Psychology Internship Program

JCCA’s twelve-month, full-time Psychology Internship program is open to advanced pre-doctoral psychology students in clinical, school, counseling, and community psychology programs.  The internship program adheres to the APA Ethics Code and as a member of APPIC follows its guidelines.

The internship program is based on the Practitioner-Scholar model of training, providing interns with in-depth clinical experience which becomes increasingly complex over the course of the year. Through close clinical supervision, seminars, and collaborative work with multi-disciplinary treatment teams, interns are trained to provide theoretically sound clinical services to children, adolescents and families.  Interns learn clinical interventions which are grounded in the latest research and literature in the field of psychology, with a focus on the complexities of child welfare and complex trauma.  Our supervisors represent diverse areas of expertise and theoretical orientations, thus enabling interns to develop their own professional identities.

Internship Training: Competencies

JCCA’s internship training program is well-organized, sequential, supportive and experiential, and provided in a flexible learning environment that encourages the unique style and interests of each intern. The following competencies of the internship are intended as a guide to the intern’s development:

• The intern will achieve competency in psychological assessment.
• The intern will achieve competency in methods of intervention, including individual psychotherapy and group psychotherapy.
• The intern will be exposed to collaborative consultation and program evaluation.
• The intern will become familiar with specific ethical and professional considerations, including confidentiality, professional conduct and obligations under the law.
• The intern will be encouraged to conduct his or her practice with a respect for and understanding of cultural and individual diversity.
• The intern will be encouraged to understand the interplay of science and practice, and foster a commitment to life-long learning.
• The intern will develop competency in the area of communication and interpersonal skills.
• The intern will develop the skills required to become a competent and effective clinical supervisor.
• The intern will demonstrate a sensitivity to the specifics of the child welfare system and the ways in which these impact functioning and intersect with other culturally significant factors.
• The intern will be competent in understanding the ways in which complex trauma impacts clients and systems, as well as the accompanying symptomology.

Eligibility

This program is open to psychology graduate students meeting the following criteria:

• Current enrollment in a professional psychology doctoral program in clinical, counseling or school psychology.
• Successful completion of all coursework.
• Completion of practicum training in psychotherapy and psychological assessment with children and adolescents.
• Completion of at least three integrated assessments, with at least one being child or adolescent assessments.
• Approval of their graduate school training director to begin pre-doctoral internship

Application Procedures

Applications for pre-doctoral internship training are made in the fall preceding the internship year. Materials due by December 1:

• Completed APPIC application form which is available on the APPIC website, http://www.appic.org.
• Curriculum Vitae
• Internship eligibility and readiness verification
• Official transcript from the graduate program
• One child or adolescent assessment report (including projectives)
• Three letters of recommendation

Applicants will be notified by December 15 if JCCA wishes to arrange an interview in early January. Interviews will be conducted remotely.

Notification of acceptance or rejection is made in accordance with rules of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC).

The internship program is a full year and begins on the Tuesday during the week after Labor Day. Medical insurance is available after three months. The stipend is $25,000 and there is a $2000 language differential available to interns who are fluent in a language needed at their training site.

JCCA’s internship program is listed in the APPIC Directory and is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation, 750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242, tel. 202-336-5979

Trainee Admissions, Support, and Initial Placement Data
Click here for more information about JCCA’s Internship Program and supervising staff