Clinical Psychology Internship

Program Overview

Our psychology internship features rotations in both inpatient and outpatient settings; individual and group supervision in adult and child assessment and intervention; clinical and didactic seminars; and an opportunity to pursue clinical research activities.

The primary goals of the program are to:

• Develop and consolidate clinical skills in psychiatric assessment, conceptualization, and evidence-based psychological interventions
• Provide broad clinical experience within multidisciplinary treatment and research teams located within a university-based medical center 
• Prioritize multicultural training through a cultural humility framework, with an emphasis on increasing awareness, knowledge, and skills that will improve clinical care and practice and facilitate the conduct of impactful research
• Consolidate and enhance skills in clinical psychological science and supplement the clinical experience with adequate time and resources for empirical exploration of a specialty area

Our mission is to reduce the negative impact of psychiatric illness through training the next generation of mental health care providers and clinical scientists. We identify the clinical internship year as an important capstone experience that launches our trainees towards careers where they successfully apply empirically supported treatments and/or conduct innovative research that advances the field of clinical science.

We strongly believe that building a training environment that values diversity and is committed to improving representation in psychological science is crucial for enhancing clinical effectiveness and stimulating innovations in clinical research.  Consistent with this, our program seeks to train interns in cultural humility and multicultural clinical competencies, and is focused on increasing the participation of underrepresented populations in clinical medicine, biomedical research, teaching, and service. 

We are proud of the current and prior WPH clinical interns who recently had an article accepted at the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology (JCCAP) that is focused on developing a roadmap towards dismantling institutionalized racism and inequity in clinical science. This collaborative effort across multiple institutions highlights the need for structural changes and commitment at all levels to affect needed change.

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Accreditation

The program is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) and is a member of the Academy of Psychological Clinical Science. Information about accreditation can be obtained from the APA Commission on Accreditation and the Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation.

APA Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation:
750 First St, NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
Email: apaaccred@apa.org
Phone: (202) 336-5979
TDD/TTY: (202) 336-6123

Internship Admissions, Support, and Initial Placement Data

As of 2017, the following standardized tables of admissions, support and initial placement data are required for all APA-accredited internship program websites. The UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital's internship program tables are updated annually by July 31st. 

Internship Program Admissions

Our internship program adheres to a clinical science model of training and emphasizes the integration of research, clinical training, and professional development. An important goal in assessing fit is to identify and select interns whose ambitions focus on careers in such academic settings. Thus, in addition to the standardized APPIC application and letters of reference, we pay close attention to the candidate’s interest in, and aptitude for, clinical research.

Typically, applicants who fit well at our site will have exceeded the minimum requirements of a master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation, as evidenced by written and verbal scholarly communication skills, such as publication of peer-reviewed papers and/or presentations at national and regional professional meetings. Direct clinical experience is also important. Our academic medical center setting is unique, in part, due to the breadth of clinical training and degree of involvement with more severely ill patients. It is therefore essential that candidates have considerable supervised clinical experience and interest in hospital-based care. We also look for a history of initial training in evidence-based treatments such as cognitive behavior therapy or other modalities.

Our selection procedure involves an initial screening and rating of written applications by the Training Directors, members of the Training Committee, and affiliated faculty as appropriate. We strive to obtain three faculty reviews for each application, and we ask raters to provide: 1) a numeric (1-9) rating scale score; 2) feedback as to the specific strengths and weaknesses of the applicant, and; 3) whether the rater feels the applicant warrants an invitation for an in-person interview. A select group of approximately 24 interns is then invited to attend one of our two interview days in January. Through the interview process, applicants are further rated based on face-to-face meetings. After all interviews are completed, a final rank ordering of candidates is issued for match day in February.

*   Note. Programs are not required by the Commission on Accreditation to provide all benefits listed in this table
** Restrictions apply

* PD: Post-doctoral residency position
** EP: Employee position    

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