Psychology Internship Program at the Central Texas VA Healthcare System

The Psychology Internship Program at the Central Texas VA Healthcare System offers benefits of a well-established, generalist training program in health service psychology in a large and very active VA health care system, with a current class of 6 interns annually. Our health system spans three major sites and six community-based clinic/annex sites. We employ over 70 psychologists across our system, with over 35 serving as active training supervisors. Some of the unique features of our institution and training program include:

• Housed within a level 1A VA health care system, which provides a broad range of programs, clinics, and patient diversity.
• Our hub site in Temple, Texas is located 35 miles east of Fort Cavazos Army Base, one of the largest U.S. military installations in the world and home to over 50,000 soldiers. Fort Cavazos is a primary Army deployment center and provides a steady flow of new veterans into our health care system.
• One of the highest ratio of female veterans within the VA nationally, providing unique training opportunities and exposure across genders.
• Broad age diversity of our veteran population (lower mean age than VA national averages)
• A close relationship with the Baylor, Scott & White hospital system, and our academic affiliates: Texas A&M University College of Medicine (Temple) and Dell Medical School (Austin), providing a rich environment of interprofessional training.
• Training supervisors participate in our program voluntarily, and with approval of our training committee. Many have a passion for training.
• We offer a range of unique specialty training experiences, such as: Blind Rehabilitation Unit (Waco, one of 13 in the VA nationally), PTSD Residential Rehabilitation Program (Temple), Serious Mental Illness Life Empowerment Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (Waco), Leadership & Administration, clinical research minor at the VISN17 Center of Excellence in Waco, along with a full complement of other mental and behavioral health clinics and programs.
• An annual visit to Fort Cavazos (when open to visitations) to experience military culture, learn about military behavioral health services (clinic-based and embedded), visit one of the seven national Intrepid Spirit Centers for TBI and polytrauma rehabilitation, learn about the STRONG STAR consortium for clinical research collaboration (a postdoctoral fellowship site), and perhaps participate in combat simulation training.
• Many opportunities for cultural experiences across central Texas.