Internships

In the Field

Criteria Community Externships
School Internships CDSPP Guidelines

Internship Criteria

The criteria for internship are defined by both the New York State Education Department and the American Psychological Association. This information is detailed below and will hopefully serve to clear up any confusion you might have regarding how we, and the organizations that accredit us, conceptualize an internship placement.

An internship is an organized training program which, in contrast to supervised experience (e.g., practica) or on-the-job training, is designed to provide the intern with a planned programmed sequence of training experience. The internship is the culminating training experience prior to the granting of the doctoral degree. It follows a programmed sequence of coursework, practica, and field experiences and occurs after the substantial completion of all coursework leading to the degree. The primary focus and purpose of internships is to assure breadth and quality of training.

The internship is designed to meet the needs of the graduate student and should provide an extension of education and supervised training from the University program. The psychology internship must include a range of activities such as consultation, assessment, intervention, supervision, program development and evaluation, and research which are designed to meet the health and psychological needs of the clients.

The internship agency employs a clearly designated doctoral-level psychologist, who is currently licensed/certified by the State Regulatory Board for Psychology at the independent practice level of psychology, who is responsible for the integrity and the quality of the internship program and is present at the training facility for a minimum of 20 hours per week. Intern supervision must be provided by a licensed psychologist. It may also be provided by other certified personnel in the psychological services unit, but the licensed psychologist assumes 100% responsibility of the supervision provided by staff members of the internship agency or by affiliates of that agency. The psychological service unit providing the internship training includes at least two full-time equivalent, licensed, doctoral-level psychologist supervisors.

The internship includes at least two hours per week of regularly scheduled, formal, face-to-face individual supervision with the specific intent of dealing with the psychological services rendered directly by the intern. The supervisor must provide at least one hour per week of supervision but may delegate the other hour per week of supervision to appropriately certified members of the psychological services unit.

The intern must have regularly scheduled, supervised, and documented training activities with other psychology interns. The internship must have two or more full-time equivalent interns. However, agencies with the capacity of only one intern may meet the spirit of this criterion, the socialization of doctoral-level psychology interns, by having regularly scheduled and documented training activities with interns at other internship sites, with other psychology interns in the immediate geographic areas or, when internship sites are at a significant distance from each other, by arranging for regularly scheduled meetings of interns for several hours on a monthly basis.

Reports by the intern to consumers, other agency or school personnel, or other relevant publics, must be cosigned by the licensed psychologist supervisor responsible for the intern. The trainee has a title such as "intern," "resident," "fellow," or other designation of trainee status and not be referred to as "psychologist" at this level of their training.

Community Externships

Community externships offer a wide variety of experiences involving diverse agencies such as hospitals, community mental health centers, college counseling centers, community-based organizations, group psychological practices, prisons, police departments, courts, and more. These placements provide students with a comprehensive psychological training model under the guidance of licensed psychologists with specialized training in their respective areas. The emphasis is often on behavioral, cognitive behavioral, third-wave (ACT, DBT, MCT, Mindfulness-Based interventions, etc.), family systems, interventions, and community interventions/prevention programs. The culmination of these experiences ensures a robust and thorough training model. We only place students in situations where psychology operates as an independent discipline. The Community Externship is a year-long, three days per week experience.

Most externships are secured through the (New York-New Jersey Directors of Training (NYNJADOT) match process. You can find information regarding NYNJADOT and the match at https://nynjadot.apa.org/. This is a competitive match, and doctoral students from throughout the New York metropolitan area apply for these placements. Historically, our students have demonstrated exceptional success in obtaining their highest-ranked placements through NYNJADOT. There are additional placements outside the NYNJADOT system, which we have also used for externships.

Students submit their materials to the NYNJADOT portal in mid-January, and the externship agency reviews their applications. The agencies then offer interviews to select doctoral students. Offers of acceptance are made in early March. When a Hofstra PsyD student accepts a placement, an externship agreement is signed by the externship agency and Hofstra University. This agreement explains the respective responsibilities of the externship agencies and the University. Evaluation forms are sent to the agency twice yearly, at midyear and end of the training experience. Supervisors are encouraged to evaluate students and show them the evaluation form before returning it to the University. In addition, a site visit is conducted by the PsyD Program Supervisor of Practica and Internships, with the student and the field supervisor. This comprehensive process ensures that formal feedback to the students is provided on at least two occasions, giving them a clear understanding of their progress and areas for improvement.

The psychology department closely monitors the community externships. However, the students themselves play a crucial role in this process. They are asked to evaluate the nature and quality of their externship experience, ensuring that we can provide the most valuable experiences to our students. This active involvement not only empowers the students but also helps the externship placements maintain a standard of excellence in training.

On the following pages, you will find the Externship Evaluation Form, which your supervisor(s) completes, and another form students use to evaluate their community placements.

OBJECTIVES OF THE COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY EXTERNSHIP

• Acquisition of knowledge of specific approaches to community service or mental health service delivery
• Developing an awareness of the daily operation of the health delivery system and its organization
• Developing interviewing, counseling, and therapy skills for individuals and families
• Developing consultation skills, which permit the practitioner to work with the organization, family, and individual
• Developing a knowledge of program planning development and evaluation
• Developing skills in using psycho-diagnostic instruments and techniques

The community externship entails a minimum of two hours of supervision per week by a licensed psychologist. At least one hour per week must be individual face-to-face supervision. The other hour can be group supervision. Community externships must also adhere to the criteria for externship placements as detailed above.

RECENT COMMUNITY EXTERNSHIP PLACEMENTS

School Internships

INTERNSHIP CRITERIA

The criteria for internships are defined by both the New York State Education Department and the American Psychological Association. This information is detailed below and will hopefully clear up any confusion you might have regarding how we and the organizations that accredit us conceptualize an internship placement.

An internship, as the culminating training experience prior to the granting of the doctoral degree, is designed to provide the intern with a planned, programmed sequence of training experience. Its primary focus and purpose is to assure breadth and quality of training, following a programmed sequence of coursework, practica, and field experiences.

The internship is designed to meet the needs of the graduate student and should provide an extension of education and supervised training from the university program. The psychology internship must include a range of activities such as consultation, assessment, intervention, supervision, program development and evaluation, and research designed to meet the client's health and psychological needs.

The internship agency employs a clearly designated doctoral-level psychologist who is currently licensed/certified by the state Regulatory Board for Psychology at the independent practice level of psychology, who is responsible for the integrity and the quality of the internship program and is present at the training facility for a minimum of 20 hours per week. A licensed psychologist must provide intern supervision. It may also be provided by other certified personnel in the psychological services unit, but the licensed psychologist assumes 100% responsibility for the supervision provided by staff members of the internship agency or by affiliates of that agency. The psychological service unit providing the internship training includes at least two full-time equivalent, licensed, doctoral-level psychologist supervisors.

The internship includes at least two hours per week of regularly scheduled, formal, face-to-face individual supervision, with the specific intent of dealing with the psychological services rendered directly by the intern. The supervisor must provide at least one hour per week of supervision but may delegate the other hour per week of supervision to appropriately certified members of the psychological services unit.
The intern must have regularly scheduled, supervised, and documented training activities with other psychology interns. The internship must have two or more full-time equivalent interns. However, agencies with the capacity of only one intern may meet the spirit of this criterion, the socialization of doctoral-level psychology interns, by having regularly scheduled and documented training activities with interns at other internship sites, with other psychology interns in the immediate geographic areas or, when internship sites are at a significant distance from each other, by arranging for regularly scheduled meetings of interns for several hours every month.

Reports by the intern to consumers, other agency or school personnel, or other relevant publics must be cosigned by the licensed psychologist supervisor responsible for the intern. The trainee has a title such as "intern," "resident," "fellow," or other designation of trainee status and may not be referred to as "psychologist" at this level of training.

At the internship, students work closely with the school psychology supervisor, who is a New York State licensed psychologist and who involves the student in all the daily experiences that take place within the schools. Students work with children from the elementary through the high school years, doing diagnostic testing and counseling and learning about the many functions of the professional school psychologist. The school psychology interns are also involved in supervised consultation activities to help them acquire this needed skill. The school psychology interns are evaluated twice per year. Field supervisors send written reports to the University to give feedback on student progress.

The school Internship is central to the student's doctoral training. It aims to develop skills and competence in professional work with individuals and groups. The internship offers continuous and substantial on-site work over one year under the direct supervision of a professional school psychologist, providing a unique and hands-on learning experience. Students learn through direct observation, modeling, skill practice, corrective feedback, and the didactic offerings of their supervisors.

OBJECTIVES OF THE SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY INTERNSHIP

There are several specific objectives that we aim to meet in having students as interns within the schools. These include:

• Acquisition of knowledge of the organization of psychological services delivery in the schools and the relation of these services to the school and community.
• Development of competence in diagnostic assessment of the individual child.
• Familiarity with the functions and operation of the Committee on Special Education and of the Board of Education within the school district.
• Building consultation skills that help the psychologist empower teachers, administrators, and parents to develop a favorable environment for the child's academic learning, self-awareness, and social skills.
• Skill in interviewing and counseling.
• Familiarity with standardized group assessments, which are regularly carried out within the schools.
• Skill in developing, implementing, and evaluating school-based programs to promote psychological wellness, social-emotional learning, and preventing school failure.

Supervision: The supervising school psychologist supervises students for at least two hours per week. The psychologist may supervise no more than two interns at one time. Students should also have access to unscheduled supervision when the situation demands it.

Evaluation: As previously noted, student progress will be evaluated in writing twice during the school year. In addition, supervisors will have access to PsyD faculty who are involved with school internship experiences so that training issues can be discussed continuously.

RECENT SCHOOL INTERNSHIP PLACEMENTS