International-friendly APPIC internship programs

[mrbeanrocks]

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Hi everyone! I'm a Clinical Psychology Ph.D. student (APA-accredited program) who will be applying for APPIC internship this fall. I'm an international student on an F-1 visa and will plan to complete internship using CPT through my university. I'm trying to identify APPIC internship programs that have experience accepting F-1/CPT students. I know that VA sites/federal sites are not an option, but it's often difficult to tell from APPIC brochures which non-federal sites are truly international-friendly.

If you're an international student (or know someone who is), I'd really appreciate hearing:

• Which internship program did you match to?
• Were you on an F-1 visa using CPT?
• Did the site explicitly mention accepting international students, or did you have to contact the Training Director?
• Were there any excellent programs you found that were especially welcoming to international applicants?
• Were there any non-VA sites that unexpectedly could not accept F-1 students?

I'm particularly interested in adult-focused hospital or academic medical center internships, though I'd also love to hear about university counseling centers.

Thanks so much—I hope this thread can become a helpful resource for future international applicants as well!

 

[szymk1sm]

Two different international students in my program completed internship (and fellowship) at Brown and Emory. I don't know if they were on F-1 visas using CPT.

IIRC (and assuming nothing has changed), if you're at a consortium, you can complete a VA rotation as long as your paycheck comes from the AMC (and not the VA).

 

[Randompotato]

IIRC health psychology/behavioral medicine tracks offered at some AMCs cannot take students with F-1 visas due to funding source restrictions, e.g., U of Washington and UNC. You probably already know this, but F-1 students cannot work in rotations involving VAs even when the internship site itself accepts international students. Most AMC sites like Brown and MUSC are happy to work around the restriction with you by placing you in non-VA rotations, and MUSC was the only site that somehow made it possible for international students to work a VA rotation, if memory serves. Tracks offered at sites like UCSD and U of Colorado with a fixed training plan are less flexible.

 

[PsyDr]

"Citizenship and Work Authorization Requirements" is the first category under the "expanded search", in APPIC.

Be careful about saying too much on here. Greg K sometimes participates on SDN. IIRC, he was complaining that students had a list where they talked about internship directors, but got evasive when I asked if the directors would share their internal communications about students.

 

[WisNeuro]

"Citizenship and Work Authorization Requirements" is the first category under the "expanded search", in APPIC.

Be careful about saying too much on here. Greg K sometimes participates on SDN. IIRC, he was complaining that students had a list where they talked about internship directors, but got evasive when I asked if the directors would share their internal communications about students.

At least when I was involved in training and selection, I don't recall any omnibus threads re: communication about students. Not saying such doesn't exist, just wasn't a part of our process. We did, however, routinely check in with letter writers and faculty who had trained with the applicants to follow-up and ask questions related to the applicant.

 

[PsyDr]

At least when I was involved in training and selection, I don't recall any omnibus threads re: communication about students. Not saying such doesn't exist, just wasn't a part of our process. We did, however, routinely check in with letter writers and faculty who had trained with the applicants to follow-up and ask questions related to the applicant.

I am referring to GregK's post, in which he derided the student based spreadsheet and supported supervisory privacy. This post makes me concerned about the potential for adverse effects from student communications.

The following comments are my own and don't necessarily represent the views of any organization with which I am affiliated.

I have watched this spreadsheet be passed around over the past few years and I continue to be deeply concerned over its use.

I recognize that there is a significant power imbalance between sites and students, and that there is a genuine desire for accurate feedback about interns' experiences in their programs. However, in my view, this spreadsheet perpetuates the very worst part of the internet and social media -- which is the ability to make completely unverifiable allegations, even slanderous comments, while remaining completely anonymous. It is a process that invites the worst kind of retaliation, and is sometimes used to abuse and harass other people. We have had several situations in recent years (and these are just the ones I know about) where students who have had grievances against supervisors, fellow interns, or others have retaliated by anonymously posting completely false information and allegations in this spreadsheet. And that has caused a lot of hurt and damage to individuals and programs that didn't deserve it.

I also believe that the existence of this spreadsheet contradicts the ethics and values of our profession in terms of how feedback should be provided to others (see, for example, APA ethical principles 1.04, 1.05, 1.07, 1.08). I simply don't understand why it's OK for this forum to host such a document, and I wish someone would take charge and get rid of it.

Imagine if doctoral and internship faculty decided to maintain an anonymous spreadsheet talking about their students and allowing them to provide anonymous comments, criticisms, allegations which anyone in the world could view. Or allowed them to retaliate against a student that they didn't like. That would be awful, yet no different than what is happening now.

As others have mentioned, most sites make their interns available during the application process to provide feedback to applicants, and I encourage you to take advantage of that at all places to which you are applying.

Greg Keilin

 

[WisNeuro]

I am referring to GregK's post, in which he derided the student based spreadsheet and supported supervisory privacy. This post makes me concerned about the potential for adverse effects from student communications.

Fair enough, I get that. Personally, I agree with the notion that the spreadsheet is problematic. I know some of the sites that were on it, and it is clear that in many instances, feedback was left by clearly disgruntled individuals who are not portraying the site accurately. That being said, I disagree with Greg that SDN should "take charge and get rid of it." Students are adults, and if they want to make decision based on bad internet information, Caveat Emptor. More slots for students who actually do their due diligence.

 

[LM02]

Although the visa prohibits receipt of "direct pay" from federal sites, like VAs, you can still potentially be placed in a VA rotation at sites that operate as a consortium. In those cases, the intern can be employed by another consortium institution and still be placed as a WOC in a VA rotation. Even though VAs have been exiting consortia, some (like at Brown) are moving to affiliate agreements, so this is still possible at those sites. I also know that UIC has been able to make the CPT work for their interns, though obviously the VA part of the discussion would not be relevant there.