Psychology Residency Program |
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25th Anniversary Celebration of the MCG/Charlie Norwood VAMC Psychology Residency
On May 2-3, 2008, the MCG-VAMC Psychology Residency Consortium celebrated its 25th year anniversary of service. It has been quite a run as MCG and the Charlie Norwood VAMC have joined together in this joint educational venture for 25 years and have played a part in producing many truly outstanding men and women with careers in professional psychology. What an honor and privilege it has been for our faculty to have served with and for some many wonderful colleagues in psychology!
Eighty of our 178 Alumni along with twenty of their guests traveled from all around the country to join us in this celebration of this our residency training milestone – our alumni are serving in 30 states and three countries outside of the United States. It was truly a wonderful and inspiring event for us all as we were reminded of what is so special about residency training and the careers of professional psychologists.
On May 2, 2008, Dr. Kelly Wilson of the University of Mississippi provided a one-day workshop on “Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with Your Most Difficult Cases.” Dr. Wilson is one of the co-founders of ACT and has devoted himself to the development and dissemination of ACT and its underlying theory and philosophy for the past 18 years, publishing 32 articles, 20 chapters, and 4 books. The consensus of those in attendance was that it was truly a informative and inspirational presentation.
During the lunch break of Dr. Wilson’s workshop, we enjoyed several of our alumni share their more memorable stories of their training experience with us – “Blast from the Past.” Touching, funny, and profoundly important the stories helped to remember some truly golden moments in our lives.
On the evening of May 2, 2008 we hosted a dinner at the Pinnacle Club for faculty, alumni, and friends to celebrate and reflect on the grand mission of educating professional psychologists. In addition to the notes of appreciation by the Dean of the School of Medicine of the Medical College of Georgia – Dr. Doug Miller, chairperson of our MCG Department of Psychiatry and Behavior – Dr. Peter Buckley, the Medical Director-Active Duty Rehabilitation Unit of the Charlie Norwood – Dr. Dennis Hollins, and current Georgia Psychological Association (and MCG-Charlie Norwood VAMC Residency Alumni) – Dr. Joni Prince, a proclamation was given to our residency training program on behalf of the Mayor of Augusta – Mr. Deke Copenhaver – declaring that May 2, 2008 was the “MCG-Charlie Norwood VAMC Clinical Psychology Residency Day.”
After remarks by Dr. Pat Boudewyns – one of the founding fathers of our training program and Dr. Alex Mabe – current residency training director, Dr. Nadine Kaslow, Professor at Emory University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, provided the keynote address on the future of professional psychology. It was truly a wonderful evening of good fellowship, fun, great food, beautiful surroundings, and thoughtful remembrance and vision of what we have been and what we can be.
On May 3, 2008, Dr. David Riggs, Executive Director of the Center for Deployment Psychology in Bethesda, Maryland, provided a half-day workshop entitled, “The Impact of Military Deployments on Service Members and Their Families.” This presentation reminded us of what an honor and privilege it has been for our residency program to be a part of providing services to our service men and women and to prepare the next generation of professional psychologists to continue to hold to the commitment to serve those who have defended our country through military service. |
