VA BOSTON PSYCHOLOGY POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP

Length of Training: One year.Goals: The goal of the Geropsychology Postdoctoral Fellowship track is to produceindependently functioning professional psychologists who achieve a proficient levelof competence in the majority of attitude, knowledge and skill competency areasdeemed important for geropsychology practice by experts in the field. TheGeropsychology program embraces the four core components of the Fellowship’spostdoctoral training model (nurturing unique personal attributes of each Fellow;modeling a scientist-practitioner model of training; providing a range of trainingsettings to allow both breadth and depth of training; and encouraging Fellows todevelop confidence in collaborating and consulting with other disciplines inmultidisciplinary and interdisciplinary care environments). Further, Geropsychologytraining emphasizes: the diversity of experience of older adults; the complex ethicaldilemmas that can arise in geriatric care; the importance of advocacy for clients’needs; and the consolidation of the Fellow’s professional identity as ageropsychologist. Training objectives include development of clinical competenciesin the following areas:• psychodiagnostic interviews and differential diagnosis with older adults withcomplex medical, psychiatric, cognitive, and social comorbidities;• cognitive evaluations and recommendations to teams;• evaluations of decision making and other functional capacities;• psychotherapy with older adults in individual, group, couple, and familymodalities;• collaboration and communication with multi- and inter-disciplinary healthcare teams;• collaboration with psychiatrists in psychopharmacological interventions;• consultation and staff education on psychological/behavioral issues;• comprehension, application, and dissemination of clinical geropsychologyresearch base;• geropsychology program development, evaluation, and/or research;• supervision of novice counselors beginning work with older adults;• administration/leadership in clinical, didactic, and/or research team settingsTeaching Methods: Fellows develop advanced skills in professionalGeropsychology through closely supervised and increasingly autonomous clinicalpractice across a continuum of geriatric care in assessment, intervention,consultation, and research.Clinical Settings: The amount of time spent weekly in each setting is determinedby an initial assessment of the trainee’s learning needs and professional interests.Time on each rotation includes at least one hour of individual supervision weeklyFellowship Training Brochure | 2013 - 2014 Training Year14