Six Psychology PhD Student Match With Internship Sites
Six doctoral students from the Utah State University Psychology Department’s Combined Clinical/Counseling and School Psychology specializations matched with internship locations on February 19, 2021 through the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral Internship Center (APPIC). Psychology doctoral internship experiences offer supervised training in many types of clinical settings to students before they are awarded a PhD.
Annually, the APPIC coordinates applications and interviews between students and hundreds of internship sites. This process can be long and tedious for applicants. “Completing the APPIC, with all the cover letters and uploads, took a lot of time and thoughtful effort,” said Cassity Haverkamp, a fifth-year student in the School Psychology specialization. “I started compiling a list of possible sites at least a year in advance. I had several people read over my essays and CVs multiple times.”
Jennifer Krafft, a fifth-year student in the Combined Clinical/Counseling specialization, noted the time involved in application process. “I spent a lot of time choosing sites, writing and revising materials, preparing for interviews, and talking to previous interns about their experiences,” she said. Krafft also advised preparing specifically for the interview process, which takes place after applications are accepted. “Do a lot of practice interviews!” she said. “Especially with people who have applied recently. It is a draining process, but I tried to approach each interview as if that site was my top choice.”
“It was both nerve-wracking and exciting,” said Haverkamp. “I practiced interviewing with a few faculty members, my advisor sent me a list of possible interview questions, and by the fourth practice interview I felt pretty comfortable.”
After interviews, each applicant ranks their preferred sites, and each site ranks their prospective applicants. The APPIC then coordinates internship matches and provides announcements to sites and students simultaneously.
Josh Parmenter, a fifth-year student in the Combined Clinical/Counseling specialization, found confidence in determining which sites would provide the experience he was looking for. “Interviews were my favorite,” he said. “I am a first-generation college student; I never thought I would be where I am now. Now I have matched with a site that fits my personality, my worldview, my training goals, and the diversity and multicultural training is amazing.”
“I am ecstatic,” said Felicia Andresen, a fifth-year student in the Combined Clinical/Counseling Specialization. “The Portland VA felt like the best place for me to grow professionally, and it checked all the boxes on my wish list for an internship site.”
“I am very excited for the training opportunities I’ll have at the VA Medical Center in Salem, Virginia,” said Krafft. “Internship is the last time when we can truly focus on our own training goals, and I am excited to get training in some new areas and help round out my skills.”
The USU Combined Clinical/Counseling Program has achieved 100% student placement in accredited internship locations for the past 12 consecutive years. The USU School Psychology specialization had 100% placement this year, its first participating in the match.
“I am proud of the training I received in ACT and research at USU,” said Krafft. “It was great to go into interviews knowing I had really solid training in those areas.”
“Our program stands out in the crowd,” said Parmenter. “We get amazing clinical training, and it shows.”