2013-2014 APPIC (internship) interview thread

[MiJac]

If you matched in Phase I, you can't decline the offer. Match results are binding. Under very unusual circumstances you can ask to be released, but when you re-apply the following year, you'll disclose that on your applications. http://www.appic.org/match/match-policies

I am assuming that any circumstance that would be so dire that APPIC would agree to release someone from their Phase I site, would be too dire for them to participate in Phase II less than a month later. Can you even access the Phase II application portal if you matched in Phase I?

That's what I understood it to be as well so you can understand my confusion when others were considering declining. Thanks for this!

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[EmotRegulation]

I know where you matched and you will be fine. Its a bit more challenging to stay productive at places that aren't as research-focused, but don't worry about it being a barrier in the future. Its just a year and chances of getting much research done even at Brown, MUSC, etc. is pretty low. I know plenty of people with R1 gigs who went to equivalent or less research-focused internships. Post-docs are plentiful and for whatever reason it seems a completely different ballgame than internship with completely different expectations/standards. I know plenty of people on an academic path who struggle with the internship debacle. I have yet to hear of a single one who can't find a decent post-doc (barring those with severe geographic limitations). Most ended up choosing among multiple solid offers.

I am one of these people who wanted an academic job but didn't do a research focused internship. Though in my case, I deliberately ranked non-research sites ahead of research focused sites, because I thought to myself "This is my last opportunity to really see if I am capable/interested in a full time clinical job." Turns out, the answer was that yes, I am capable, but hell no was I interested (mostly the having to keep to a schedule and deal with politics in the VA--I prefer the "come in whenver you want" academic life, not to mention the mental stimulation of research and teaching). I thought about using my internship year to gain new skills, to gain good stories to use in courses, and in general to learn as much as I could about clinical work to serve future supervision. I have no regrets about choosing the clinical-focused internship route, and no one seemed to care whatsoever when I was on the job market. Got an R1 job right out of internship and everything!

 

[Ollie123]

I am one of these people who wanted an academic job but didn't do a research focused internship.

You were indeed one of the "plenty" I had in mind

 

[SmithPsy24]

Ok, I'm sure we've hashed/rehashed this many times now, but what are the advantages/disadvantages of an APA vs. APPIC accredited internship? I feel like I have a lot of concerns about not having an APA slot, and that my DCT is...not exactly dismissing them, but essentially suggesting that it shouldn't be a big problem since I don't want to work in a prison and I'm not dead set on the VA. Thoughts?

 

[erg923]

most post docs require it.

 

[463951]

Ok, I'm sure we've hashed/rehashed this many times now, but what are the advantages/disadvantages of an APA vs. APPIC accredited internship? I feel like I have a lot of concerns about not having an APA slot, and that my DCT is...not exactly dismissing them, but essentially suggesting that it shouldn't be a big problem since I don't want to work in a prison and I'm not dead set on the VA. Thoughts?

My DCT did the same thing, tried to dismiss the concerns I had about non APA sites, which really bugs me in retrospect. I was very naîve about the disadvantages of non APA sites to be honest. Luckily, I matched to an APA site, so I don't have to worry about any potential problems associated with completing an internship that is not APA accredited. I am still not sure about some things however. For example, I heard that you can not become board certified in forensic psychology with a non APA internship, but then contacted the credential reviewer for ABFP, and she told me that you can. Obviously, I am not the best person to answer this question, since I still don't know a lot of the answers for sure. My DCT minimized my concerns also, and that is what jumped out at me about your post.

What are your career goals?

 

[docma]

Ok, I'm sure we've hashed/rehashed this many times now, but what are the advantages/disadvantages of an APA vs. APPIC accredited internship? I feel like I have a lot of concerns about not having an APA slot, and that my DCT is...not exactly dismissing them, but essentially suggesting that it shouldn't be a big problem since I don't want to work in a prison and I'm not dead set on the VA. Thoughts?

There is a good response to this question by Greg Keilin on the APPIC website that is worth reading.

And I'll just add my perspective: If you have matched to an APPIC, non-APA site you can anticipate that some positions (like all VA and some prisons and some post-docs) may exclude you AND there are many licensed psychologists in jobs they enjoy who did not have the opportunity to do an APA internship. You will have to complete additional paperwork for licensure for some states--but only Mississippi requires an APA internship for licensure. All other states will accept APPIC sites. There are definite advantages to having the APA credential. But there are also some amazing training sites that cannot afford that step in their organizational development and depending on your career interests you may be very well (or even better) served by the path you are on.

 

[SmithPsy24]

My DCT did the same thing, tried to dismiss the concerns I had about non APA sites, which really bugs me in retrospect. I was very naîve about the disadvantages of non APA sites to be honest. Luckily, I matched to an APA site, so I don't have to worry about any potential problems associated with completing an internship that is not APA accredited. I am still not sure about some things however. For example, I heard that you can not become board certified in forensic psychology with a non APA internship, but then contacted the credential reviewer for ABFP, and she told me that you can. Obviously, I am not the best person to answer this question, since I still don't know a lot of the answers for sure. My DCT minimized my concerns also, and that is what jumped out at me about your post.

What are your career goals?

I am interested in clinical health psychology, particularly consultation/liaison work in a hospital setting. One of the sites I will apply to in Phase II is a VA site, but not APA yet. So I wouldn't be shut out of the VA since they honor their own internships, as it were, but I wasn't sure how much it might limit me elsewhere. There were some others I was considering, but some of them don't work for various reasons (too much pediatric work, stipend too small for the location, etc.). Still, I want to have as many options as possible for this round, especially since some of the remaining health-related sites would be very unlikely to interview me.

Interestingly I also learned today that a site can't get APPIC accreditation unless they already have students there. So someone has to take a totally unaccredited internship for that process to start. What a weird system.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I am interested in clinical health psychology, particularly consultation/liaison work in a hospital setting. One of the sites I will apply to in Phase II is a VA site, but not APA yet. So I wouldn't be shut out of the VA since they honor their own internships, as it were, but I wasn't sure how much it might limit me elsewhere. There were some others I was considering, but some of them don't work for various reasons (too much pediatric work, stipend too small for the location, etc.). Still, I want to have as many options as possible for this round, especially since some of the remaining health-related sites would be very unlikely to interview me.

Interestingly I also learned today that a site can't get APPIC accreditation unless they already have students there. So someone has to take a totally unaccredited internship for that process to start. What a weird system.

Many of the academic medical center positions that I see also state that they require an APA-accredited internship, although unlike the VA, this may not be a universal, hard-and-fast rule (and AMCs may have more wiggle room on that than will the VA and BoP, which essentially have none). Beyond that, as was mentioned, many postdocs also state that they require it--although again, depending on where the postdoc is located, it's something they may be willing/able to waive for the right candidate. And as docma said, states may require additional internship-related documentation when applying for licensure--which means that you should do your best to keep all internship-related paperwork (e.g., your didactics schedule and perhaps even the slides from the individual presentations) and should actively track your supervision hours if you go the APPIC route, just to save yourself the headache later.

That's about all I can come up with off the top of my head.

 

[FionaGoode]

I would participate, but

Ok, I'm sure we've hashed/rehashed this many times now, but what are the advantages/disadvantages of an APA vs. APPIC accredited internship? I feel like I have a lot of concerns about not having an APA slot, and that my DCT is...not exactly dismissing them, but essentially suggesting that it shouldn't be a big problem since I don't want to work in a prison and I'm not dead set on the VA. Thoughts?

I wouldn't risk it personally.

 

[grenas]

I just wanted to share a dialogue I had yesterday with a colleague. I know that many of us here are feeling somewhat unhappy or disappointed that we did not get our #1 or #2 or the fact that we got matched further down on our list. I too did not match to my #1 site. Although I am happy that I matched, I felt somewhat sad and disappointed when I opened that email and read where I matched.

You know, I felt validated when I was talking to this person because she was informing me that it was a loss and that I am grieving that I did not match to my top choices. I was preparing myself for the best (matching to my top choices) and the worse (not matching at all) and did not prepare myself for the in between. Although the place I matched offers high quality training and location is pretty nice, I was not prepared for that.

We all work so hard to get our top choices and what we want and when that doesn't happen, it is OK to be sad and to think some of these things.

Don't get me wrong, I am happy I matched and I feel for those who did not match. I am simply stating that it is a process and one that I did not prepare myself for. It was also somewhat difficult to talk to anyone about it as I felt everyone else was happier than I was where I matched while I felt somewhat sad I did not match to my #1.

Anyways, I thought I'd share. Thank you for reading this.

 

[Ollie123]

Another thing to keep in mind - I suspect most people have somewhat mixed feelings regardless of where on their list they match. I DID get one of my top ranked sites and everyone was shocked that my immediate reaction was somewhat mixed. Even if I had gotten the site I ranked first, I think my reaction would have been exactly the same. I think most of us struggled with rankings. Unless you have a clear "break-point" (i.e. APA vs. non-APA), chances are that each of your sites has some positive and some negative aspects. A lot of times, reality may not even necessarily map on to what you think was the case from an interview. This process removes your control over the decision process so I think mixed feelings are natural for everyone to have regardless of where they land.

My advisor passed down some impressively wise words to me that he got from his advisor when he was finishing up. "Life doesn't have a control group." You will go somewhere (or not, for those who didn't match), you will continue to enjoy your life and benefit from the training and will have no way of knowing if matching at your #20 site (or not matching and having to delay a year) was any better or worse than matching at your #1 site on the first try. So try not to get caught up in an unanswerable internal debate, move on, make the most of the year and work towards whatever goals you have set.

 

[critter]

Another thing to keep in mind - I suspect most people have somewhat mixed feelings regardless of where on their list they match. I DID get one of my top ranked sites and everyone was shocked that my immediate reaction was somewhat mixed. Even if I had gotten the site I ranked first, I think my reaction would have been exactly the same. I think most of us struggled with rankings. Unless you have a clear "break-point" (i.e. APA vs. non-APA), chances are that each of your sites has some positive and some negative aspects. A lot of times, reality may not even necessarily map on to what you think was the case from an interview. This process removes your control over the decision process so I think mixed feelings are natural for everyone to have regardless of where they land.

My advisor passed down some impressively wise words to me that he got from his advisor when he was finishing up. "Life doesn't have a control group." You will go somewhere (or not, for those who didn't match), you will continue to enjoy your life and benefit from the training and will have no way of knowing if matching at your #20 site (or not matching and having to delay a year) was any better or worse than matching at your #1 site on the first try. So try not to get caught up in an unanswerable internal debate, move on, make the most of the year and work towards whatever goals you have set.

Wise words indeed. I really liked "unanswerable internal debate." It really captures the feel for the process.

 

[Precontemplator]

I agree with everything that is being said about mixed feelings and a sense of ambivalence about the entire process and where we end up, regardless of where it was ranked. It is obviously less so when matched with a top site, but I’ve discovered that there is such a spectrum of success in talking with friends. Even those who match at top sites may be traveling across the country, leaving significant others, children, and lives behind.

Another piece is that we invest so much time and energy thinking about what life will be like at each site where we apply, interview, and rank. We spend hours preparing and learning how a site would be a good fit, and then we make a sincere attempt to convince training directors and staff how strong that fit would be (sometimes regardless of whether or not we actually think it is a good fit). This can lead to a strong connection with multiple sites, so it ends up not being black and white if we get our top one since several sites could have offered different experiences.

And this isn’t even factoring in the intense and immediate emotional release, for better or worse, that occurs upon reading the email after months of pseudo-debilitating stress and anxiety.

 

[critter]

I agree with everything that is being said about mixed feelings and a sense of ambivalence about the entire process and where we end up, regardless of where it was ranked. It is obviously less so when matched with a top site, but I’ve discovered that there is such a spectrum of success in talking with friends. Even those who match at top sites may be traveling across the country, leaving significant others, children, and lives behind.

Another piece is that we invest so much time and energy thinking about what life will be like at each site where we apply, interview, and rank. We spend hours preparing and learning how a site would be a good fit, and then we make a sincere attempt to convince training directors and staff how strong that fit would be (sometimes regardless of whether or not we actually think it is a good fit). This can lead to a strong connection with multiple sites, so it ends up not being black and white if we get our top one since several sites could have offered different experiences.

And this isn’t even factoring in the intense and immediate emotional release, for better or worse, that occurs upon reading the email after months of pseudo-debilitating stress and anxiety.

I hope that one day I'll look back and see the value in all of this upheavel, and stress. One hopes that there was a designed purpose for why we do this to our students. That there is some greater purpose than inertia because the cost for one years training is pretty huge both financially as well as emotionally.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Going to agree with the above as well--I matched to my #2 site a few years back, and was initially bummed that I hadn't gotten my first choice. However, when playing out in my head how I'd have felt if I had gotten the #1 spot, I also noticed that I'd have been a bit disappointed, as I felt the training and "name recognition" at my #2-4 spots was objectively better.

All in all, it's just too much of an emotionally intense process not to have some kind of crash (no matter how small or large) when it's all said and done.

 

[Rorshock&roll]

Ok, I'm sure we've hashed/rehashed this many times now, but what are the advantages/disadvantages of an APA vs. APPIC accredited internship? I feel like I have a lot of concerns about not having an APA slot, and that my DCT is...not exactly dismissing them, but essentially suggesting that it shouldn't be a big problem since I don't want to work in a prison and I'm not dead set on the VA. Thoughts?

I have similar concerns as well. I went straight to the source-my clinical supervisor at an Ivy League University (a PTSD expert). They say rank the APA site first....However...it is all about the training experience when jobs/post docs look to hire. If you want to work or post-doc in the VA, and/specialize in PTSD treatment an APPIC/APA accredited VA internship is what you need. An APA accredited internship at X counseling center, or consortium that does not train you in evidence-based treatments for PTSD is not going to hold up to the training one receives at a VA. Its hard to pull away sometimes, but if you focus on what you want to do-(my passion is PTSD and SMI ) then decisions are made easier. I would not rank an APA site that lacks in clinical experience over an APPIC VA...But thats just me Hope this helps! Hope everyone is doing well preparing for Phase II!

 

[Rorshock&roll]

Here's a funny thought...Has anyone who did not match in Phase I ever reached out to their ranked sites to inquire about how they could improve their credentials for the next Phase/Internship year? I was really surprised that I did not match to 1 particular site...me and everyone else right? and was curious...

 

[psychtalk1274]

Here's a funny thought...Has anyone who did not match in Phase I ever reached out to their ranked sites to inquire about how they could improve their credentials for the next Phase/Internship year? I was really surprised that I did not match to 1 particular site...me and everyone else right? and was curious...

I did. I emailed yesterday morning but have yet to receive a response. I thought the interview went well, maybe I was misreading things.

 

[dasherva13]

It's funny. I was initially very disappointed, and I've had to grapple with doing an APPIC member, not-yet-APA internship. But I actually genuinely believe that the training I will get where I'm going will be better than what some of my peers are getting. It's going to be a wonderful training experience, and help set me up for a great private practice career (which is where I was likely headed anyway). Some doors are closed to me, it's true. And this process has been painful. But I honestly believe at this point that this is the best thing that could have happened for me. It would have felt great to be picked by my #1, or any of the sites I ranked ahead of the one I matched at. But it doesn't necessarily follow that it would have been better for me, on internship or after. Ultimately, I think you can make something good of any of these experiences. I have to follow a different path, but I can choose to be excited about this path and make it a great one.

 

[eowyne]

I have similar concerns as well. I went straight to the source-my clinical supervisor at an Ivy League University (a PTSD expert). They say rank the APA site first....However...it is all about the training experience when jobs/post docs look to hire. If you want to work or post-doc in the VA, and/specialize in PTSD treatment an APPIC/APA accredited VA internship is what you need. An APA accredited internship at X counseling center, or consortium that does not train you in evidence-based treatments for PTSD is not going to hold up to the training one receives at a VA. Its hard to pull away sometimes, but if you focus on what you want to do-(my passion is PTSD and SMI ) then decisions are made easier. I would not rank an APA site that lacks in clinical experience over an APPIC VA...But thats just me Hope this helps! Hope everyone is doing well preparing for Phase II!

I feel the same way. I ranked a not-yet APA accredited VA site over an APA accredited non-VA site because the training match is so much better. In addition, the main potential employer that inspired me to go through hell and high water in search of an accredited/VA internship is the VA. And I hope that other employers will trust the excellent VA training reputation, even though the site is new, but I will just have to take that chance. Finally, I matched to the site where I believe I will be happiest and probably perform best, likely resulting in better recommendations than from a site that isn't a great fit.

 

[Rorshock&roll]

I did. I emailed yesterday morning but have yet to receive a response. I thought the interview went well, maybe I was misreading things.

I emailed my sites. No response yet...

 

[internship14]

I am totally there with you on this one. I too matched really low on my list and have been surprisingly disappointed and the self concept has taken quite a bit of a beating. I was expecting to either match to my top 3, or not match at all (based on previous applicant stats) and had not prepared myself for the low match. Like you, I am happy I matched but can't seem to shake off the 'what is wrong with me' vibe. I contacted my dct and adviser and they seemed surprised/ disappointed too and emphasized how competitive the process is. My program had us do many of mock interviews, gave us lots of feedback on essays, applications, etc. (there were only 4 of us applying this year... I'm from a small-ish PhD program), and I felt prepared and somewhat confident. I will be meeting my dct next week and might talk to her about approaching sites I ranked higher and seeing if they had any feedback that would help my future applications (post-doc/ jobs), and also get a sense of why I was not ranked higher at those sites. I have been really stressing out the past few days about what I could have done wrong, and the only thing that I think will help resolve that is getting accurate feedback. I hope you (and I) are able to move forward without letting this hiccup get in the way of all future applications/ interviews. Good luck to you on internship! Also, to those of you reading this who did not match, I am sorry for your frustration and pain. The imbalance is disgusting and I remain disappointed in the APA for not doing a better job regulating the system.

I had the exact same experience. I had prepared myself for a top 3 site or not ranking, but had not prepared at all for getting one way down the list. I was shocked at first. After time has past, I have moved on and am feeling excited about my match. However, I am still wondering if it would help to contact a few of my top sites to try to get some feedback to help for future interviewing. Did you end up doing this? Did you find it helpful? Hope you're feeling better about your exciting next year ahead .

 

[PsyDedicated]

Any news from those in match 2? I'm routing for you guys!

 

[cara susanna]

There's another thread discussing Phase II, and that's pretty much where all the activity has been.

 

[jz112]

Hi all -

I didn't match in Phase I/II, and am starting to think about reapplying. I'm curious if anyone had any group interviews, and what that experience was like? How many applicants were in the group, how competitive were folks at jumping in to give answers, how much speaking time did you get, were the questions about your experiences or hypothetical clinical scenarios that you needed to respond to?

 

[terrafirma106]

Hi all -

I didn't match in Phase I/II, and am starting to think about reapplying. I'm curious if anyone had any group interviews, and what that experience was like? How many applicants were in the group, how competitive were folks at jumping in to give answers, how much speaking time did you get, were the questions about your experiences or hypothetical clinical scenarios that you needed to respond to?

I had a group interview Phase I of last year. Honestly, I didn't like it at all. It was 7 of us applying and we sat around a table with two interviewers. They had a list of questions and then someone would start answering, then we would go around the table answering the same question one at a time. The questions ranged from hypothetical clinical scenarios (e.g., what would you do with a client to protect confidentiality), to experience related (e.g., what's your experience with this particular population), to lifestyle questions (e.g., what would you do for a job if you were not doing psychology and money was not a factor). I could tell that people were pretty competitive. Basically a person would start by answering the question, then the next person would try to one-up their answer, and so on until it got to me. Definitely not my favorite type of interview.

 

[psychPhD gal]

I just received an invite around 11 pm this evening for the University of Colorado School of Medicine AF Williams Family Medicine Track. I guess you never know what time the invites will come.

 

[CBTFTW]

I just received an invite around 11 pm this evening for the University of Colorado School of Medicine AF Williams Family Medicine Track. I guess you never know what time the invites will come.

I suspect this was meant as a post in the current interview thread!