Professional Psychology Internship Training Program

Barry McCurdy, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Director of Training

Welcome to Devereux’s Professional Psychology Internship Training Program page. I understand how important it is for you to find the strongest match for your training needs so I encourage you to take your time in reviewing the material on this site. At any time you should feel free to contact me with any questions.

The website describes the Professional Psychology Internship Training Program in detail, including information about the mission and goals of the program, entrance and exit requirements, and other important information that you will need in selecting an internship site. If, after reading through our material, you intend to make an application to Devereux, please be sure to follow the directions on the How to Apply page.

The Devereux Foundation’s Professional Psychology Internship Training Program is offered through the Institute of Clinical and Professional Training and Research. We have a highly qualified and experienced training faculty, all of whom thoroughly enjoy the training mission. Devereux’s internship program has been continuously accredited by the American Psychological Association since 1956.  I invite you to learn more by reading the information below.

Sincerely,

The Devereux Institute of Clinical and Professional Training and Research is accredited by the American Psychological Association to sponsor Pre-doctoral Internships in Professional Psychology. Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 1st Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
Phone: 202-336-5979 
Email: apaaccred@apa.org
Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation

Devereux is a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) and abides by their guidelines.

Training Philosophy, Mission and Goals

Training Philosophy

The Institute of Clinical and Professional Training and Research (ICPTR) adheres to a developmental model of training in which the intern progresses from an initial closely supervised and monitored state to a more autonomous level of professional functioning by the end of the internship. The training program encourages the continual accumulation of knowledge, refinement of clinical skills, and development of professional identity. Training is individually tailored to meet the needs and interests of each intern.

Mission

The internship at Devereux is consistent with the scientist-practitioner model and reflects a concern for the competent, theoretically informed, and empirically grounded practice of professional psychology. In addition, interns are encouraged to continue to develop their research and analytical skills in combination with their clinical competencies. The overarching mission of the program is to prepare the intern for entering the independent practice of psychology. Training experiences and supervision are carefully orchestrated to provide a hierarchical and cumulative experience that The Devereux Foundation, through the ICPTR, has offered predoctoral interns in professional psychology for more than 50 years.

Program Goals

The goals of the Professional Psychology Internship Program include:

(1)   To train interns to become proficient in the major functional roles of the professional psychologist: assessment, intervention, consultation, case management, program planning and evaluation, and research;

(2)   To provide interns with an organized developmental sequence of didactic and experiential learning opportunities that will promote the transition from graduate student to entry-level professional;

(3)   To provide interns with a diversity of supervised experience and clinical exposure to ensure broad and general preparation for the professional practice of psychology, while simultaneously allowing interns to develop expertise with a clinical population of particular interest (e.g. children with severe emotional disorders), and thereby provide both a wide ranging and in-depth training experience;

(4)   To promote professional sensitivity to cultural and individual differences, as well as to develop a broad range of multicultural assessment and intervention skills recommended with racially, ethnically and linguistically diverse individuals; and

(5)   To prepare interns to assume positions of leadership in a wide variety of settings, including hospitals, residential treatment centers, community mental health centers, public and private school systems, and colleges and universities.

Core Competencies

Interns are expected to demonstrate competencies in the following domains:

Assessment

• Demonstrates ability to administer, score and interpret a cognitive measure
• Demonstrates ability to administer, score, and interpret a social/emotional measure
• Demonstrates ability to conduct and interpret a functional behavioral assessment
• Demonstrates ability to administer, score and interpret a behavior rating scale
• Demonstrates ability to administer, score and interpret a measure of achievement (including curriculum-based and standardized)
• Demonstrates effective parent and child interviewing skills
• Effectively integrates data from assessment into a cohesive report
• Demonstrates ability to generate recommendations in a report based on assessment
• Effectively communicates findings to families and interdisciplinary team members
• Effectively conceptualizes a diagnostic formulation
• Demonstrates sensitivity to multicultural factors in assessment

Intervention

• Demonstrates familiarity with evidence-based practices
• Demonstrates ability to incorporate evidence-based practices in intervention
• Demonstrates ability to establish rapport with individual client
• Demonstrates an understanding of therapeutic process for individual clients, client groups and families
• Demonstrates the ability to develop measurable goals for individual clients, clients groups and families
• Demonstrates ability plan for therapeutic sessions with individual clients, client groups and families
• Effectively monitors treatment progress for individual clients, client groups and families
• Demonstrates ability to effectively terminate intervention for individual clients, client groups and famlies
• Demonstrates ability to effectively intervene in client crises
• Demonstrates ability to write progress notes, progress summaries and discharge/termination summaries

Consultation/ Behavioral Intervention

• Demonstrates ability to work effectively with staff of different disciplines
• Demonstrates ability to work effectively with representatives of outside agencies
• Demonstrates ability to conduct problem identification interview
• Demonstrates ability to formulate plan based on problem identification interview and other assessment
• Utilizes a collaborative orientation to plan development
• Demonstrates ability to create contextually pragmatic plan with clear procedures
•  Demonstrates ability to train staff to implement plan
• Shows understanding and sensitivity to consultee skill and ability in plan implementation
• Effectively monitors the integrity of plan implementation
• Effectively monitors the integrity of collected data
• Demonstrates ability to utilize data-based decision-making

Clinical Case Management

• Demonstrates ability to plan team meetings
• Demonstrates ability to facilitate team meetings
• Demonstrates ability to establish and maintain relationships with involved parties
• Demonstratesability to conduct discharge planning

Applied Research

• Demonstrates ability to conceptualize and design research
• Demonstrates ability to implement research
• Demonstrates ability to interpret findings from research
• Demonstrates ability to present research findings
• Demonstrates ability to communicate research findings in writing

Cultural Diversity and Competence

• Demonstrates ability to assess cultural issues of both individual client and family
• Demonstrates understanding of cultural issues of both client and family
• Demonstrates ability to incorporate issues of diversity into treatment and intervention

Professional Skills and Development

• Comes prepared to participate in supervision
• Demonstrates openness to learning and supervision
• Demonstrates ability to seek out supervisory input when appropriate
• Demonstrates ability to implement supervisory input
• Demonstrates understanding of need to develop “self-sufficiency”
• Effectively utilizes supervisory sessions to generate alternative hypotheses
• Demonstrates dependability in meeting goals
• Demonstrates promptness in meeting deadlines
• Utilizes time wisely
• Demonstrates adherence to ethical standards
• Demonstrates good judgment and decision-making ability
• Demonstrates knowledge of standards and regulations related to the profession

Candidate Qualifications

Preference is given to candidates from APA-accredited university training programs in professional psychology, including clinical, school, counseling, and combined scientific. Since Devereux is a clinical treatment setting, all candidates must have comprehensive training and at least 500 hours of supervised practicum experience in the applied practice of professional psychology. Intern candidates must have completed their comprehensive or qualifying examinations prior to the start of the internship.

Non-Discrimination Policy

Devereux is an equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of the Devereux Foundation to admit and treat all patients, hire staff and appoint interns without regard to race, religion, creed, color, sex, marital status, citizenship status, veteran status, disability, communication ability, sexual orientation, age, national origin or ancestry.

Completion Requirements

The following are the criteria for successful completion of the internship at Devereux:

• Demonstrated proficiency of an “entry-level professional” in the major functional roles of a professional psychologist. Proficiency is evaluated by observations of the Supervisor and the Director of Training through quarterly evaluations measuring the attainment of core competencies;
• Successful completion and presentation of a clinical outcome or research study;
• Successful presentation of clinical case to the training faculty and fellow interns;
• Attendance and participation in all seminar series;
• Completion of at least 2,000 hours of supervised training.