2014 APPIC internship Application Thread

[cara susanna]

On a totally unrelated note - how are people going about narrowing their sites down?

I also am being encouraged to apply to more clinically-oriented VAs as "safety" sites. I went through the APPIC directory and narrowed it down to VAs that 1) I meet the hours requirements for and 2) Offer protected research time.

I agree that they probably won't end up being "safeties" because they're not as great of a fit and I may not have the hours that they want. But I guess you never know. Honestly, I think that all APA-accredited internships at this point are super competitive, anyway.

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[wagwise]

Hi all! Didn't expect this thread to be up so soon, it took a while to read through all the pages so I didn't repeat anything, *whew*.

I am feeling much better about applying for match this year (i applied a year early last year and did not match). I ended up getting a job that I LOVE during this off year while I wait to reapply so it would be nice to match, but no big tragedy to not match.

That being said, I haven't started at all! Glad to see this thread kicking me in the butt to at least start making my list of sites!!! Thanx for the prompting!!

 

[aly cat]

We're a research-heavy program that routinely sends people to non-research-heavy VAs (this is usually the path those who decide not to pursue academia take) who very rarely have VA experience given we only recently started a prac there.

As for hours, I have ~550 adult intervention. 200 individual therapy, 250 group, 100 supervision of other students. ~12-15 integrated reports (all adults) and 250 assessment hours. 0 hours with kids, but I'm not applying anywhere there would be required rotations with kids.

On a totally unrelated note - how are people going about narrowing their sites down? I'm particularly interested in those applying to VAs. Our DCT usually encourages us to do a few of the non-research-heavy VAs as backups. From their brochures, aside from the handful of research-heavy ones they seem to be about 95% the same with virtually nothing I can find to distinguish them. I've got a core list of about 12-15 "definites" that is basically a list of all the research-heavy places with people in my area of study (though I'm sure it will change somewhat once info is updated for this next cycle). I then have a list of "Would be fine" that is basically every VA. I'm thinking of just tacking on a couple in less desirable places since they don't get nearly as many applications, but curious what others are looking at to differentiate them. Its easy with the research places where I can look up what people are publishing but I'm finding it much more difficult to differentiate the more clinical places.

Ollie,

I am having the exact same problem! My research and clinical practice have both focused on substance use, so pretty much every VA has at least one rotation that is very appealing to me. My program is research-leaning and we also routinely send about half our applicants to VAs and the other half to consortiums or AMCs.

Part of my process was adding a major rotation in health psychology to my searches. It's something I have no experience with but think I can draw a clear relationship to with my smoking cessation/other substance work. I think it might be a useful skill to have with the way the field seems to be going. Anyway, it reduced my initial list from two hundred something down to 88. It's a start . A student a year ahead of me in my lab said she used start date as a limiter eventually because she literally had no other way to cut down further. Let me know if you have other ideas!

 

[PHD12]

Ollie,

I am having the exact same problem! My research and clinical practice have both focused on substance use, so pretty much every VA has at least one rotation that is very appealing to me. My program is research-leaning and we also routinely send about half our applicants to VAs and the other half to consortiums or AMCs.

Part of my process was adding a major rotation in health psychology to my searches. It's something I have no experience with but think I can draw a clear relationship to with my smoking cessation/other substance work. I think it might be a useful skill to have with the way the field seems to be going. Anyway, it reduced my initial list from two hundred something down to 88. It's a start . A student a year ahead of me in my lab said she used start date as a limiter eventually because she literally had no other way to cut down further. Let me know if you have other ideas!

Wow, I remember only having about 30-35 tops on my original list. Can you prioritize by location and also prioritize sites that seem to select students from your program on a regular basis? I'm sure you also have some geographic preferences. Internship directors don't like to take too much risk. I noticed that some VA's/AMC always take about 2 students from my program each year. It also helps to apply to some sites that know your advisor or alumni are internship directors, although they should be a good match as well. I have to say though that I got a few sorta surprising interviews at some sites where our alumni run the internship program.

 

[Always at home]

Why are there so many more adult internship sites, compared to child sites?

I remember looking at the APPIC brochure, and noticing the drastic difference.

Are people less interested in working with children?

 

[erg923]

Why are there so many more adult internship sites, compared to child sites?

I remember looking at the APPIC brochure, and noticing the drastic difference.

Are people less interested in working with children?

I think that's a simple matter of statistics and general demand/need. There are many more people from 18-90 in the US than there are 0-17.

 

[Always at home]

I think that's a simple matter of statistics and general demand/need. There are many more people from 18-90 in the US than there are 0-17.

Yes, but how many sites serve the geriatric population? There are not too many sites that serve only 90 year old clients. I know a few people in adult sites who have never seen anyone in the geriatric range. I guess I was referring to 18-50/60.Not sure the exact cut off age for geriatrics is. Ive only worked with children.

I can understand there being an imbalance between adult and child sites, but the number is pretty staggering. I think someone told me they only counted 60-70 pure child sites (and I am not even sure they were all APA). I am sure that number fails in comparison to the amount of kids that need help. I know my current site has a wait list of 30-40 kids and I am in NYC!

Again, the imbalance seems pretty drastic.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Yes, but how many sites serve the geriatric population? There are not too many sites that serve only 90 year old clients. I know a few people in adult sites who have never seen anyone in the geriatric range. I guess I was referring to 18-50/60.Not sure the exact cut off age for geriatrics is. Ive only worked with children.

I can understand there being an imbalance between adult and child sites, but the number is pretty staggering. I think someone told me they only counted 60-70 pure child sites (and I am not even sure they were all APA). I am sure that number fails in comparison to the amount of kids that need help. I know my current site has a wait list of 30-40 kids and I am in NYC!

Again, the imbalance seems pretty drastic.

Keep in mind that by looking at sites that ONLY treat children, you're going to be significantly restricting your pool. My internship site, for example, was predominantly adult, but offered various child-oriented training experiences for those interested. Likewise, nearly every adult-oriented site I looked into offered some type of training with geriatric populations, even if they didn't explicitly have a geriatric track.

Although when all's said and done, I'm not sure if the disparity in number of child-focused vs. adult-focused trainees outpaces the differences in sizes between the two age groups in the population.

 

[Always at home]

Keep in mind that by looking at sites that ONLY treat children, you're going to be significantly restricting your pool. My internship site, for example, was predominantly adult, but offered various child-oriented training experiences for those interested. Likewise, nearly every adult-oriented site I looked into offered some type of training with geriatric populations, even if they didn't explicitly have a geriatric track.

Although when all's said and done, I'm not sure if the disparity in number of child-focused vs. adult-focused trainees outpaces the differences in sizes between the two age groups in the population.

Yes, true. I did not take into account that many of the adult sites still may serve children (in a minor rotation), as I only looked at purely child sites last year.

 

[aly cat]

All very good points. My husband lives in another state (joys of two academics) so I was looking at places near him but also places where it would be easy to travel back and forth on weekends.

The 88 was just a starting point. My program is hardcore CBT leaning B.. so any mention of psychodynamic, Rorschach, etc. it gets cut. It takes a bit of time to read through brochures, particularly because so many of them are so similar and they start to blend together.

 

[Always at home]

All very good points. My husband lives in another state (joys of two academics) so I was looking at places near him but also places where it would be easy to travel back and forth on weekends.

The 88 was just a starting point. My program is hardcore CBT leaning B.. so any mention of psychodynamic, Rorschach, etc. it gets cut. It takes a bit of time to read through brochures, particularly because so many of them are so similar and they start to blend together.

wow,no rorschach training at all? Won't that practically eliminate you from most hospital , AMCs, and VA settings?

 

[erg923]

no.

I have never even seen ONE given at any of the intuitions you mentioned.

 

[thewesternsky]

wow,no rorschach training at all? Won't that practically eliminate you from most hospital , AMCs, and VA settings?

If this is true, then the field is in even worse shape than I thought... Considering the tool has notoriously low reliability and validity.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

wow,no rorschach training at all? Won't that practically eliminate you from most hospital , AMCs, and VA settings?

As with erg, I've never run into a situation where my lack of in-depth training in the Rorschach (or projectives in general) has been a problem, or honestly has even ever been discussed. I know of a few clinicians across the multiple medical centers and hospitals in which I've worked who still regularly use it, but I could probably count them off on one hand.

 

[erg923]

As with erg, I've never run into a situation where my lack of in-depth training in the Rorschach (or projectives in general) has been a problem, or honestly has even ever been discussed. I know of a few clinicians across the multiple medical centers and hospitals in which I've worked who still regularly use it, but I could probably count them off on one hand.

I remember being agast as an intern when both supervisors on a rotation (OEF/OIF transition center and PC clinic) said they hadn't given a MMPI since graduate school.

I dont think students realize how much assessment is actually NOT used in clinical practice, unless one works in a assessment specialty clinic.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I remember being agast as an intern when both supervisors on a rotation (OEF/OIF transition center and PC clinic) said they hadn't given a MMPI since graduate school.

I dont think students realize how much assessment is actually NOT used in clinical practice, unless one works in a assessment specialty clinic.

I'd imagine it's also likely to vary significantly from site to site, although yes, by and large not many folks with whom I've worked (outside of neuropsych) are regularly administering the more in-depth measures unless there's research involved.

 

[cara susanna]

I'm trained in the Rorschach, but I'm trying to avoid any sites that require it. Not a fan.

 

[Ollie123]

wow,no rorschach training at all? Won't that practically eliminate you from most hospital , AMCs, and VA settings?

I actually suspect extensive Rorschach training would be viewed negatively at many such sites (save maybe private hospitals). I've only seen a small handful that require it. My program's coverage of the Rorschach consisted of a (largely one-sided) debate regarding the evidence behind it, yet we almost exclusively send students to VAs and AMCs.

 

[LPPSYD]

wow,no rorschach training at all? Won't that practically eliminate you from most hospital , AMCs, and VA settings?

For some reason many of the sites I looked at in the New England area were adamant about requiring at least some exposure to the Rorschach. Some in NYC as well, but they were all very clear about it in their APPIC listings so you won't have a hard time spotting them. I would imagine if you don't like the Rorschach/projective measures you probably wouldn't be happy at one of those sites or be a good fit for them anyway.

 

[erg923]

For some reason many of the sites I looked at in the New England area were adamant about requiring at least some exposure to the Rorschach. Some in NYC as well, but they were all very clear about it in their APPIC listings so you won't have a hard time spotting them. I would imagine if you don't like the Rorschach/projective measures you probably wouldn't be happy at one of those sites or be a good fit for them anyway.

The "some reason" is that Freud visited up (Clark U) there and it was really the only place he took hold. Meanwhile the midatlantic and midwest focused on empirical Kraeplenian questions, behaviorism (Hull, Skinner, Tollman were all in the midwest, at least for a time), and diagnosis.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

The "some reason" is that Freud visited up (Clark U) there and it was really the only place he took hold.

New England/the northeast definitely has strong psychodynamic roots and leanings, yep.

 

[Always at home]

For some reason many of the sites I looked at in the New England area were adamant about requiring at least some exposure to the Rorschach. Some in NYC as well, but they were all very clear about it in their APPIC listings so you won't have a hard time spotting them. I would imagine if you don't like the Rorschach/projective measures you probably wouldn't be happy at one of those sites or be a good fit for them anyway.

Yes, I looked at quite a few sites in the New England and Tri-state area, and many child sites I viewed stated that Rorschach training was preferred or viewed highly in regards to the application process. Not to much in other parts of the country. I think living in NYC, I forgot other places existed (besides LA). jk


Day-to-day this site fills me with indepth knowledge

 

[aly cat]

wow,no rorschach training at all? Won't that practically eliminate you from most hospital , AMCs, and VA settings?

Outside of the Northeast, absolutely not. My program has a great match rate (as in, one person every 6 years or so does not match) and almost exclusively to VAs and AMCs.. and no one gets training in it. You are correct in that many private hospitals would eliminate me immediately. Like others mentioned, I would not be applying anywhere that requires such experience because it would not be a good fit for me.

 

[PHD12]

Outside of the Northeast, absolutely not. My program has a great match rate (as in, one person every 6 years or so does not match) and almost exclusively to VAs and AMCs.. and no one gets training in it. You are correct in that many private hospitals would eliminate me immediately. Like others mentioned, I would not be applying anywhere that requires such experience because it would not be a good fit for me.

You can definitely match to many great sites without rorschach experience. However, i think it is worth learning a bit about projectives at some point if you want a career doing assessments/testing. They can come in handy as an adjunct to objective cognitive and personality assessments, particularly in complex cases or when personality tests are invalid.

 

[Always at home]

no.

I have never even seen ONE given at any of the intuitions you mentioned.

Thank you for educating me on the matter. I'm a better person for this.

 

[cara susanna]

This question no doubt comes up every year, but when do people recommend asking people for LORs?

Also, for people applying to research-oriented sites, is it better to get letters from people who are acquainted with your research, even if they haven't supervised your clinical work? What if you have a former clinical supervisor who is a well-known researcher (with connections to sites) and knows of your interest in research, but hasn't actually conducted research with you?

 

[WisNeuro]

You can definitely match to many great sites without rorschach experience. However, i think it is worth learning a bit about projectives at some point if you want a career doing assessments/testing. They can come in handy as an adjunct to objective cognitive and personality assessments, particularly in complex cases or when personality tests are invalid.

I honestly can't think of a single instance where I've seen a projective add anything useful to a cognitive assessment.

 

[364462]

I honestly can't think of a single instance where I've seen a projective add anything useful to a cognitive assessment.

With that statement we can already infer what your projective result would be and what your cognitive capacity is.

Have some decency.

...and good luck to those who are applying this coming application cycle. I applied 2 years ago, and I am currently a postdoc. I would tell you not worry, but you will anyway.

Keep calm and carry on.

 

[CheetahGirl]

I honestly can't think of a single instance where I've seen a projective add anything useful to a cognitive assessment.

Most likely because projective tests are used to evaluate personality functioning, not cognitive functioning. So they would add something to the assessment as a whole, but probably not too much to the cognitive component of a battery.

With that statement we can already infer what your projective result would be and what your cognitive capacity is.

Have some decency.

I concur. And I might add: A higher proportion of pure F responses too.

Just kidding, WisNeuro...I'm sure your responses would be full of elaborated material that would clearly demonstrate your high capacity for introspection and your willingness to engage with others while emotionally vesting in your tasks at hand.

 

[psychrat]

Just finalized the list of sites I plan on applying to. Many of the sites that I am applying at offer a selection of rotations. Do you think I should address which rotations I am interested in when I write my cover letters? Some of the sites say that it is based on their need at the time and our interests. Also, a few of my sites require a case summary that demonstrates my work and understanding of the patient. I am definitely going to have difficulty deciding which patient to write about.

 

[erg923]

With that statement we can already infer what your projective result would be and what your cognitive capacity is.

Have some decency.

I hope you're not serious with that nonsense....

 

[thewesternsky]

Just finalized the list of sites I plan on applying to. Many of the sites that I am applying at offer a selection of rotations. Do you think I should address which rotations I am interested in when I write my cover letters?

From what I've been told, this is absolutely crucial to do and is key to demonstrating fit. You don't have to be too narrow in your interests, but you should talk about which rotations (choose multiple!) would be of interest and how those rotations would fit with your past experiences and career goals.

 

[Always at home]

Just finalized the list of sites I plan on applying to. Many of the sites that I am applying at offer a selection of rotations. Do you think I should address which rotations I am interested in when I write my cover letters? Some of the sites say that it is based on their need at the time and our interests. Also, a few of my sites require a case summary that demonstrates my work and understanding of the patient. I am definitely going to have difficulty deciding which patient to write about.

How many sites did you end up with?

Only 2 or 3 of my sites required case summaries. The only thing I can say is to pick a case in which you felt connected to, and which you can talk about with ease and comfort.

Are you trying to pick a case summary in which you used a specific theoretical orientation that matches to specific sites you are applying to? I picked a case summary where I utilized TFCBT. I applied to many sites that used EBPs and had a high incidence of trauma cases. So it fit well. How do you think you will go about picking a case summary?

 

[HomeworkHelper]

This question no doubt comes up every year, but when do people recommend asking people for LORs?

Also, for people applying to research-oriented sites, is it better to get letters from people who are acquainted with your research, even if they haven't supervised your clinical work? What if you have a former clinical supervisor who is a well-known researcher (with connections to sites) and knows of your interest in research, but hasn't actually conducted research with you?

If it helps any, I asked at the beginning of September, though I don't think it would hurt to get it on their radar sooner by a week or two. I applied to primarily research-oriented sites. I think best case would be getting people who have both conducted research with you and have supervised your clinical work. I would include your primary advisor (obviously). If you advisor is most familiar with your research, I would select one letter writer who can best speak to your clinical work, and then consider how to fill out the third position. I like the idea of including your former clinical supervisor who knows of your interest in research, especially if they can also speak to their perception of your aptitude based on the papers you have published or based on your masters thesis or dissertation.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

If it helps any, I asked at the beginning of September, though I don't think it would hurt to get it on their radar sooner by a week or two. I applied to primarily research-oriented sites. I think best case would be getting people who have both conducted research with you and have supervised your clinical work. I would include your primary advisor (obviously). If you advisor is most familiar with your research, I would select one letter writer who can best speak to your clinical work, and then consider how to fill out the third position. I like the idea of including your former clinical supervisor who knows of your interest in research, especially if they can also speak to their perception of your aptitude based on the papers you have published or based on your masters thesis or dissertation.

This sounds about right to me--if I'm remembering correctly, I contacted each writer about a month prior to my earliest deadline, so that would've been (as mentioned above) early September.

 

[ClinPsy87]

The cost per application went up by $15!!!

 

[cara susanna]

HomeworkHelper and AA: Thanks for the input! I'll try to ask around early Sept (maybe a few weeks earlier). I have a current supervisor I do a lot of research with, so I'll probably ask that person to be my third letter writer.

Ughhh, that sucks about the fee increasing.

 

[Always at home]

The cost per application went up by $15!!!

Fight the system and do not apply. Represent all the psychology students!

 

[wagwise]

The cost per application went up by $15!!!

 

[wagwise]

my login from last year is not working. the following sentence made be think that i should be able to just log into my aapi and update it

"If this is your first time accessing this site, please first read the general instructions by clicking the "Instructions" link. Then, select "Create New Account" to begin."

did i misunderstand? anyone else who didn't match last year, did you create a whole new account?

 

[PurplePants80]

my login from last year is not working. the following sentence made be think that i should be able to just log into my aapi and update it

"If this is your first time accessing this site, please first read the general instructions by clicking the “Instructions” link. Then, select “Create New Account” to begin."

did i misunderstand? anyone else who didn't match last year, did you create a whole new account?

I think I was able to reuse the username etc but had to redo my entire application from scratch last year when I reapplied. It was a pain. Sucks that the fees went up

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I think I was able to reuse the username etc but had to redo my entire application from scratch last year when I reapplied. It was a pain. Sucks that the fees went up

Yeah, my guess would be that since they don't necessarily track who matched vs. who didn't, as well as who might've found something in the post-vacancy service and/or decided to leave grad school, they just dump everything each year other than username information.

 

[ClinPsy87]

I created a new account.

 

[DazedAndConfuse]

I may be getting ahead of myself, but today I got an alert from time2track that my subscription is about to expire. I'm wondering, is this something I'll want to or need to use during internship?

 

[Always at home]

I may be getting ahead of myself, but today I got an alert from time2track that my subscription is about to expire. I'm wondering, is this something I'll want to or need to use during internship?

Well, it helps you track your information (hours, interventions, etc), so that you can transfer it from T2T to the APPIC application.

APPIC and T2T have nothing to do with eachother, in the sense that T2T is not required to fill out the APPIC application. I know some people who used T2T and others who used their own system to track their hours.

So is it something you "need" during internship process? No you do not need it to complete the APPIC application. Is it is something you will "want?" Sure, it will definitely make your life easier (in my opinion).

It's entirely up to you, really.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I may be getting ahead of myself, but today I got an alert from time2track that my subscription is about to expire. I'm wondering, is this something I'll want to or need to use during internship?

I only had one postdoc site ask me to provide any information related to clinical work (that wasn't already on my CV), and it entailed approximating the number of times I'd administered a variety of tests. Hours never came into play.

I suppose it could be useful for licensing, but as you're only tracking the overall number of hours and hours of supervision at that point, it's probably something you could throw in an Excel (or other) spreadsheet for free.

 

[psychrat]

How many sites did you end up with?

Only 2 or 3 of my sites required case summaries. The only thing I can say is to pick a case in which you felt connected to, and which you can talk about with ease and comfort.

Are you trying to pick a case summary in which you used a specific theoretical orientation that matches to specific sites you are applying to? I picked a case summary where I utilized TFCBT. I applied to many sites that used EBPs and had a high incidence of trauma cases. So it fit well. How do you think you will go about picking a case summary?

I ended up with 20 sites. I know it is a bit high, but some of them are "reach sites" that get a lot of applications. Only one requires a case summary and two require a case conceptualizations. I am CBT focused (but also look through a developmental/ attachment lens when conceptualizing cases), so will probably base it on my CBT orientations because that is what I am most comfortable with. Most of the sites I am applying to are a mix of CBT and psychodynamic. When you interviewed, did they ask you specific questions based on what you wrote in your case summary?

 

[cara susanna]

For sample clinical eval reports, do you guys recommend submitting an integrated report?

 

[Always at home]

For sample clinical eval reports, do you guys recommend submitting an integrated report?

Does the site give specifics? I know many of the sites I applied to specifically asked for an integrated report. If they do not specify, its hard to say. But I am thinking there would be nothing wrong with submitting a really good integrated report

 

[psychrat]

For sample clinical eval reports, do you guys recommend submitting an integrated report?

I am. How many integrative reports do you have at this point? There is some general confusion in my program as to what constitutes an integrative report.