2017-2018 APPIC INTERNSHIP APPLICATION THREAD

[AryaStark]

Thank you, that seems like sound advice. Question though, what might constitute a good fit specific to VA's? I've heard that having clinical/ research experience with veterans is a plus but not an absolute requirement. What else?

This is a little late, but I might have a suggestion. I interned at a large VA, am about to finish a fellowship at a well-known VA, and will soon start a job at a different well known VA. I did not have a single minute of VA clinical work or research experience prior to internship. I believe that what makes you a solid candidate for a VA position is a strong background in general mental health, behavioral medicine, and interdisciplinary team work. Most VA internship training committees are made up of LIPs who practice (rather than conduct research) and they want to see you have relevant clinical experience. More specifically, that you gave the desire and an ility to work with medically complex individuals presenting with comornid mental health concerns. The VA is also pioneer in integrated care and interprofessonal/interdisciplinary team work, and experience functioning as a psychology representative on such a team will be a significant factor in your favor. Provide examples of your experience with collaborative work with non-psychology providers. The other important thing is that the VA primarily adheres to evidence-based treatment. If you are proficient in ACT or CBT and self identify as a scientist practitioner, make that very clear. Perhaps most importantly though, is that you should make it clear why you want a career or internship at the VA specifically (when you interview). Don't have some generic thing like "because I want to help veterans." Really think about why the va specifically. I can share some of my reasons, if that would helpful. Best of luck to everybody!

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[AryaStark]

Oh: by the way. I would caution against even looking at last years brochures. Programs can change drastically year to year. I spent so much time researching over the summer, just to have to go back and re read everything again. Instead, spend your time working on the essays and your CV

 

[heartdignan]

Oh: by the way. I would caution against even looking at last years brochures. Programs can change drastically year to year. I spent so much time researching over the summer, just to have to go back and re read everything again. Instead, spend your time working on the essays and your CV

Ditto on that. Always best to go back and double-check because even updated 2017-18 brochures/application needs can change at the last minute. My early organizing made me miss out on one site's altered deadline and submit 2 incomplete applications to other sites who decided near the end to request sample reports.

 

[NeuroLady]

This is a little late, but I might have a suggestion. I interned at a large VA, am about to finish a fellowship at a well-known VA, and will soon start a job at a different well known VA. I did not have a single minute of VA clinical work or research experience prior to internship. I believe that what makes you a solid candidate for a VA position is a strong background in general mental health, behavioral medicine, and interdisciplinary team work. Most VA internship training committees are made up of LIPs who practice (rather than conduct research) and they want to see you have relevant clinical experience. More specifically, that you gave the desire and an ility to work with medically complex individuals presenting with comornid mental health concerns. The VA is also pioneer in integrated care and interprofessonal/interdisciplinary team work, and experience functioning as a psychology representative on such a team will be a significant factor in your favor. Provide examples of your experience with collaborative work with non-psychology providers. The other important thing is that the VA primarily adheres to evidence-based treatment. If you are proficient in ACT or CBT and self identify as a scientist practitioner, make that very clear. Perhaps most importantly though, is that you should make it clear why you want a career or internship at the VA specifically (when you interview). Don't have some generic thing like "because I want to help veterans." Really think about why the va specifically. I can share some of my reasons, if that would helpful. Best of luck to everybody!

This is so helpful! Thank you very much for your feedback. I don't yet have any experience with veterans but what you've described sounds a lot like my training- so that really gives me hope. I want to work with veterans partially because I come from a military family... but perhaps that is too generic. It would be helpful if you were willing to share your reasons, if you don't mind.

 

[AryaStark]

No, I wouldn't say that that is too generic, but I would say that it is not specific enough. Without being too personal, what about being in a military family makes it important for you to work with veterans in a clinical or research setting? Be careful because that always runs the risk of giving too much detailed information about your own family and personal mental health, which is sometimes cautioned against. But with that said, if you make it more about how you observed the importance of targeting various bio psychosocial factors in one clinical setting/ saw your family members benefit from comprehensive treatment, given their complex needs and you want to be apart of that/continue to help improve the system, I think that would work. Get what I am saying here? Don't make anything up, but try to be specific enough so they understand why you care, but not too specific that they leave the interview feeling like you shared too much. It is a fine line, but I'm sure we've all dealt with something similar (me search anyone??? Haha. In fact, what I said above is one of my primary reasons. I think high quality is a mix of interdisciplinary teamwork/shared treatment recommendations, patient centered care (the va has an entire office and ongoing training for all va providers in MI and patient centered communication), and providers who care for Veterans and each other. Working at the VA allows you go develop relationships with your patients without barriers in place like insurance (aka I try to help understand why my patient isn't coming in rather getting upset that they have taken money out of my pocket with their no show). I can spend time consulting with other team members who value my input and regulartly seek it out. And again that takes no money out of their pocket nor my pocket, so if facilitates and environment for ongoing consultation and shared responsibility to ensure the veteran is well cared for. There are so many reasons I love working at the va I could go on forever. But perhaps most importantly I see this as my opportunity to serve my country---- by serving those who served.

This is so helpful! Thank you very much for your feedback. I don't yet have any experience with veterans but what you've described sounds a lot like my training- so that really gives me hope. I want to work with veterans partially because I come from a military family... but perhaps that is too generic. It would be helpful if you were willing to share your reasons, if you don't mind.

 

[AryaStark]

Oh- and not to mention that I am an empiricist. The VA very strongly holds to empirically supported treatments, and I like working with other providers who have similar opinions about the importance of utilizing such treatments, especially bc I think that affords for the highest level of care. Also, I appreciate how well thought out the system is (you may not all agree with me). However, I always know the best place to triage someone or where they would benefit most from ongoing care. For example, there are PTSD clinic's but with that said there are specialized programs for women, OEG OIF veterans or military sexual trauma. There are outpatient programs that specialize in various mental health concerns and there are specialty groups for which I know are available to my patients. When someone is inpatient medically, I know that my patient will be cared for because I can either walk up and offer them same day assistance or there is a consult team who is there to oversee their mental health medication as needed etc. I may just come from high functioning programs, but really I feel like there are so many safety nets in place that ensure high-quality care for veterans, and the people in charge actually seem to Care

 

[fourthyearphdstudent]

Hi! I'm refining my internship site list and am wondering if anyone has general insights on the following placements (from my "maybe" list!), in terms of quality of training, rigor (e.g., 45 vs. 60+ hours per week), and overall experience of people you know who have interviewed or interned there. I'll be applying to adult tracks. Thanks so much in advance for any thoughts you can offer!

Cambridge Health Alliance
Mass General
McLean
Beth Israel Deaconess
Albert Einstein/Montefiore
Alpert/Brown
Mt Sinai/Elmhurst
Greater Hartford Clinical Psychology Internship Consortium
VA New Jersey Health Care System (Lyons, NJ)
West Haven VA
Trinitas Regional Medical Center (Elizabeth, NJ)
Columbia University Medical Center/NYSPI
Metropolitan Detention Center (Los Angeles)
Federal Correctional Institution, Terminal Island (Los Angeles)
USC Counseling Center
USF Counseling Center
Stanford Counseling Center
UCSB Counseling Center
UCB Counseling Center
UCLA Counseling Center

 

[RogerFreuderer]

Good luck guys.

I went through this twice, didn't get an internship the first time, had one of the best practicum experiences, then matched the following year.

Word of advice. Enjoy the process. You'll be jet-setting and seeing new people/places. It's nerve-wracking, but at the end of the day, it's not the worst thing in the world. Trust Me

You must have learned some good reframing skills on that practicum

 

[CompleteUnknown]

Hi all, I am really struggling with identifying exact goals for internship...which is obviously making it tough to pick sites that "fit" me. I am seeking generalist training in outpatient psychotherapy, group therapy, and assessment. I have more specific interests in LGBT and rural populations, but beyond that, I feel that I would be satisfied with most types of settings and training. My goal is to be a generalist practitioner! I don't feel that I am competitive for the more "intense" sites such as VAs and hospitals, but beyond that I am struggling to narrow down what type of sites to look into. I have practicum experience in rural community mental health clinics and CCCs.

Just feeling very lost and overwhelmed. I have done a fair bit of introspective writing and reflection about where I want to end up professionally, but it clearly hasn't yielded very concrete results.

Any tips for narrowing my goals and search process?

 

[ClinicalTears]

You must have learned some good reframing skills on that practicum

Haha! Maybe.

But, I'd rather just enjoy the learning process and not take it too seriously....which is feedback I got after an interview...that I was "too serious."

 

[heartdignan]

Hi all, I am really struggling with identifying exact goals for internship...which is obviously making it tough to pick sites that "fit" me. I am seeking generalist training in outpatient psychotherapy, group therapy, and assessment. I have more specific interests in LGBT and rural populations, but beyond that, I feel that I would be satisfied with most types of settings and training. My goal is to be a generalist practitioner! I don't feel that I am competitive for the more "intense" sites such as VAs and hospitals, but beyond that I am struggling to narrow down what type of sites to look into. I have practicum experience in rural community mental health clinics and CCCs.

Just feeling very lost and overwhelmed. I have done a fair bit of introspective writing and reflection about where I want to end up professionally, but it clearly hasn't yielded very concrete results.

Any tips for narrowing my goals and search process?

In terms of narrowing down a list (or even figuring out where to begin), I have a suggestion that probably a lot of people will stone me for. BUT you have to start somewhere. So, maybe think of 10ish states you'd be willing to live in, and then look at all the types of sites in that state. As you go through the variety in the list, it's likely certain types of sites that spark your interest will keep popping up again and again. You can then open your geographical search to that type of site but nationwide. You may also notice as you start honing in on things that interest you that there are some themes that might help you shape goals (such as modality of therapy used, types of assessment, research topics, or how the TDs/sites approach training).

Making goals in general can be difficult, especially if you want to maintain a generalist approach. You can definitely narrow down some goals, though. Think about any courses you took that you particularly liked and topics you wished there was more time to learn about in class (such as more in-depth training on certain theories or populations). You can turn that into a goal. For example, I felt like I could never learn enough about psychodynamic theory and putting it into practice is somewhat hard to do in a classroom settings. So one of my goals was to increase my knowledge in that theory and how to apply in therapy, and when I saw sites that had a psychodynamic orientation, I added them to my list and made sure to mention it in my cover letter/interview. Think about if there are any evidence-based treatments you'd like more exposure to; even as a generalist, a professional that has a certain additional skill very often becomes the go-to person and that's great for your future career. So, maybe you're interested in DBT or trauma-work or ACT. Also, is there anything you like about a psychologist's job that you don't have the opportunity to do as a student? Maybe supervising or developing your own group?

Developing clear goals, I found, was vital to writing good, convincing cover letters that articulated "goodness of fit." Having read a lot of cover letters for perspective interns last year, I cannot emphasize enough how dull, plain, and uninspiring it is to read a cover letter that's like, "This is the type of site you have and this is the type of site I want, and I can do a lot of things so I'll be good there." You will be asked at basically every interview, "Why this site?" and you want to be able to answer that (and not just answer why you want that "type" of site).

 

[Kadhir]

I have more specific interests in LGBT and rural populations,

I would start here. What makes you interested in these populations? Do those qualities apply to other areas that could potentially be of interest? Focus first on sites that offer training in these areas. Then (or in conjunction) look at type of setting. For example, do you have a specific interest in working with veterans? Not all VAs are flagship, ultra competitive VAs, so don't get scared off. And heck, apply to a flagship if you ultimately find it fits! And then there's research- you won't do much of it on internship, but there are definitely more opportunities at some places than others. Just ask yourself a bunch of yes/no questions that force you to think about what is essential to you and what is not.

Also, don't forget about location and other practical/personal things. These do matter to your general well being during internship and should be considered.

 

[spector0]

Lots of the sites I'm looking at still have old internship brochures or handbooks posted online. When is it appropriate to ask if an updated one exists?

 

[Anxiety]

Oh, doing pretty good. Not too much going on. Still have several months before I have to review a few dozen apps

Boy do I wish I was in your shoes right now.

 

[DRMomma]

Also, does it make any difference if the terminal master's hours are "verified" by your program? An administrator in mine told me that they have three choices when verifying hours... they can verify all hours, only a portion, or reject the whole thing.

Depending on your specific program, terminal hours are counted. This typically occurs if you were accepted into a program with advanced standing or they accepted substantial transfer credits. Verifying this with your DCT is important as they will ultimately sign off on your APPIC application/total number of clinical practica hours.

 

[RogerFreuderer]

Does anyone have experience with applying to sites that allow applicants to apply to multiple tracks (e.g., health psych and neuropsych tracks at academic hospitals and VAs)? How does it work, and is it a good idea? I've heard differing opinions on whether this could make me look indecisive or increase my chances. I have a mix of neuropsych and health psych practicum experience, and I'm interested in both fields.

 

[Kadhir]

I've heard differing opinions on whether this could make me look indecisive or increase my chances. I have a mix of neuropsych and health psych practicum experience, and I'm interested in both fields.

Many sites explicitly encourage this, while others explicitly forbid it. So the first thing to do would be to check the program manuals. If it is allowed, it's completely OK if you have solid previous experience in each specialty and a good rationale for pursuing each track. At the very least, you will want to make sure you have some common theme tying the two together (working with medical populations?). E.g., I think the neuro/gero combo is pretty common given the overlap. Neuro tends to be tricky, since most neuro folks start specializing to some extent in graduate school and are less likely to be equally enthusiastic about an intervention-heavy specialty, but again, it depends on your previous experiences and goals.

Keep in mind that if you definitely want to be a neuropsychologist and be board eligible later, you'll need to make sure there is opportunity for some substantive neuro experience in the health psych track. I'm assuming you have a genuine interest in health psych, but for anyone trying to back-door neuro with this, it could be risky, and you'll likely be found out by the site anyways.

 

[MiaWallace]

I hope things are moving smoothly for all of you! I have a question perhaps one of you can help me answer. Is there some way to download/access the standard reference form prior to entering the person's information? Thank you!

 

[asdresearch]

I hope things are moving smoothly for all of you! I have a question perhaps one of you can help me answer. Is there some way to download/access the standard reference form prior to entering the person's information? Thank you!

yes, it can be found here:
https://portal.appicas.org/appicasHelpPages/reference-portal/

 

[MiaWallace]

Thank you, @asdresearch!

 

[blakjak12]

Hi everyone,

It's been informative to read this thread. Best of all luck to everyone applying, and thanks to everyone who has shared their insights.

I am working on my cover letters for internship, and would like to get specific feedback on cover letter length. I've heard 1-2 single-spaced pages as a general rule. My practicum coordinator who was recently on an internship training committee recommended being more thorough, and thus having a cover letter around the 2 page maximum. I would say that most examples I have seen have been closer to 2 pages; however, a recent grad of my program recommended that cover letters should not exceed a page and half in length and should be more concise. What do folks recommend? I am interested mostly in clinical science and scientist-practitioner sites with a heavy research emphasis by the way if that matters. Most of my cover letters as written now are a full single-spaced two pages, and I just don't want this to disqualify me from good sites if that's too long and would be a turnoff for reviewing committees.

Thank you very much!

 

[NotTheHoff]

Hi everyone,

It's been informative to read this thread. Best of all luck to everyone applying, and thanks to everyone who has shared their insights.

I am working on my cover letters for internship, and would like to get specific feedback on cover letter length. I've heard 1-2 single-spaced pages as a general rule. My practicum coordinator who was recently on an internship training committee recommended being more thorough, and thus having a cover letter around the 2 page maximum. I would say that most examples I have seen have been closer to 2 pages; however, a recent grad of my program recommended that cover letters should not exceed a page and half in length and should be more concise. What do folks recommend? I am interested mostly in clinical science and scientist-practitioner sites with a heavy research emphasis by the way if that matters. Most of my cover letters as written now are a full single-spaced two pages, and I just don't want this to disqualify me from good sites if that's too long and would be a turnoff for reviewing committees.

Thank you very much!

As long as you don't go over 2 pages, don't overthink the length part: if you and your advisors think your 2-page version is stronger than your 1.5 page version, go with the 2 pages. If the 1.5 page version is a clearer, more concise version, go with that.

It sounds like your recent grad is getting at a good point, though: a lot of 2-page cover letters could get to the point in 1.5 pages without sacrificing content.

 

[stw2010]

I would say that most examples I have seen have been closer to 2 pages; however, a recent grad of my program recommended that cover letters should not exceed a page and half in length and should be more concise. What do folks recommend? I am interested mostly in clinical science and scientist-practitioner sites with a heavy research emphasis by the way if that matters. Most of my cover letters as written now are a full single-spaced two pages, and I just don't want this to disqualify me from good sites if that's too long and would be a turnoff for reviewing committees.

Thank you very much!

I was similar to you in the sites I applied to and attended a research internship site. My cover letters were around 1.5 pages but some were a little longer. I agree with what @NotTheHoff said in that -- as long as it's under 2 pages, 1.5 vs 2 pages isn't going to raise eyebrows. But do try to be as succinct as possible.

 

[blakjak12]

Thank you both for the helpful replies! Seems like 2 pages is fine then from what I have heard from both of you and most others, although obviously being as succinct as possible is important. Thanks again!

 

[GoPokes]

Hi all! Current intern here. Can provide info about programs/interviews about the following places:

Tuskegee VA
U of Southern Illinois UCC
University of Indiana UCC
UMASS Amherst UCC
University of Memphis UCC
Louisiana State University UCC

Just shoot me a PM. Thanks!

 

[RogerFreuderer]

The autobiographical essay is another subject in which I've received conflicting advice. I've read some past interns' essays that discuss a significant personal/professional experience and how it influenced their development as a clinician, without explicitly discussing specific areas of interest and how those interests were developed. After submitting a draft of this style to a faculty member, I was told that it may be good for counseling centers, but that hospitals are more business-like and would rather hear about how I've developed my current interests (which I'm afraid would not be a very interesting essay). Any thoughts?

 

[RogerFreuderer]

Hi! I'm refining my internship site list and am wondering if anyone has general insights on the following placements (from my "maybe" list!), in terms of quality of training, rigor (e.g., 45 vs. 60+ hours per week), and overall experience of people you know who have interviewed or interned there. I'll be applying to adult tracks. Thanks so much in advance for any thoughts you can offer!

Cambridge Health Alliance
Mass General
McLean
Beth Israel Deaconess
Albert Einstein/Montefiore
Alpert/Brown
Mt Sinai/Elmhurst
Greater Hartford Clinical Psychology Internship Consortium
VA New Jersey Health Care System (Lyons, NJ)
West Haven VA
Trinitas Regional Medical Center (Elizabeth, NJ)
Columbia University Medical Center/NYSPI
Metropolitan Detention Center (Los Angeles)
Federal Correctional Institution, Terminal Island (Los Angeles)
USC Counseling Center
USF Counseling Center
Stanford Counseling Center
UCSB Counseling Center
UCB Counseling Center
UCLA Counseling Center

I'm also going through the application process and am certainly no expert, but I noticed you are applying to a variety of types of sites. Do you have the experience and interests to be able to demonstrate a good fit with both academic medical centers and counseling centers? Based on my program's history, those that match to counseling centers have specialized in college counseling throughout their training.

 

[MiaWallace]

I was told that it may be good for counseling centers, but that hospitals are more business-like and would rather hear about how I've developed my current interests (which I'm afraid would not be a very interesting essay). Any thoughts?

For what is worth, I have gotten this same advice and this is what was echoed by Greg Keilin at APA 2016. UCCs welcome a more developmental/personal essay whereas hospitals are looking for your "professional autobiography" (to quote Greg).

 

[heartdignan]

The autobiographical essay is another subject in which I've received conflicting advice. I've read some past interns' essays that discuss a significant personal/professional experience and how it influenced their development as a clinician, without explicitly discussing specific areas of interest and how those interests were developed. After submitting a draft of this style to a faculty member, I was told that it may be good for counseling centers, but that hospitals are more business-like and would rather hear about how I've developed my current interests (which I'm afraid would not be a very interesting essay). Any thoughts?

I very well may be completely wrong about this since it's been a couple years, but I seem to recall you could upload more than one essay for each topic to the portal, and then choose which ones to send to a site. Another student I know wrote two different theoretical orientation essays, one more CBT-oriented for sites that want that, and one more psychodynamically-oriented for other sites. If that's still true, you could have two personal essays and then send the one that fits a site best, if you're applying to a big variety.

 

[deleted106747]

This is a little late, but I might have a suggestion. I interned at a large VA, am about to finish a fellowship at a well-known VA, and will soon start a job at a different well known VA. I did not have a single minute of VA clinical work or research experience prior to internship. I believe that what makes you a solid candidate for a VA position is a strong background in general mental health, behavioral medicine, and interdisciplinary team work. Most VA internship training committees are made up of LIPs who practice (rather than conduct research) and they want to see you have relevant clinical experience. More specifically, that you gave the desire and an ility to work with medically complex individuals presenting with comornid mental health concerns. The VA is also pioneer in integrated care and interprofessonal/interdisciplinary team work, and experience functioning as a psychology representative on such a team will be a significant factor in your favor. Provide examples of your experience with collaborative work with non-psychology providers. The other important thing is that the VA primarily adheres to evidence-based treatment. If you are proficient in ACT or CBT and self identify as a scientist practitioner, make that very clear. Perhaps most importantly though, is that you should make it clear why you want a career or internship at the VA specifically (when you interview). Don't have some generic thing like "because I want to help veterans." Really think about why the va specifically. I can share some of my reasons, if that would helpful. Best of luck to everybody!

this is great advice, as are the rest of your posts. We had applicant after applicant say "I want to work with Veterans" as if that was the correct thing to say. But when queried as to why, they really didn't have a good answer. It starts to sound like the applicants think that is the right thing to say rather than what is true for them.

 

[kathygeiss]

@heartdignan - I was wondering how near the end some sites requested supplemental materials? I am hoping to submit my applications about a week early but your experience makes me a little nervous that I will miss something requested by a site at the last minute. Thanks!

 

[WisNeuro]

@heartdignan - I was wondering how near the end some sites requested supplemental materials? I am hoping to submit my applications about a week early but your experience makes me a little nervous that I will miss something requested by a site at the last minute. Thanks!

Sites will generally not update their requirements less than a couple weeks before their deadlines. Any site that is that disorganized may be one you'd want to avoid. We get early applications all the time for internship and postdoc. I'd say they start rolling in about 2 weeks prior. Although, about 33-50% are usually uploaded the final day.

 

[kathygeiss]

Sites will generally not update their requirements less than a couple weeks before their deadlines. Any site that is that disorganized may be one you'd want to avoid. We get early applications all the time for internship and postdoc. I'd say they start rolling in about 2 weeks prior. Although, about 33-50% are usually uploaded the final day.

Thanks - that's really helpful.

 

[str63]

The autobiographical essay is another subject in which I've received conflicting advice. I've read some past interns' essays that discuss a significant personal/professional experience and how it influenced their development as a clinician, without explicitly discussing specific areas of interest and how those interests were developed. After submitting a draft of this style to a faculty member, I was told that it may be good for counseling centers, but that hospitals are more business-like and would rather hear about how I've developed my current interests (which I'm afraid would not be a very interesting essay). Any thoughts?

I don't like that faculty members give this advice. I'm the internship director at an AMC and I much prefer that this essay has personal information. I view the purpose of it as to get to know the applicant outside of their CV and cover letter - it is in these places I can see how your interests develop. Although I'll still consider applicants with more generic autobiographical essays, this does typically mean the applicant does not set themselves apart as well. Good luck to you!

 

[heartdignan]

@heartdignan - I was wondering how near the end some sites requested supplemental materials? I am hoping to submit my applications about a week early but your experience makes me a little nervous that I will miss something requested by a site at the last minute. Thanks!

I think you'll be fine! I made a site spreadsheet at least a month prior to app submissions and didn't re-check to make sure everything was still current. So, it's likely that everything will be up-to-date a week prior. My enthusiasm and conscientiousness, combined with naivete, got me in that boat.

 

[CompleteUnknown]

Hi all, I have a question about Masters being required for some sites. I went straight from undergrad to my PhD program, nor did I opt to pay $100 to get a masters "along the way" at my institution. Some sites do not require a Masters at all, while others cite when they expect you to have it by (e.g, ranking deadline, start of internship, etc.).

I did the same exact work as someone who could have paid the money to get an M.Ed, but that won't be reflected on my transcript. Should I just avoid those sites that require a Masters degree, or can I email DoTs to ask how it factors into their application review?

 

[str63]

Hi all, I have a question about Masters being required for some sites. I went straight from undergrad to my PhD program, nor did I opt to pay $100 to get a masters "along the way" at my institution. Some sites do not require a Masters at all, while others cite when they expect you to have it by (e.g, ranking deadline, start of internship, etc.).

I did the same exact work as someone who could have paid the money to get an M.Ed, but that won't be reflected on my transcript. Should I just avoid those sites that require a Masters degree, or can I email DoTs to ask how it factors into their application review?

You could email the DCTs to see if you'd be considered if you're interested in a site. Many sites require it because it's needed for billing/reimbursement for the services the intern provides. Although most doctoral programs will offer a master's degree along the way (even in non-terminal master's programs), it's very unfortunate that some sites don't do this because this very well could interfere with where their students are able to go for internship.

 

[NotTheHoff]

I don't like that faculty members give this advice. I'm the internship director at an AMC and I much prefer that this essay has personal information. I view the purpose of it as to get to know the applicant outside of their CV and cover letter - it is in these places I can see how your interests develop. Although I'll still consider applicants with more generic autobiographical essays, this does typically mean the applicant does not set themselves apart as well. Good luck to you!

I feel the same way (was on the training committee for a forensic hospital internship program). The professional explanation of what you're interested in and why almost always comes up at the interview stage when you inevitably get the "tell us a bit about yourself" question. Of course, you'd have to get to the interview first, but when you're talking about setting yourself apart from all the other strong applicants to get to that point, you have a way better shot at not overlapping with everyone by having a more personal component in Essay 1 vs. purely saying why you're interested in what you're interested in.

Thinking about it another way, the strongest Essay 1s I reviewed were the ones that went beyond "I see why they're applying here" and added "this sounds like someone I'd like to work with."

 

[ForeverJung]

I'm sure this has been addressed in past internship application threads, but I figured I'd push it up to this one and get more updated opinions. I'm a PhD student in Counseling Psych, which feels like a very small pond as I apply compared to the ocean that clinical psych seems to be. Most of my sites of interest have "Acceptable" next to Counseling in their APPIC profile, which is better than "None," but certainly not as exciting as the "Preferred" next to Clinical.

It worries me. Question is... how rational is my worry? For those that have been through it, any indication that it was an "undesirable?" For those that have been on training committees at sites... how much weight do/did you and your staff put into it?

As always, best of luck to everyone in this stressful time!

 

[syzergy]

Has anyone (currently applying or previously applied) attended the internship networking events at conferences? I have a few conferences coming up and I'm not sure what to expect. I was given the advice while applying to graduate school to talk to POI's at conferences and I found the whole process a bit awkward. Is this internship networking just a "get to know you, ask site questions" type deal? Anyone attended these events and found them particularly helpful?

 

[mishpug]

Has anyone (currently applying or previously applied) attended the internship networking events at conferences? I have a few conferences coming up and I'm not sure what to expect. I was given the advice while applying to graduate school to talk to POI's at conferences and I found the whole process a bit awkward. Is this internship networking just a "get to know you, ask site questions" type deal? Anyone attended these events and found them particularly helpful?

I have attended internship-specific networking events at conferences. They can be somewhat awkward, but are also informative and a good opportunity to ask questions you might have and to meet training directors. I would recommend having some thoughtful questions to ask and generally being prepared to engage in small talk with both folks from internship sites and fellow applicants. I always enjoy chatting with my fellow applicants and this helps make the event more enjoyable.

 

[mishpug]

I'm sure this has been addressed in past internship application threads, but I figured I'd push it up to this one and get more updated opinions. I'm a PhD student in Counseling Psych, which feels like a very small pond as I apply compared to the ocean that clinical psych seems to be. Most of my sites of interest have "Acceptable" next to Counseling in their APPIC profile, which is better than "None," but certainly not as exciting as the "Preferred" next to Clinical.

It worries me. Question is... how rational is my worry? For those that have been through it, any indication that it was an "undesirable?" For those that have been on training committees at sites... how much weight do/did you and your staff put into it?

As always, best of luck to everyone in this stressful time!

I only have the applicant perspective, but I think the answer to your question is: it depends. What types of sites are you applying to? Have you looked at whether they have taken any counseling psychology students in the past 3 years? That data may be very informative. Also what is the wording on the sites' brochures? Some sites will clearly indicate that they consider clinical and counseling students equally. Others will indicate that they prefer clinical students but are willing to consider counseling psychology students who are a good fit. I think it is important to look closely at your sites and I have found that many sites indicate their perspective somewhere on their brochure. Finally, remember that sites can exclude counseling psychology if they want to and some do, so when you search programs you should be sure to search programs that accept students from counseling psychology programs.

Good luck!

 

[GoPokes]

I'm sure this has been addressed in past internship application threads, but I figured I'd push it up to this one and get more updated opinions. I'm a PhD student in Counseling Psych, which feels like a very small pond as I apply compared to the ocean that clinical psych seems to be. Most of my sites of interest have "Acceptable" next to Counseling in their APPIC profile, which is better than "None," but certainly not as exciting as the "Preferred" next to Clinical.

It worries me. Question is... how rational is my worry? For those that have been through it, any indication that it was an "undesirable?" For those that have been on training committees at sites... how much weight do/did you and your staff put into it?

As always, best of luck to everyone in this stressful time!

Counseling psych student on internship currently. Obviously I am unaware if being from a counseling program "hurt" my application or prevented me from getting certain interviews, but I will say literally no one on interviews asked or seemed to care who was counseling and who was clinical. Also, all 4 of my cohort-mates matched at VA's, which likely match more clinical students historically.

I would venture to guess that your previous experiences and your goals for internship are weighed much more heavily than whether you're a clinical or counseling psych student.

 

[T120]

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[NeuroLady]

I'm sorry if this has been covered elsewhere, I did a search and found a really old thread on it... but how much does Undergraduate GPA factor into the application? I did pretty poorly in undergrad with a 2.7 GPA (almost 10 years ago, for me). I went on to get a terminal master's degree and did well (3.7). My current GPA in my doctoral program is currently a 3.9.

Now, when I applied for my master's and then my doctoral program, I had an addendum explaining my low U-GPA. It doesnt 'seem like that is an option here. Also, I noticed on the AAPI there is a box for undergraduate GPA but there is no red star next to it (indicating it is not a required field). Do we have to include it? If so, am I going to run into problems? Appreciate any insight. Hope everyone is hanging in through this crazy process!

I do not believe so, and if we did I'm not sure it would make much of a difference. The AAPI does say this- to give you some indication- "AAPI Online DOES NOT accept undergraduate level transcripts. If undergraduate transcripts are received by AAPI Online, they will not be returned to the applicant and will instead be destroyed."

 

[Kadhir]

Also, I noticed on the AAPI there is a box for undergraduate GPA but there is no red star next to it (indicating it is not a required field). Do we have to include it? If so, am I going to run into problems? Appreciate any insight. Hope everyone is hanging in through this crazy process!

This won't hurt you (internship directors- feel free to chime in). You can leave it blank if you wish and most people probably won't even notice. If you were good enough to make it to this stage, that's all that matters. I actually neglected to report my undergraduate institution and degree on my AAPI, although it appeared on my CV, and no one ever mentioned it during interviews. While I don't recommend doing this, I think it shows just how little stock people put into undergraduate training at this level.

 

[WisNeuro]

This won't hurt you (internship directors- feel free to chime in). You can leave it blank if you wish and most people probably won't even notice. If you were good enough to make it to this stage, that's all that matters. I actually neglected to report my undergraduate institution and degree on my AAPI, although it appeared on my CV, and no one ever mentioned it during interviews. While I don't recommend doing this, I think it shows just how little stock people put into undergraduate training at this level.

Yeah, not a big deal, don't remember ever poring over undergrad gpas in any of our internship/postdoc meetings. Plus, this is usually reflected indirectly by students doctoral programs. Generally speaking, poorer undergrad gpa and experiences = not so great programs. Definitely some outliers here and there, but on average it works out. Also, a high GPA in a graduate program doesn't do much. Low grades in several classes can hurt, but, most people are getting A's in grad school, so it doesn't really distinguish applicants much at all.

 

[kathygeiss]

Hi everyone,

A couple of questions on tracking hours:
1) How are people counting hours in which there is some sort of work with a parent (e.g., administering a measure to the parent, conducting parent therapy) but the child is the identified client? I remember seeing this somewhere on the forum a while back, but can't re-find the post.
2) How are people counting an intake interview conducted in the context of an assessment? It's an intake interview, but it's not intervention, which is what it's counted as if you record as Intake/Structured interview.

Thanks!

 

[T120]

This won't hurt you (internship directors- feel free to chime in). You can leave it blank if you wish and most people probably won't even notice. If you were good enough to make it to this stage, that's all that matters. I actually neglected to report my undergraduate institution and degree on my AAPI, although it appeared on my CV, and no one ever mentioned it during interviews. While I don't recommend doing this, I think it shows just how little stock people put into undergraduate training at this level.

Thank you all for these responses. I appreciate the support. I am hoping it goes smoothly- of course, at this stage in the game I am beginning to just catasrophize a bit!

 

[spector0]

Quick question: I logged in today because the site designations are finally up, but when I search for mine, a ton of them say "Closed" in red. There's no explanation in the help section. Does this simply mean that they aren't accepting applications yet? It's making me nervous.