Clinical Psychology Training Programs

Clinical Psychology Training Programs

header-title-decorationClinical Psychology Training Programs

We offer training opportunities for postdoctoral psychology trainees seeking further supervision for licensure and expertise in neurorehabilitation psychology, and to predoctoral psychology graduate students through practicum and clerkship experience. The major area of study for our training programs is rehabilitation psychology.

Resident Training with Major Area of Study in Rehabilitation Psychology 

The Department of Psychology offers a two year clinical training program at the residency level in Clinical Psychology with Specialization in Neurorehabilitation Psychology. Our program is a full member of the Council of Rehabilitation Psychology Postdoctoral Training Programs (CRPPTP). The program conforms with the Baltimore Guidelines for Rehabilitation Psychology Postdoctoral Training and requirements for board certification in Rehabilitation Psychology. Additional information about the residency program can be found in the brochure below, as well as at the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers website https://appic.org/, and Division of Rehabilitation Psychology website http://www.div22.org/ 

Brochure for Rancho Los Amigos Resident Program 2024 

Virtual Tour of Rancho Psychology Department 2021-22 

Practicum Training 

We maintain an active predoctoral training program and are members of the Southern California Association of Psychology Training Programs (SCAPTP). Rancho has two practicum training tracks: Track 1 has an emphasis on inpatient rehabilitation psychology. Track 2 has an emphasis on outpatient neuropsychological testing with Spanish speakers. We have affiliation contracts with Fuller Theological Seminary, Pepperdine University, University of La Verne and Azusa Pacific University. The goal of the program is to provide clinical training to psychology students who are interested in gaining clinical experience with patients with cognitive impairments, disability, and acute and chronic medical conditions. It provides an opportunity to learn about the application of psychological assessment and interventions in a medical setting, working as part of an interdisciplinary team model, and prepares trainees for future training or positions in rehabilitation psychology, neuropsychology, primary care psychology, and health psychology. Additional information about our predoctoral training program can be found in the brochure below, as well as, the Southern California Association of Psychology Training Programs (SCAPTP) website https://www.scaptp.org/ under PracticumFit tab. 

2024-25 Rancho Los Amigos – Inpatient Neurorehabilitation Psychology Practicum Program

2024-25 Rancho Los Amigos – Outpatient Neuropsychology Assessment Practicum Program

Board Certification and Mentoring 

The American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) increases consumer protection through the examination and certification of psychologists who demonstrate competence in approved specialty areas in professional psychology. The American Board of Rehabilitation Psychology (ABRP) and the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology (ABCN) are two of the fifteen specialty boards under ABPP. At Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center we have three Board Certified Rehabilitation Psychologists: Dr. Aida Saldivar who previously served two terms as ABRP Treasurer, Dr. Serina Hoover who served as ABRP Oral Exam Coordinator and ABRP President, and Dr. Sykora, our newest board certified staff member. We also have one Board Certified Clinical Neuropsychologist, Dr. Virginia Zuverza-Chavarria. Our Board Certified Rehabilitation Psychologists have served or are currently serving on the American Board of Rehabilitation Psychology (ABRP) Executive Board of Directors as mentors, practice sample reviewers, and as oral examiners. We have several past practicum and postdoctoral trainees who are board certified and several who also serve on ABRP and the Academy of Rehabilitation Psychology.

Mentoring is a key element of our training programs as we strive to provide professional guidance both during training at Rancho and beyond. Evidence of our commitment to mentoring is that Dr. Fernando Gonzalez, past Chair of Rancho Los Amigos Psychology Department, was the first recipient in 2013 of the American Psychological Association’s Division 22: Rehabilitation Psychology Mentorship Award. More recently, in 2023, Dr. Serina Hoover, current ABRP President and Director of the Rancho Los Amigos Comprehensive Brain Injury Program was also awarded the American Psychological Association’s Division 22: Rehabilitation Psychology Mentorship Award for her dedication to mentoring Rancho practicum and postdoctoral trainees, ABRP candidates and participation on many dissertation committees.

Training Committee and Didactics 

All of the Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center Psychology Department staff are involved in the training program as supervisors and as presenters in our didactic program. Our staff psychiatrist also participates in trainings and our trainees have the opportunity to gain exposure to the use of psychiatric medications in a rehabilitation setting. Due to our staff’s recognized expertise in neurorehabilitation psychology and neuropsychology, several of our members have private practices that consist of teaching at local colleges, providing psychotherapy, and forensic work. Our didactics are structured to address mood and neuropsychological assessment and topics pertinent to the practice of rehabilitation psychology, as well as, trainings that address working with diverse populations, implementation of a variety of psychological interventions, and topics that address professional practice beyond attaining a doctoral degree.

For more information about our training programs, please contact: 

Aida Saldivar, Ph.D., ABPP (RP), QME
Clinical Training Director
Psychology Department, OPB Room 2049
Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center
7601 Imperial Hwy., Downey, CA 90242

Office number: 562-385-6314
Fax number: 562-385-6678

asaldivar@dhs.lacounty.gov