Psychology PhD Students Match with Internship Locations
Seven doctoral students from the Utah State University Psychology Department’s Combined Clinical/Counseling and School Psychology specializations matched with internship locations this month through the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral Internship Center (APPIC). Doctoral internships provide an opportunity for students to receive supervised training in a variety of clinical settings prior to being awarded a PhD.
The APPIC coordinates applications and interviews between students and hundreds of possible internship opportunities. The application process for internships is intensive, students spend months researching potential interview sites, writing essays and cover letters, and categorizing all of their clinical hours to prepare. Many of our graduate students agreed that a solid support system was invaluable leading up to interviews, as their peers and mentors helped them conduct practice interviews and stay on top of deadlines throughout the process. Megan Golson of the school psychology program shared, “I could not have done it without the support of my advisor, faculty mentors, and director of clinical training.”
While there are many formal components that go into the application process, Cater Davis noted that the most important part to keep in mind is that “it is a process of personal reflection and exploration in deciding the next steps of your professional development.” Davis also shared that while the application process is stressful, it ended up being one of the most enjoyable parts of his graduate school experience.
Students will be on internship for the next year, many of them, living in new cities across the country. “I am moving to one of my favorite places, NYC, where I have lots of family and loved ones,” said Julie Petersen from the Combined Clinical program. “I am excited to meet new people on internship and learn what it is like to serve the diverse populations of New York City.”
Golson will be moving to Miami, Florida for her internship with the Mailman Center for Child Development. “I am thrilled to continue to build my assessment skills and for the opportunities to participate in research, “ she said. “Most of all, since I grew up in Utah and attended both undergraduate and graduate school in Utah, I cannot wait to explore a new city for a year.”
Stephanie Vinal from the School Psychology Program had some words of advice for future internship applicants. “Start early on your essays and your letters of recommendation! Also, reach out to other people when you are feeling nervous or stressed. It's a very intense process, but you have done everything you can to be here, and that is an accomplishment.”
Kaitlyn Kauzor from the Combined program also shared advice, saying, “I would encourage other students to let themselves be excited for the process and the potential of ending up at each site that they apply to. There are a lot of different opinions as to how to move through this process and I think that can feel overwhelming at times. What’s most important is that you genuinely feel like a given site would be a good fit to fill the gaps in your training and that you can convey that in your writing and through the interviews.”
USU’s Combined Clinical/Counseling and School Psychology programs have 100% student placement for internships and focus their efforts on helping every student be successful. “The Combined program at USU has prepared me for internship in more ways than I can name,” Davis said. “Every site I interviewed with was extremely impressed with the quality of training at USU.” “The breadth of practicum opportunities available in both intervention and assessment were very helpful in preparing me for internship and allowing me to better understand my long-term professional goals,” said Golson. “I feel very fortunate to have received my graduate education here at USU.”
Internship Matches for 2023:
Carter Davis
VA Palo Alto Health Care System | Palo Alto, CA
Alexandra Hammond
John D. Dingell VA Medical Center | Detroit, MI
Kaitlyn Kauzor
VA Medical Center: San Francisco | San Francisco, CA
Julianna Petersen
Albert Einstein College / Montefiore Medical Center | Bronx, NY
Megan Golson
Mailman Center for Child Development, University of Miami | Miami FL
David Longhurst
Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District | Cypress, TX
Stephanie Vinal
The Huntsman Mental Health Institute, University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT