PhD/PsyD To APPIC or not for a School Psych student

[future_dr.schoolpsych]

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Hey All!

So I've been trying (quite unsuccessfully) to find some recent information on participating in APPIC for internships as a school psych student. I'm currently in my 2nd year of the program and need to make a decision soon so that I can plan to gather the necessary experiences. While I'm aware of the benefits of APPIC and the various opportunities it affords, I'm concerned about whether or not I'll actually be able to make myself a competitive candidate for the match. However, since I know that my long term plans include the possibility of private practice or working at a clinic, APPIC would likely be the preferred route to go.

My field supervisor suggests that those of us interested in APPIC plan on completing our school based hours in an earlier non-APPIC experience in our 5th year and then complete an APPIC internship in the 6th year. The program also has 3 practicum experiences built in.

I'd love to hear from individuals who have experience with going through APPIC as a school psych. Did you find yourself at a disadvantage? What kinds of extra experiences did you accrue to help you gain additional hours? What kind of sites did you interview at? What kinds of sites did you match at? etc. etc.

Your input is MUCH APPRECIATED!

 

[Chalupacabra]

I'm in a similar position - I plan to go APPIC/APA and will be starting a program with advanced standing (so basically the equivalent of year 2) in the fall. Are there any recent alums or current students on internship you could reach out to? I know the students at my program created a list of APPIC/APA sites with a history of accepting SP students, maybe yours has something similar?

Also I found this older thread with some good info - http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/school-psychs-applying-for-appic.646490/

I know CHOP and some of the other places listed in posts there still take SP students for practicum placements, but I don't know how competitive they are against clinical folks for internship.

 

[schoolpsy21]

I believe school psych students have a more difficult time successfully matching in APA/APPIC internships for various reasons, including a lack of APA accredited school based internships, and not enough non-school based practica / externship experience. My program rarely has people apply for or obtain APPIC (maybe 1 or 2 every year out of 12-18 people), but if you do have goals of working in a clinic it would be good to at least apply.

Obviously school psych students will be most competitive in school based internships, I believe a lot are in Texas (that are APA accredited). Also, ask your program director for advice 🙂