Psychology Doctoral Students Match with Internship Locations

A combined total of nine doctoral students from the Combined Clinical/Counseling and School Psychology specializations matched with internship locations this spring through the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral Internship Center (APPIC). This year marks another 100% match rate for student internship placement for our department and is a testament to the dedication, effort, and passion of each of our students. Internship provides an opportunity for students to receive supervised training in a variety of clinical settings prior to being awarded their PhD.

Applying and interviewing for internship is an intensive process that starts years before you are actually applying to be matched. Jose Manuel Gonzalez Vera  encourages students to, “Start thinking about what type of sites (e.g., V.A.s, CAPS, community mental health centers, etc.) you would like to apply to during your first-year practicum so that your experience can match the requirements of those sites. You don’t necessarily need to have a definite answer, but I would recommend you start thinking about it.” It is important to be prepared, organized, and to have plan during this process. However, it is important to remember that preparing for internship should also help you grow and learn more about your individual professional goals.

It was a commonly shared sentiment from each of our placed Internship students that preparing for internship is a stressful journey. Aliya Halterman of the School Psychology program advises that students go into it knowing that it is stressful but, “know you are not alone! Connect with your peers going through the same thing and commiserate. Lean on anyone you can for support and, above all, make. time. for. yourself!” Caleb Farley, also in the School Psychology program, encourages students to, “Get outside and find time to be social, even when it seems beneficial to keep working. This truly is an emotional experience that tests your mental endurance and professional capacity. That's normal, so take lots of deep breaths, and give yourself grace throughout. You're more capable than you think you are, and you'll be surprised where this journey takes you!”

While it is a stressful time, our program has a 100% match rate, and each student is placed in a location that will help them further their skills. “I am so excited to be a psychology intern at The Ohio State University” shared Jazmin Lara of the Combined Program. “The training program at their Counseling and Consultation Service center offers everything on my “internship checklist” and I think it will be a year of great learning and growth. I am also looking forward to being in a larger city and working at a Big Ten school, Go Buckeyes!” Jose Manuel Gonzalez Vera shared, “While going through the interview process, I realized that the training at USU sets us up really well for internship. We get excellent training on case conceptualization, cultural humility, and treatment planning. This made the interview process not feel as daunting. During interviews, lean into what you know. Trust me, we are well prepped!”

"I cannot adequately express my excitement with matching to Boys Town" shares Farley. "First and foremost is the awesome people I loved during interviews that I'll now get to work with. The site provides more opportunities than I ever thought I could have, all focused on care for diverse adolescents and their families. Boys Town is known for facilitating remarkable behavior change, and I hope to soak in all I can from the experts who run the place." 

We are excited for each of our students and are looking forward to seeing them succeed as they move on to the next step of their professional journey! 

Internship Matches 2024:

 

John Barr - University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT

Caleb Farley - Boys Town Omaha | Lincoln, NE

Erica Ficklin - Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System | Biloxi, MS

Jose Manuel Gonzalez Vera - Stanford University | Stanford, CA

Aliya Halterman - Primary Children’s Hospital | Salt Lake City, UT

Racheal Killgore - VA Salt Lake City Health Care System | Salt Lake City, UT

Jazmin Lara - Ohio State University | Colombus, OH

Samuel Skidmore - University of California | Berkley, CA

Elizabeth Wong - Pennsylvania State University | University Park, PA