VA St.
Louis Health Care System
OPEN PSYCHOLOGY POSTDOCTORAL RESIDENCIES FOR 2013 – 2014
Psychosocial Recovery (SMI population) Services (1
position)
Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI) (1
position)
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (1 position)
(Two-year Neuropsychology Residency will open for
application-December 2013)
Accreditation
Status
Our
residencies are not currently accredited, although we are scheduling a site
visit with the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological
Association in early spring 2013. We received APPIC Membership this past year. We cannot
guarantee that the program will ultimately be successful in attaining APA
accreditation. Questions regarding the accreditation process and
status may be addressed to: APA, Office of Program Consultation and
Accreditation, 750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242, (202) 336-5979.
APPLICATION
DUE DATE:January 4, 2013 or until filled. Early
application is encouraged.
Please see our full
brochure for all information regarding eligibility and application procedures:
http://www.psychologytraining.va.gov/stlouis
Our resident
positions were established in 2008 and emphasize evidence-based clinical
training in frontier areas of psychology service delivery. Our psychology faculty members are
enthusiastic about the training process and are active mentors. We strive to create a training environment
that is both challenging and rewarding, and we are looking for applicants who
will share our commitment to serving America’s Veterans. Applicants
from diverse backgrounds, or with a commitment to culturally competent care, are
encouraged to apply.
Psychosocial Rehabilitation and
Recovery Program Postdoctoral Residency
The Recovery Program provides an advanced
training experience in evidenced-based, "Recovery Model”-oriented,
full-spectrum psychological care for veterans with serious and chronic mental
illness. The program provides broad training in diagnosis, assessment and
intervention, as well as the acquisition of in-depth advanced scholarly and
clinical skill sets for working with this specialized population. This residency is housed at the HOPE Recovery
Center (HRC), a new facility that includes the Psychosocial Rehabilitation and
Recovery Center (PRRC) program, our Mental Health Intensive Case Management
(MHICM) team, our Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) team, and our
Compensated Work Therapy/Vocational Rehabilitation (CWT/VR) team. Trainees
will be provided the opportunity to work in two dynamic multi-faceted, multidisciplinary
teams within the HRC: PRRC and MHICM. The resident will also have the
opportunity to collaborate and coordinate care with the CWT/VR and HCHV
programs. This allows for targeted and
supportive interventions to assist veterans in the best strategies for symptom
management and recovery, community involvement, and occupational and housing
support. The resident will participate
in a wide range of interventions and programmatic activities including individual
therapy, group therapy, group psycho-education, case management services,
diagnostic assessments, consultation, and treatment of severe mental illness
(SMI) and co-occurring substance use disorders.
Primary Care Mental Health Integration
Postdoctoral Residency
Our Primary Care Mental
Health Integration (PCMHI) team has been in operation since 2006 and now has 8
full-time psychologists embedded in primary care teams across our two campuses,
our Women’s Clinic, and outpatient based clinics (CBOCs). We also have a primary care psychiatrist to
assist with medication consultation to primary care providers and to PCMHI
psychologists. Residents in this program
will learn about the VA’s newest innovation in providing client-centered
healthcare within Patient Aligned Care Teams (PACTs; medical home model). Our
model of integrated care is one in which psychologists and residents are fully
embedded within independent primary care teams, providing interventions and
consultations to medical providers and veterans alike. We have found this model reduces the stigma
of engaging in behavioral health care and increases access to services. Residents in PCMHI develop knowledge and
understanding of the interface between medical and psychiatric symptoms with
specific disorders and presenting problems while coordinating care with medical
residents, clinical pharmacists, dieticians, advanced nurse practitioners,
physicians, and social workers. We strive
to provide truly collaborative care with an emphasis on providing interventions
that target underlying behavioral issues related to disease and illness but
also help our medical colleagues better identify and respond to the
interrelationships between physical and emotional health.
PTSD
Postdoctoral Residency
The
PTSD residency provides an intensive training experience in clinical psychology
with an emphasis on diagnosis, treatment and consultation with a
military-related PTSD patient population. We have 2 fully
functional outpatient Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Clinical Teams (PCT’s) providing
assessment and treatment for combat-related PTSD specializing in different eras
of combat. Both PCT teams offer a compliment of psychoeducation,
individual/couples and group psychotherapies, psychometric assessment, and psychiatric
care (i.e., evaluation, medication management and inpatient services). Both
teams consist of multi-disciplinary staff designed to offer a range of
treatment options but well-tailored to the specific needs, interests, and
utilization of the different combat era populations. Examples of current group offerings include aCombat PTSD Class (for new patients),
multiple Vietnam Trauma Process Groups, an OIF/OEF Trauma Group, WWII groups,
POW groups, CBT Skills Group, PTSD couples group, Anger (as a hyperarousal
symptom, not just an anger management group), Depression
(with focus on trauma cognitions and co-morbidity with PTSD), Sleep/Nightmare,
Seeking Safety,CPT Trauma Groups, ACT group for combat PTSD, Stress
Inoculation Training, and others. Residents
will also receive more in-depth training in specific evidence-based therapies,
including Prolonged Exposure, Cognitive Processing Therapy, and Acceptance and
Commitment Therapy.
General Information
Pay: Stipend is $42,239
Start Date: July 29, 2013
These residencies are 12-month, 2,080 hour
full-time appointments. Acceptance of
an appointment requires a commitment to complete the entire training year. Benefits include 10 federal holidays in
addition to acquired sick leave (4 hours per 2-week pay period) and annual
leave (4 hours per 2-week pay period) that may be used during the year. Health insurance is also provided. Residents may also be eligible to receive up
to 56 hours/year of "authorized absence,” which is to be used for
professionally related activities (e.g., attendance at
educational/professionally-relevant meetings, conventions, workshops,
etc.). These authorized absences are
contingent upon administrative approval and count towards the 2,080 hours. Malpractice coverage is provided under the
Federal Tort Claims Act. You will be fully briefed on all personnel practices
during your orientation period upon arriving on site including the program’s
grievance policy. The VA is a federal
government organization and an equal opportunity employer. The training program welcomes and strongly
encourages applications from all qualified applicants regardless of gender,
age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, or other minority
status. Hence, we take a strong stance
regarding policies of non-discrimination and accommodation for success in our
residency program.
Complete
application and eligibility information available at
http://www.psychologytraining.va.gov/stlouis.
Additional
questions? Contact Martina Ritchhart, Director of Psychology Training, at martina.ritchhart@va.gov.