The Medical College of Georgia / Charlie Norwood Veteran Affairs Medical Center

Psychology Residency Program

The Medical College of Georgia-Charlie Norwood Veterans Affairs Medical Center Psychology Residency was formed in 1982 and has been fully accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) since 1983.* This predoctoral residency program is also a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC). The administrative, financial, and educational support of the residency is equally shared by MCG and the Charlie Norwood VAMC with two stipends being funded by MCG and three stipends being funded by the VAMC. The MCG-Charlie Norwood VAMC Psychology Residency was formed with the guiding principle that synergy could be achieved by pooling resources and interrelating the respective institutional education efforts in regard to psychology residency training with a focus on interdisciplinary health care settings. With the broader institutional missions of the Medical College of Georgia and the Charlie Norwood VAMC aimed at providing outstanding educational and clinical service programs involving health professionals, biomedical scientists, and educators at the undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate levels, this psychology residency has had a breadth of training opportunities in interdisciplinary contexts.

Our training model focuses on four primary facets of training in the development of professional psychologists: 1) Training in the implementation of essential practice skills in key field settings; 2) Training in an empirical approach to practice; 3) Training in the provision of care for underserved populations and areas; and 4) Training of recovery based principles of care that emphasize self-determination, self-reliance and identification of one’s strengths, peer support and advocacy, and hope. The distinguishing characteristic of our training efforts, however, has been our focus on preparing professional psychologist to work in health care settings providing collaborative and integrative health care services.  

Consequently, the MCG-Charlie Norwood VAMC Psychology Residency has combined solid grounding in core clinical psychology skills with specialty training in the areas of medical psychology and health behavior care. Integral to all required rotations and track experiences are joint educational and clinical service activities with primary care physicians, psychiatrists and other physician specialists, nurse practitioners, social workers, and other allied health professionals. Furthermore, core competencies that are taught include skills specifically relevant to the provision of mental health care in medical settings: 1) the application of clinical assessment and treatment in medical settings; 2) the ability to function effectively as a member of an interdisciplinary team; and 3) the development of consultation strategies in medical contexts.   

The program begins in early July and carries an annual stipend of $23,548. We currently fund five Residents.

Contact Information

Please contact us for any questions regarding our program. We will get back to you as soon as possible.

MCG / Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center

Psychology Residency Program

Medical College of Georgia

Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior

997 St. Sebastian Way
Augusta, Georgia 30912
amabe@mcg.edu

 

* For any additional information regarding the accreditation status of the consortium contact the American Psychological Association, Office of Program and Accreditation, 750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242 (Phone 202-336-5979).