Clinical 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/.
Rancho Los Amigos Post-Doctoral Residency Brochure 2026
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’s training program has an emphasis on inpatient rehabilitation psychology. 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.
2026-27 Rancho Los Amigos Inpatient Neurorehabilitation 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 two Board Certified Rehabilitation Psychologists: Dr. Charlotte Sykora, the Chief of Psychology and Dr. Sophia Serpa, the Director of Clinical Training. We also have one Board Certified Clinical Neuropsychologist, Dr. Virginia Zuverza-Chavarria. We have several past staff, practicum and postdoctoral trainees who are board certified and several who also have served 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.
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/or as presenters in our didactic program. Due to our staff’s recognized expertise in neurorehabilitation psychology and neuropsychology, several of our members have private practices that consist of providing psychotherapy and medical-legal evaluations. 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:
Sophia Serpa, Psy.D., ABPP (RP)
Director of Clinical Training
Psychology Department, OPB Room 2049
Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center
7601 Imperial Hwy., Downey, CA 90242
Office number: 562-385-6191
Fax number: 562-385-6678