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Psychology Internship Program

The mission of the Sheridan VA internship training program is to provide interns with a rigorous yet positive and supportive training environment designed to help them develop the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to enter the professional practice of psychology.

We are particularly interested in developing psychologists who have an interest in working with veterans in underserved rural areas; men and women from these areas tend to be well represented in the armed forces. Psychologists working in rural areas need to be generalists to a large degree, so a major goal of our program is to produce psychologists who are outstanding generalists. Please see our brochure for detailed information about our medical center and training program.

The doctoral internship at the Sheridan VAHCS is a full-time (52-week 2,080 hours) rurally-focused psychology internship training program that is funded by the Veteran Health Administration's Office of Academic Affairs. Our site is accredited by the American Psychological Association and we are a member of APPIC.

Accreditation status

The Sheridan VA Health Care System (SVAHCS) Psychology Internship program is currently accredited by the Commission on Accreditation (CoA) of the American Psychological Association (APA).

Questions related to our accreditation status can be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
Phone: 202-336-5979
E-mail: apaaccred@apa.org
Web: www.accreditation.apa.org

Application process

Our internship seeks students from APA or CPA accredited Ph.D. or Psy.D. clinical/counseling programs who are in good standing. Applicants must have completed all of their graduate coursework, have completed their comprehensive or qualifying exams, accumulated a minimum of 600 doctoral level practicum hours, have, at minimum, proposed their dissertation, and have completed at least 500 combined clinical hours (assessment and intervention) during their doctoral program. Applicants who have a strong interest or background in rural mental health or interest in working with veteran populations will be a particularly good fit for this internship program.

Sheridan VA Health Care System encourages candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply. All applicants for VA internships must be US citizens.

Internship application date
Applications are due Nov. 15.

VA eligibility requirements

APPIC match number: 221411

Program core competencies

By the end of the internship year, interns will have had experiences that will enable them to build competency in the following 10 domains:

  1. Assessment, diagnosis, conceptualization, and report writing
  2. Psychological interventions
  3. Consultation and interprofessional/interdisciplinary skills
  4. Research/Scholarly Inquiry
  5. Ethical and legal standards
  6. Individual and cultural diversity
  7. Supervision
  8. Professionalism and Identity
  9. Theories and methods of empirically supported treatments
  10. Communication and interpersonal skills

Rotation offerings

This is an internship site aimed at training well-rounded and skilled clinicians, who have particular expertise in working effectively in rural settings and with veterans. Current rotation offerings include:

  • Mental Health Residential and Rehabilitation Treatment Program (MHRRTP)
  • Outpatient Mental Health Clinic
  • Acute Psychiatric Unit (APU)
  • Psychological Assessment
  • Diagnostic Biopsychosocial Intake
  • Primary Care Psychology/Pain Clinic
  • VA Mental Health Leadership
  • Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC)

Please note that rotation offerings may change from year to year, as a result of staffing changes. Our program prides itself on achieving the program aim and intern competencies through the combination of varied clinical experiences and rotations. We advise Interns to view their own growth in this broad way.

Commitment to diversity and inclusion

The Sheridan VA Health Care System Psychology Internship Program strongly values diversity and believes in creating an equitable, hospitable, appreciative, safe, and inclusive learning environment for its interns. Diversity among interns and supervisors enriches the educational experience, promotes personal growth, and strengthens communities and the workplace. Every effort is made by SVAHCS to create a climate in which all staff and interns feel respected, comfortable, and in which success is possible and obtainable. Our training program strives to make every effort to increase awareness, dispel ignorance, and increase comfort with multicultural experiences. The SVAHCS provides equal opportunity to all prospective staff and does not discriminate because of a person’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other factor that is irrelevant to success as an employee.

Contact

Jessica L. Semler, Ph.D.

Director, Clinical Psychology Internship Training Program
Sheridan VA Health Care System, 1898 Ford Road
Sheridan, WY 82801
VA Office Phone: 307-675-3640

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