Minneapolis VA Medical Center
Psychology Internship – Geriatric Emphasis
With the large, aging “Baby Boomer” population
and longer life expectancies, there is an
increasing demand and vast range of fascinating
opportunities for psychologists to develop
careers in GEROPSYCHOLOGY. We are pleased to
notify you of our Geropsychology internship
training track through the GRECC (Geriatric
Research, Education, and Clinical Center) at the
Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center (MVAMC).
Our GRECC internship position proudly offers:
- A 12-month full-time internship, fully
accredited by APA, beginning in September 2006,
with a 6 month full-time rotation in GRECC and
two 3-month rotations in other areas of interest.
- Yearly stipend of $19,000, 10 federal
holidays, 13 days of vacation, 13 days of sick
leave, and up to 5 days of additional leave for
conferences/school requirements.
- Specialized training in psychological
interventions with elderly patients including
individual therapy (inpatients and outpatients),
group therapy (PTSD group, bereavement group,
caregivers/dementia group), and marital/couples
therapy depending on training experience. Common
diagnoses include depression, bipolar disorders,
PTSD, anxiety spectrum disorders (GAD, OCD, panic), and personality disorders.
- Training in assessment specific to
elderly patients including diagnostic intake
interviews for Geropsychiatry Team;
neuropsychological screenings and assessments
(e.g., for dementia, delirium, stroke, TBI, or
Parkinson’s disease); psychological/personality
assessment; and cognitive assessment.
- Additional therapy (e.g., Dialectical
Behavior Therapy, Cognitive/Behavioral Therapy,
Time-Limited Psychodynamic Therapy) and
assessment training opportunities (MMPI-2,
Rorschach) integrated with the larger intern
class (total n=7) and post-doctoral fellows (n=2).
- Integrated team member/consultant with
the GRECC New Patient Clinic (dementia
evaluations), Geropsychiatry Team (outpatient
mental health services), and Caregiver Clinic
(weekly didactic educational series, day-long
seminars, individual/couple’s work), with weekly
psychological consultative services to the
Extended Care Center (inpatient
nursing/rehabilitation unit), in conjunction with
our Geropsychiatrists and medical trainees.
- Participation in weekly Neuropsychology
Case Conference, GRECC Aging Seminars,
Geropsychiatry Journal Club, Neurology Grand
Rounds, and Psychiatry Grand Rounds.
- Opportunities for involvement in ongoing
research projects or developing scholarly
products (e.g., writing a paper or presenting at a conference).
- Interns often apply and have been chosen
for one of two available slots in our
APA-accredited post-doctoral fellowship in
clinical psychology (estimated stipend of
$38,500) offering a variety of specialty emphasis
areas (external candidates also accepted).
Setting and Presence of Psychology
- A large, modern, teaching facility – a
Flagship Veterans Affairs Medical Center with
multiple specialized programs (e.g. Research
Centers, Women’s Clinic, TBI Program, etc.) with
strong affiliation with the University of Minnesota and 50 other institutions.
- Internship training staff consisting of
30 doctoral staff psychologists representing
diverse theoretical orientations, clinical
specialties, and interests, typically having
academic appointments at the University of
Minnesota. The staff is highly committed to
science and values training and trainees.
Psychological Research at the Minneapolis VAMC
- Staff psychologists are actively involved
in research, with more than $2,500,000 of current
funding in merit reviewed multi-year grants, and
actively publish and present research findings at
national and international conferences.
- Interns and post-doctoral fellows have the
opportunity to collaborate with staff on ongoing
research projects in areas such as neurocognitive
deficits in schizophrenia, revictimization after
sexual abuse/assault, smoking cessation, and the
MMPI-2 (developing and validating the F(p) and
the RC scales and validation of the computerized
adaptively administered version). Student
collaboration often results in a presentation at
national conferences and/or publication.
- Many of the staff serve on journal
editorial boards (Counseling Psychologist,
Assessment, Psychological Assessment; Journal of
Personality Assessment) and national advisory
boards. Several of the staff have ABPP and
Fellow status in professional societies.
This VA Medical Center is set in the beautiful
twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, a
recreational paradise, with magnificent lakes and
parks, hiking, biking and cross country skiing
trails, the Mall of America, the world-renowned
Guthrie Theater, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra,
a strong contemporary music scene, and ready
access to camping, fishing, hunting, and the great outdoors.
Please see our website for a more detailed
description of training opportunities
(http://www1.va.gov/minneapolis/education/psychology/psyc_home.html)
or contact the Training Director,
Wayne Siegel, Ph.D., ABPP at 612.467.4024.
Wayne G. Siegel, Ph.D., ABPP
Licensed Psychologist
Director of Training in Psychology
Minneapolis VA Medical Center
612.467.4024
wayne.siegel@med.va.gov
http://www1.va.gov/minneapolis/education/psychology/psyc_home.html
