behavioral Therapy

***Kutter, Catherine, Ph.D.***

Psychologist, VAMC, White River Junction, VT

Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School

[Interests]{.underline}: PTSD, Assessment, Clinical Research,
Cognitive-Behavior Therapy

***Mills, Peter D., Ph.D.***

Psychologist and Chair, Ethics Advisory Committee, VAMC White River
Junction, VT

Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School

Director, VA National Center for Patient Safety Field Office

[Interests]{.underline}: Individual and Marital Therapy, Bio-Medical
Ethics, Medical Safety Improvement, Health Care Consultation

***Schnurr, Paula P., Ph.D.***

Deputy Executive Director, National Center for PTSD, VAMC White River
Junction VT

Research Professor of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School

[Interests]{.underline}: PTSD, Research Methodology and Statistics

***Steinberg, Donna, Ph.D.***

Psychologist, Dartmouth College Health Service, Hanover, NH

Co-Chair of Dartmouth Eating Disorders Treatment Program

[Interests]{.underline}: Individual and Group Psychotherapy

***Stevens, Susan, Psy.D.***

Psychologist, National Center for PTSD, VAMC White River Junction, VT

[Interests]{.underline}: PTSD, Cognitive Processing Therapy, Narrative
Therapy

***Wren, Richard, Ph.D.***

Psychologist, VAMC White River Junction, VT

Director of Psychology Training

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School

[Interests]{.underline}: Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, PTSD, Hypnosis,
Insomnia

## Trainees

**Graduates and Current Interns**

**Degrees and Graduate Programs**

**2007 - 2008**

Virginia Commonwealth University

Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology

George Washington University

Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology

Pacific University School of Professional Psychology

Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology

**2006 -- 2007 Graduates**

Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology

Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology

State University of New York at Albany

Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology

Duquesne University

Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology

**2005-2006 Graduates**

Antioch New England Graduate School

Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology

Baylor University

Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology

**2004 -- 2005 Graduates**

Indiana State University

Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology

University of Wyoming

Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology

**2003 -- 2004 Graduates**

University of Maine

Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology

Pacific University School of Professional Psychology

Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology

**2002 -- 2003 Graduates**

University of Houston

Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology

Antioch New England Graduate School

Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology

**2001 -- 2002 Graduates**

Antioch New England Graduate School

Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology

Antioch New England Graduate School

Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology

## Local Information

The WRJ VAMC is located in rural New England on the border of New
Hampshire and Vermont. Situated in the scenic New England countryside,
the location offers easy access to the pleasures of country living
including picturesque New England villages and farms, excellent skiing,
hiking, and boating as well as Arts and Cultural events sponsored by
Dartmouth College across the river in New Hampshire. White River
Junction also affords easy travel to Boston and Montreal.

***Links to Local Information:***

> **VA Medical Center, White River Junction, Vermont**
>
> <http://www.whiteriver.va.gov/>
>
> **Dartmouth College Counseling Center**
>
> [http://www.dartmouth.edu/\~chd/index.html](http://www.dartmouth.edu/~chd/index.html )
>
> **National Center for PTSD**
>
> [http://ncptsd.org](http://ncptsd.org/)
>
> **Housing:**
>
> [http://www.dartmouthre.com](http://www.dartmouthre.com/)
>
> **Local Events:**
>
> <http://hop.dartmouth.edu/>
>
> [http://www.lebanonoperahouse.org](http://www.lebanonoperahouse.org/)
>
> [http://www.claremontoperahouse.com](http://www.claremontoperahouse.com/)
>
> [http://www.newportoperahouse.com](http://www.newportoperahouse.com/)
>
> **Local News:**
>
> <http://www.vnews.com/>
>
> **Local Organizations:**
>
> <http://www.valley.net/communityOrganizations/index.html>
>
> **Outdoor Sports:**
>
> <http://www.skinh.com/>
>
> <http://www.vermontvacation.com/recreation/skiing.asp>
>
> <http://www.visitnh.gov/?c1=activities-us~general&source=overture&kw=hiking+nh>
>
> <http://www.vermontvacation.com/recreation/hiking.asp>
>
> **Transportation:**
>
> <http://www.concordcoachlines.com/dartmouth_coach.htm>
>
> **Weather**:
>
> <http://www.montshire.org/weather/>
>
> <http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?zoneid=VTZ012>