Psychology Training Program

Internship Program

The doctoral internship at the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association. The last site visit was in June of 2024. Preliminary feedback from the APA site visitors was very positive, and we are awaiting formal feedback from APA. 

For information regarding APA accreditation of this internship or other accredited internships, please write or call: 

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation

American Psychological Association

750 First Street, NE

Washington, DC 20002-4242

Phone:

Fax:

E-mail: apaaccred@apa.org 

To be considered, students must be a US citizen, demonstrate completion of at least three years of graduate course work and a minimum of 520 direct contact hours in assessment and intervention. Applicants must be certified as ready for internship by their Director of Training.

APPIC Match Numbers
General Internship:  120711
Geropsychology Internship:  120712

Application Due
Internship: November 3, 2024

All applicants will be notified in a time frame consistent with APPIC guidelines – National Match Day – Friday, February 21, 2025.

If you have any questions about the application process, please do not hesitate to contact the Director of Psychology Training, Dr. Elizabeth Dizney at Elizabeth.Dizney@va.gov for additional information. You are also welcome to reach out to the Associate Director of Psychology Training, Dr. Kerry Wagner-Bellocchio at Kerry.Wagner-Bellocchio@va.gov. 

Psychology Postdoctoral Residency

The postdoctoral residency at the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association. We completed our most recent site visit during August of 2023. The Commission on Accreditation (CoA) reaffirmed accreditation of our program, with our next site visit scheduled to be held in 2033. This decision was based on the CoA’s professional judgement our program demonstrated it adheres to the Standards of Accreditation for Health Service Psychology (SoA).

For information regarding APA accreditation of this postdoctoral residency or other accredited postdoctoral residencies, please write or call: 

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation

American Psychological Association

750 First Street, NE

Washington, DC 20002-4242

Phone:

Fax:

E-mail: apaaccred@apa.org

Applicants must be a US citizen and have completed all requirements of an APA-accredited doctoral program in clinical or counseling psychology, including an APA-accredited internship, prior to the residency start date. Applicants are required to have a strong interest in health psychology, geriatrics, or trauma/PTSD & substance use issues and treatment with a long-term goal to provide service and contribute to these areas in psychology.

Application Due
Postdoctoral Residency: December 16, 2024 

All applicants will be notified in a time frame consistent with APPIC guidelines (Postdoctoral Selection Standards [appic.org]). We are adhering to APPIC’s recommendation to follow the APPIC Postdoctoral Selection Standards and Common Hold Date (CHD) for this postdoctoral selection cycle. The CHD approach mirrors the widely-practiced graduate school admissions process. It allows postdoctoral programs to make offers at any time following the completion of interviews; applicants can then accept, decline, or hold an offer until the designated CHD of Monday, February 24, 2025. 

Please note we will be accepting applications using the APPACAS (APPACAS Psychology Postdoctoral Application system this year). Though this method is the preferred method for submitting applications, we will be accepting mailed applications as well. Applicants who use either method (APPACAS or mailed applications) will be considered equally. If you have any questions about the application process, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Elizabeth Dizney at Elizabeth.Dizney@va.gov for additional information.

Externship/Practicum Program

The externship/practicum at the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System will be accepting applications for the 2025-2026 training year from U.S. citizens who are pursuing a doctoral degree in clinical or counseling psychology from an APA-accredited institution. To be considered, students must be certified as ready for an advanced practicum placement by their Director of Clinical Training. If you are interested, please complete the application below by March 1, 2025 for a Summer of 2025 start date, June 1, 2025 for a Fall of 2025 start date, or November 1, 2025 for a Spring of 2026 start date. In addition to the completed application, you will need to send your curriculum vitae and a letter from your Director of Clinical Training stating you are ready for an advanced practicum placement to Dr. Elizabeth Dizney at Elizabeth.dizney@va.gov.  

*Please note: You will be asked to commit to a minimum of two semesters for practicum. 

Address and Contact:
Elizabeth P. Dizney, PsyD

Director of Psychology Training
Malcom Randall VA Medical Center
5465 SW 34th Street
Gainesville, FL 32608
352-384-3560 x18-1114

For more information about Psychology Training Programs in the VA, please visit https://www.psychologytraining.va.gov/. 

The internship and postdoctoral fellowship programs at the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association. Questions about the accreditation status of our internship and/or fellowship program can be addressed to the American Psychological Association Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation (contact information below). 

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002

Eligibility/Application Requirements

Please follow this link for additional information regarding Eligibility/Application Requirements: https://www.psychologytraining.va.gov/eligibility.asp

Commitment to Diversity: 

Our department is committed to diversity on many different levels, including providing an emphasis in diversity in clinical experiences, didactic trainings, and professional interactions. We have an active Psychology Service Diversity Committee committed to improving educational opportunities for staff and trainees on differences of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, disability, culture, and intellectual perspective; and how these differences impact mental and physical health issues and delivery of care.

We believe cultural competence is vital to understanding mental illness and essential to provision of care. As such, VA psychologists are obligated to ensure culturally competent services continually evolve in order to better respond to the needs of our increasingly diverse Veteran population.

Over the course of each training year, we offer a variety of diversity-related educational opportunities:

• Education for staff and trainees
• Quarterly Psychology Diversity Committee meetings 
• Didactic trainings for Interns and Postdoctoral trainees
• A collaborative Intern special-project or experiential activity
• Participation in the VISN 8 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Training Program

Additional information about the VA’s commitment to diversity can be found at https://www.va.gov/ORMDI/Diversity_Inclusion.asp. 

Disclaimer: Some links above (apa.org and appic.org) will take you to a non-VA website and are provided for convenience only.  You are leaving the VA Internet and VA does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of the site to which you will be taken.