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VISN 5 - VA Interprofessional Fellowship Program in PSR and Recovery Oriented Services

 

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History & Purpose

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced its commitment to interprofessional clinical care and training in psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery for Veterans with serious mental illness in 2002. Through collaboration between Mental Health Services and the Office of Academic Affiliations, three VA healthcare sites were selected and funded to begin the VA Interprofessional Fellowship Program in Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery (PSR). In 2006, VA announced the expansion of the PSR fellowship program to four additional sites, and in 2021, the Fellowship expanded by three more.

The purpose of the Interprofessional PSR Fellowship Program is to develop future mental health leaders with vision, knowledge, and commitment to transform mental health care systems in the 21st century by emphasizing functional capability, rehabilitation, and recovery.

Program Overview

The Interprofessional PSR Fellowship Program is a state-of-the-art clinical training program that focuses on the theory and practice of psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery. Individualized, mentored clinical and research training is combined with a curriculum that emphasizes a comprehensive psychosocial rehabilitation approach to service delivery, education, and implementing change in a mental health care setting.

Fellowship Sites

The VISN 5 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center at Baltimore, Maryland, is the Administrative Hub Site for the VA Interprofessional Fellowship Program in Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery. The Hub Site was established in the summer of 2007 to help coordinate education, training and recruitment efforts across the funded PSR fellowship programs and serves as official liaison between sites and the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and the Office of Academic Affiliations, Advanced Fellowships.

Nine VA healthcare sites participate in the PSR fellowship program. Click on each link below to read highlights about each program:

Bedford

Bedford, MA

200 Springs Road
Bedford, MA 01730

Co-Directors:
Andrew Peckham, PhD, Psychology Service
Andrew.Peckham@va.gov or (781) 687-4329
Adam Kirschner, LICSW, Social Work Service
Adam.Kirschner1@va.gov or (781) 687-2564

Program Website »
VA Bedford PSR Fellowship Description

Fort Collins, CO

Cheyenne, Wyoming

2360 East Pershing Blvd. (116A)
Cheyenne VA Healthcare System
Cheyenne, WY 82001

Director:
Charles Drebing, PhD
Charles.Drebing@va.gov or (307) 778-7550, Ext. 7450
Associate Director:
Kyle Bewsey, PhD
Kyle.Bewsey@va.gov  or (307) 778-7550, Ext. 4708

VA Cheyenne PSR Fellowship Manual


Denver

Denver, Colorado

VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System
Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center
1700 North Wheeling Street
Aurora, CO 80045

Co-Directors:
Allison Douglas, LCSW, Mental Health Services
Allison.Douglas@va.gov or (720) 857-5314
Robert W. Johnson, PhD, Mental Health Services
Robert.Johnson31@va.gov or (720) 857-5276

VA Denver PSR Fellowship Brochure

Durham

Durham, North Carolina

508 Fulton Street MHSL
116D/Hillandale 2 2
Durham, NC 27705

Co-Directors:
J. Murray McNiel, PhD
Julie C. McCormick, LCSW, CPRP

Psychology Applicants Contact:
J. Murray McNiel
Jesse.Mcniel@va.gov or (919) 286-0411, Ext. 177777
Social Work Applicants Contact:
Julie McCormick
Julie.McCormick@va.gov or (919) 286-0411, Ext. 175111
Durham PSR Fellowship Announcement
Occupational Therapy Coordinator:
Benjamin Triplett, OTR/L
Benjamin.Triplett@va.gov or (919) 286-0411
Durham PSR Occupational Therapy Fellowship Program Announcement

Downtown Little Rock

Little Rock, Arkansas

2200 Fort Roots Drive (116/NLR)
Bldg. 170, 2L-163 (MH Admin)
North Little Rock, AR 72114

Director of Post Doctoral Training:
Erica Moseby, Ph.D. 
Applications to:
Erica.Moseby@va.gov or (501) 257-3457
Inquiries to:
Phiffany Spruill Phiffany.Spruill@va.gov or (501) 257-3793

Program Website »

VA Central Arkansas PSR Fellowship Brochure

Milwaukee Skyline

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee VA Medical Center
Milwaukee, WI 53295

Co-Directors:
Alison Minkin, Ph.D.
Alison.Minkin@va.gov or (414) 384-2000, Ext. 45860
Michael McBride, M.D.
Michael.McBride@va.gov

Milwaukee PSR Fellowship Brochure
Program Website »


Palo Alto

Palo Alto, California

3801 Miranda Ave. (MC: 118/PSYCH)
Palo Alto, CA 94304

Co-Directors:
Katy Gominger, LCSW
Katy.Gominger@va.gov or 650-493-5000, ext. 63787
Claire Hebenstreit, Ph.D.
Claire.Hebenstreit@va.gov or 650-493-5000, ext. 60076

For Psychology applicants: Program Description
For Social Work applicants: Please contact Katy Gominger
Palo Alto Social Work Announcement

San Diego

San Diego, California

VA San Diego Healthcare System (116B)
3350 La Jolla Village Drive
San Diego, CA 92161

Director:
Viara Quiñones, Ph.D.
Viara.Quinones@va.gov (preferred) or (619) 228-8028

Associate Director:
Jessica McGovern, PhD
Jessica.McGovern@va.gov (preferred)
or (858) 642-8074

Program Website »

VA San Diego PSR Fellowship Brochure

West Haven Train Station

West Haven, Connecticut

Errera Annex
200 Edison Road
Orange, CT 06477

Director:
Anne Klee, Ph.D., CPRP
Anne.Klee@va.govor (203) 640-1727
Interprofessional Program Description »
VA Connecticut PSR Fellowship Information

West Haven Discipline Specific Contacts:
Director, Psychology Training:
Joshua Bullock, Ph.D.
Joshua.Bullock@va.gov or (203) 516-8013
Psychology Program Brochure
Psychiatry Program Brochure
Director of Social Work Training:
Michele Roberts
Michele.roberts2@va.gov 203-479-8004
Social Work Program Brochure
Director of Occupational Therapy Training:
Mary Sperrazza, OTR/L
Mary.sperrazza@va.gov 203-508-7904
Occupational Therapy Brochure
Director of Chaplaincy Training:
James Cooke, S.S.T.,BCC
James.cooke2@va.gov 203-932-5711x2422
Chaplaincy Program Brochure



Fellowship Requirements

Fellows must be U.S. citizens and must be graduates of academic programs that are accredited by the nationally recognized accrediting bodies for the profession. All fellows must possess a master's level degree or above in their respective disciplines, which is a basic requirement to participate in the fellowship program. Applications are invited from psychiatry residents, graduates of doctoral programs in clinical or counseling psychology, master's or doctoral programs in social work,  master's or doctoral programs in mental health nursing, master's programs and doctoral programs in occupational therapy, master's programs in vocational rehabilitation, master's programs in marriage & family therapy, master's programs in clinical mental health counseling, who are license eligible, and masters of divinity programs with 4 units of accredited clinical pastoral education.

The Fellowship Program is full time for psychology, vocational rehabilitation, clinical pastoral education, occupational therapy, social work, marriage & family therapy, licensed professional mental health counseling and nursing fellows. Stipends are competitive and are based on location and discipline. Full time fellows are eligible for health insurance benefits. All fellows earn annual and sick leave.

For information regarding VA Psychology Training eligibility requirements, please visit their webpage:  http://www.psychologytraining.va.gov/eligibility.asp

For additional information about VA Psychology Training, please visit their webpage:  http://www.psychologytraining.va.gov 

List of VA Psychology Training Sites including Advanced Fellowships/Interprofessional PSR Fellowship: https://www.psychologytraining.va.gov/programs.asp

Applications

We are committed to supporting diversity and seek applications from candidates representing different geographic areas, ages, gender identities, racial and ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations, disabilities, disciplines, and life experiences.

Please see the contact information of the nine clinical training sites above, including links to program descriptions and applications.

All nine fellowship sites are accepting applications beginning in November from psychologists, and social workers.  In addition, Cheyenne, Durham, Little Rock, and West Haven are accepting applications from occupational therapists. Denver, Durham, Milwaukee and West Haven are accepting applications from psychiatry residents. Durham, West Haven and San Diego are accepting applications from Master of Divinity candidates, with at least 4 credits in Clinical Pastoral Education. Milwaukee and San Diego are accepting applications from Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors. Cheyenne is accepting applications from nurses and Cheyenne and Bedford are accepting applications from licensed professional mental health counselors.

The Fellowship year runs from September to the end of the following August. Applications for the 2024 – 2025 Fellowships will be accepted beginning in November 2023. Candidates from each discipline will be selected in the first part of 2024. Psychiatry Residents should contact prospective sites beginning in July 2023 for the 2024 – 2025 Fellowship year.

Application requirements and deadlines vary by discipline and clinical training site. Please contact sites directly for details.

Education Dissemination Project

Fellows are required to develop and implement an "Education Dissemination Project" in order to enhance the education of health professionals and the quality of care provided to Veterans at their respective fellowship sites. The projects enhance the psychosocial rehabilitation beyond the training site. The projects focus on a variety of dissemination efforts such as developing continuing education or research conferences for health professionals, curricula for health professions training programs, patient education materials, or clinical demonstration projects. Fellows are also encouraged to take leadership roles by developing didactic projects and disseminating educational materials through a variety of efforts (e.g., planning regional invitational meetings, developing a training website) in order to educate health professionals and advance psychosocial rehabilitation training and collaboration.

Check out Visual Abstracts of two recent Dissemination Projects below!

Community Based Movement by
Paige Castonguay, LLMSW PSR Social Work Fellow

thumbnail of Community based movement Visual Abstract

Resilience-oriented Stress Management by
Tamara Rumburg, Psy.D. PSR Psychology Fellow

thumbnail of living my best life Visual Abstract

For a list of Dissemination Projects click here!

Fellowship Positions & Disciplines

The PSR Fellowship Program is a year-long, onsite experience providing services to Veterans at one of the nine training sites nationwide. Each training site has from four to six full-time fellow positions. Fellows come from a range of disciplines, including nursing, social work, psychology, psychiatry, vocational rehabilitation, clinical pastoral education, occupational therapy, marriage & family therapy, and licensed professional mental health counseling. Fellows come to the fellowship with a strong interest in working with Veterans recovering from serious mental health disorders.

Clinical Training

The fellowship program utilizes a comprehensive psychosocial rehabilitation approach to restore a Veteran's full potential following the onset of a serious mental illness. Fellows are involved in a number of clinical training experiences that take place on inpatient psychiatric units, psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery centers (PRRCs), and a variety of other VA mental health treatment settings. Interventions that fellows may provide include Veteran and family education, enhancement of residential, social, and work skills, community re-integration, whole health interventions, spiritual counseling, individual and group psychotherapy using cognitive-behavioral therapy and other strategies, motivational interviewing, pharmacotherapy and provision of intensive case coordination.

Didactic Training

Each PSR fellowship program tailors its fellowship and discipline-specific seminars. The seminars include, but are not limited to, case presentations, workshops, coursework, conferences, and supervision. The Hub Site coordinates a monthly seminar series that offers a unified, comprehensive education and training for fellows across the nine PSR Fellowship sites. All PSR fellows are invited to attend the didactic seminar series as it is an opportunity to learn more about psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery. It is also an opportunity to potentially collaborate with other PSR sites on various psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery projects.

Additional Training Opportunities

Fellows are encouraged to attend one national mental health conference during their fellowship year, and submit proposals for conference presentations and poster sessions on their education dissemination projects. Recent Fellowship classes have attended the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (PRA) Conference and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Convention. At the end of their fellowship year, fellows are eligible to apply for PRA certification as Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioners.

For other information, please contact the PSR Fellowship Hub Site:

 

Richard Goldberg, Ph.D.

Richard Goldberg, Ph.D.
Director of Psychosocial Rehabilitation Fellowship Hub Site
VA Maryland Health Care System
10 N. Greene St.
Attn: MIRECC, Annex Bldg., 7th Floor
Baltimore, MD 21201
Richard.Goldberg@va.gov or (410) 637-1851

Ralf Schneider

Ralf Schneider, MA CPRP
Coordinator of Psychosocial Rehabilitation Fellowship Hub Site
VA Maryland Health Care System
10 N. Greene St.
Attn: MIRECC, Annex Bldg., 7th Floor
Baltimore, MD 21201
Ralf.Schneider@va.gov or (443) 421-5889

 


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