Universal Psychology Postdoctoral Directory

Elements of quality clinically focused postdoctoral training

The training philosophy of the NMVAHCS Clinical Health Psychology Fellowship is guided by the Scientist-Practitioner model. Within our accredited program in clinical health psychology, fellows will focus on clinical training across a broad spectrum of activities within clinical health psychology, including the integration of mental health into primary care and specialty medical clinics, advanced clinical practice with diagnoses and presenting problems common to health psychology (e.g. chronic pain, sleep problems, smoking cessation, chronic disease self-management, coping with illness, and weight management), provision of interprofessional consultation, training of non-mental health staff in behavioral health concepts, and program development/evaluation. Fellows will work closely with clinical supervisors to develop their training plans and will have the opportunity to receive supervised experience in an array of settings, including primary care mental health integration, health promotion disease prevention, home-based primary care, palliative care, psychiatric primary care, sleep medicine, and spinal cord injury/disease center.

Fellows are expected to use up to 20% of their time in program development or program evaluation activities. Research time can substitute for this if a fellow has a well-defined research project that could be completed within the fellowship year. Evidence-based psychotherapies (EBPs) are taught and our faculty includes national trainers for several EBP rollouts within the VA. Intelligent consumption of research and a hypothesis-testing approach to clinical work is taught through supervision and didactic activities. There are two aims of the program: 

1. Prepare fellows for eventual leadership roles in a broad variety of interprofessional settings, with a specific focus on the knowledge and skills required for success in complex healthcare settings. 
2. Produce residents who demonstrate advanced competence in the field of clinical health psychology. 

Training is structured around three levels of competency: advanced areas competency required of all programs at the postdoctoral level, program specific competencies that cut across all of our postdoctoral fellowships, and clinical health specialty competencies.

Postdoctoral fellows will participate in a range of professional activities and opportunities, including professional development seminars, monthly health psychology focused didactics with staff, and a supervision of supervision group that includes both didactics and opportunities for consultation. Fellows will participate in multiple supervision and teaching activities: all fellows will have the opportunity to supervise practicum students and/or psychology interns and will give a Grand Rounds presentation to other trainees and to staff. Finally, fellows are encouraged to obtain licensure prior to the end of the training year. The program provides support for licensure by providing shared study materials, regularly checking in on progress within seminars and individual meetings, and providing time for EPPP preparation. In addition, we aim to prepare fellows for eventual board certification in clinical psychology or other ABPP specialty areas depending on the fellow’s focus. 

We consider our training in cultural and individual diversity to be a particular strength of the program. We follow the Reflective Local Practice model (Sandeen, Moore, & Swanda, 2018). This model emphasizes the importance of self-reflection in order to gain self-understanding in the service of lifelong cultural growth; familiarity with one’s local community and cultures; and incorporating this knowledge to clinical practice. Personal self-disclosure by fellows is encouraged in order to facilitate our goals of increasing cultural awareness regarding self and others. Thus, fellows may be invited to share aspects of their background that have shaped their world view in important ways. This is voluntary although encouraged, and takes place within the context of individual supervisory relationships and in the fellowship cohort during postdoc seminars. The psychology training program also has an Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) workgroup. This workgroup aims to foster a work environment that includes all social identities and draws upon strengths and works against barriers of marginalization. It is represented by core values of including diverse perspectives and creating a welcoming and responsive environment that grows and changes with an evolving culture; by attending and responding to these values, we strive to provide culturally responsive and just care to an increasingly diverse population.

For more information on the training program, please view our brochure and additional information on our website: