VA BOSTON PSYCHOLOGY POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP

system and will develop expertise and confidence in presenting cases at teammeetings. To develop administrative skills, the Fellow will be given theresponsibility to manage both the Renal and Behavioral Medicine consult serviceduring their training year. In addition, the Fellow will be given the opportunity toengage in program development activities. Finally, the Fellow will gain experiencein supervising interns and practicum students.In addition to the above, the Fellow will have the opportunity to participate in otherBehavioral Medicine clinical programs. The Fellow and his or her primary supervisorwill collaborate to devise a training year that is based on the Fellow’s training goalsand needs, previous experience, and service needs. Over the course of the trainingyear, the Fellow may participate in several of the programs conducted byBehavioral Medicine. The full array of clinical programming that is offered onBehavioral Medicine is described below.End Stage Renal Disease Program: On the renal dialysis unit, the Fellowbecomes familiar with the range of problems this population confronts andserves as the primary liaison between the multidisciplinary treatment teamand Behavioral Medicine. Issues addressed with this population include needlephobias and other anxiety reactions, death and dying, coping with a chronicillness, quality of life, family issues, and affective disorders.Transplant Program: The Fellow will have the opportunity to evaluatepatients who are being considered for organ transplantation. The purpose ofthese evaluations is to determine the candidates’ psychologicalappropriateness for transplantation (including kidney, liver, heart, lung, andbone marrow). The comprehensive evaluation includes psychometric testingand a structured interview.Hepatitis C Clinic: This program offers opportunities for the Fellow to gainexperience in assessment and treatment for patients diagnosed with hepatitisC. The Fellow will conduct comprehensive pre-treatment evaluations todetermine a patient’s psychological suitability to undergo treatment forhepatitis C.Psychology Pain Management Clinic: This program provides veterans whoexperience chronic pain with group and individual cognitive behavioral therapyfor pain. Trainees in this clinic conduct comprehensive pain assessments,create treatment plans, and provide short-term cognitive-behavioraltreatments for chronic pain management. Trainees may also participate in ourcognitive-behavioral pain management group.Fellowship Training Brochure | 2013 - 2014 Training Year22