Internship question

[tcnj2012]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

I know that psyd and clinical phd programs require an internship and that accredited ones are the best. However, is it mandatory for the internship to be accredited in order to graduate and become a psychologist?

 

[KillerDiller]

Some (many?) programs require that you attend an accredited internship to graduate. Furthermore, some states require it in order to get licensed. All government jobs require it. In short, don't start down any path that guides you toward an unaccredited internship, it's not worth it. Too many people are entering this field right now looking for ways to subvert the training standards.

 

[cara susanna]

Depends on your program. Mine requires it to be APA accredited, for instance. I think you can petition otherwise for very extreme circumstances, though.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Depends on your program. Mine requires it to be APA accredited, for instance. I think you can petition otherwise for very extreme circumstances, though.

This appears to be the prevailing approach at most university programs. My program required the student file a petition/exception to apply to an APPIC site, though it didn't allow for anything less. Some people have geographic restrictions, so they may be limited in where they apply, though in general you really should only consider attending an APA-acred internship (or maybe an APPIC if your situation doesn't allow for any other option).

RE: Licensure.....states will require any applicant from an non-APA acred. internship site to jump through additional hoops when applying for licensure, and it can often drag on for months without resolution. Some states are also becoming more selective about whom they licensure, so YMMV.

When I applied for my limited-license, my state took 5+ months to process my application, and I attended an APA-acred program, APA-acred internship, etc. My fellowship was even one of the two pre-approved sites in the state, and they still dragged their feet every step of the way. If you add in any deviation from the norm, expect to be hassled in most states.