Training philosophy
The doctoral internship program’s aim is to prepare, train and develop interculturally responsive and multiculturally competent early-career/entry-level psychologists in health service psychology skilled in profession-wide competencies to serve a diverse public (especially within a university/college setting). The doctoral internship program at the Counseling Center of the University of Washington wants to support and train psychology doctoral interns’/students’ transition into competent, ethical, independently functioning psychologists who will contribute to the welfare of society and to the profession. The professional training model and educational philosophy of the internship program is to provide training grounded in the profession-wide competencies and the scientific principles of the profession, with an emphasis in the area of applied practice in counseling centers. The training staff is committed to providing flexible, challenging, supportive, developmentally-appropriate and respectful supervision and mentorship. UWCC has a developmental training model that encourages trainees to engage in graduated “learning by doing” that is enhanced and deepened with seminars and consultations.
Upon completion of the internship, the developing professional should have sufficient experience in a university counseling center and general psychotherapeutic practices to confidently and competently carry out the responsibilities of an entry level health service psychologist in a variety of settings. Our training is focused on the following APA designated profession-wide competencies:
- Research
- Ethical and Legal Standards
- Individual and Cultural Diversity
- Professional Values, Attitudes, and Behaviors
- Communication and Interpersonal Skills
- Assessment
- Intervention
- Supervision
- Consultation and Interprofessional/Interdisciplinary Skills
The primary focus of the internship training is to assist interns in expanding their knowledge and increasing their expertise in counseling with a diverse student population. The training program is committed to providing interns with training in diversity. This training encompasses increasing awareness of different identities (e.g. sexual/affectional orientation, physical challenge, nontraditional student age, etc.).
The program is dedicated to the enhancement of the ethical and professional development of interns. Interns are encouraged to make professional contributions in staff case conferences, seminars, and outreach presentations.
In accordance with the premise that individual change occurs within the context of significant human interaction, the supervisor-intern relationship is intended to be an important and necessary ingredient for the development of professional competence. Therefore, interns are provided with in-depth supervision.
Student Disclosure of Personal Information: We concur with and affirm the principles set forth in the 2003 APA Ethical Guidelines related to student disclosure of personal information (Ethical Standard 7.04). However, we also acknowledge that personal history/experiences, values, and beliefs may affect professional activities. Interns are encouraged to share such information in supervision, consultation, or other activities in which the intern feels that such information may be useful to help them understand their own functioning as a professional. In order to encourage professional development, supervisors or others may ask interns to reflect upon their experiences, values, and/or beliefs if they notice professional behaviors that may indicate personal history affecting professional performance. Nevertheless, interns may always choose what to disclose and how much to disclose, and will not be penalized for this choice. We assert that supervision is not therapy, and again stress that disclosure of personal information remains the choice of the trainee.
Intern orientation
During the first six weeks, all interns are introduced to the primary activities of the Counseling Center.
Goals of orientation:
- To introduce interns to the training staff and to interact individually with each staff member;
- To give interns important information regarding Counseling Center operations, policies and procedures, and to ensure that interns understand their rights and responsibilities as doctoral interns at our site;
- To meet with members of various departments within the Division of Student Life as a way of learning more about the overall context within which the Counseling Center operates;
- To allow time to set up offices;
- To provide an opportunity for interns to get to know each other and the training director;
- To allow time for interns to assess their professional growth needs and determine learning goals to be achieved.
During orientation, interns also begin to be involved in didactic and experiential seminars to prepare them to work with clients at our Counseling Center. Interns also begin to provide initial consultations after initial clinical training and may begin to see a few clients during orientation.
Training activities
Individual supervision
- Supervision is a central component of the training program, and licensed psychologists conduct individual primary supervision of interns on a regularly scheduled basis.
- Each intern may have at least two primary supervisors during the year, with primary supervisors changing at the conclusion of January. Formal primary supervision time is scheduled for two hours per week.
- Interns also choose an emphasis area supervisor; this supervision time is generally formatted around a specialization or focus, depending upon intern and staff interest, and interns meet with their emphasis area supervisors for one hour per week.
- Unscheduled supervision/consultation is always available to interns as well as staff members.
Group Supervision/Clinical Teams (prep/case conceptualization)
- Interns receive one hour per week to prepare for supervision by reviewing electronically recorded counseling sessions or doing other related activities.
- This time is used to organize cases for discussion with the primary supervisor, within group supervision or with clinical team.
- Interns are actively involved in weekly, 1.5 hours of group supervision or clinical team as this meeting serves as group supervision for interns during the second half of the year.
- The team lead, a licensed psychologist, will collect evaluative feedback from the other clinical team members and complete the Case Presentation and Group Supervision evaluation for the second half of the year. For the first half of the year, interns participate in group supervision with a licensed psychologist who will also provide evaluation.
- As part of their training, interns prepare and present two of their cases in a more structured format during the training year, with the first occurring within group supervision and the other occurring in clinical teams. .
Therapeutic psychological assessment
- Training in the Therapeutic Assessment (TA) model will be composed of didactic and experiential sections focused on learning how to apply the TA model to the use of the CCAPS.
- In an initial didactic training during intern orientation, interns will independently view a 60-minute training video about the CCAPS and read two articles about the CCAPS and TA model.
- They will then attend a 1 hour didactic seminar in which they are introduced to the TA model, learn further information about the CCAPS, and complete role-plays of providing CCAPS data to clients within the TA model.
- The APA Ethics standards for testing will also be reviewed and discussed, including how they pertain to use of the CCAPS at the Counseling Center. During fall quarter, intern supervisors will review video of interns discussing CCAPS data with two of their clients using the TA model, and supervisors will provide feedback to the interns about their implementation of the TA model.
Intern check-in with T.D. and intern cohort meetings
- Interns meet with the Training Director for one hour on an every-other-week basis.
- Interns are encouraged to discuss all aspects of their internship during these meetings.
- The Training Director responds to these issues and works to resolve problems if and/or when they arise.
- During the weeks they are not scheduled to meet with the Training Director, interns are expected to meet in a non-facilitated cohort group meeting to enhance their collaboration during the internship. They may use this time for consultation around professional development issues, to discuss cases, or for group self-care.
Dissertation and research exploration and support and post-doc support
- In a post-doc seminar that occurs every-other-week, interns meet with a staff member to discuss post-doc and licensure processes. Interns receive support, practical information, and a space to ask questions.
- Interns meet with a staff member on an every-other-week basis to discuss and process their dissertation and/or other research interests. The staff member collaboratively assists in the planning process for accomplishment of research and/or dissertation goals.
- Interns present their dissertation research to the Counseling Center staff usually during summer quarter.
Professional development
- Interns may participate in one of our professional committees at the Center (i.e. Training Committee, Clinical Services Committee, etc.). Membership on these committees provides interns with the opportunity to participate in decision-making processes as well as offer feedback on the general operations of the Counseling Center.
Intern Seminar Series
These didactic and experiential training experiences provide a forum for the training staff and other professionals to present topics on mental health issues and professional development. Some of these training experiences occur in module formats over a period of several weeks that provide the opportunity for a more in-depth exploration of the topics under discussion. Others occur once on a specific topic. The seminar series also focuses on a variety of specific clinically, culturally and professionally relevant topics. A special emphasis is placed on providing psychological services to individuals from different cultures, gender, and perspectives. Some of the topics for this seminar are generated by the needs and interests of the intern group and may include one or two presentations on such topics as: substance misuse issues, disordered eating, sexual abuse survivors, and working with gender issues in treatment.
Multicultural/diversity and social justice seminar
This seminar meets every week for one hour for the first three quarters of the academic year and then transitions to multicultural case conference. The seminar series focuses on a variety of specific culturally, clinically and professionally relevant topics. A special emphasis is placed on providing psychological services to clients with culturally diverse backgrounds. Interns are expected to be self-reflective and focused on greater multicultural competency and intercultural humility.
Professional ethics/legal issues seminar
This seminar offers a review of APA Code of Ethics and Washington State Law relevant to providing psychological services. Professional, ethical and legal issues are also discussed in supervision throughout the internship year.
Supervision seminar
The objective of this seminar is to present information about training and supervision models, as well as both content and process in supervision. Interns will have the opportunity to supervise a peer intern on one case in the summer and will be evaluated on their ability to apply the knowledge and skills they learned.
Suicide seminar
Interns meet for the Suicide seminar to discuss and process the experience of working with suicidal clients beyond assessment.
Direct service
Direct service activities include individual and group counseling, group supervision and clinical team, outreach, consultation, Counselor-on-Duty crisis services, all equity and diversity meetings, trainings and workshops, and case management.
Intern time allocations
*These numbers are based upon the average of time spent in each activity over four quarters and are subject to change.
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Direct Service
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*Average Hours Per Week
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Average Percent of Time
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Individual/Couple Therapy
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16
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40.0
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Initial Consultations
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3.0
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10.0
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Group Counseling (if no group, add 2 hours to individual counseling)
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2.0
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5.0
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Consultation to University (as needed)
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0.5
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1.0
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Workshops and Outreach
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1.0
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2.5
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TOTAL DIRECT SERVICE AVERAGE
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22.5
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56.0
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Training Activities
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*Average Hours Per Week
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Average Percent of Time
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Individual Supervision (primary and emphasis area)
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3.0
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7.5
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Supervision Preparation
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1.0
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2.5
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Group Supervision/Clinical Teams
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1.5
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4.0
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Supervision of Group Counseling (with Group Co-Facilitator)
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0.5
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1.0
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Case Presentation (two per year)
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0.5
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1.0
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Intern Seminars
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2.0
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5.0
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Therapeutic Assessment
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0.5
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1.0
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Meeting with Training Director or Intern Cohort Meeting
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1.0
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2.5
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Professional Development
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See category of Professional Development
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TOTAL TRAINING ACTIVITIES AVERAGE
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10.0
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25.0
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Administrative Activities
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*Average Hours Per Week
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Average Percent of Time
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Staff Meetings
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1.0
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2.5
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Committee Meetings
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1.0
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2.5
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Intern Selection
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0.5
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1.0
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Case Management/Recordkeeping
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4.0
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10.0
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TOTAL ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITIES AVERAGE
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6.5
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16.0
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Professional Development Activities
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*Average Hours Per Week
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Average Percent of Time
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Professional Development Activities
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1.0
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2.5
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TOTAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES AVERAGE
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1.0
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2.5
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TOTAL FOR ALL INTERN ACTIVITIES
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40.0
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99.5
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*These numbers are averages; therefore they will not always add up to exactly 40 hours per week or 100%. In addition, interns accrue professional development time up to 4 hours per week for all other professional development activities.
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Counseling center staff
Counseling Center Staff
Counseling Center staff is comprised of support staff (responsible for daily operations and managing front desk reception and other duties accordingly), doctoral interns, psychiatric care staff, clinical training staff, liaison counselors who are also clinical training staff (counselors that have partnerships with other departments or schools and provide them with direct clinical services) and the Leadership Team (please see below).
Leadership Team
The Counseling Center Leadership Team consists of the Director (Natacha Foo Kune), the Associate Director (Linda Anderson), and the Assistant Directors (Hsuan Hsuan Dai). The leadership team members oversee the administrative, clinical, training, and overall general operations of the Counseling Center. Members of the leadership team are also members of the training staff, and clinicians who are available for consultations as well as other clinically or training relevant needs. Kevin Springer, our Program Coordinator, is also available for all non-clinical consultations.
Doctoral Psychology Interns 2023-2024
Yiyu Cheng, M.S. (she/her) Loyola University Chicago
Vanessa Prosper, M.S. (she/her) Wright State University
Herleena K. Verraich, M.S. (she/her/hers) The Chicago School
Intern applicant FAQs
What is the developmental model?
The doctoral internship training program at UWCC is based on a developmental model of training. The professional training model and educational philosophy of the internship program is to provide training grounded in the core competencies and the scientific principles of the profession, with an emphasis in the area of applied practice. The internship training program has, at its foundation, a belief that trainees learn best in a supportive, challenging, experiential, and didactic training environment in which the relationship between the trainees and the trainers is paramount. Training staff affirm that trainees are engaged in a developmental process, and offer a variety of graduated and sequential training experiences including strong supervisory and mentoring relationships. Our objective is to support and train psychology doctoral students’ transition into competent, ethical, independently functioning psychologists who will contribute to the welfare of society and to the profession. The developmental training model encourages trainees to engage in graduated “learning by doing” that is enhanced and deepened with seminars and consultations.
What is the culture like at UWCC?
Prior interns have described the culture at UWCC to be busy, supportive, challenging and fun. UWCC is a fast-paced counseling center that serves many students daily. Whereas training staff understand and acknowledge the embedded hierarchy in a training program, interns have reported that the culture still felt collegial and collaborative, with the environment being team-oriented, consultative and friendly.
What is an emphasis area?
An emphasis area can be either a type of service or a particular clinical issue that you want to gain greater expertise with. Emphasis areas can be either half-year or full-year, depending on the topic. Each intern is able to choose one of the emphasis areas that are offered by staff and will meet with his/her emphasis area supervisor weekly. Emphasis area tasks can range from facilitating a group, to working with a particular committee on campus, to learning a new therapeutic technique. Typically, emphasis areas that are offered are training and supervision at a university counseling center, trauma, mindfulness, couples therapy, and multi-cultural issues. Staff availability, intern interests, and the needs of the center are determinants in which areas of emphasis are offered.
We highly recommend that applicants contact current interns to gain perspectives on what training here can be like. We think it is best for all parties when interns are able to have fuller knowledge about what we offer and which areas of training are more limited. Our staff recognize that internship is the capstone of your doctoral-level education, and interns should expect to feel supported as a trainee. UWCC is a busy and rigorous environment. Each intern who comes to our internship site will have specific skills and experiences that will both benefit the clinical team as well as the University community. Interns have noted that the feedback they offer the team about their experiences is taken seriously and held with integrity. Many interns also have said they feel integrated as part of the UWCC team.
What characteristics would be best for an UWCC intern to have?
Interns that report having a successful and beneficial year at UWCC usually have 1) self-awareness to accurately assess both strengths and areas of growth and utilize this knowledge to be able to sculpt their training experiences and needs; 2) the ability to balance being a trainee and a professional—able to learn, ask questions, seek guidance, and absorb the information being provided while also developing confidence in their skills and strengths and abilities to contribute to the mission of the UWCC; 3) time management and the ability to handle a busy and rigorous year of training; 4) interest in the training provided by the UWCC and the role and duties of a health service psychologist; and 5) self-care coping strategies. Please note that this is not an all-inclusive list!
How is self-care for interns supported?
There are several ways that an internship at UWCC will offer self-care activities. First, as an intern you are offered the excellent health benefits that permanent staff are offered. Secondly, interns are also eligible for University holidays and personal holidays, as well as sick time and annual leave. The UWCC is a center that also likes to have fun, and there is a Celebrations Committee that manages the many annual events we offer throughout the year (i.e. annual picnic, quarterly games night, etc.). For instance, interns are invited to participate in our birthday buddy system in which a staff member volunteers to help celebrate your birthday.
Is it true that it rains all the time in Seattle?
Actually, a lot of Seattle residents are drawn to the area because of the weather. It does rain frequently, especially during the late fall and winter months. However, the rain tends to be lighter and does not usually accumulate. The rain equates to an overall cooler temperature as well as a lush landscape. A lot of our interns appreciate living in Seattle because of the environmental beauty of the Northwest. We are surrounded by gorgeous mountains and near Puget Sound. Seattle also has major lakes (Lake Washington, Lake Union, and Green Lake) where boating, swimming, and walking trails are available. Seattle is also known for its coffee roasting, craft beer industry, and music scene, and there are endless affordable activities to do in the city. Seattle also has an extensive bus system as well as bicycle lanes within the streets, so many residents are able to live here without a car.
Admissions, support and initial placement data
| Internship Program Admissions |
| Briefly describe in narrative form important information to assist potential applicants in assessing their likely fit with your program. This description must be consistent with the program’s policies on intern selection and practicum and academic preparation requirements:
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- Must be currently enrolled in a counseling or clinical program.
- Must have proposed and passed dissertation proposal before November 1st application deadline.
- Must have completed/passed oral/qualifying/comprehensive exams by November 1st application deadline.
- Must have a minimum of 500 intervention hours by November 1st application deadline.
- Must have experience providing counseling/psychotherapy and have appropriate supervision, especially one-on-one with a psychologist (at least 75 hours).
- Must be from an APA-accredited program.
- All probations and criminal activity will be reviewed by TD but are not automatically culled out.
- Must have UCC experience.
- Must have seen at least 20 individual clients.
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| Does the program require that applicants have received a minimum number of hours of the following at time of application? If Yes, indicate how many: at least 1,000 |
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| Total Direct Contact Intervention Hours |
Yes |
No |
Amount: 500 |
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| Total Direct Contact Assessment Hours |
Yes |
No |
Amount: no minimum |
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| Describe any other required minimum criteria used to screen applicants: |
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| Financial and Other Benefit Support for Upcoming Training Year* |
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| Annual Stipend/Salary for Full-time Interns |
$50, 000 |
| Annual Stipend/Salary for Half-time Interns |
N/A |
| Program provides access to medical insurance for intern? |
Yes X |
No |
| If access to medical insurance is provided: |
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| Trainee contribution to cost required? |
Yes X |
No |
| Coverage of family member(s) available? |
Yes X |
No |
| Coverage of legally married partner available? |
Yes X |
No |
| Coverage of domestic partner available? |
Yes X |
No |
| Hours of Annual Paid Personal Time Off (PTO and/or Vacation) |
184 |
| Hours of Annual Paid Sick Leave |
80 |
| In the event of medical conditions and/or family needs that require extended leave, does the program allow reasonable unpaid leave to interns/residents in excess of personal time off and sick leave? |
Yes X |
No |
| Other Benefits (please describe): |
| Initial Post-Internship Positions |
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| (Provide an Aggregated Tally for the Preceding 3 Cohorts) |
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2022-2020 |
| Total # of interns who were in the 3 cohorts |
9 |
| Total # of interns who did not seek employment because they returned to their doctoral program/are completing doctoral degree |
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PD |
EP |
| Academic teaching |
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1 |
| Community mental health center |
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| Consortium |
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| University Counseling Center |
2 |
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| Hospital/Medical Center |
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2 |
| Veterans Affairs Health Care System |
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| Psychiatric facility |
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| Correctional facility |
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| Health maintenance organization |
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| School district/system |
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| Independent practice setting |
1 |
3 |
| Other |
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| Note: “PD” = Post-doctoral residency position; “EP” = Employed Position. Each individual represented in this table should be counted only one time. For former trainees working in more than one setting, select the setting that represents their primary position. |
Equal opportunity and disability accommodation
The University of Washington reaffirms its policy of equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, or status as a disabled veteran or Vietnam era veteran in accordance with University policy and applicable federal and state statutes and regulations.
The University of Washington is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education and employment for individuals with disabilities.
To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at least ten days in advance at:
- 206-543-6450/Voice
- 206-543-6452/TTY
- 206-685-7264 (FAX)
- dso@uw.edu
APPIC match dates
SCHEDULE OF DATES FOR THE 2025 APPIC MATCH
Updated July 31, 2024
JULY 2024
Internship Site Registration: Registration emails for participation in the Match are sent to Training Directors, who must complete the online registration process using the NMS Match System.
Applicant Registration: Beginning in July, applicants can register for the APPIC Match via the Match website at natmatch.com/psychint. Prior to registering, applicants should review the information in the Applicant Registration section of the Match website. Applicants are required to provide their Match Code Number on their AAPI applications, therefore applicants must register for the Match before submitting applications to internship programs.
Applicants must apply to internship programs using the AAPI application service. Application deadlines for training sites vary and may be found in the APPIC Directory.
OCTOBER 1, 2024
By this date, a list of internship programs participating in the Match is available on the Match website at natmatch.com/psychint.
DECEMBER 31, 2024
For applicants registering for the Match after this date, the applicant’s Director of Clinical Training must provide explicit authorization to NMS before the registration can be completed.
MONDAY, JANUARY 20, 2025
Phase I Rankings Open: Applicants and programs may begin to submit Rank Order Lists for Phase I of the Match using the NMS Match System.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2025
Phase I Rank Order List Deadline: Applicant and program Rank Order Lists for Phase I of the Match must be entered and certified in the NMS Match System by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
No changes for Phase I, including new registrations for Phase I, withdrawals, entering or certifying rankings, can be made in the NMS Match System after this date. Applicants who register after this date may participate in Phase II of the Match.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2025
APPIC Phase I Match Day: Results of Phase I of the Match are released to applicants, internship Training Directors, and Directors of Clinical Training of academic programs. Result information is distributed by email and is available online in the NMS Match System beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Internship Training Directors must send letters of confirmation of the Match result for Phase I to matched applicants and their academic Directors of Clinical Training shortly after receipt of the Match results, in accordance with APPIC Match Policies.
Available Positions: A list of programs with positions available in Phase II of the Match is provided on the Match website at natmatch.com/psychint beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. No action to fill positions offered in Phase II is to be taken prior to 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
Applications to Programs: Applicants who are eligible to participate in Phase II of the Match can submit applications to programs that are participating in Phase II beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time using the AAPI application service.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2025
Applicants and programs that are eligible to participate in Phase II of the Match can access the NMS Match System to update their status and profile information for Phase II (e.g., withdraw or reactivate, update contact information, etc.).
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2025
Phase II Application Deadline: All programs participating in Phase II of the Match must accept applications submitted by applicants until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Programs may elect to continue accepting applications for Phase II of the Match beyond this deadline, but are not required to do so.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2025
Programs participating in Phase II can view and download applications from the AAPI system beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
Phase II Rankings Open: Applicants and programs that are eligible to participate in Phase II of the Match may begin to submit Rank Order Lists for Phase II using the NMS Match System.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2025
Phase II Rank Order List Deadline: The deadline for submission of applicant and program Rank Order Lists for Phase II of the Match is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
No changes for Phase II, including registrations, withdrawals, entering or certifying rankings, can be made in the NMS Match System after this date.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2025
APPIC Phase II Match Day: Results of Phase II of the Match are released to applicants, internship Training Directors, and Directors of Clinical Training of academic programs. Result information is distributed by email and is available online in the NMS Match System beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Internship Training Directors must send letters of confirmation of the Match result for Phase II to matched applicants and their academic Directors of Clinical Training shortly after receipt of the Match results, in accordance with APPIC Match Policies.
Beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time, Training Directors of training sites that have available positions may notify APPIC that they want their positions listed in the Post-Match Vacancy Service.
THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 2025
Post-Match Vacancy Service Opens: The APPIC Post-Match Vacancy Service provides information on available positions beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. No action to fill positions remaining unfilled after Phase II is to be taken prior to 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2025
NMS Match System Closes: Information regarding the results of the Match for applicants and programs will no longer be available in the NMS Match System.
FUTURE MATCH DATES
The dates for the 2026 APPIC Match will be announced on this page and via the MATCH-NEWS e-mail list no later than August 1, 2025.
APPIC match policies
APPIC Match Policies: 2024-2025
The following policies will guide the 2025 APPIC Match and Post-Match Vacancy Service.
Adherence to these policies is a condition of membership in APPIC
and of participation in the APPIC Match or Post-Match Vacancy Service.
The APPIC Board of Directors, in its sole discretion, may make changes to these policies and/or
the published Schedule of Dates in unusual, unforeseen, and/or emergency circumstances.
Phase I of the Match
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The Rank Order List Submission Deadline is February 7, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
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Results of the Match will be released on APPIC Phase I Match Day, February 21, 2025.
Phase II of the Match
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The application deadline (see paragraph 5b) is February 27, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
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The Rank Order List Submission Deadline is March 19, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
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Results of the Match will be released on APPIC Phase II Match Day, March 26, 2025.
Post-Match Vacancy Service
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- These policies apply to all participants in the APPIC Match or Post-Match Vacancy Service, including internship programs, applicants and doctoral program faculty.
- All participants shall abide by their agreements with APPIC for participation in the APPIC Match.
- Internship training directors must ensure that all people involved in recruiting or selecting interns understand and adhere to these policies.
- Directors of Clinical Training of academic programs with students participating in the APPIC Match or Post-Match Vacancy Service must ensure that their students understand and adhere to these policies.
- Violations of Match Agreements and/or APPIC Policies, including the APPIC Match Policies, by applicants or programs may result in sanctions by APPIC (e.g., being barred from future Matches) or legal action by other Match participants. In addition, violations by applicants may result in disciplinary action by the applicants’ doctoral and/or internship programs.
- All participants in the APPIC Match or Post-Match Vacancy Service must meet eligibility requirements and abide by the published Schedule of Dates as shown at natmatch.com/psychint.
- Applicants who wish to participate in the APPIC Match must meet the eligibility requirements described in the APPIC Policy on Doctoral Program Associates, including being enrolled in a doctoral program in Health Service Psychology or Professional Psychology that meets the criteria outlined in that Policy.
- Applicants who meet the criteria outlined in paragraph 2a above may also participate in the APPIC Post-Match Vacancy Service. Applicants whose doctoral program does not meet the criteria to be an APPIC Doctoral Program Associate may participate in the APPIC Post-Match Vacancy Service if their program is approved by APPIC in accordance with the APPIC Policy on Doctoral Program Associates.
- Each applicant’s academic program has the authority to determine the applicant’s eligibility for participation in the Match or Post-Match Vacancy Service and the training sites that the applicant is permitted to apply to, rank, and attend.
- All APPIC-member internship programs that have positions available are required to participate in the Match. Non-member programs may not participate in the APPIC Match or Post-Match Vacancy Service.
- Internship programs must offer all of their internship positions in Phase I of the APPIC Match.
- Positions for which funding and resources are not assured should not be offered in the Match.
- Positions that are not filled in Phase I of the Match must be offered in Phase II of the Match, in accordance with paragraph 10 and its subparagraphs below.
- Positions that are not offered in Phase I of the Match, such as positions for which funding and resources become assured after the Phase I Rank Order List deadline or newly created positions, must be offered in Phase II of the Match, in accordance with paragraph 10 and its subparagraphs below.
- Positions that are not offered in Phase I or Phase II of the Match can be communicated and/or offered to applicants only after the results of Phase II of the Match are released, in accordance with paragraph 11 and its subparagraphs below.
- Match participants (including applicants, internship programs, and doctoral programs) must provide complete and accurate information to other Match participants, APPIC, and National Matching Services Inc.
- Applicants must provide complete and accurate information to all internship sites to which they apply.
- Applicants and their doctoral programs must immediately notify all internship sites to which the applicant has applied in the event of any substantive change to: (i) the applicant’s standing with their doctoral program (e.g., disciplinary action, being put on probation, failing a practicum); (ii) the information provided in the application materials (e.g., professional conduct items), or (iii) the applicant’s eligibility to apply to or attend an internship. Similarly, such changes must be communicated to the internship site to which an applicant has matched, both before and during the internship training year.
- Internship programs must provide complete and accurate information to applicants concerning the internship position(s) available through the Match or Post-Match Vacancy Service, including all institutional and program policies related to eligibility requirements for appointment (e.g., successfully passing a drug test or background check). Substantive changes to internship programs and/or training experiences must be communicated to applicants in a timely manner.
- APPIC strongly discourages doctoral programs from requesting or requiring separate contracts or agreements with internship programs to which their students match. In the event that such a contract or agreement is requested or required, this expectation (along with the content of the contract or agreement) must be fully disclosed by academic Directors of Clinical Training at the time of application to all internship programs to which each student applies. Such disclosures may result in some internship programs choosing not to interview or rank students from doctoral programs that request or require contracts or agreements.
- APPIC strongly discourages internship programs from requesting or requiring separate contracts or agreements with the doctoral programs of their matched interns. In the event that such a contract or agreement is requested or required, this expectation (along with the content of the contract or agreement) must be fully disclosed no later than January 15th to all students who may be ranked by the internship program along with their academic Directors of Clinical Training. Such disclosures may result in some doctoral programs choosing not to allow their students to rank internship programs that request or require contracts or agreements.
- For both Phase I and Phase II of the APPIC Match, the AAPI application service must be used by applicants to apply to all internship programs that are participating in the Match. For both Phases of the Match, all applications must be submitted using the AAPI, and no site may request a printed copy of an applicant’s application materials.
- Internship programs and applicants must abide by the APPIC AAPI Supplemental Materials Policy, which states that the only supplemental materials that may be requested by internship programs or submitted by internship applicants are (a) a treatment or case summary, and (b) a psychological evaluation report.
- All programs participating in Phase II of the Match must accept applications until the application deadline for Phase II established by APPIC. Programs may elect to continue accepting applications for Phase II beyond the application deadline, but are not required to do so.
- For Phase I of the Match, internship programs that conduct interviews must make a reasonable effort to notify every applicant who submits a complete set of application materials as to their interview status.
- Sites that conduct open houses to which all applicants are invited and conduct no other interviews are exempt from this interview notification requirement (this exemption should be clearly stated in sites’ APPIC Directory listings and/or public materials).
- Notification of interview status for Phase I of the Match must occur no later than the interview notification date that appears in the program’s APPIC Directory listing and/or other publicity materials, and may be communicated via e-mail, telephone, regular mail (to be received no later than the interview notification date), or other means.
- For Phase II of the Match, notification of interview status is not required.
- The communication of ranking information, which includes intention to rank or the position of any applicant or program on a Rank Order List, must adhere to the subparagraphs below.
- The following are not permitted:
- Internship sites must never request any ranking information from any applicant, even after the Match results are released.
- Applicants (or other individuals acting on their behalf, such as doctoral program faculty) must never request any ranking information from any internship site, even after the Match results are released.
- Internship sites must not communicate to any applicant the positioning of any applicant on their Rank Order Lists for either Phase of the Match, even through veiled or indirect communication, prior to the release of the results for Phase II of the Match.
- Applicants must not communicate to any internship site the positioning of any program on their Rank Order Lists for either Phase of the Match, even through veiled or indirect communication, prior to the release of the results for Phase II of the Match.
- The following are permitted, but not required:
- Sites and applicants are allowed to communicate about matters that do not involve the sharing of ranking information.
- Internship programs may choose to inform applicants as to whether or not the applicants remain under consideration for admission (e.g., whether or not the applicants will be ranked).
- Following the release of the results for Phase II of the Match, internship programs and applicants may voluntarily disclose their rankings, but are not obliged to do so.
- Internship programs must include the following statement on their websites and in their brochures: “This internship site agrees to abide by the APPIC policy that no person at this training facility will solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information from any intern applicant.”
- Internship sites that offer more than one program in the APPIC Match (i.e., sites with more than one program code number) are expected to ask applicants to identify the site’s programs to which they are applying. In addition, these sites may, for the sole purpose of arranging interviews, ask applicants to designate their preferences regarding the programs at the site for which they wish to be interviewed. These sites may request interview preference information only when it is essential for making interview arrangements, and such information may not be used for any other purpose in the selection process. Furthermore, these sites may not solicit any information about applicants’ rankings of programs. Sites requesting interview preferences must state clearly in their written materials that these preferences will be used for arranging interviews only and for no other purpose.
- Any ranking information communicated between applicants and internship programs, even if such communication is a violation of these policies, is non-binding and subject to change at any time prior to the Rank Order List submission deadline. The only binding rankings are the confidential Rank Order Lists that are submitted to the APPIC Match.
- Results of the APPIC Match constitute binding agreements between applicants, internship programs, and APPIC that may not be reversed without APPIC’s consent.
- Failure to receive timely notification of the APPIC Match results, for any reason, does not constitute a release from the obligations of the APPIC Match.
- Appointments of applicants to internship positions may be contingent upon the applicants satisfying certain eligibility requirements. Such eligibility requirements must be clearly specified in the internship programs’ written materials and provided to applicants in advance of the deadline for submitting rankings for the APPIC Match.
- Internship training directors are encouraged to contact matched applicants by telephone as soon as possible after (but not before) 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on the APPIC Match Day for each Phase of the Match.
- It is not necessary for internship training directors to contact applicants with whom they have not been matched.
- Internship training directors must put in writing their appointment agreements with matched applicants in letters postmarked or e-mailed no later than 7 days following receipt of the APPIC Match results for each Phase of the Match.
- Letters must be addressed to the applicants and must include confirmation of conditions of the appointment, such as stipend, fringe benefits, and the dates on which the internship begins and ends.
- Copies of these appointment letters must be sent simultaneously to applicants’ academic Directors of Clinical Training.
- Positions that remain unfilled in Phase I of the Match must be offered in Phase II of the Match. Positions not offered in Phase I of the Match, such as positions for which funding and resources become assured after the Phase I Rank Order List deadline or newly created positions, must also be offered in Phase II.
- Applicants who register for Phase I of the Match and who do not obtain a position in Phase I (e.g., those who withdraw or remain unmatched) are eligible to participate in Phase II of the Match. Applicants who match to a position in Phase I are not eligible to participate in Phase II. Eligible applicants who do not register for Phase I can register for and participate in Phase II.
- All positions at an internship site that remain unfilled in Phase I of the Match must be offered to applicants in Phase II of the Match. A site can decide not to offer an unfilled position in Phase II only if it decides not to fill the position in the program for the coming year (e.g., anticipated loss of funding or resources, shifting of funding or resources to other purposes). Removing an unfilled position from Phase II of the Match for any other reason requires APPIC approval.
- Internship programs with positions that are offered in Phase II of the Match may not take any actions to publicize or fill these positions prior to 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on APPIC Phase I Match Day. Applicants who do not obtain a position in Phase I of the Match, along with other individuals acting on their behalf (e.g., doctoral program faculty), may not contact internship programs about available positions in Phase II prior to 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on APPIC Phase I Match Day. All applications to programs for Phase II of the Match must be submitted using the AAPI, as specified in paragraph 5 above.
- The APPIC Post-Match Vacancy Service begins operation after the conclusion of Phase II of the Match as specified in the Schedule of Dates. Internship programs that have one or more open positions may publicize these positions in the Post-Match Vacancy Service or by other means. Programs may make offers of admission (verbal or written) to eligible applicants who are not already matched, even if those applicants did not participate in the APPIC Match.
- Programs are not required to fill positions that remain unfilled after Phase II.
- Beginning on APPIC Phase II Match Day, internship programs that have open positions after completion of Phase II of the Match may notify APPIC that they want their positions listed in the Post-Match Vacancy Service. Internship programs may not take any other actions to publicize or fill available positions prior to the opening of the Post-Match Vacancy Service.
- Applicants who anticipate using the Post-Match Vacancy Service, along with other individuals acting on their behalf (e.g., doctoral program faculty), may not contact internship programs about open positions in the Post-Match Vacancy Service prior to the opening of the Post-Match Vacancy Service.
- Prior to making offers to fill open positions, internship training directors must verify with applicants, to the best of their abilities, that the applicants have not previously been matched to other internship programs nor accepted other offers.
- Prior to making offers to fill open positions, internship training directors must ensure that doctoral programs have verified their applicants’ eligibility and readiness for internship. Such verification can occur via a review of the appropriate application materials and/or via direct communication with the doctoral programs.
- Applicants may not accept an offer if they have been matched or have already accepted an offer from another internship program.
- An offer (verbal or written) that has been tendered by an internship program and accepted by an applicant constitutes a binding agreement between the program, the applicant, and APPIC that may not be reversed without APPIC’s consent.
- The internship training director must put in writing the appointment agreement with the applicant in a letter postmarked or e-mailed no later than 7 days following acceptance of the offer by the applicant, as described in paragraphs 9a and 9b above.
- Individuals who perceive violations of these policies are urged to request compliance with APPIC policies from the appropriate party (parties).
- Unresolved compliance problems should be resolved informally, whenever possible, through consultation among applicants, internship training directors, academic Directors of Clinical Training, and/or APPIC, or by other informal means. APPIC sponsors an “Informal Problem Consultation” process (described on the APPIC website) that is recommended for use in addressing these issues.
- Internship training directors who become aware of violations of these policies by other internship training directors should (a) urge the affected applicants and academic Directors of Clinical Training to follow the informal resolution procedures described above, (b) directly contact the other internship training directors, and/or (c) use the APPIC “Informal Problem Consultation” process.
- Perceived violations of APPIC Policies and/or the Match Agreements that are not resolved informally may be submitted as a formal complaint to APPIC. Formal complaints are investigated by APPIC, and the APPIC Board of Directors will ultimately determine the course of action. Instructions for filing a formal complaint are available on the APPIC website.
Copyright © 2024 Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC).
NOTE: APPIC members may reprint the APPIC Match Policies in their program materials and brochures by stating “Reprinted with permission.”
