Emphasis areas in:
Geropsychology
HIV/HCV
Primary Care Psychology (4 positions)
PTSD and Returning Veterans
PTSD and Substance Use Disorders Treatment
Psychosocial Rehabilitation
Rural Psychology and Community Mental Health (2 positions located at the Santa Rosa CBOC)
Substance Use Disorders Treatment and Co-occuring Disorders
Women’s Mental Health and Primary Care: Evidence-Based Psychotherapy
Women’s Mental Health and Trauma
The San Francisco VA Medical Center will also be offering one two-year postdoctoral residency in Clinical Neuropsychology. Recruitment for this emphasis area will occur this year for 2012-2014.
Clinical Neuropsychology
Training Setting: The San Francisco VA Medical Center, or "Fort Miley," as it is known to native San Franciscans, is a nationally known teaching hospital, is affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), one of the top ranked medical schools in the country, and is in one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. Located on a hill the hospital overlooks the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Golden Gate Bridge to the north.
Program Structure: Each fellow applies to a particular emphasis area. The fellow will train in the clinic(s) associated with their particular area and receive supervision from the psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers leading those clinics. Clinical activities include: comprehensive evaluations and brief treatments as part of an integrative multidisciplinary Behavioral Health ACCESS Center; emphasis area evaluations and interviewing; assessment of cognitive, emotional, behavioral and personality functioning; differential diagnosis; psychotherapy with individuals, groups and couples; development and delivery of
psycho-educational material and advanced interprofessional training through consultation with team members. Fellows will also develop supervision skills. There are additional opportunities for leadership, program development and research.
Training Experiences: The overall philosophy of our psychology postdoctoral training program is best described as scholar-practitioner within a junior colleague model. Training occurs in the context of the core clinic placements for each emphasis area. The goal is that the fellow graduate with the competencies of an advanced level psychologist. Brief depictions of our eleven emphasis areas are provided below in alphabetical order.
Please refer to our website brochures for more detailed descriptions: http://www.sanfrancisco.va.gov/education/psychologytraining.asp
Clinical Neuropsychology - The training model for the Clinical Neuropsychology Residency derives from the prevailing model within the field of Clinical Neuropsychology, as outlined by the Houston Conference Guidelines. Consistent with these guidelines, our program entails two years full-time supervised clinical training and didactic experiences, organized to gradually expose the resident to increasingly advanced training activities. The residency training offers diverse supervised experiences designed to foster advanced understanding of brain-behavior relationships and skills pertinent to the independent clinical practice of neuropsychology, including skills related to assessment, consultation and clinical interventions with individuals suffering neuropsychological dysfunction. Active involvement in scholarly and research activity is also strongly encouraged and supported. Training is geared to establishing advanced competency in this specialty practice area, leading to eligibility for professional licensure and board certification in clinical neuropsychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology.
Geropsychology – The Clinical Geropsychology fellowship within the Division of Geropsychiatry, as well as Geriatrics, Palliative and Extended Care, is comprised of five core rotations and several elective rotations, which will provide a breadth of advanced training and supervision opportunities in the psychology of aging. This fellowship will utilize Geropsychology training consistent with the Pikes Peak Model for Training in Professional Geropsychology, as promulgated by APA Divisions 12 (Section II) and 20. As a junior colleague member, the fellow will engage in the following professional activities related to late life disorders: intake assessments, case management, psychological assessment and testing, neuropsychological evaluations, capacity assessments, treatment planning, individual psychotherapy, group psychotherapy/psychoeducation, family consultation, team consultation, interdisciplinary team meetings and supervision of psychology externs and/or interns. The fellow will provide psychological services to a number of SFVAMC departments and clinics including: Geriatric Medical Practice Clinic, Home Based Primary Care (HBPC), Community Living Center (CLC), Hospice and Palliative Care Service and Geriatric Mood Assessment Clinic. Elective rotations may include: Pain Clinic, Integrated Care Clinic, Acute Care for the Elderly (ACE) and Memory Disorders Clinic. Fellows are part of weekly Clinical Geropsychology seminar and Neuro/Gero seminar.
HIV/HCV - This fellowship specializes in the mental health outpatient treatment needs of veterans with HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C. The HIV/HCV Fellow will spend the majority of time in the Liver Clinic working with veterans with Hepatitis C and in the Infectious Disease Clinic working with veterans with HIV/AIDS and HIV/Hepatitis C co-infection. S/he will also rotate through the Substance Abuse
Program. The fellow’s experience will include consultation within integrated medical clinic settings, individual and group psychotherapy, diagnostic assessment, treatment planning and case coordination.
Primary Care Psychology - The fellows in the Primary Care emphasis area will develop specific skills and competencies in: medical issues; psychosocial aspects of chronic illness; evaluation and assessment of common and unique mental health issues found in medical settings; psychological interventions for common and unique mental health and substance abuse issues; assessment of suicide risk and suicide prevention; consultation and outreach in medical practice; health promotion and disease prevention interventions and approaches; multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary care within the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT); and Education for the Patient Aligned Care Team (EdPACT) along with research, leadership and supervision in the behavioral medicine. The fellows will work in several medical practice clinics including: Medical Practice – Mental Health Integrated Clinic (MP-MHIC); Primary Care Mental Health (PACM); Health Psychology Clinic; Pain Clinic and Primary Care Interdisciplinary Pain Clinic; Women’s Clinic; Managing Obesity in Veterans Everywhere (MOVE); Health Promotion Disease Prevention Program (HPDP), Neuropsychological Assessment Clinic and at the Downtown and San Bruno Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC).
PTSD and Returning Veterans - The fellow will work in PCT and the OEF/OIF/OND Integrated Care Clinic. While this fellow will have the opportunity to work with veterans from all eras, the focus of this fellow's clinical responsibilities will involve working with newly returned soldiers from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts (Operation Iraqi Freedom [OIF], Operation Enduring Freedom [OEF] and Operation New Dawn [OND]). This will involve opportunities for assessment and psychotherapy experience with OIF/OEF veterans in individual and group contexts. Since many of these veterans are struggling with substance abuse problems but are not ready to enter formal treatment, a special focus will be on assessing substance use patterns, providing motivational interviewing and harm reduction.
PTSD and Substance Use Disorders Treatment - The PTSD/SUD fellow splits time between the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Clinical Team (PCT) and the Substance Abuse/PTSD Program (SUPT). The PCT specializes in the outpatient treatment of veterans who have PTSD related to combat, combat support/training, or sexual abuse in the course of active duty military service. The fellow provides individual and group psychotherapy, case coordination, diagnostic evaluations and treatment planning for veterans with co-occurring combat-related trauma and substance use disorders.
Psychosocial Rehabilitation – The fellow in the Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PSR) emphasis area participates largely in clinical care and training for those with severe mental illness (SMI). The fellow will receive training in a number of clinics and programs, across a continuum of coordinated services: Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center (PRRC), General Psychiatric Outpatient Services (GPOS), Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), and Mental Health Intensive Case Management (MHICM). Furthermore, the fellow may gain some additional exposure to mental health training sites including San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH), a large multicultural urban public hospital and Langley Porter Psychiatric Institutes (LPPI) which serves a primarily insured population.
Rural Psychology and Community Mental Health - The fellow in the Rural Psychology and Community Mental Health emphasis area is based at the Santa Rosa Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC). The Santa Rosa CBOC is located 60
miles north of San Francisco and serves veterans residing in the rural counties of Northern California, including Sonoma, Napa, Lake and Mendocino. During the course of this fellowship, the fellow develops advanced competence in the assessment and treatment of PTSD, Substance Use Disorders, Mood Disorders, and other relevant DSM-IV related disorders. The fellow receives training and supervision in treatments such as Cognitive Behavioral, Motivational Enhancement, Prolonged Exposure, and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. In addition, the fellow develops competence in delivering clinical assessments, individual and group therapy, and psycho-educational interventions to our rural veterans using telephone and/or telemental health technology.
Substance Use Disorders Treatment and Co-occuring Disorders - The Substance Abuse Programs (SAP) within the Mental Health Service is comprised of four programs that address the individual and diverse treatment needs of veterans with substance use disorders (SUD) and co-occurring psychiatric disorders: Substance Abuse/PTSD Treatment Clinic (SUPT), Opioid Replacement Treatment Clinic (ORT), Drug and Alcohol Treatment Clinic (DAT) and Substance Abuse Day Hospital (SADH). The fellow will split time between SUPT, ORT and DAT and may choose to work in SADH as an elective.
Women’s Mental Health and Primary Care: Evidence-Based Psychotherapy - This fellow will have rotations in the SFVA Women’s Clinic, within the Health Promotion Disease Prevention Program in Medical Practice, and the General Psychiatry Outpatient Service (GPOS), with a focus on delivering evidence-based psychotherapy in these settings. The fellowship will emphasize medical practice and mental healthcare integration and coordination. The fellow will receive core training/supervision in evidence-based psychotherapies in GPOS and additional training/supervision in the modification and implementation of EBPs in primary care medical clinics, with a particular emphasis in women’s healthcare issues and in health promotion and disease prevention.
Women’s Mental Health and Trauma - This fellow will be based in the Women’s Clinic, with substantial coordination with primary care and the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Clinical Team (PCT). The fellow will also rotate through an obstetrics program, Women’s Mood and Hormone Clinic at San Francisco General Hospital, which serves women’s mental health needs across the reproductive life cycle as well as focusing on the impact of hormones on mood and conduct research activities.
Requirements for Completion: Fellowship is a full-time one year 52 week, commitment equaling approximately 2080 hours beginning ~August 27, 2012.
Application: Application deadline is January 1, 2012 for all one year fellowships. You may apply to more than one position. The application deadline for the two-year postdoctoral residency in Clinical Neuropsychology is January 21, 2012. The applications can be found on our postdoctoral website http://www.sanfrancisco.va.gov/education/psychologytraining.asp
Eligibility: Candidates MUST be graduates of APA-accredited doctoral programs in clinical or counseling psychology and MUST have completed an APA-accredited internship. All requirements for the doctoral degree must be completed prior to the start of the fellowship year. Persons with a Ph.D. or Psy.D. in another area of psychology that meets the APA criteria for re-specialization training in Clinical or Counseling Psychology are also eligible. The VA requires that applicants are US Citizens, men have
registered for selective service, and all have verified they’ve had varicella infection (“chicken pox”) or vaccination for such 2 months prior to the start of the fellowship.
Notification: The one-year Postdoctoral Fellowship Program complies with the APPIC Postdoctoral Uniform Notification Date which is Wednesday, March 14, 2012. Candidates will be phoned from 9:00am to 1:00pm PST and either offered a position or informed of ranking status in accordance with APPIC UND. Candidates will be allotted 4 hours to hold their offer.
The two-year postdoctoral residency in Clinical Neuropsychology is registered as an APPCN match participant with results released to applicants and program directors on February 29, 2012.
Stipend and Benefits: The current stipend is $50,008 per year. State and federal income tax and FICA are withheld from fellows' checks. Fellows are not covered by Civil Service retirement or leave and are not eligible for federal life insurance benefits. The United States Government covers fellows for malpractice under the Federal Tort Claims Act. VA offers individual and family health insurance plans for fellows on a matching basis, (i.e., fellows pay half of the premium and the VA pays the other half.) Health benefits are not offered for all recognized marriages, please check with us for exceptions. Dental and vision insurance are also available. San Francisco VA Medical Center also offers a public transportation reimbursement program. Fellows are entitled to 10 federal holidays and earn sick leave and vacation (annual leave) days at a rate of 4 hours of each per two-week pay period (a total of 13 days of each). San Francisco VA also offers professional leave for conferences and other approved educational activities.
Contact Information: For further information or specific questions regarding the SFVAMC Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship Training Program may be directed to Dr. Stephen M. Rao at Stephen.rao@va.gov. The San Francisco VA’s Psychology Fellowship Program is a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) and is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation (CoA) of the American Psychological Association (APA). Our psychology fellowship is affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco. The Postdoctoral Residency in Clinical Neuropsychology is under review for initial accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation (CoA) of the American Psychological Association but is not currently accredited.
Commission on Accreditation (CoA), American Psychological Association 750 First Street, NE Washington, DC 20002-4242 202-336-5979 www.apa.org/ed/accreditation/
Other Information: In accord with the Federal Drug-Free Workplace Program, fellows may be subject to urine testing for illicit drug use. Other branches of the federal government (Office of Personnel Management) may conduct routine background checks at their discretion. The San Francisco VAMC is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
Stephen M. Rao, PhD
Director of Training Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
San Francisco VA Medical Center
4150 Clement Street (116B)
San Francisco, CA 94121
415-221-4810 x 6307
Stephen.rao@va.gov
