2011 APPIC Internship Application Thread

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This thread needs to get hopping to give me something to read while I avoid all other work because the only thing I can think about is internship mania.

So where are you applying? I'm a peds person - my list of 15 in no particular order (other than that's how I remember them)

Kennedy Krieger (MD)
Children's Mercy (KC)
CNMC (DC)
Louisville (KY)
Nationwide (OH)
La Rabida (IL)
OU Health Science (OK)
Baylor Psychiatry (Peds rotation - TX)
Texas Children's Hospital
Mt. Washington (MD)
Mailman (FL)
duPont (DE)
CHOP (PA)
UTenn (TN)
Duke (NC)

CMH in KC has a notification day of Nov 22nd (MONDAY -AH!!) so that is the one on my radar right now. It's one of two that I really want to interview at so I'll be bummed if it's a "no." Alright, better go write some notes or reports or something.
 
Just wanted to chime in if it helps anyone: I got an email from UAMS, Little Rock, Adult track for an invite on January 12th, Wednesday.

I'm doing a couple's match and my partner hasn't heard back yet about the Child Track. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Hope we all get some rest over Thanksgiving break.
 
Lchow1 said:
Just wanted to chime in if it helps anyone: I got an email from UAMS, Little Rock, Adult track for an invite on January 12th, Wednesday.

I'm doing a couple's match and my partner hasn't heard back yet about the Child Track. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Hope we all get some rest over Thanksgiving break.
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Good luck on the couples match! I'll keep my fingers crossed :xf: that your husband hears soon. Out of my 15, 12 would require me to move away from my husband so if you all could match together that would be great!
 
Like ThisIsCrazy said, we need to get this thread hopping so we have something to do while sitting here neurotically biting our nails and avoiding our real work. So here's my contribution, a question. It occurs to me at this stage of the game that the one thing piece of info I didn't gather about my sites is whether they offer a post-doc or not. Do most college counseling centers (that's where I applied) offer post-docs, and are you pretty much a shoe-in for the position if you're an intern there, have your diss done (obviously), and they get along with you fairly well?


Thanks,
AD
 
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Anyone heard back from any VA hospitals yet? (Good or bad?) I know SFVA has sent out some rejections but I haven't heard about anyone else and REALLY want to know!!!😱
 
blush4321 said:
Anyone heard back from any VA hospitals yet? (Good or bad?) I know SFVA has sent out some rejections but I haven't heard about anyone else and REALLY want to know!!!😱
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No one in my program has heard from any VA's yet.
 
I agree that this thread needs to get hopping- I have been checking way too frequently. If everyone could update on where they're hearing from that would be awesome.

So far I've gotten rejections from Rush and Nationwide, both neuro tracks. I haven't heard from anyone else but it would be great to hear soon, even though the deadline is 12/15. Congrats to everyone with interviews already! Must be a huge relief. Till then, commence obsessive-compulsive email and SDN checking!
 
blush4321 said:
Anyone heard back from any VA hospitals yet? (Good or bad?) I know SFVA has sent out some rejections but I haven't heard about anyone else and REALLY want to know!!!😱
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most of the VAs notify in December.
 
africadreaming said:
Like ThisIsCrazy said, we need to get this thread hopping so we have something to do while sitting here neurotically biting our nails and avoiding our real work. So here's my contribution, a couple of questions. It occurs to me at this stage of the game that the one thing piece of info I didn't gather about my sites is whether they offer a post-doc or not. Do most college counseling centers (that's where I applied) offer post-docs, and are you pretty much a shoe-in for the position if you're an intern there, have your diss done (obviously), and they get along with you fairly well?

Another question: I really dont know much about the "rules" as far as what you're allowed to tell the sites and what you're not supposed to talk about during the interview. If I get any interviews (here's to hoping) and let's say I'm talking to my top choice (of the ones I'm interviewing with) and if by the end of the interview I'm feeling good about it can I tell them they are my top choice? Can I say something like "I definitely want to come here"? Or would that be revealing my ranking choices - which I think we're not supposed to do? Is that right? I'm pretty clueless when it comes to rules, in general..

Thanks,
AD
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As far as I know, you aren't supposed to give the program (and they aren't allowed to ask you for) any information regarding ranking/preference. I've heard stories of it informally happening in the past, but from everything I've read, it's a violation of APPIC policy for them to explicitly ask anything about where you'll be ranking them.

Beyond that, I'm not fully sure if there is anything you explicitly shouldn't tell them, although on APPIC's site, there's a list of things they aren't supposed to ask about.
 
blush4321 said:
Anyone heard back from any VA hospitals yet? (Good or bad?) I know SFVA has sent out some rejections but I haven't heard about anyone else and REALLY want to know!!!😱
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Keeping in line with what others have said thus far, I haven't yet heard from any VA programs other than SF.
 
Thanks! Are you doing a couples match with your husband? My partner (girlfriend) and I (boyfriend) have applied to same cities if not same sites. We knew fairly early that matching as a couple was our first choice. Second choice is to just match somewhere. It's a crazy process as an individual, and is kicked up a notch as a couple.

-Louis
ThisIsCrazy said:
Good luck on the couples match! I'll keep my fingers crossed :xf: that your husband hears soon. Out of my 15, 12 would require me to move away from my husband so if you all could match together that would be great!
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I applied to about 8 VA sites in the southeast and haven't heard anything either
 
I take that back! I actually just got a invite from a VA in Florida!


4 interviews so far.
 
This thread was of great assistance during the early process in order to clarify technical cliches, survey how others narrowed their lists and were doing/formatting cover letters, essays, etc. However, considering the anxiety that dominated the internship thread last year, I would think that it would be wise not to continually check-in and create artificial anxiety cause you haven't heard from program X even though Joe Bob just posted that they received an interview invite from them. I will post if I have questions about an interview and to post where I matched, but I have promised myself that in order to keep down my anxiety (and other's), thats all I will do. 🙂
 
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Lchow1 said:
Thanks! Are you doing a couples match with your husband? My partner (girlfriend) and I (boyfriend) have applied to same cities if not same sites. We knew fairly early that matching as a couple was our first choice. Second choice is to just match somewhere. It's a crazy process as an individual, and is kicked up a notch as a couple.

-Louis
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I can sympathize... matching as a couple is so difficult! Unfortunately my husband and I are in different fields, but he is applying to residency as I apply to internship. We're applying to the same cities, and luckily his match is about a month after ours... so he can apply just to the cities that I get interviews and, and in theory could just rank sites in the city I match to... but of course, it's not that simple. There are a million logistical things and he will basically have to rank every site he interviews at, even if it's in a city I don't match to. Blah. It is so stressful. Obviously, like you said, the first choice obviously is to match in the same city... but we realize that might not happen if we both need to match this year (which we do). I am hoping like crazy that we end up in the same city. :xf:I can't even fathom not being together... yuck.

If you need to vent, just know I feel ya. As if it wasn't difficult enough without worrying about your partner... 😱
 
ClinPsyD917 said:
I can sympathize... matching as a couple is so difficult! Unfortunately my husband and I are in different fields, but he is applying to residency as I apply to internship. We're applying to the same cities, and luckily his match is about a month after ours... so he can apply just to the cities that I get interviews and, and in theory could just rank sites in the city I match to... but of course, it's not that simple. There are a million logistical things and he will basically have to rank every site he interviews at, even if it's in a city I don't match to. Blah. It is so stressful. Obviously, like you said, the first choice obviously is to match in the same city... but we realize that might not happen if we both need to match this year (which we do). I am hoping like crazy that we end up in the same city. :xf:I can't even fathom not being together... yuck.

If you need to vent, just know I feel ya. As if it wasn't difficult enough without worrying about your partner... 😱
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Support is very good. We should start a support group thread for all of us that have partners going through similar processes of matches.

As an aside, I just realized that I probably should have chosen a less obvious screen name just in case training directors peruse through these forums. Highly unlikely, but I think I prefer a bit of anonymity until this whole thing is done with.
 
Lchow1 said:
Support is very good. We should start a support group thread for all of us that have partners going through similar processes of matches.

As an aside, I just realized that I probably should have chosen a less obvious screen name just in case training directors peruse through these forums. Highly unlikely, but I think I prefer a bit of anonymity until this whole thing is done with.
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haha it would be funny, but unlikely, that TDs would look at these forums. Or maybe i'm wrong that they are super busy.
 
Cincinnati Childrens- interview invites went out 11/15 (at least for the behavioral medicine track)

Rush- colleague got an interview invite on 11/17

Good luck Everyone!
 
Hi all! I decided to jump on board as well, give you all something to read instead of working 😉

This is my second year applying. Yay... And I just want to remind everyone that NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS!!! A few times people have said "so-and-so's invites went out xx/xx." Many sites do not send out all of their invites at once. They may even still be reviewing, and will often invite as the review process proceeds. So just because others have heard does not mean a rejection is coming. Personally, I like to think that if others have invites and I don't have a rejection, it just means my invite is yet to come 😀
 
blush4321 said:
Anyone heard back from any VA hospitals yet? (Good or bad?) I know SFVA has sent out some rejections but I haven't heard about anyone else and REALLY want to know!!!😱
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I applied to about 7 VAs and haven't heard back from a single one yet either 😕. I'll keep the thread posted as I (hopefully) start hearing back...
 
ThisIsCrazy said:
This thread needs to get hopping to give me something to read while I avoid all other work because the only thing I can think about is internship mania.

So where are you applying? I'm a peds person - my list of 15 in no particular order (other than that's how I remember them)

Kennedy Krieger (MD)
Children's Mercy (KC)
CNMC (DC)
Louisville (KY)
Nationwide (OH)
La Rabida (IL)
OU Health Science (OK)
Baylor Psychiatry (Peds rotation - TX)
Texas Children's Hospital
Mt. Washington (MD)
Mailman (FL)
duPont (DE)
CHOP (PA)
UTenn (TN)
Duke (NC)

CMH in KC has a notification day of Nov 22nd (MONDAY -AH!!) so that is the one on my radar right now. It's one of two that I really want to interview at so I'll be bummed if it's a "no." Alright, better go write some notes or reports or something.
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I applied to a few of the same sites (CMH, UT, Nationwide) and am so relieved to hear that someone else hasn't heard from Mercy yet! Makes me feel like maybe they haven't told anyone anything yet 😳 I guess tomorrow and Monday are the big days since they said they would notify people by the 22nd. I applied to 16 places - have one interview (Nationwide - IDD track), one site withdrew from the match, and am still waiting on everyone else. No rejections yet :xf: (hope I didn't just jinx myself...I'm certain I'll get plenty of rejections, I'd just like to have a few more interviews in the bag before the rejections start coming! :laugh:)

Someone mentioned this on the previous page - I'd certainly be interested in a thread that just posts interview information, similar to what is done with applying to PsyD/PhD programs (ie: people only post with info on interview offers they/friends have gotten and there's one list that has all the details compiled in some sort of order. Could be alphabetical by site name or by state or....who knows). Honestly that's why I keep coming back to this thread! I just want to check and see if anyone else has heard from the sites I'm waiting on! (and then 5 minutes later I'll check again. And again. And again. With brief breaks to check my inbox)
 
hi,

This may be a ridiculous question but during interviews, are we allowed to have notes with us? Like, when they ask us questions about an assessment case, can we have notes with us on the cases to refer to? The assessments can be very detailed and I am afraid I won't remember all the details and scores...
 
Just got an interview invitation from Didi Hirsch...whew, at least I got 1 🙂
 
YorkUgrad said:
hi,

This may be a ridiculous question but during interviews, are we allowed to have notes with us? Like, when they ask us questions about an assessment case, can we have notes with us on the cases to refer to? The assessments can be very detailed and I am afraid I won't remember all the details and scores...
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Not ridiculous at all. You can take notes in with you. However, it is probably not a good idea to appear dependent upon them to speak about your own experiences. There is a big difference between, "Oh, I know there is something I wanted to ask you, and I jotted it down on my note pad. Do you mind if I take a look?" and "I can't keep track of the specifics from that session-let me check." Does that make sense? Fortunately, though, I doubt you will be asked for details like scores from assessment cases. So, the simple answer is yes, you can take in notes and should definitely use them if you are really stuck. But it is certainly better to not rely on them.

OAN: GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE! The toughest part is over. Now comes the fun. 😀
 
O Gurl said:
Not ridiculous at all. You can take notes in with you. However, it is probably not a good idea to appear dependent upon them to speak about your own experiences. There is a big difference between, "Oh, I know there is something I wanted to ask you, and I jotted it down on my note pad. Do you mind if I take a look?" and "I can't keep track of the specifics from that session-let me check." Does that make sense? Fortunately, though, I doubt you will be asked for details like scores from assessment cases. So, the simple answer is yes, you can take in notes and should definitely use them if you are really stuck. But it is certainly better to not rely on them.

OAN: GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE! The toughest part is over. Now comes the fun. 😀
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Thanks for your response O Gurl, - totally makes sense.

In terms of how many cases you need to know, how many would you suggest? One assessment and one therapy? Some of the questions also refer to a therapy case you had that did not go as planned, and one that was unsuccessful. I feel like memorizing 4 cases in detail will be difficult. Maybe I am overestimating how much info we need to give? Typically, when they ask you to talk about a case, how much info should you give? Should you give a lengthy response or speak in more general terms?

Thank you!
 
YorkUgrad said:
Thanks for your response O Gurl, - totally makes sense.

In terms of how many cases you need to know, how many would you suggest? One assessment and one therapy? Some of the questions also refer to a therapy case you had that did not go as planned, and one that was unsuccessful. I feel like memorizing 4 cases in detail will be difficult. Maybe I am overestimating how much info we need to give? Typically, when they ask you to talk about a case, how much info should you give? Should you give a lengthy response or speak in more general terms?

Thank you!
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I think you should have a case in mind in order to respond to common questions, like a case where your primary orientation wasn't appropriate and what you did to manage it? Or a case where cultural issues played an integral role? Most interviews are brief, so you don't want to go into all of the fine points. General terms are fine. There is a general rule of thumb that if you find yourself talking the whole time, things have gone downhill. :laugh:

I posted a list of interview questions well back in this thread. I will try to find and re-post it. It should give you a good idea of what types of cases you may want to refresh your memory on. Hold on a sec....
 
Here it is.

O Gurl said:
Here are few that my classmates and I compiled to practice last year. The * denotes questions that were actually asked during our interviews. 🙂

Personal/Professional/Recruiting
*What would you be doing if you were not in psychology?
*How did you become interested in (specific interest area)?
*Personal strengths and weaknesses? How do they influence your work? What have you done to deal with your shortcomings?
*What do you do in your spare time? To relax? Hobbies?
*What are your goals during internship? After internship? In 5 years?
*How do you see our training program fitting with your goals?
*Why did you choose your training program? Why did you apply to this particular internship program? Why do you think you are a "fit" with our program?
*Which of your interests are or are not addressed by our program?
*What attracts you most to our internship?
What have you heard about this site?
*Tell me about your interest in this area (geography).
What are the advantages to you about this program? Disadvantages?
*What do you think of this program now that you have heard more about it?
*Where else have you applied? (yes, I was asked this!)
*What kind of training experiences do you need to round out your clinical skills?
*How are you to work with as a staff person in a group setting?

Research
*Dissertation topic? How is it progressing? What stage are you in/when will you be done?
*Clinical relevance of research?
Masters Thesis
Relation of research to clinical practice

Assessment
*Familiarity with particular assessment instruments
*What do psychologists contribute to multidisciplinary treatment teams?
Opinion of projective testing
Opinion of MMPI-2 or other specific instrument
*How do you conduct a thorough suicide assessment?
What further assessment training or experience do you need?
*Two sites (Patton State Hospital, CA; Utah State Hospital) provided testing for interpretation, diagnosis, & recommendations

Treatment
*What are your strengths as a therapist? What do you perceive are your areas to further develop or weaknesses?
*Type of client most difficult to work with? Why? How does it impact your work? How do you handle it?
*Orientation in therapy? What do you think of _____ approach?
How do you see the process of therapy?
How do you see yourself as a therapist?
Challenges you expect to face as a therapist?
*Experience with family/group/inpatient/treatment/etc.
What is your experience and thoughts about time-limited therapy?
*Talk about a therapy case you had. How did you conceptualize the case? What was most effective? Describe a case in which your primary orientation did not work. (mini case presentation)
*Talk about the most difficult/challenging case you had. Why was it difficult? How did you handle it? What did you learn from it? What do you wish you had done differently? (or the most rewarding case...)
What would you do if a client threatened harm to self/others?
*What further therapy training or experience do you need?
What impact does your person have in therapy, or in what ways do you use your person in therapy?
Some sites provide a case background and ask you to conceptualize and provide a treatment plan

Supervision
*What sort of supervisors have you had? What type of supervision is best for you? What is most challenging? Why?
*What were the orientations of the supervisors you've had?
*Describe the best and worst supervision experiences you have had.
What is your style in providing supervision?
*What would you like to get out of supervision?
What do you need in supervision now for your theoretical development?

Diversity
*What multicultural or diverse populations have you worked with?
What are your strengths and weaknesses in working with minorities?
What variables/issues are of concern to you in working with specific populations?
What didactic experiences influence the way you think about diverse populations?
*What is your approach to therapy or assessment with someone different from you?

Ethics
*Describe an ethical dilemma you had with (client, supervisor, peer) and how you attempted to resolve it.
Some provide scenario and ask you to a) identify the ethical dilemma and b) outline steps and factors to consider in addressing it

Other
*What else would you like me to know that isn't apparent from your application?
*What is the one question you would like me to ask you? Or what questions would you have liked me to ask?
What do you see the role of the counseling center in a university?
Describe a critical incident which influenced you during your training. Why was that incident critical and how did it influence you?
How is the field of _______ (e.g., forensic, gero, neuropsych, child) different from more generalist clinical work?

Questions for the applicant to ask
After interview/reading my application/going over my goals, how can this internship site prepare me for meeting my long-term goals?
What is the most valuable experience/aspect of your training program?
What qualities tend to make an intern happier/more successful at your site? (this can tell you alot about how much you would fit in or enjoy being there)
What qualities differentiate your internship site from others that offer ____ (forensic/gero/neuro/experience with certain pops/etc)?
What type of positions are available after internship? What are last year's interns doing? (postdocs, history of hiring previous interns)
What is a typical day for an intern like?
What type of assessment/treatment experience will I receive?
What types of groups/individual therapeutic experiences are available to interns?
Cost of living/quality of life
I would like to learn more about the didactic training offered. What is the format? Topics? Are they applied/theoretical? Interdisciplinary?
How are the rotations assigned? (IMPORTANT!) Also, ask interns how many of their preferred rotations they got.
What is the typical case load?
What resources are available to interns (offices, computers, libraries)?
What is your supervision style?
Who provides supervision (licensed psychologists, postdocs, etc.)? also good to find out how much time you will spend with "big names"
How might your rotation build on my training interests and background?
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blindchaos said:
I applied to a few of the same sites (CMH, UT, Nationwide) and am so relieved to hear that someone else hasn't heard from Mercy yet! Makes me feel like maybe they haven't told anyone anything yet 😳 I guess tomorrow and Monday are the big days since they said they would notify people by the 22nd.
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The status of that actually changed today blindchaos - I got a phone call around 2:45 central time with an interview offer from CMH. I hope you hear soon! :xf:

@IsItOver - I didn't get far enough through last years thread to see that you hadn't matched, but I'm so sorry to hear you have to go through round two. But hopefully things will be better this year!! My name is actually inspired by yours 🙂 I wanted something totally non-identifying too.
 
Lchow1 said:
Thanks! Are you doing a couples match with your husband? My partner (girlfriend) and I (boyfriend) have applied to same cities if not same sites. We knew fairly early that matching as a couple was our first choice. Second choice is to just match somewhere. It's a crazy process as an individual, and is kicked up a notch as a couple.

-Louis
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My husband has his PhD in another field and is already in the workforce so he's staying put in our house. We jointly decided that with all that I've gone through in grad school getting good training at internship (even if it's far away) trumps living at home or close by. We're in it for the long haul 😍 so in the grander scheme of things a year is like a drop in the bucket.
 
ThisIsCrazy said:
The status of that actually changed today blindchaos - I got a phone call around 2:45 central time with an interview offer from CMH. I hope you hear soon! :xf:
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Congrats!!! I hope I get a similar phone call from them tomorrow! :xf: 20 people (their usual interview number) is way too many people to call in one day...right?? 😳
 
ThisIsCrazy said:
@IsItOver - I didn't get far enough through last years thread to see that you hadn't matched, but I'm so sorry to hear you have to go through round two. But hopefully things will be better this year!! My name is actually inspired by yours 🙂 I wanted something totally non-identifying too.
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Hahahaha I totally noticed your name too and was like, "I like that!" I feel the love 😍 I managed to get some assessment exp under my belt and defend my dissertation in the last year, so fingers crossed that was enough!

None the less...bad news is bad news. Just got my 1st rejection (Northeast Florida State) via snail mail. 😎
 
IsItOver said:
Hahahaha I totally noticed your name too and was like, "I like that!" I feel the love 😍 I managed to get some assessment exp under my belt and defend my dissertation in the last year, so fingers crossed that was enough!

None the less...bad news is bad news. Just got my 1st rejection (Northeast Florida State) via snail mail. 😎
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snail mail? Forgot about that hehe.
 
africadreaming said:
Do most college counseling centers (that's where I applied) offer post-docs, and are you pretty much a shoe-in for the position if you're an intern there, have your diss done (obviously), and they get along with you fairly well?
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Yes. They typically take 1 or 2 post-docs, though the salaries are typically on the low end. I can't say the majority of people stay on at their internship, but I can pretty confidently say that the majority of post-docs at college counseling centers came from a college counseling center internship site. Some college counseling sites are open to applicants from hospitals and other sites (they like the exposure to more severe pathology, which can present during the college years), though it varies.

africadreaming said:
Another question: I really dont know much about the "rules" as far as what you're allowed to tell the sites and what you're not supposed to talk about during the interview. If I get any interviews (here's to hoping) and let's say I'm talking to my top choice (of the ones I'm interviewing with) and if by the end of the interview I'm feeling good about it can I tell them they are my top choice? Can I say something like "I definitely want to come here"? Or would that be revealing my ranking choices - which I think we're not supposed to do? Is that right? I'm pretty clueless when it comes to rules, in general..
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1. You cannot tell them they are your top choice.
2. They cannot tell you that you are their top choice.
 
IsItOver said:
Hahahaha I totally noticed your name too and was like, "I like that!" I feel the love 😍 I managed to get some assessment exp under my belt and defend my dissertation in the last year, so fingers crossed that was enough!

None the less...bad news is bad news. Just got my 1st rejection (Northeast Florida State) via snail mail. 😎
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Ugh, snailmail?!?! That's reeeediculous. Sorry about the bad news 🙁
 
I COULDN'T RESIST GIVING A LIST OF HUMOROUS (or not so humorous) WRONG ANSWERS.... Use them at your own risk!!!

I've been accepted at my internship (non-APPIC) so I felt it was safe to chime in! Good luck everyone!!!


Here are few that my classmates and I compiled to practice last year. The * denotes questions that were actually asked during our interviews. 🙂

BOLDED ARE WRONG ANSWERS

Personal/Professional/Recruiting
*What would you be doing if you were not in psychology?

I always wanted to work for the Mob. Either distribution or enforcement.

*How did you become interested in (specific interest area)?

It's amazing what the trees will tell you after a few hits of acid.

*Personal strengths and weaknesses? How do they influence your work?

My alcohol consumption, it's both a strength and a weakness. I can't stop drinking, but I can get the truth out of my professors about 1/2 way through the night and still be coherent enough to remember their most embarrassing moments in the morning.

What have you done to deal with your shortcomings?

Got a ladder, reached higher.

 *What do you do in your spare time? To relax? Hobbies?

I don't think you want to hear about that, but it involves latex and petroleum jelly.

*How do you see our training program fitting with your goals?

My goal, get a job to pay off these horrendous student loans, your training program will end up getting me a job, see... it's a perfect fit!

*Why did you choose your training program?

I chose the one that admitted me, why, how did you chose yours?

Why did you apply to this particular internship program?

Because I thought you would look upon me with pity and admit me, plus it's close to the beach.

Why do you think you are a "fit" with our program?

Because I am willing to accept wages that most trash collectors and meter readers with a high school education would refuse.

*Which of your interests are or are not addressed by our program?

My interest in earning a living wage.

*What attracts you most to our internship?

The lack of a living wage, the long hours, the lack of respect, and it's close to the beach.

What have you heard about this site?

Nothing good, what have you heard?

*Tell me about your interest in this area (geography).

I love urban blight, in particular, I like the fact that the mass transit system has a lingering odor that reminds me of a rancid kitty litter box.

*What do you think of this program now that you have heard more about it?

I was more impressed when I was reading about it, now that I am here I really don't think it's all that. Are you sure that the brochure wasn't a complete fabrication?

*Where else have you applied? (yes, I was asked this!)

I don't see where that's any of your business, but you can be assured that this site is not nearly as cool as some of the others I applied to.

*What kind of training experiences do you need to round out your clinical skills?

Who said I wasn't well rounded???

*How are you to work with as a staff person in a group setting?

I'm a real pain in the ass, and I don't like working mornings or staying late either.

Research
*Dissertation topic? How is it progressing? What stage are you in/when will you be done?

It will be done when my committee says it's done.

Assessment

*What do psychologists contribute to multidisciplinary treatment teams?

Someone has to be in charge.

Opinion of projective testing

I like giving the Rorschach, I hope you don't mind scoring it. I think that the test-retest reliability is the strongest reason to use house-tree-person.

Opinion of MMPI-2 or other specific instrument

I'd rather just give the Rorschach.

*How do you conduct a thorough suicide assessment?

I find a gun or knife works best. You can use rope or a car exhaust in a pinch.

What further assessment training or experience do you need?
*Two sites (Patton State Hospital, CA; Utah State Hospital) provided testing for interpretation, diagnosis, & recommendations

Lots, I am a complete mess... if you want someone qualified, you should get someone with a license.

Treatment
*What are your strengths as a therapist?

I rely on sock puppets to emote.

What do you perceive are your areas to further develop or weaknesses?

In relation to the previous answer, I could use work on my ventriloquism.

*Type of client most difficult to work with?

Dead ones.

Why?

I have trouble establishing rapport when they aren't living.

How does it impact your work?

It makes for a long unproductive day.

How do you handle it?

I usually turn to alcohol.

*Orientation in therapy?

What do you think of _____ approach?

I think it's crap compared to Psycho-Analysis.

How do you see the process of therapy?

Anyway my supervisor wants me to.

How do you see yourself as a therapist?

Extraordinarily well with a good mirror.

Challenges you expect to face as a therapist?

None, I picked this job because I like being in charge.

*Experience with family/group/inpatient/treatment/etc.

Yes, my family has done all those...

What is your experience and thoughts about time-limited therapy?

Unlimited therapy is better.

What was most effective? Describe a case in which your primary orientation did not work. (mini case presentation)

I'd like to not focus on my failures...

What would you do if a client threatened harm to self/others?

How is that my problem???

*What further therapy training or experience do you need?

All sorts, but I would like to focus on healing touch and EMDR.

What impact does your person have in therapy, or in what ways do you use your person in therapy?

I think I would prefer to refer you to my sock puppets for an answer. I also use Mr. Hand and Mr. Twig. They have a high impact...

Supervision
*What sort of supervisors have you had?

Bad ones and good ones.

What type of supervision is best for you?

None is best, but otherwise I will settle for good supervision.

What is most challenging? Why?

Bad supervision, because I don't like having to be the parent in the supervisory relationship.

*What were the orientations of the supervisors you've had?

Bisexual, Homosexual, and Heterosexual....


Ethics
*Describe an ethical dilemma you had with (client, supervisor, peer) and how you attempted to resolve it.

I slept with them.

Other
*What else would you like me to know that isn't apparent from your application?

My cocaine problem really isn't as bad as my peers think.

*What is the one question you would like me to ask you?

Can I offer you more money?
 
YorkUgrad said:
hi,

This may be a ridiculous question but during interviews, are we allowed to have notes with us? Like, when they ask us questions about an assessment case, can we have notes with us on the cases to refer to? The assessments can be very detailed and I am afraid I won't remember all the details and scores...
Click to expand...

It may be helpful to have prompts, just make sure not to read off of them. When I went through interviews (internship & fellowship) I brought notes to every visit. I had a standard list of questions I asked every site so I could compare program to program, and then I had a list of specific questions for each site. Pretty much every site appreciated that I brought questions in and gave thought to them.

YorkUgrad said:
Typically, when they ask you to talk about a case, how much info should you give? Should you give a lengthy response or speak in more general terms?
Click to expand...

Relatively brief, but enough information they understand why you chose your intervention, etc.
 
Hahahahaha! :laugh: Thank you SO much Mark! These are hilarious! Def nice to see a more humerus version of these questions. I just included my favs in the "quote" 😉

Markp said:
I COULDN'T RESIST GIVING A LIST OF HUMOROUS (or not so humorous) WRONG ANSWERS.... Use them at your own risk!!!

I've been accepted at my internship (non-APPIC) so I felt it was safe to chime in! Good luck everyone!!!

Here are few that my classmates and I compiled to practice last year. The * denotes questions that were actually asked during our interviews. 🙂

What have you done to deal with your shortcomings?

Got a ladder, reached higher.

 *How do you see our training program fitting with your goals?

My goal, get a job to pay off these horrendous student loans, your training program will end up getting me a job, see... it's a perfect fit!

*Why did you choose your training program?

I chose the one that admitted me, why, how did you chose yours?

Why do you think you are a "fit" with our program?

Because I am willing to accept wages that most trash collectors and meter readers with a high school education would refuse.

*What attracts you most to our internship?

The lack of a living wage, the long hours, the lack of respect, and it's close to the beach.

*Tell me about your interest in this area (geography).

I love urban blight, in particular, I like the fact that the mass transit system has a lingering odor that reminds me of a rancid kitty litter box.

*What do you think of this program now that you have heard more about it?

I was more impressed when I was reading about it, now that I am here I really don't think it's all that. Are you sure that the brochure wasn't a complete fabrication?

*Dissertation topic? How is it progressing? What stage are you in/when will you be done?

It will be done when my committee says it's done.

*What do psychologists contribute to multidisciplinary treatment teams?

Someone has to be in charge.

What is most challenging? Why?

Bad supervision, because I don't like having to be the parent in the supervisory relationship.
Click to expand...
 
Markp, congrats!!! It is my dream to be able to say I've been accepted to an internship... especially going through this all for the second time. So glad you don't have to do the rest of this horrendous process!

Also, those answers are hilarious. Definitely updated my FB status with my favorite... 👍
 
Lchow1 said:
Thanks! Are you doing a couples match with your husband? My partner (girlfriend) and I (boyfriend) have applied to same cities if not same sites. We knew fairly early that matching as a couple was our first choice. Second choice is to just match somewhere. It's a crazy process as an individual, and is kicked up a notch as a couple.

-Louis
Click to expand...

Louis, glad to know I'm not the only one (read: couple) doing the couples match. My girlfriend and I are both applying to internships, although she is applying to VAs and I'm applying to College Counseling Centers. We made a ridiculous map with all possible internship sites, then found some good "clusters" with several sites for her and several sites for me, and then researched each site to look at fit. One good thing is that we aren't competing with each other for spots. Keep us updated as to how your couples match goes. The same goes for any other people doing the couples match.

When we were starting the process, there was almost no information on here about couples matches of the past, so lets try and keep information going to help future couples!

My girlfriend and I are both still waiting to hear back from sites about interviews. I'll keep the board updated.
 
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