MIRECC / CoE

The Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System is a teaching hospital, providing a full range of patient care services across 10 different hospital/clinic sites, with state-of-the-art technology as well as education and research. Our health care facilities operate 808 inpatient beds, including three Community Living Centers and a 100-bed homeless domiciliary, and over 50 primary care and specialty outpatient clinics, serving over 67,000 enrolled Veterans.  The Psychosocial rehabilitation Interprofessional Fellowship accepts Social Work and Psychology post- graduates.  The Fellowship operates on a three-rotation model. Inpatient Acute Psychiatry serves as the initial immersion site for all fellow rotations placing fellows in immediate contact with veterans diagnosed with severe mental illness.  Veterans Recovery Center (VRC) is the second core rotation due to its strong emphasis on the recovery model.  The VRC immersion supports the fellow in understanding and applying recovery-oriented practice principles.  The third rotation is selected on the individual Fellow’s self-identified training needs and interests.

Katy Gominger, LCSW

Co-Director, Psychosocial Rehabilitation Fellowship; Supervisory Social Worker, Acute Inpatient Psychiatry; Peer Support Coordinator, Peer Support Services

Professional Interests: Long-standing interests in topics related to first-episode psychosis, suicide prevention, psychosocial rehabilitation, inpatient mental health operations, and organizational leadership.

Claire Hebenstreit, Ph.D

Co-Director of PSR Fellowship; Attending Psychologist, Acute Inpatient Psychiatry

Professional Interests: Severe Mental Illness, Forensic Issues, Ethical Considerations in Involuntary Psychiatric Treatment, Patient Advocacy, Person-Centered Mental Health Care.

The Fellowship Class of 2022 - 2023

Julia Galeota, MSW

Professional Interests: Recovery-oriented care for people with serious mental illness and PTSD.

Roxanne Ramirez, Psy.D.

Professional Interests: Working with underserved populations - homeless, justice-involved populations in inpatient settings and working within the forensic/legal systems. I enjoy utilizing creative expression, nature-based and positive psychology interventions. I also often use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, compassion-focused, strengths-based, feminist, and multicultural frameworks.

Stephanie Houk, PsyD

Professional Interests: Providing recovery-oriented interventions to Veterans living with psychosis and chronic/severe mental illness (SMI). Conducting assessments and interventions related to suicide risk, grave disability, and other legal considerations. Teaching VA providers, trainees, families, and communities about psychosocial rehabilitation models within a trauma-informed and culturally sensitive lens. Facilitating group and individual therapies related to co-occurring trauma and psychosis, including CBT for Psychosis (CBT-P), Social Skills Training (SST), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT). Providing bilingual (English/Spanish) mental health services while serving as a collaborative member of interdisciplinary treatment teams for Veterans living with SMI. Areas of clinical and research interests include the intersectional dynamics influencing the psychological well-being of sexual minority women of color; negative symptoms within schizophrenia spectrum disorders; catatonia; and treatment resistant psychosis.

Additional Information

For more information on application process and deadlines, training opportunities:
Katy Gominger, LCSW; Katy.Gominger@va.gov or 650-493-5000, ext. 63787
Claire Hebenstreit, Ph.D; Claire.Hebenstreit@va.gov or 650-493-5000, ext. 60076
For Social Work applicants: Palo Alto Social Work Announcement
For Social Work applicants: Please contact Katy Gominger.
For Psychology applicants: Palo Alto Psychology Announcement