Many Veterans face more than physical ailments, and for these patients, the care of a committed and compassionate psychologist can make all the difference.
At VA, psychologists play a huge role in making sure Veterans get the full range of services they need, and with the recent announcement of a scholarship program to assist budding mental health professionals—including psychologists—VA is committing even more resources to supporting the mental health of our Veterans.
Investing in mental health care
The Vet Center Scholarship Program has been established to assist individuals pursuing graduate degrees in psychology, social work, marriage and family therapy, and mental health counseling. This program will provide funding for up to two years of graduate studies in these fields.
Once you’ve earned your degrees, you’ll have a VA career ready and waiting for you. In exchange for your scholarship, you’ll work full-time at one of 300 Vet Centers across the country.
“In 300 communities across the country, Vet Centers provide Veterans, service members and their families with quick and easy access to the mental health care they need and deserve,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “These scholarships will help VA ensure all Veterans and service members—including those in historically underserved areas—have access to Vet Centers with highly-qualified, trained and compassionate staff.”
Investing in you
This new program is just one of many education opportunities we afford our psychologists and mental health professionals.
Whether you are just starting your career or looking to continue your education to better serve your patients, VA provides internships, postdoctoral fellowships and doctoral practicum training at many sites across the country.
In fact, we are the largest provider of psychology training in the nation, funding 260 fellowship positions and internships at 106 locations each year.
Investing in our values
At VA, our core values—integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect, and excellence—are epitomized in the work of our psychologists and serve as the foundation for the way we interact with our Veterans.
Together, these values provide a measure for the standards expected of all VA employees, reminding everyone that “I CARE.”
- I care about those who have served.
- I care about my fellow VA employees.
- I care about choosing “the harder right instead of the easier wrong.”
- I care about performing my duties to the best of my abilities.
Work at VA
Our team is always ready to assist Veterans when it comes to mental health. As a VA psychologist, you’ll be a key player in determining how we make a difference in those lives.
- EXPLORE a career in psychology at VA.
- IDENTIFY a training opportunity near you.
- LEARN about the benefits we offer.
- SEARCH for an open position near you.
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If you’re looking for an opportunity to provide care to Veterans outside a traditional clinical setting, Home Based Primary Care (HBPC) is a great option.
A key part of your job search is finding the right fit for you and your skills, and workplace culture can impact that dramatically.
VA offers numerous pathways into mental health careers, including scholarship opportunities for college students. Learn more.
I wish the VA would start caring for the veterans as much as they do their staff. The mental health department does not care at all about their patients. We don’t need to be giving out scholarships to anyone while veterans are going homeless and in financial and emotional bankruptcy. We did everything our country asked us to do but we are on the low end of getting the help we need and deserve.
If the VA was serious about helping veterans with mental health issues they would only use real doctors to treat patients. Using interns to treat veterans is not getting the job done. Veterans deserve knowledgeable doctors and doctor patient confidentiality. Which at my local VA hospital does not happen.
Unfortunately it sounds like you are upset with your local hospital. I’m sorry you’re not getting the care you would like. I have a family of social workers who have helped many veterans while they were interns. Interns are supervised while helping veterans. After their internships, they are well versed in veteran care because they matured their skills in your veteran community. I hope you get the care you deserve
I am very interested in the VA Scholarship Program for budding mental health workers, namely Psychologist. Thanks!
If the VA doesn’t allow the future psychologist to perform their jobs the best they can using tools such as testing for a PROPER diagnosis, they won’t stay a VA employee for long
Thank you for your interest in the Vet Center Scholarship program! More information on the program can be found at http://www.vetcenter.va.gov and click the tab for scholarship information, or paste the following url in your browser: https://www.vetcenter.va.gov/Vet_Center_Scholarship_Program.asp
The article claims that the goal of the new scholarship is to encourage students to pursue a degree in Psychology. However, the scholarship is only available to students who are already enrolled in a Psychology program. The article also states that the scholarship is available to students who are pursuing a PhD in Clinical or Counseling Psychology. However, the scholarship is only available to students who are pursuing a PhD in Counseling Psychology. The scholarship is not available to students who are pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology.
Thank you for your interest in the Vet Center Scholarship program! More information on the program can be found at http://www.vetcenter.va.gov and click the tab for scholarship information, or paste the following url in your browser: https://www.vetcenter.va.gov/Vet_Center_Scholarship_Program.asp
Interested in benefits
Require information regarding who qualifies for scholarships
Thank you for your interest in the Vet Center Scholarship program! More information on the program can be found at http://www.vetcenter.va.gov and click the tab for scholarship information, or paste the following url in your browser: https://www.vetcenter.va.gov/Vet_Center_Scholarship_Program.asp
Require a lot of information regarding this program to pay for scholarships. We are a nonprofit charity with a Mission to mentor Veterans and family members. We need all information about who qualifies. Like veteran spouses, Reservists and National Guard members are they qualified for scholarships?
Don Deatrick
President
Hire MI Vet
I’m interested in the scholarship; how to apply and a few more details on eligibility for the scholarship, yet this article provides ZERO information on how to apply for the SCHOLARSHIP. Gives plenty of links and information about applying for a JOB, yet the article’s title is about a SCHOLARSHIP, not applying for a job.
So, how does one apply for the scholarship? NONE of the links on this page or embedded in the article provide ANY information about this scholarship program. If that’s the case, why even post/advertise this program?
Thank you for your interest in the Vet Center Scholarship program! More information on the program can be found at http://www.vetcenter.va.gov and click the tab for scholarship information, or paste the following url in your browser: https://www.vetcenter.va.gov/Vet_Center_Scholarship_Program.asp