# of assessment/intervention hours

[cmuhooligan]

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Hey y'all,

For internship, is 500 face-to-face assessment/interventions hours the # to shoot for? I should be around that #, maybe a little bit more, but I saw from APPIC stats that the average amount is more like 760. As long as I hit 500 should I be alright?

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

It all depends on the kind of sites you are looking at. If you are looking at a counseling site, they probably want a bit more, though maybe not all sites. Look at the averages of the students each site takes (available on APPIC's online directory of internship sites).

The law of diminishing returns also comes into play, as over a certain # of hours, it doesn't much matter. The APPIC data will give you the best idea of what to shoot for and/or what sites to consider.

 

[psychanon]

I hear that most clinical science internships don't really care about hours, as long as you fulfill some basic minimum (and I don't know what that minimum would be). Other kinds of internships do care about hours, but the distribution of what kind of hours matters as much as the sheer numbers. Look at the APPIC application if you want an idea of how the hours are categorized.

That's as far as I can help. I'd be interested in hearing others' responses (and please let me know if what I said isn't right), as this is something that I am concerned about as well!

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I think the averages will give people a better idea of where they stand. A site may say, "minimum of 500", but if their average is 900...that tells you something.

 

[cmuhooligan]

It all depends on the kind of sites you are looking at. If you are looking at a counseling site, they probably want a bit more, though maybe not all sites. Look at the averages of the students each site takes (available on APPIC's online directory of internship sites).

The law of diminishing returns also comes into play, as over a certain # of hours, it doesn't much matter. The APPIC data will give you the best idea of what to shoot for and/or what sites to consider.

On APPIC's directory, when the average # is listed per site, is that for accepted students or for all applications received?

 

[tigerlilly06]

500 is on the lower side-but your app isn't just about your I&A hours...it is more about the whole picture and how your future goals, interests, and experiences fit with what the site has to offer. If those 500 hours are from clincal experiences relevant to what the site does, then they mean a whole lot more. If you don't have any hours in settings or with populations that you wish to get internship experience with-then I would suggest obtaining some additional experience in those settings/with those populations. It could be volunteer or paid and even short-term. You wouldn't be able to count it for I&A hours, but could put it on your CV. It demonstrates your willingness to seek out experience in areas of interest and may stand out for a site. Most of my cohort that went through Match this year had around 800 to 1000+ hours.

The average number of hours listed in the APPIC directory is for the interns selected for positions that year.