Useful Links
- Office of Academic Affiliations Home
- National Academic Affiliations Council
- Trainee Resources
- Medical & Dental Residencies
- Associated Health Education
- Advanced Fellowships
- Nursing Academy
- VA Centers of Excellence Primary Care Education
- Application Forms
- Mandatory Training
- Resident Supervision
- Military Health History
- About OAA
- Policy & Agreements
- Training Announcements
- News
- Site Search
|
Interprofessional Fellowship in Psychosocial Rehabilitation & Recovery Oriented Services History & PurposeThe 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 the Office of 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. 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 OverviewThe 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 Positions & DisciplinesThe PSR Fellowship Program is a year long, and each PSR fellowship program has up to four full-time fellow positions. The fellows come from a range of disciplines, including psychiatry, nursing, social work, psychology, vocational rehabilitation, and occupational therapy. Fellows come to the fellowship with previous experience in working with veterans with serious mental illness. Clinical TrainingThe 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 such as veteran and family education; enhancement of residential, social, and work skills; cognitive behavioral therapy; motivational interviewing; pharmacotherapy; and provision of intensive care coordination. Education Dissemination ProjectFellows 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. Didactic TrainingEach 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 seven 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 OpportunitiesUS Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (USPRA) Conference and Certification Fellows are encouraged to attend the annual USPRA Conference for additional psychosocial rehabilitation training and are encouraged to submit their "Education Dissemination Projects" for conference presentation consideration as part of their dissemination efforts. At the end of their fellowship year, fellows are eligible to apply for USPRA certification as Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioners. Most PSR fellowship programs encourage their fellows to obtain certification. Fellowship SitesThe 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 Services and the Office of Academic Affiliations. Seven VA healthcare sites participate in the PSR fellowship program:
Fellowship RequirementsFellows 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 graduates of psychiatry residency programs, doctoral programs in clinical or counseling psychology, master's or doctoral programs in social work, and master's or doctoral programs in mental health nursing, master's programs in occupational therapy, and master's programs in vocational rehabilitation. The Fellowship Program is full time for psychiatry, psychology, vocational rehabilitation and occupational therapy fellows, and full time or half time for social work and nursing fellows. Stipends are competitive and are based on location and discipline. Full time fellows are eligible for health and life insurance benefits. All fellows earn annual and sick leave and are entitled to all Federal holidays. ApplicationApplications will be accepted and reviewed at each site until all positions are filled. Application requirements and specifications may differ across sites, so please contact the Fellowship Director at each site of interest. Bedford, MA Durham, NC Little Rock, AR Palo Alto, CA San Diego, CA Waco, TX West Haven, CT For other information, please contact: Richard Goldberg, Ph.D. |
