Universal Psychology Postdoctoral Directory Entry

Psychology Postdoctoral Residency at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Philadelphia

Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Elements of quality clinically focused postdoctoral training

This training experience is a planned and programmed sequence of training that aims to ensure preparation for advanced practice rather than one that is focused on providing supervised hours for licensure. Yes

This training experience ensures that training takes precedence over service delivery regarding the nature, content, volume, and quality of the postdoc’s activities. Yes

This training experience ensures that postdocs receive at least two hours of individual supervision per week for the duration oof the experience. Yes

This training experience is administered by a doctoral-level licensed psychologist who directs and organizes the training experience and its resources, is responsible for the selection of postdocs, and monitors and evaluates the goals and activities of the experience. Yes

This training experience has two or more doctoral-level licensed psychologists who have sufficient time to provide quality supervision and training.   Yes

This training experience includes regularly scheduled structured educational activities that help postdocs its defined goals. These activities may include didactics, seminars, case conferences, and/or research activities. Yes

This training experience has written Due Process and Grievance procedures. Yes

This training experience has the stable and necessary financial (e.g., stipend) and physical resources (e.g., computers, physical space) needed for effective training. Yes

The postdoctoral residency is a one year, full-time training experience. Residents will spend approximately 50% of their time devoted to the direct provision of clinical services. In addition, they will receive at least 2 hours of supervision/week, which fulfills the licensure requirements for postdoctoral supervised practice for the state of Pennsylvania. Residents will take an active role in developing their own training plan and in adjusting it to meet their needs and emerging interests. Residents will receive experiential and didactic training in inter-professional team-based care and adaptations of evidence-based care for a geriatric population. Apart from this central training, residents will function in different capacities determined by the core focus. The Inter-professional Curriculum will include a) Clinical Experiences, i.e. experiential learning, along with b) Didactics, c) Research, and d) other training experiences.

The postdoctoral resident with a focus on inter-professional care in the Outpatient Mental Health Clinic (MHC) will divide their clinical time during the 12 month training functioning as part of the PTSD Clinical Team (PCT), the Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) and the Addiction Recovery Unit (ARU) inter-professional teams. The resident will have year-long experiences as a member of the PCT assessing and treating PTSD, and as a member of the Opioid Treatment Program/the Addiction Recovery Unit treating substance use disorders, and comorbid addiction/PTSD,

The postdoctoral resident with a focus on interprofessional care in PACT – Mental Health Integration will spend the majority of his or her clinical time during the 12 month training functioning as part of two primary care treatment teams: the Primary Care Mental Health Integration Team (known as Behavioral Health Lab; BHL) and the Home Based Primary Care Team. On the PC-MHI team the focus will be on behavioral health assessment, triage, and treatment of Veterans in our primary care clinic. As part of the Home Based Primary Care Team the resident will provide comprehensive longitudinal primary care in the homes of primarily older Veterans with complex chronic disabling disease.

For the past seven years, we have been given an additional postdoctoral position in Health Psychology. We anticipate funding for this position for the 2025-2026 training year. The postdoctoral resident with a focus on inter-professional care in Health Psychology will spend the majority of his or her clinical time during the 12-month training functioning as part of several interdisciplinary teams with a shared focus on health psychology, including the following clinics: Hematology/ Radiation Oncology, Heart Failure Cardiac Clinic, MOVE weight management and Health Promotion Disease Prevention programs, and Behavioral Sleep Medicine.

https://www.va.gov/philadelphia-health-care/work-with-us/internships-and-fellowships/psychology-internship-and-fellowships/

Additional Information

Agency Type: VA Medical Center
APPIC Membership: Yes
APA Accredited: Yes
Recognized Specialty: Clinical Psychology
Other Emphasis: Interprofessional Collaborative Practice
Research Time: Less than 25%
Training Director: Susan DelMaestro and Amy Helstrom
Contact Email: Susan.DelMaestro@va.gov
Contact Phone: 215-823-4456
Duration in Months: 12
Hours Per Week: 40
# of Licensed Supervisors: 14
Number of Positions: 3
Applications recieved last year: 28
Accepts Int'l Students
Stipend: $58,108
Will follow APPIC Selection Standards
Unfilled Positions: 0
Fringe Benefits: Fellows accumulate 4 hours of sick leave and 4 hours of vacation time every 2 week pay period. They also qualify for health insurance and travel benefits. Each fellow additionally receives up to $1000 to attend a relevant conference or training during the year.
Research opportunities: This is a primarily clinical residency, though there is an abundance of on-going research happening within several research centers of excellence including the Mental Illness, Research, Education and Clinical Center. Using research to guide clinical practice and measuring outcomes to evaluate new clinical programs and treatments is encouraged. The amount of protected time allotted for research will depend on the resident's training goals and will be discussed at the beginning of the year with the residents’ supervisors. Residents will be encouraged to present their work in local, regional, and/or national educational settings, or submit work for publication as appropriate. Residents are required to attend a bi-monthly writing meeting facilitated by the Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, and present a power point presentation on an area of research at the end of the training year.
Additional Comments: Strengths of the program include opportunities for interprofessional collaboration on multiple teams, supervising interns and/or practicum trainees, and participating in shared governance as members of the Psychology Training Committees.
Application Instructions: In order to apply to our residency program, please submit all the required application elements via the APPA CAS system at https://appicpostdoc.liaisoncas.com/applicant-ux/#/login by the due date, December 1st, 2024. All applicants are required to submit a cover letter, Curriculum Vitae, and three letters of recommendation. We also request a letter from the applicant’s dissertation chair verifying the applicant’s current status on his/her dissertation. If not yet completed, the letter should include an estimate of completion date. We also request a letter from the applicant’s internship director verifying the intern’s status and expected completion date. Applicants may identify themselves as representing an element of racial, cultural, or other element of diversity within the submitted cover letter.

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