Universal Psychology Postdoctoral Directory Entry

Atlanta VA Healthcare System Psychology Postdoctoral Residency

Atlanta VA Healthcare System
Decatur, Georgia

Starts on Monday, August 11, 2025

Applications due Sunday, December 15, 2024

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 Atlanta VA Healthcare System has three permanently funded postdoctoral resident positions in Health Service Psychology. All positions are generalist in nature, with approximately 50-80% of time spent in an area of focus and the remaining time spent in generalist clinical activities including general/long-term psychotherapy, optional elective rotations, psychological assessment, supervision training, and didactics. Residents choose one of the following available focus areas: Health Psychology, outpatient General Mental Health, Women’s Wellness Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI), PTSD Clinical Team, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or LGBTQ+ Healthcare. The residency is a one-year, full-time training program with an expected workload of approximately 40 hours per week of direct service delivery and other training activities. Residents successfully completing the program will meet the requirement for the Post-Doctoral Supervised Work Experience needed for professional licensure as a Psychologist in the State of Georgia.

The Atlanta VA Health Care System serves a highly diverse veteran population. The training program is deeply committed to the appreciation of diversity and development of multicultural competence/cultural humility through a variety of experiences. These include diversity-focused presentations, readings, and learning activities; discussions with supervisors, peers, and other clinical staff; and direct provision of services to veterans from diverse backgrounds. The overall goal of diversity-related training activities is the promotion of social justice and multicultural competence/cultural humility within the mental health profession and society as a whole.

https://https://www.va.gov/atlanta-health-care/work-with-us/internships-and-fellowships/psychology-training-program/

Additional Information

Agency Type: VA Medical Center
APPIC Membership: Yes
APA Accredited: Yes
Other Emphasis: Health Psychology, PTSD (trauma), DBT, Women Veterans Primary Care, General Outpatient Mental Health, LGBTQ Healthcare
Research Time: No research time
Training Director: Andrea Burns, Ph.D.
Contact Email: andrea.burns@va.gov
Contact Phone: 770-492-2748, ext. 424234
Virtual Interviews: Virtual Only
Duration in Months: 12
Hours Per Week: 40
# of Licensed Supervisors: 60
Number of Positions: 3
Applications recieved last year: 18
Stipend: $55,609
Will follow APPIC Selection Standards: Yes
Estimated offer date: Friday, January 31 2025
Created Date: Friday, July 1 2016
Unfilled Positions: 0
Fringe Benefits: VA Health Professions Trainees are eligible for medical, dental, and vision insurance for self, married partner, and dependents. Trainees receive federal holidays, accrued paid personal and sick time, and paid leave for professional development.
Research opportunities: Postdoctoral residents are required to give two presentations during the training year, at least one of which must have a significant research component. Residents have the option to propose a research elective as an element of their training plan for the year. Didactics and certain elective clinical rotations also offer journal clubs and similar avenues for critical evaluation of research.
Additional Comments: The Atlanta VA has received funding for a 4th position for 2025-2026. The Atlanta VA Healthcare System has added an available focus area in LGBTQ+ health care to the existing generalist psychology postdoctoral residency program. The updated program brochure is now posted on our program web page. Interested candidates should follow all application procedures described in the brochure and reach out to Dr. Carly Hanks (carly.hanks@va.gov) or the DOT with any questions about the new focus area. The application deadline remains 12/15/2024.
Application Instructions: All submissions received from applicants meeting the eligibility criteria for VA training outlined below will receive a full review. Best fit qualities include high quality generalist doctoral and internship training, as well as interest and experience consistent with at least one of the available focus areas. Prior VA training is a plus, but not a requirement. It is expected that most applicants will still be on internship at the time of application, and that some will still be working on other graduate program requirements (e.g., dissertation); however, all requirements for the doctoral degree, including internship, dissertation defense and edits, and acceptance of all documentation by the doctoral program, MUST be completed successfully prior to the start of the residency. Selection for the residency is considered provisional until all requirements for the doctoral degree are met. Offers will be revoked if the degree requirements are not completed in a timely fashion (including the time required for onboarding through Human Resources prior to the start date). Applicants must submit their materials online via APPIC’s centralized application service (APPA-CAS). Completed applications must include: 1. A cover letter that describes your postdoctoral training goals, perceived fit with our program, internship completion date, and clear identification of the focus area(s) to which you are applying. Applicants may request consideration for more than one focus area but should take care to apply only to areas believed to be a strong fit. In your letter, please describe your previous educational and clinical experience relevant to the training offered in our program, your assessment of your training needs, and your general career goals. Please review our complete brochure thoroughly before applying. 2. A current curriculum vitae. 3. An official transcript from your doctoral program. 4. Three (3) letters of recommendation from supervisors who are directly familiar with your clinical work. At least one letter must be from an internship supervisor. 5. A letter from the Chair of your Dissertation Committee describing the progress of your dissertation and anticipated defense date (if not yet complete) or confirming successful completion. If your Chair is also a clinical supervisor providing one of your three letters of recommendation, the Chair may address your dissertation status in the same letter. A separate letter on that subject is not required under that circumstance. 6. A short essay (not to exceed one page) describing your training and experience working with diverse patient populations, particularly populations whose identity variables differ from your own. Your discussion should clearly convey the manner in which diversity issues influence your clinical case conceptualization and practice. Please share any other professional training and experience you have in the area of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and the goals you have for your continued growth and development in this area. The Atlanta VA is committed to the recruitment and training of diverse postdoctoral residents. Consistent with the APA Commission on Accreditation, we define cultural and individual differences and diversity as including, but not limited to, age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, language, national origin, race, religion, culture, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. Applications from qualified minority/diverse individuals are encouraged. Deadlines: Applications must be received online in the APPA-CAS system by 11:59pm EST on December 15, 2024, to receive consideration. The Director of Training, members of the Core Postdoctoral Training Committee, and current residents will review all submitted applications in detail and will select candidates for interviews. Interviews will be conducted in late January 2025. All applicants will be notified of their interview status by e-mail at the address provided in the APPA-CAS system at least two weeks prior to the interview date. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that correct and up-to-date contact information is supplied in the online application. All interviews are anticipated to be conducted virtually. The VA Office of Academic Affiliations requires that all VA postdoctoral training programs abide by the APPIC Postdoctoral Selection Guidelines. Accordingly, we will abide by the Postdoctoral Selection Standards and Common Hold Date (CHD) for the 2024-2025 selection cycle. The program will begin extending offers upon completion of our interview and ranking process, which is expected to take place between January 28-30, 2025. Applicants receiving an offer may accept or decline the offer when made, or they may hold an offer until the CHD. Applicants can hold only on offer at a time. Applicants should familiarize themselves with the details of the APPIC Selection Guidelines, available for review at https://www.appic.org/Postdocs/Postdoctoral-Selection-Standards. For questions about the application process or the training program please contact the Director of Training at andrea.burns@va.gov.

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