Application Deadline: November 15, 2011
APPIC Match Codes: 135912 (Mental Health)
135913 (Behavioral Health)
Introduction
The VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System (VAAAHS) offers an intensive, full-time Clinical Psychology internship program in a hospital/health system setting with inpatient, outpatient, and rehabilitation services. The program provides a unique opportunity to work with male and female veterans experiencing a wide range of physical, emotional and interpersonal problems, while receiving careful supervision from a highly-skilled staff. The internship begins on the Monday prior to Labor Day and ends on the Friday proceeding the Monday prior to Labor Day in any given year. For the 2012-2013 training year the starting date is August 27, 2012 and the completion date is August 23, 2013.
This internship is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association. Questions about the accreditation and the accreditation process; or comments regarding this program can be addressed to the Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation, American Psychological Association, 750 First Street N.E., Washington DC, 20002 (202-336-5979)
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR FALL 2011 Applicants: Please note that there have been substantive changes in the Competency Benchmarks framework that APA has recently released:
http://www.apa.org/ed/graduate/revised-competency-benchmarks.aspx
Please consult this page and its resources to consider the effect that these changes may have on Internship training requirements.
Philosophy, Orientation, & Goals
The philosophy and values of this program are centered in normative healthcare ethical values of beneficence, non-maleficence, and social contract in a context of public service. Its central mission is to contribute to the development of competent clinical psychologists. The goals of the program are to 1) prepare the Intern to use the process of psychological assessment in a skilled manner, 2) prepare the Intern to use psychological interventions in a skilled manner, and 3) prepare the Intern to provide psychological consultation in a skilled manner. Various objectives in achieving these goals contribute to their achievement.
The orientation, nature and operation of the program is as a Scientist-Practitioner training program (i.e., Boulder Model). The program emphasizes evidence-based practice and provides education in how this can be realized in practice. The training model is to provide supervised experiences in assessment, intervention, consultation, and other professional development that are sequential, cumulative, and graded in complexity.
To serve these aims, the training program welcomes applications from those whose graduate clinical/counseling psychology preparation in course work and introductory clinical experiences in practica are complete (see Eligibility, below for specific requirements). The program selects Intern candidates whose preparation, supervisor recommendations, and perceived synergy with our program are deemed the best. By this process we identify and match optimally with Interns who have a readiness to learn - under supervision - how a psychologist actually practices in the fundamental tasks associated with the clinical profession. Thus, the program is designed around objectives to provide experiences in assessment, treatment, consultation, and scholarly support of practice that will enable interns to move to the level of readiness for practice. The program does not seek to train Interns to pursue a specific career path, although its character and methods have produced a preponderance of graduates whose career trajectories could be characterized as scientist-practitioner or practitioner-scholar. As a VA Center with a strong academic affiliation, these outcomes are congruent with our overall mission.
As noted above, the VAAAHS program is designed and offered as a scientist-practitioner program which is consonant with a general “Boulder Model” philosophy of education and training in Psychology. While we train Interns with the nation that they will continue on to careers of research and teaching along with practice, there are many outcomes and careers that we see as being fully successful and good ones.
Minimum Levels of Achievement for Entry and Successful Completion
The minimum levels of achievement we seek for the beginning of the internship are consonant with “Readiness for Internship”, which are see in the document, “Assessment of Competency Benchmarks Work Group: A Developmental Model for the Defining and Measuring Competence in Professional Psychology”, which is available on the APA website in a revised form. See http://www.apa.org/ed/graduate/revised-competency-benchmarks.aspx
The minimum level of achievement for the successful completion of the Internship is 2,000 hours of supervised participation of the program as well as the attainment/demonstration of at least 85% of the competencies at the “Readiness for Practice” level as seen in the revised Competency Benchmark document referenced just above.
Because we strongly believe that clinicians require extensive knowledge of psychological theory and thought, a thorough didactic program is offered which complements the intern's clinical work and includes (among other things) training in understanding the importance of research in clinical problems. The didactic offerings are not intended to recapitulate knowledge gained at the graduate, doctoral educational level in the classroom, but to broaden and expand understanding of advanced concepts, techniques, and practical understanding.
The Ann Arbor VA Medical Center is located adjacent to the University of Michigan campus and medical center. All of our faculty have clinical track or instructional (tenure) track appointments joint faculty appointments in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan School of Medicine. Close ties with the University of Michigan's Medical School and Department of Psychology also allow Interns an unusually broad range of learning experiences and opportunities to consult with widely-respected mental health practitioners and personnel. Interns receive appointment to the Department of Psychiatry and School of Medicine and credentials from the University of Michigan that enable them to access campus resources (e.g., libraries, media, wellness/fitness facilities and more).
Psychology’s Role in the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center
The Ann Arbor VA Medical Center has offered accredited high-quality Clinical Psychology internship training since 1983. Our medical center is a 147-bed general medical and surgical hospital, which includes an inpatient psychiatric unit, outpatient partial hospital psychiatric program, outpatient mental health clinics, substance abuse treatment and extensive medical and other psychiatric outpatient services. The Community Living Center (CLC) specializing in short term geriatric work, is attached to the Medical Center. Psychology has active assessment and treatment service roles in all these areas.
The Training Program
Our internship is designed to contribute to the development of competent clinical psychologists skilled in diagnosis, psychological treatments, and behavioral consultation with adults and older adults. Two sets of rotations can be seen to represent mental health and behavioral health.
In mental health, primary training occurs in generalist mental health, substance abuse, anxiety disorders (emphasizing post-traumatic stress disorder and military sexual trauma), and women’s veteran mental health. In behavioral health, primary emphasis is given to neuropsychology, geriatric psychology and health psychology training.
Thus, there are 8 major rotations of six month duration. Each Intern does two six month major rotations (about 20 hours/week) and two six month minor rotations (about 12 hours/week). These are allocated by mutual decision between the interns and training directors at the start of the year and in January for the second half-year. All interns will participate in at least 1 rotation in assessment and at least 1 rotation in intervention.
Didactics
Didactic offerings for interns grow naturally out of interns' involvement in patient contacts. Since students already have basic courses in psychological theory, personality and psychopathology in their clinical programs, our didactic teaching concentrates on translating theory to applied work, offering technical information about specific diagnostic and treatment modalities, addressing ethical issues in the clinical setting, and survey literature bearing on understanding the low income veterans treated in this medical center. Lectures, seminars and group discussion using extensive case material are led by the staff and consultants to meet these goals. These learning experiences are enriched by lectures at the University of Michigan's Departments of Psychiatry, Psychology, Neurology and other relevant departments and services. Here is a partial listing of specific offerings:
Psychology Seminars
A mandatory didactic seminar series runs throughout the year on a weekly basis and provides essential instruction and interactive programs with content focusing on essential psychology education. Topics covered include military culture and its implications for psychology care, identification and management of patient suicide risk, ethical dilemmas in health care, compensation and pension evaluation of veterans, violence prevention and intervention, best practices for use of tests of psychopathology, diversity and individual differences as keys to understanding in assessment and treatment, evaluation methodology and practice, couples treatment, difficult pain syndromes, and much more.
Clinical Case Conferences
A regularly scheduled conference of all psychology staff and interns presenting current diagnostic, neuropsychological, behavioral medicine or psychotherapy material of interest with teaching impact and value.
Psychotherapy Seminar
This seminar meets weekly and gives the interns an opportunity to receive peer and staff supervision. Case materials are presented by interns and staff.
Elective Seminars
Psychiatry Grand Rounds are offered weekly in the VA and University contexts. Interns are encouraged to attend and present clinical and research based topics in this forum. An unusually rich selection of special lectures and seminars in psychology and related fields is available at the University of Michigan. Interns may attend relevant offerings as they occur including the Psychobiology Colloquia, Neurology Grand Rounds, Department of Psychiatry Invited Speaker Series, etc.
Special Training, Institutes, and Workshops
During the year special programs focusing on topics such as supervision, advanced psychopathology test interpretation, individual and cultural differences, psychopharmacology, and telemental health are on the schedule for Interns.
Major Rotations
Health Psychology
The primary health care rotation emphasizes psychological assessment and brief treatment interventions in patients presenting with acute medical illness. The intern will spend considerable time in the Pain Clinic, learning to provide psychological assessment and consultation to other health professionals in an ambulatory care, acute presentation setting. The intern will also learn treatment techniques for management of chronic pain, including behavioral interventions, recommendations for physical interventions, and more traditional counseling approaches when appropriate. The intern will also participate in other medical settings such as coverage of the General Medicine Clinics, where the intern will learn to provide psychological consultation to health care providers and provide assessment and brief intervention services to presenting patients, and the general medicine service, where the intern will participate in bed rounds, grand rounds, consultation-liaison activities. This rotation will concentrate on providing the intern with experience in working as part of the medical teams in different parts of the hospital setting, and emphasize the team integration approach which increasingly characterizes the interface between psychology and other services in managed health care settings. The interns also participate in patient education, with recent lectures to patient groups on behavioral/stress aspects of managing diabetes.
Geriatric Rotation in the Extended Care Center (ECC)
The ECC rotation exposes interns to the varieties of illness and injury which affect the neuropsychological and emotional functioning of the elderly and traumatically injured. Aging veterans with chronic or degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, vascular dementia or cancer are among the patients assessed and treated. The Center, run in conjunction with the VA's Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) is also affiliated with the Institute of Gerontology at the University of Michigan. Interns learn the appropriate use of neuropsychological tests in this aging group by administering both a brief cognitive functions screening battery given to all patients and full neuropsychological batteries for patients requiring further work-ups. Such testing is used in determining patients' competency, functional independence and ability to return to independent living, as well as identifying patterns of cognitive deficit for differential diagnosis and treatment prescriptions. Many ECC patients profit from specific behavioral programs, psychological counseling, and lifestyle adjustments. Interns are given the opportunity to learn and evaluate brief interventions and their effectiveness. Weekly interdisciplinary staff conferences create cooperative patient treatment plans for the team to carry out.
Neuropsychology/Consult/Liaison
This rotation has several components designed to help the intern learn skills for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with physical and neurological problems, understand adjustment to chronic disease, and promote maintenance of positive health behavior.
During the Consult/Liaison part of the rotation, interns learn to evaluate and treat the psychological sequelae suffered by patients with chronic illnesses. Cases include people with cancer, AIDS, chronic pain and headaches, as examples. Under the direction of a staff psychologist and psychiatrist within the consultation/liaison psychiatry team, interns assess and treat psychological needs in medical floor patients. Interns also learn acute medical- psychological crisis management techniques.
During the Neuropsychology part of the rotation, interns will see both inpatients and outpatients with known and suspected organic brain problems. The interns will learn neuropsychological test procedures, interpretation of test data, and the application of test results to patient treatment plans. In addition, students have an opportunity to attend Neurology rounds and seminars to enhance their knowledge of brain functioning. Special seminars in diagnosis are regularly offered. Students in this rotation are assigned a minimum of two neuropsychological cases for diagnosis each month.
Mental Health Clinic (MHC)
Training in the Mental Health Clinic includes thorough and careful diagnostic assessment and psychotherapy training with a wide variety of outpatient clients. Interns learn risk assessment and crisis intervention techniques, interviewing and assessment skills, and other screening techniques. Individual therapy cases and group therapy experiences (depression and anxiety, for example) are available. The clinic offers an opportunity to work closely with a variety of mental health professionals. Treatment approaches include empirically supported strategies, such as CBT, Motivational Interviewing, and Solution-Focused/Strategic Therapies. There are opportunities for interns to work with individuals with a wide range of psychopathology from diverse backgrounds. Further, there is flexibility to accommodate individual intern interests in terms of caseload, the development and implementation of treatment groups, and program assessment and evaluation activities.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Clinical Team (PCT)
The PCT functions as an outpatient specialty clinic within the medical center. This multi-disciplinary team provides comprehensive assessment, treatment, and research-based protocols to patients with post-traumatic stress disorder. The intern will attend teaching rounds, perform assessments, and follow cases within this specialty clinic. Interns will have opportunities for training and practice in specialized PTSD evaluation and empirically supported treatments, including Prolonged Exposure and Cognitive Processing Therapy. In addition to weekly individual supervision, interns participate in weekly PCT staff meetings. This includes clinical case presentations, evaluation presentations, and didactic presentations on topics related to PTSD presented by interns and PCT staff.
Substance Use Disorders Clinic (SUD C)
The SUDC rotation includes training in assessment and diagnosis, treatment planning, participating in multidisciplinary treatment, and training in empirically supported intervention approaches for individuals with substance use disorders with and without comorbidities. Psychological treatment approaches include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Motivational Interviewing/ Enhancement Therapy, Behavioral Couples Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. The clinic provides core therapy groups using CBT, as well as a number of specialty groups (e.g., anger-management/violence prevention, behavioral pain management, insomnia treatment, groups targeting psychiatric comorbidities). There are opportunities for interns to work with individuals with a wide range of psychopathology from diverse backgrounds in terms of age, ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Further, there is flexibility to accommodate individual intern interests in terms of caseload, the development/implementation of treatment groups, and program assessment/evaluation activities. Finally, there are a variety of research opportunities available.
Female Veterans Mental Health
This rotation involves evidence-based intervention across all three outpatient mental health clinics (MHC, SAC, and PCT). The focus on women’s mental health training will involve participation in both individual and group therapy offerings specifically for female veterans. Options include trauma focused interventions (CPT, PE), Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Behavioral Couples Therapy, and Wellness group for Women. Additionally, selection of individual therapy cases from the female veteran population will be a focus.
Minor Rotations
Psychological Assessment
Interns practice and learn our battery of neuropsychological tests at the start of the year in addition to reviewing standard objective and personality test procedures. Interns complete a minimum of four diagnostic and/or neuropsychological testing each month. Psychological testing experience includes not only interpretation of tests, but also organization and integration of interview and history data.
Compensation and Pension
Interns will have the opportunity to interview, observe, and measure human behavior when the desired outcome of the veteran is to receive financial compensation. The focus of this rotation will primarily be assessment. It involves case review, interview, and administration of psychometric measures. Interns would be introduced to the idea of rendering a “medical opinion.”
Psychotherapy
Interns are expected to master basic principles of short-term individual psychotherapy, utilizing techniques relevant to our population. Training emphasizes empirically supported specific and non-specific therapy approaches/strategies delivered in individual and group formats. These techniques include cognitive-behavioral treatment and motivational interviewing/enhancement. Cases are drawn from a wide variety of complaints and types of psychological problems.
Health Psychology
This minor would be a scaled down version of the major rotation, but still include opportunities for the intern to conduct assessments in a medical setting, provide brief individual interventions and psychoeducational groups, and consultation with primary care physicians.
Substance Use Disorders Clinic
This minor would be a scaled down version of the major rotation, but still include opportunities for the intern to participate in intake assessments, treatment planning, group therapy, and individual therapy.
Vocational Rehabilitation
The compensated work therapy program (CWT) provides comprehensive outpatient treatment to veterans who wish to return to some level of employment. , but who have a psychiatric or medical diagnosis that interferes with this goal. Treatment is provided through 3 components of the program including incentive therapy, transitional work experience, or supported employment. Training opportunities include, but are not limited to performing vocational assessments, clinical interviewing, case management, community outreach, team consultation, brief solution-focused therapy, and assisting with the Job Club.
Couples Issues and Therapy
Interns on this minor rotation would have the opportunity to see couples utilizing the Behavioral Couples Therapy Model (BCT) and the Integrative Behavioral Couples Therapy model (IBCT). Cases may be for numerous presenting problems (marital distress, substance use, SPMI, etc.). There may also be opportunities to provide CBT for partner abuse or parenting skills training for veterans.
Acute Inpatient Mental Health (AIMH)
Our facility has an 18 bed inpatient unit with an average length of stay of 9 days. The intern has the opportunity to provide brief motivational interventions, participate in multidisciplinary rounds, provide group therapy, and conduct assessments on this acute unit.
Applied Clinical Research
Psychology interns have the opportunity to work directly on a research project and receive mentorship and supervision from one of the Ann Arbor VA’s psychologists. The goals of this training experience are to: (1) gain a broader exposure to VA research in clinical populations of Veterans and/or (2) to conduct a smaller study that compliments the supervisor’s ongoing research. The resulting research project could involve a secondary analysis of existing data, or the collection of pilot data. The project should have a sound research design that will ultimately lead to a publication or a presentation by the intern. This rotation is only open to interns who have defended their dissertation. The supervisor and the intern will work together to develop the specific content and timeline for the research project.
Research Training
We believe that progress in understanding human behavior can come from testing hypotheses generated in clinical observations. Research involvement is therefore a necessary component of the modern health-oriented clinical psychologist. For these reasons, an understanding of the value of research is an important facet of our internship. Interns who have completed their doctoral dissertation and whose clinical case load and didactic activities allow it, are encouraged to team up with a staff member's current research work or produce a small original study (this can be as part of the Applied Clinical Research Minor or outside of the rotations) that is relevant to hospital programs and that matches the interest of a faculty psychologist who could serve as a mentor and supervisor for the project. However, the first priority for interns is to complete their own doctoral research.
Staff at the VA are involved in many kinds of clinical research efforts, including VA and NIH funded projects (often in conjunction with other University of Michigan faculty). These activities provide students with knowledge of psychology's interface with related health disciplines. Staff are involved with projects in a variety of departments, such as Surgery, Psychiatry, Neurology, Internal Medicine, Neuroscience, the VA Serious Mental Health Treatment Research and Evaluation Center (SMITREC), the University of Michigan Addiction Research Center (UMARC), and the Mental Health Research Institute. As well as having our own computer hardware, the VA has access to the resources of the University of Michigan Computing Center, including design and statistical seminars and project consultation.
The academic commitment of our staff is reflected in its involvement in a variety of currently funded research activities. During 2010, members of Psychology faculty published twenty-six scientific papers.
Details and Application Procedures
Policies
Administrative and other policies regarding the VAAAHS Internship Program are available at http://www.umich.edu/~gusb/Policies/
Eligibility
Clinical Psychology internships at VAAAHS are available to advanced students in APA-approved Clinical or Counseling Psychology programs. This internship may only appoint those who are United States Citizens. Each Intern is subject to Federal employment policies and procedures which include a background check.
Applicants must be formally matriculated and in good standing with a graduate program in Clinical or Counseling Psychology accredited by the American Psychological Association’s Commission on Accreditation.
This program may only consider applicants from programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association. Only students in their full third year graduate program year and beyond will be considered for Internship.
This internship program endorses and adheres to the following readiness for internship criteria promulgated by The Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology (CUDCP) (see http://cudcp.us/ for complete details):
1. The applicant meets or exceeds foundational and functional competencies for “Readiness for Internship” as outlined by the Revised Assessment of Competency Benchmarks in Professional Psychology. See on APA’s website: http://www.apa.org/ed/graduate/revised-competency-benchmarks.aspx
2. The applicant has successfully completed a master’s thesis (or equivalent).
3. The applicant has passed program’s comprehensive or qualifying exams (or equivalent).
4. The applicant’s dissertation proposal has been accepted at the time of application to the internship.
5. The applicant has successfully completed all required course work for the doctoral degree prior to starting the internship (except hours for dissertation and internship).
6. The applicant has completed an organized, sequential series of practicum experiences that involve formalized practicum experience in evidence-based assessment and therapy. The Trainee completed at least 450 face-to-face hours of assessment/intervention and at least 150 hours of supervision by a clinical psychologist who routinely employed individual and/or group supervision models and at least one or more of the following intensive supervision methods (e.g., direct observation, co-therapy, audio/videotape review). An AAPI total of at least 700 hours is strongly recommended.
7. The applicant has contributed to the scientific knowledge within psychology, as evidenced by one or more of: 1) publication contributions to papers, chapters, or monographs, 2) participation and/or presentation of posters or papers at regional, specialty, or national meetings, 3) organized participation in funded research, 4) formal teaching, and 5) participation in student or trainee components of professional organizations (e.g., APAGS, INS, ISTSS, RSA, etc.).
Support and Health Coverage
Standard VA stipend support is available for interns (stipend for 2011-2012 is $26,059 per year). Interns are appointed as Federal Employees with eligibility for health and other benefits. In addition, education funds are occasionally available for interns to attend conferences and conventions relating to their internship work. Such activities are encouraged.
Application Procedures and Selection
APPIC now has an online application process (AAPI Online). Click HERE for information on submitting your application online.
For the 2012-2013 internship year, all applications received by November 15, 2011 will be guaranteed consideration. While this program may consider applications coming into the AAPI portal after that date, consideration is not guaranteed. This allows sufficient time to review the applications before the two Open Houses in January of 2012 (see below). This program does NOT require any materials supplemental to the AAPI online.
Each completed application is assigned to three faculty readers. Readers who identify any conflict of interest or basis for bias return that application for another in its place. The raters make systematic assessments of 1) preparation, 2) Letters of Recommendation, and 3) Likely synergy or “goodness of fit” between the applicant and this program. This program’s evaluation of the practica experiences of applicants is both qualitative and quantitative in nature. The balance of assessment, intervention, and supervision hours is considered in the light of the applicant’s stated career goals.
The ratings are aggregated and rank ordered. Discussions occur during designated faculty review sessions that lead to a final rank order list.
This program’s evaluation of the practica experiences of applicants is both qualitative and quantitative in nature. The balance of assessment, intervention, and supervision hours is considered in the light of the applicant’s stated career goals.
The faculty makes a considered judgment of the frequency, nature, and complexity of such experiences needed to function capably in the VAAAHS Internship.
Applicants seeking Internship at VAAAHS should have optimally have practicum experiences which will serve to prepare them for training which will take place with patients who have both psychological and medical problems. One goal of the Internship is to prepare psychologists who will be able to practice in medical center settings. The selection of practicum experiences may also be best guided by choosing settings where there is an opportunity to learn about the scientific or literature basis for the clinical activity taking place; or to learn introductory lessons about evidence based treatments.
The VAAAHS program considers practicum hours to be ones that introduce psychologists to the general kinds of professional activities that will characterize what they will be doing in their clinical careers as Psychologist caregivers. They are essentially similar to clerkships in that learners are allowed to observe, demonstrate basic understanding, and participate in limited and closely supervised care. The emphasis of practicum-level training is procedural and imitative in learning terms for most professions; and Psychology is no exception.
However, applicants are also encouraged to review the ASPPB Guidelines on Practicum Experience for Licensure: http://www.asppb.net/files/public/Final_Prac_Guidelines_1_31_09.pdf
These recent guidelines provide a valuable aspirational guide for what practicum experience could be at its best at some future developmental juncture.
Interviews
Interviews are not part of our selection process. While we welcome communications from applicants and all questions, the evaluation and ranking of applicants is based upon the application. Applicants should not attempt to secure interviews. Visits to the facility may be arranged, however; particularly in the event that an applicant cannot attend the Open House program (see below).
Open Houses
Open Houses are held to provide informational opportunities to see the setting and hear from the faculty and current interns. All applicants are invited to attend one of the two Open Houses on January 10 and 17, 2012 for the internship year 2012-2013. The attendance at the Open House is at the discretion of the applicant, not mandatory, and will not affect ranking decisions. The open house starts at around 8:30 (official welcome at 8:45 AM) and lasts until about 1 PM. The event is held in the auditorium. There is a lunch (pizza) hosted by us at around noon at which internship applicants can meet and talk to staff and our current interns. If you would like to come to one of the Open Houses, Please send us an e-mail message using the link to a dialogue page that appears on the Open House Web page. It should be noted that Open House attendance is not a requirement for selection; the Open House is primarily designed to allow you to see if our training site is a good match for your training goals.
Any questions not answered here can be submitted electronically (kmadams@umich.edu) or addressed to:
Kenneth M. Adams, Ph.D., ABPP
Associate Chief & Training Director
Mental Health Service (116)
VA Medical Center
2215 Fuller Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
(734) 845-3602 (Voice)
(734) 845-3602 (Facsimile)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many applicants do you have? How many Internship places do you have?
We had 109 applicants with completed applications in the APPIC portal last year. This is fairly consonant with most recruiting years. We matched with eight (8) Interns through the APPIC National Matching Service. Our applications come mostly from Ph.D. programs, but some from Psy.D. programs as well. We receive applications from both Clinical Psychology Programs and Counseling Psychology Programs. All of these applications are welcomed and all receive the same evaluation and scrutiny.
Why do you not conduct interviews?
Extensive and oft-replicated research in Industrial and Organizational Psychology has demonstrated the incremental validity of interviews in predicting professional job performance to be very low. Psychology considers itself to adhere to the highest standards of scientific and evidence-based best practices. Forgoing interviews with little added value honors this value in practice.
On the part of applicants, being granted an interview may lead them to believe that their application is receiving more serious consideration than others (a reasonable but far from certain assumption); while not being granted an interview may lead them to believe that they are not being considered seriously for internship (which is simply not true in the case of this site).
Clinical Interviews and Employment Interviews are separate and different exercises; and most clinical psychologists have no training or expertise in the latter enterprise. Interviews may permit the interviewer to base selection decisions upon extraneous or erroneous observations and assumptions based upon misapplication of a small temporal sample to the prediction of a much larger time frame and complexity of work. Interviews can also allow some interviewers to ask inappropriate questions regarding the applicant in an ethical environment where there is no real prospect for informed consent on the part of the applicant. Finally, interviews are expensive undertakings for students if they have to travel to them, which should be an economic justice consideration for programs.
Well, then how do I know where I stand?
We’d be glad to tell you in general terms. We will communicate to you if and when we do decide to forgo selecting you. We do not consider applicants we judge as unqualified for this Internship and inform them of that immediately upon making that determination. While rare, we have had applications from such aspirants whose preparation and career trajectory are simply unsuited for this Internship (e.g., a School Psychologist from an APA Approved School Psychology Program). In general, applicants are well-qualified and show good sense in identifying programs that can meet their needs.
On what do you base your evaluation of my application?
We read your application carefully. Your online APPIC portal application is assigned to three reviewers for independent evaluation. Reviewers volunteer for this duty, and the reviewer cadre consists of staff psychologists and postdoctoral fellows who of course have completed an internship and – in the case of fellows - are at the stage of advanced study of a specialty. The Training Director, with the concurrence of the Associate Director makes the assignments based upon your apparent interests and the special skills or specialization of the staff/fellow reviewer.
Reviewers are asked to review your application with an eye to three factors: 1) The general level of educational and professional preparation (this includes course work, clinical training/experience), and other achievements (e.g., research, professional activities, etc.); 2) The recommendation letters that have been submitted on your behalf, and 3) The judgment of the reviewer on the fit or synergy between what you are seeking in internship training with what we have to offer. We (the Training Director & Associate Director) evaluate all the reviews and identify where there are discrepancies in rating and establish whether these are valid judgments or need a re-review.
How do you translate that into decisions about ranking?
The ratings of the three reviewers are made on an ordinal scale [from 1(poor) to 5 (outstanding)] for each of the three factors cited above. Reviewers also make qualitative judgments and comments in personal note form. We average the ordinal rankings.
The faculty and fellows participating in the reviews meet to evaluate the outcomes of the averaged ranks in order and discuss the candidates, making known their appraisal and working out any divergent views. On the basis of our meetings, we create consensus lists.
Last year we ranked 42 candidates for the Behavioral Health Code and 35 for the Mental Health Code. If you are not being ranked, we will inform you at the time of the finalization of the list (usually about one week before the dates that ranks are due).
Our outcomes in the match are usually quite good, with our places for the next year usually filled in no higher than the teen number ranks. We construe all of our ranked applicants as reflecting an Internship Applicant group – any one of whom we would be delighted to have in the incoming internship class. The unranked applicants are –without exception – qualified. It is just the judgment of the faculty that there are stronger applicants that have more of what we are looking for and/or are a better match.
What can I do to improve my chances of being ranked?
Strictly speaking, not much. We really do base our evaluations on your application. HOWEVER, we always are glad to hear from you after the Open Houses about your impressions, in particular if you gained new information that helped you understand the internship better and/or want to provide updates of new accomplishments or information on your rotation preferences. Appropriate means for this type of communication are letters, cards, or e-mails. We will read each one we get and note any new information you share.
It is always appropriate to communicate to us your enthusiasm about the internship, but it is important to emphasize that we do NOT divulge ranking information. We also do not engage in illegal deal-making that exchanges guaranteed rotation(s) for ranking. While a national match has removed many of these kinds of behaviors from the internship application/selection enterprise, such problems persist. We encourage applicants and programs to know and abide by APPIC Match Policies.
Faculty are also free to communicate with you their enthusiasm about your application; and some do this more extensively than others. It is important not to interpret communication (or lack thereof) as ranking information.
Can we discuss the internship further with you after the Open Houses?
Yes, we are always glad to discuss the internship and you are free and encouraged to contact any of the faculty, postdoctoral fellows, or current interns to discuss the training.
What is the nature and minimal levels of achievement needed to complete the Internship successfully?
The Ann Arbor VA is designed and offered as a scientist-practitioner program which is consonant with a general “Boulder Model” philosophy of education and training in Psychology. While we train Interns with the nation that they will continue on to careers of research and teaching along with practice, there are many outcomes with careers that we see as being fully successful and good ones (e.g., joining a faculty to teach undergraduates Psychology or joining a Group Practice in a community).
The minimum levels of achievement we seek at the outset are consonant with “Readiness for Internship”, which are in the document, “Assessment of Competency Benchmarks Work Group: A Developmental Model for the Defining and Measuring Competence in Professional Psychology”, which is available on the APA website in a revised form. See:
http://www.apa.org/ed/graduate/revised-competency-benchmarks.aspx
The minimum level of achievement for the successful completion of the Internship is 2,000 hours of supervised participation in the program as well as the attainment of at least 85% of the competencies at the Readiness for Practice level as seen in the revised Competency Benchmark document referenced just above.
What are the starting and ending dates for the Internship?
We will be asking you to report on August 27, 2012. You can expect to finish on August 23, 2013.
How do we know what rotation(s) we will be doing?
The process of having two codes for applicants (behavioral health & mental health) goes a long way to ensure that we match with applicants who have those interests. We assign rotations after you arrive, and on the basis of conversations and discussion with you. In nearly every case in the last 10 years interns have gotten their preferred rotation either in the first six months or the second six months. We construe the Internship year as one where a psychologist rounds out his or her general training as a psychologist; not a year of specialization. So one element in your rotation consideration is your “balance” as a psychologist.
What will the rotation(s) entail?
We have six month rotations in order to provide you with the experience of what practicing as a psychologist is like. We believe that you can’t do that in a three or four month time as effectively as we would like to build your skills. About half of your time will be taken up with primary rotation-specific activity, being part of a team. Another thirty percent will be spent on your secondary rotation, and the remainder on didactics.
Is the workload reasonable here?
Yes. There is no “work for its own sake” ethic here and we do not wish Interns to be working back-breaking hours. Revenue generation is not an issue here and your stipends are set by the VA’s Office of Academic Affairs in Washington, DC and unrelated to your clinical activity. Naturally you will learn about professional time management here, and that is one of important lessons we want every Intern to master as much as possible here for your own future professional effectiveness and personal welfare. However, our goal is to try to teach you to work efficiently, not excessively. Self-care is a value and skill we teach and wish you to embrace.
What about postdoctoral study?
The VA has seven postdoctoral positions (1 HSR&D first year, 1 HSR&D second year, 3 one-year appointments in mental health, 1 first year neuropsychology and 1 second year neuropsychology). We participate in a consortium arrangement with the currently accredited University of Michigan Department of Psychiatry Postdoctoral Program. You may wish to discuss this with Dr. Buchtel, who besides being a faculty member for this Internship is the Training Director for the UM Postdoctoral Program. This program has not been accredited by APA and is an applicant.
Being in the VA Internship does confer an advantage to potential postdoctoral applicants to either program, since you can get to know the program(s) first hand. VA Interns may also carry UM teaching cases, which often have issues not seen so much in the VA (e.g., learning disorders, child/adolescent cases, etc.). Over the last 12 years many VA Interns (1-2 per year) have gone on to the University of Michigan Program.
The HSR&D post-doctoral fellowships in clinically applied research are relatively new and based within the Serious Mental Illness Treatment Research and Evaluation Center (SMITREC) health services research group. These postdoctoral fellowships allow for 75% research and 25% clinical time to allow further development of skills and make progress towards full licensure. Potential areas of focus include the study of effective treatments for: substance use disorder, affective disorders and psychotic disorders. For more information about these fellowships, please contact Mark Ilgen, PhD. (mark.ilgen@va.gov).
The faculty as a group have strong knowledge of postdoctoral education in a number of emphasis areas (anxiety disorders, substance abuse, health psychology, neuropsychology, etc.) and actually do postdoctoral training in most cases. They know what it takes and faculty have an excellent national network of colleagues in the areas where you might want to pursue specialty study. You will get peerless advice in this regard, which is a unique feature of our program.
Where do Interns go after completion of training?
About two-thirds of Interns go for Postdoctoral Clinical Specialty or Clinical Research training. Others take faculty positions in Psychology Departments (10%), go to other assorted clinical institutional settings (VA, academic medical centers) (10%), go to group or other private practice settings (10%), or take other positions (research, employee assistance, military contract work) (~3%). A substantial proportion of previous Interns earn ABPP Diplomates, and many have academic careers in applied settings and gain tenure. In the last 12 years, 13 psychologists graduating from this Internship program have gained appointments as Staff Psychologists in the VA.
Can we contact Faculty and Staff with questions?
Yes, here’s how:
Faculty Role Email
Kenneth M. Adams, Ph.D., ABPP Director of Clinical Training kmadams@umich.edu
Assessment Supervisor
Jamie Winters, Ph.D. Associate Director of Clinical Training Jamie.Winters@va.gov
Acting Chief, SUDC
Minor Rotation Supervisor
Linas A. Bieliauskas, Ph.D., ABPP Rotation & Assessment Supervisor, CLC linas@umich.edu
Lindsey E. Bloor, Ph.D., ABPP Rotation Supervisor, Health Lindsey.Bloor2@va.gov
Henry A. Buchtel, Ph.D. Section Head, Neuropsychology gusb@umich.edu
Rotation & Assessment Supervisor
Stephen Chermack, Ph.D. Acting Chief, Mental Health Service chermack@umich.edu
Rotation Supervisor, SUDC
Kayla Conrad, Ph.D. Minor Rotation Supervisor Kayla.Conrad@va.gov
William Brent Coy, Ph.D. Minor Rotation Supervisor William.Coy@va.gov
Cathleen Donnell, Ph.D. Minor Rotation Supervisor Cathy.Dobnnell@va.gov
Todd Favorite, Ph.D. Minor Rotation Supervisor tfavor@umich.edu
Nicholas Giardino, Ph.D. Minor Rotation Supervisor ngiardin@med.umich.edu
Mark Ilgen, Ph.D. Minor Rotation Supervisor Mark.Ilgen@va.gov
Rebecca Lusk, Psy.D., ABPP Rotation Superviser, MHC Rebecca.Lusk@va.gov
Michael Messina, Ph.D. Rotation Superviser, PCT Michael.Messina2@va.gov
Clayton Beau Nelson, Ph.D. Local Recover Coordinator Clayton.nelson2@va.gov
Minor Rotation Supervisor
Katherine Porter Minor Rotation Supervisor katherine.porter2@va.gov
Steven Putnam, Ph.D. Assessment Supervisor/ steven.putnam@va.gov
Compensation & Pension
Sheila Rauch. Ph.D., ABPP Intervention Supervisor sherauch@med.umich.edu
Randy Roth, Ph.D. Rotation & Assessment Supervisor Health randyr@med.umich.edu
Minden Sexton, Ph.D. Minor Rotation Supervisor minden.sexton@va.gov
Erin Smith, Ph.D. Rotation Supervisor Erin.Smith3@va.gov
PCT & Women's Mental Health
Robert Spencer, Ph.D. Assessment Supervisor rspencer33@gmail.com
Sara Weisenbach, Ph.D. Assessment Supervisor sarawrig@med.umich.edu
Cathleen Zepelin, B.A. Lead Psychometrist, Assessment Cathleen.Zepelin@va.gov
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