PsyD Internship Abroad? Please advise!

[sylvia_t]

Am several years into PsyD program in the US and entering brainstorming stages for my year of doctoral internship....I would love to move out of the US and do it abroad.
Does anyone have knowledge on whether this is possible?
Or better yet has anyone done this successfully, or know someone who did?
Plenty of students in my program have moved out of state for internship placement, since we are totally done on campus- is this so different? Is it as simple as finding a placement there and seeing if my program approves the training etc?
Is it a potential problem to see clients that are not American, if using the hours towards a US degree? Would I need to make sure that my supervisor there is someone who is still licensed in a US state? What complications am I not thinking of?
FYI I am not seeking immediate licensure in either country so that is not my main concern, just meeting requirements for an internship to get my degree.
Thank you so much in advance!!

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[Sanman]

Am several years into PsyD program in the US and entering brainstorming stages for my year of doctoral internship....I would love to move out of the US and do it abroad.
Does anyone have knowledge on whether this is possible?
Or better yet has anyone done this successfully, or know someone who did?
Plenty of students in my program have moved out of state for internship placement, since we are totally done on campus- is this so different? Is it as simple as finding a placement there and seeing if my program approves the training etc?
Is it a potential problem to see clients that are not American, if using the hours towards a US degree? Would I need to make sure that my supervisor there is someone who is still licensed in a US state? What complications am I not thinking of?
FYI I am not seeking immediate licensure in either country so that is not my main concern, just meeting requirements for an internship to get my degree.
Thank you so much in advance!!

Pretty much nothing outside of the U.S. and Canada has APA/CPA accreditation. Which most reputable grad programs and licensure boards require as a standard. If you want to have to prove equivalence and perhaps never be license eligible, go for it. However, it doesn't seem worth it for 1 year.

 

[WisNeuro]

I would strongly suggest against trying for an internship abroad. You're just asking for countless hassles for yourself down the road. If you want to practice abroad, complete your requirements here and then go do it, rather than the other way around.

 

[jdawg2017]

To my knowledge I don’t think there is an internship that is APA-accredited outside of the US or Canada… maybe if you enlisted with the US Armed Forces and were deployed? I doubt that would happen on internship, though, and you’d be caring for folks on active duty in the Armed Services I believe. Moreover, your program may *require* you to complete an APA-accredited internship in order to graduate, so then you don’t have an option really…

If you don’t want to live in the US, I would consider moving after post-doc or maybe after internship. If the biggest issue is wanting to see diverse clients on internship, consider applying to sites with specialties in immigrant mental health or sites in major metro areas that are diverse. I did my internship as a major hospital in a large city in the south, and the city is know for being a major hub for immigration. As a result, maybe 5-10% of the patients I saw were not US citizens.

 

[psych.meout]

To my knowledge I don’t think there is an internship that is APA-accredited outside of the US or Canada… maybe if you enlisted with the US Armed Forces and were deployed? I doubt that would happen on internship, though, and you’d be caring for folks on active duty in the Armed Services I believe. Moreover, your program may *require* you to compete an APA-accredited internship in order to graduate, so then you don’t have an option really…

If you don’t want to live in the US, I would consider moving after post-doc or maybe after internship. If the biggest issue is wanting to see diverse clients on internship, consider applying to sites with specialties in immigrant mental health or sites in major metro areas that are diverse. I did my internship as a major hospital in a large city in the south, and the city is know for being a major hub for immigration. As a result, maybe 5-10% of the patients I saw were not US citizens.

Yep, my program doesn't allow anything but APA accredited internships, so OP needs to check their program handbook to see if they'd even be able to graduate.

Relatedly, seems like there are more fundamental issues that OP (1) doesn't already have a good grasp on what internship entails in general, (2) doesn't know their own specific program requirements, and (3) is asking random people on the internet instead of consulting with their program faculty and/or clinical supervisors.

 

[MCParent]

Am several years into PsyD program in the US and entering brainstorming stages for my year of doctoral internship....I would love to move out of the US and do it abroad.
Does anyone have knowledge on whether this is possible?
Or better yet has anyone done this successfully, or know someone who did?
Plenty of students in my program have moved out of state for internship placement, since we are totally done on campus- is this so different? Is it as simple as finding a placement there and seeing if my program approves the training etc?
Is it a potential problem to see clients that are not American, if using the hours towards a US degree? Would I need to make sure that my supervisor there is someone who is still licensed in a US state? What complications am I not thinking of?
FYI I am not seeking immediate licensure in either country so that is not my main concern, just meeting requirements for an internship to get my degree.
Thank you so much in advance!!

Internship abroad would cause many problems and provide no benefit professionally.

 

[psy.d. 2021]

I wouldn't do it. Even for a US Citizen getting a CPA (APA recognized) accredited internship there can be issues regarding getting a work visa. I can't imagine how difficult that would be elsewhere, let alone the aforementioned issues with licensing. Not worth it.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

There are clear standards for the APA & CPA (Canada), and getting hours internationally are not part of those standards. Add in problems with work visas, supervision guidelines requirements, and a dozen other logistical issues and it becomes wholly untenable.

ANYONE who wants to attempt to train or work overseas should get fully-licensed stateside and then look abroad. Any mix of training/experience abroad is not feasible.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Internship abroad would cause many problems and provide no benefit professionally.

Agreed with this and everyone above. If you're wanting to do something abroad, I'd save that for postdoctoral experiences (although getting a license and/or some supervised practice in the US first would probably be helpful). You could also try to find internship programs that serve domestic patient populations from the country of interest.

There are a LOT of moving parts in getting a fully-licensed psychologist setup to practice clinically abroad. I don't imagine it'd be feasible for unlicensed interns.

 

[PsyDr]

You are training to be a psychologist in the USA or Canada. If you wanted to become a psychologist in another country, you should have moved abroad, and trained under their easier training model.

This isn’t undergrad. There isn’t a semester abroad option.