Intern
Director
Lori
Waxenberg, Ph.D. - Intern Associate Director: Eileen B. Fennell, Ph.D., ABPP
For help call or email Nettie P. Van Wyen at 352-273-6155 nettiepa@phhp.ufl.edu
Program Information
Internship
Application Deadline:
November 1, 2009
OVERVIEW
The Department of Clinical and Health Psychology
offers internship training in clinical psychology to students who are pursuing
a doctoral degree in clinical or counseling psychology from programs accredited
by the American Psychological Association (APA, Office of Program Consultation
and Accreditation,
"The scientist-practitioner model of education and training in psychology is an integrative approach to science and practice wherein each must continually inform the other. This model represents more than a summation of both parts. Scientist- practitioner psychologists embody a research orientation in their practice and a practice relevance in their research. Thus, a scientist-practitioner is not defined by a job title or a role, but rather by an integrated approach to both science and practice. This model entails development of interlocking skills to foster a career-long process of psychological investigation, assessment and intervention (p. 7)."
Accordingly, our Departmental Mission Statement directs us to "educate tomorrow's leaders in psychology in the scientist-practitioner tradition, advance psychological service, and improve the health and quality of life of all people through excellence in research, education, and health service delivery."
Our Department is the recipient of the "2001 Department of the Year Award" from the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS). Consideration of our Department for this award was based upon a letter of nomination submitted and signed by our students, interns, and postdoctoral fellows attesting to the positive atmosphere in which training occurs in our Department. Top
INTERNSHIP
SETTING
The Department of Clinical and Health Psychology
is a unit of the
The College of Public Health and Health
Professions is one of six colleges (including Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing,
Pharmacy, and Veterinary Medicine), which along with Shands Hospital and
Clinics comprise the University of Florida Health Science Center--the most
comprehensive academic health science center in the southeastern United States.
The UF Health Science Center is dedicated to high-quality programs of
education, research, and clinical care. Patient care services at the UF Health
Science Center are provided through
ADMINISTRATIVE
STRUCTURE
The Psychology Internship Program is one of two
APA-approved training programs within the Department of Clinical and Health
Psychology. In addition to the internship program, the Department also has a
doctoral training program in clinical psychology. The Department receives funding
from the State of
The administrative structure of the Psychology Internship Program is unique among those situated in academic health science centers. Our program resides in an independent Department of Clinical and Health Psychology rather than in a Department of Psychiatry, the more common location of psychology internship programs in academic health sciences centers. The Chairman of the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology is Russell Bauer, Ph.D., ABPP.
Responsibility for the training of interns is
shared by 29 faculty members who serve as clinical training supervisors and by
a number of other faculty who contribute to the program through educational and
didactic offerings. Virtually all of our faculty participate in the clinical,
research, and educational mission of the Department, and thus reflect and model
the scientist-practitioner tradition on a day-to-day basis. Major decisions
regarding the internship, including overall evaluations of program performance
and intern progress, are made collectively by the faculty. The Director of the
Psychology Internship Program is Lori Waxenberg, Ph.D.Top
REQUIRED TIME COMMITMENT
The Psychology Internship Program requires one
year of full-time training. The Internship Program begins on July 1st and ends
on June 30th of the following year. We do not have part-time interns. To be
considered for admission, candidates must be graduate students in good standing
in an APA-approved program in clinical or counseling psychology. They must have
completed their masters' degree or equivalent as well as their qualifying
doctoral examination or equivalent. Candidates must be certified as ready for
internship training by the Director of Training of their doctoral programs.
Applications must be submitted by November
1st and must include a curriculum vitae, the APPIC
internship application- Parts 1 and 2, three letters of recommendation,
graduate transcripts and a clinical work sample. Top
TRAINING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
We seek to prepare the intern through supervised clinical training and didactics to function as an entry-level professional psychologist, to practice competently in applied areas of psychological assessment, consultation, and intervention, and to develop attitudes for ongoing professional development within a context of an evolving body of scientific and clinical knowledge, with an understanding and appreciation of ethical, legal, and human diversity considerations in the practice of clinical psychology. The internship program consists of supervised clinical training experiences that are sequential, cumulative, and graded in complexity. We take a "developmental perspective" on the accumulation of knowledge and skills during this critical training period when the intern makes the transition from the role of student to that of colleague. Each clinical supervisor is expected to contribute to the intern's progression from relative dependence to increased autonomy and responsibility in the provision of clinical services.
Graduates of the Internship Program are expected to demonstrate specific competencies required for entry-level practice of psychology in a variety of settings. Graduates are expected to be knowledgeable consumers of psychological research results, and to have the ability and inclination to incorporate advances in knowledge into their own practice. They are expected to be skilled in the delivery of a broad variety of assessment intervention procedures. Graduates are expected to be cognizant of major sources of individual and group variation and to understand how such diversity affects psychological processes, clinical presentation, and responsiveness to intervention. Graduates are also expected to deliver professional services and to conduct research in a manner that shows dedication to applicable ethical, professional practice, and legal standards.
At the completion of training, interns are expected to demonstrate the ability to function as psychologists with entry-level knowledge and skills with respect to six substantive domains: (1) psychological assessment, (2) psychological consultation, (3) psychotherapeutic intervention, (4) professional standards, ethics, and law, (5) cultural and individual diversity, and (6) research and scholarly inquiry. [A comprehensive description of the Internship Program's Goals and Objectives and their relation to competencies, training activities, and outcomes is presented in the section labeled GOALS, ACTIVITIES, AND OUTCOMES.] The goal and objectives in each of these areas form the basis for our individualized training plans and our assessments of intern progress throughout the course of the internship year.
By the conclusion of the internship year, all
interns are expected to demonstrate entry-level knowledge and competence with
respect to one area of focus within clinical psychology (i.e., clinical
child/pediatric psychology, medical/health psychology, or clinical
neuropsychology) and intermediate knowledge and skills with respect to each of
the other areas of their clinical training. (Entry-level knowledge and
competence is defined as ability to function competently as a professional
psychologist with minimal supervision until achieving licensure as a
psychologist.) Top
GENERAL AND FOCUSED TRAINING
The Internship Program combines intensive focused training together with general training in the practice of clinical psychology in a health care setting. Focused training occurs in one of three Divisions: (1) clinical child/pediatric psychology; (2) medical/health psychology; or (3) clinical neuropsychology. Focused track training allows the intern to work intensively on a major area of professional interest and development. Interns train year round in their area of concentration, rotating through a variety of assessment clinics. First and fourth quarter training is full time in area of concentration; second and third quarter is half time in non focus areas and half time in area of concentration. Thus, focused training accounts for about 75% of the intern's time and general training accounts for the remaining 25%. This provides opportunities to accomplish both breadth and depth of training. A brief description of the types of training experiences and clinical problems encountered in each of the tracks is summarized below.
The Clinical-Child/Pediatric Psychology Division provides training experiences in the assessment and treatment of children and their families. Psychological evaluations typically include intellectual and learning disability assessments and assessments for behavioral and adjustment problems. Interns gain pediatric psychology experience through consultation with the pediatric inpatient and outpatient units on problems such as adjustment to illness, adherence to medical regimens, pain management, and grief and bereavement issues. Interns maintain an ongoing caseload of child treatment cases that are obtained through the Psychology Clinic or through Child Psychiatry's outpatient or inpatient services. Therapy experiences typically include individual and family therapy and parent training in child behavior management. The faculty in this track include: Stephen Boggs, Ph.D., Sheila Eyberg, Ph.D., ABPP, Gary Geffken, Ph.D., David Janicke, Ph.D., and James Johnson, Ph.D.
The Medical/Health Psychology Division provides intensive training in medical and clinical health psychology. Through supervised involvement in inpatient and outpatient treatment, assessment, and consultation, interns have the opportunity to assess and treat patients with a variety of problems and disabilities (e.g., heart disease, cancer, diabetes, chronic and acute pain, morbid obesity, and eating disorders, etc.). Inpatient experiences typically involve consultation/liaison activities and entail the coordination of psychological services with medical interventions. Interns also receive training in the evaluation and treatment of patients (as well as their families) who are undergoing organ transplantation (i.e., heart, lung, liver, kidney, or bone marrow). The faculty in this track include: Stephen Anton, Ph.D., Glenn Ashkanazi, Ph.D., Patricia Durning, Ph.D., Robert Guenther, Ph.D., ABPP, Thomas Kerkhoff, Ph.D., ABPP, Christina McCrae, Ph.D., Deidre Pereira, Ph.D., Michael Perri, Ph.D., ABPP, Michael Robinson, Ph.D., Ronald Rozensky, Ph.D., ABPP, and Lori Waxenberg, Ph.D.
The Clinical Neuropsychology Division provides training in the theory and practice of clinical neuropsychology. Interns rotate through a variety of experiences to ensure that they receive exposure to the range of patient problems, assessment techniques, and referral questions in the field of neuropsychology. Patients are seen for a variety of diagnostic issues such as dementia, epilepsy, movement disorders, traumatic brain injuries, post-operative cognitive change, vascular disorders, and adult learning disabilities. Interns seeking greater experience in the neuropsychological assessment of children may select cases from pediatric neurology, oncology, and neurosurgery referrals and from the large number of learning disabilities assessments conducted in the Clinic. The faculty in this track include: Russell Bauer, Ph.D., ABPP, Dawn Bowers, Ph.D., Duane Dede, Ph.D., Eileen Fennell, Ph.D., ABPP, Shelley Heaton, Ph.D., and Catherine Price, Ph.D. Additional activities may be arranged with other members of the area including Tim Conway, Ph.D., Bruce Crosson, Ph.D., ABPP, Michael Marsiske, Ph.D., and William Perlstein, Ph.D. Because neuropsychology interns rotate through adult and child services, applicants should have prior clinical experience in the intellectual and cognitive assessment of both adults and children. Additional information about the Neuropsychology Division can be found on the following website: www.phhp.ufl.edu/neuropsy.
Interns from all tracks may also participate in intervention programs through the Anxiety Disorders Clinic.
The Anxiety Disorders Clinic provides interns with training in the integrated approach to the behavioral assessment and treatment of anxiety and fear. Patients seen in this clinic include those with panic disorder with agoraphobia, social phobia, simple phobia, generalized anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Faculty associated with this clinic include: Margaret Bradley, Ph.D., Peter Lang, Ph.D., Marie-Claude Laplante, Ph.D., and Cyd Strauss, Ph.D.Top
ORGANIZATION OF INTERN
TRAINING
Each quarter, an intern is assigned to one of the
three Divisions (clinical-child/pediatric psychology, medical/health
psychology, or clinical neuropsychology) to conduct assessments/consultations
conjointly with or under the supervision of faculty within that Division.
Assessments and consultations include outpatients referred to the Psychology
Clinic and inpatients within
Training in psychological interventions and psychotherapy is generally conducted when the intern is not engaged in assessment/consultation training during the week. Each intern is expected to carry a range of treatment cases with respect to presenting problem diagnosis, age, sex, and socio-cultural diversity. Interns normally maintain a caseload of 5 to 10 cases per week, and they typically receive 1/2 hour of individual supervision per one hour of therapy. Psychotherapy supervision is not subject to the quarterly rotation system that is used for assessment/consultation assignment. Interns continue with a therapy supervisor from the start of a case through to its conclusion. It is expected that over the course of the internship year that interns will accumulate 200 or more hours of contact with patients in psychotherapeutic interventions. Interns average approximately 6 hours per week of supervision including a minimum of 3 hours per week of individual supervision.
Didactic training and an opportunity for research
involvement are also integral parts of the training program. Didactic training
has both general and specialized components. All interns are expected to
attend: (a) the weekly Clinic Team Meetings (which are devoted to discussion of
clinical cases and the assignment of new treatment cases); (b) the weekly
Departmental Teaching Conference series; and (c) the weekly Intern Training
Seminar (which is devoted to presentations and discussions related to ethics,
professional practice, career development, and the integration of empirical and
clinical knowledge). All interns also attend one or more focused track
meetings, which are devoted to clinical and research issues specific to the
identified area of psychology. In addition, interns collaborate with
departmental faculty in research either by participating in an ongoing
investigation or by initiating a new project with a faculty collaborator or
sponsor. Research involvement during the workweek is generally limited to 10%
time. Collectively, 10% to 20% of the interns' time each week is devoted to
didactic and participatory experiences designed to demonstrate of the
integration of science and practice in clinical psychology. Top
INTERNSHIP ORIENTATION
During the first two days of the internship year,
a series of presentations is used to provide all interns with a basic
orientation to the program and preparation for much of the clinical training
they will undergo during the year. Interns receive guidance in the
implementation of our clinic operating procedures, as well as division-specific
presentations about the rotations that are planned. All didactic components are
supplemented with key readings to assist interns in basic preparation for the
clinical training experiences that they will encounter during the internship
year. Top
INDIVIDUALIZED TRAINING PLAN
The specific course of training is tailored individually
to each intern's particular training needs. Early in the internship year, the
Training Director meets with each intern to review the intern's prior practicum
training experiences and self-assessment of professional training needs. The
outcome of this review is a written product which delineates a training plan
across the following five categories: (1) assessment and consultation skills
(e.g., interviewing, testing, independent case conceptualization, report
writing, feedback to referral sources, etc.); (2) intervention skills (e.g.,
individual, marital/couples, family, or group psychotherapy, etc.); (3)
populations (e.g., children, adolescents, adults, elderly, medical surgical,
pediatric, psychiatric, neurological patients, etc.); (4) theoretical
orientations (e.g., behavioral, cognitive, systems, interpersonal, dynamic,
eclectic, etc.); and (5) other skills (e.g., supervisory experience, research
involvement, etc.). These identified training targets serve as the guide that
is used in determining the intern's clinical training assignments within each
Division. The individualized training plan is reviewed quarterly and is updated
based on the intern's progress and input from the written and oral feedback
from the intern's training supervisors. Top
SUPERVISION METHODS
The intern's experience of direct provision of clinical services occurs in conjunction with regular, ongoing (individual and/or group) supervision by a faculty member. It is generally preceded by opportunities for observational learning and guided participation by the faculty member. In addition, the clinical and supervisory experiences are supplemented with yearlong didactic experiences that address theories and methods of assessment/diagnosis and consultation, psychological interventions and their efficacy (including empirically supported treatment), ethics and professional behavior, and issues of cultural and individual diversity.
Modeling and guided participation typify the
primary teaching methods used at the onset of each quarterly
assessment/consultation rotation. Each faculty supervisor reviews the intern's
prior training related to the primary focus area of the rotation so as to gauge
the level and type of supervisory guidance required to meet the intern's
training needs. At the outset of the rotation, the faculty typically will model
the clinical skills that the intern is expected to learn or hone during the
course of the rotation. The faculty may also assign supplementary readings to
assist in preparation for training. Through guided participation, the faculty
member will allow the intern to assume greater degrees of clinical
responsibility with appropriate feedback about the intern's performance. By the
conclusion of the rotation, it is generally expected that the intern will be
able to demonstrate a substantial increase in the ability to carry out the
assessment/consultation skills that comprised the primary focus of training for
that rotation. In many but not all cases, it is expected that the intern's
performance of the assessment/consultation skills will be at or near the level
judged by the faculty supervisor to represent competent entry-level
professional practice. An example of an exception to this rule would be the
case of an intern completing a first rotation in neuropsychological assessment.
Top
TRAINING
SUPERVISORS
At the present time, 24 faculty member in our
Department serve as "training supervisors" in the Internship Program
(Drs. Ashkanazi, Bauer, Boggs, Bowers, Crosson, Dede, Durning, Eyberg, Fennell,
Geffken, Guenther, Gylys, Heaton, Janicke, Johnson, Kerkhoff, McCrae, Pereira,
Perlstein, Perri, Robinson, Rozensky, Waxenberg, and Wiens). These faculty
members have direct supervisory contact with the interns and are actively
involved in the planning and implementation of the internship program. There
are also three additional faculty members in our Department who do not have
supervisory contact with the interns but who provide training experiences such
as didactic presentations and the opportunity for participation in their
clinical research programs (Drs. Bradley, Lang, & Marsiske). The training
supervisors have primary responsibility for professional services delivered
through the Psychology Clinic, the primary training site for our Internship
Program. All training supervisors are doctoral-level clinical or counseling
psychologists, and all are currently licensed as psychologists in the State of
Our faculty includes a distinguished group of scientist-practitioner psychologists. Seven of the faculty are Fellows of the American Psychological Association (Drs. Bauer, Crosson, Eyberg, Fennell, Lang, Perri, and Rozensky), and nine are Diplomates of the American Board of Professional Psychology (Drs. Bauer, Belar, Crosson, Eyberg, Fennell, Guenther, Kerkhoff, Perri, & Rozensky). Dr. Fennell has been past president of APA Division 40-Neuropsychology.
At the same time that they are serving as clinical supervisors, the majority of our faculty are also conducting empirical research on issues of clinical significance. At the current time, most of our faculty members are serving as the Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on federally funded research grants. In addition, nine of our faculty are currently editors or editorial board members of scientific and professional journals in psychology (Drs. Bauer, Boggs, Crosson, Eyberg, Fennell, Janicke, Lang, Perri, and Rozensky).
All training supervisors have 12-month
appointments and play an active role in the planning, implementation and
evaluation of the Internship Program. The faculty are well suited to serve not
only as clinical supervisors but also as professional role models whose
clinical and scientific contributions are consistent with the training
philosophy and objectives of the Internship Program. Moreover, given our
considerable research expertise, the faculty are in an especially favorable
position to review with interns the relative scientific and empirical bases for
the professional services typically delivered through the Psychology Clinic. Top
EXPECTED PROFICIENCIES
The essential clinical psychology skills in which all interns are expected to demonstrate competence include the following: (a) psychological assessment including clinical interviewing (i.e., the development of an appropriate interpersonal contact that permits the gathering of information relevant to biobehavioral and psychosocial factors that cause or maintain the patient's presenting problem or symptomatology) and the selection, use, and interpretation of standardized psychological tests and measures relevant to forming a diagnosis, conceptualization, or treatment plan for the presenting problem; (b) consultation and communication with other professionals regarding the contribution of psychological factors to the presenting problem or diagnosis and the availability of appropriate psychological intervention alternatives; (c) case conceptualization and report writing (i.e., the integration of interview data, test findings, and collateral sources of information into a coherent framework that allows for the communication of an accurate diagnosis and the development of an appropriate treatment plan); (d) psychotherapeutic intervention (i.e., the development and implementation of an appropriate treatment derived from a data-based case conceptualization and an awareness of the relevant empirical literature regarding the efficacy of various treatments for the presenting problem or diagnosis); (e) awareness of issues of professional ethics, legal issues, and individual and cultural diversity as they affect the practice of psychology; and (f) knowledge of the methods and contributions of research and scholarly inquiry as applied to the practice of psychology.
Competence in the essential professional skills
at an "advanced" level (appropriate to a entry-level position) within
the designated track is required for successful completion of the internship
program. Competence at the "intermediate" to "advanced" level
is required for skills outside the intern's designated area of focus.
Systematic training in the targeted professional competencies is assured
through the following activities: (1) the direct provision of clinical services
that all interns accrue on their assessment/consultation rotations and
psychotherapy/supervision activities; (2) the extensive ongoing individual and
group supervision that averages more than six hours per week for each intern;
(3) the four hours per week of involvement in research; and (4) the more than
150 hours per year of didactic training that addresses theories and methods of
assessment/diagnosis and consultation, psychological interventions and their
efficacy, strategies of scholarly inquiry, ethics and professional behavior,
and issues of cultural and individual diversity. Top
ASSESSMENT OF INTERN'S
PROGRESS
Intern knowledge and competence are assessed on an ongoing basis through a variety of methods, including live observations of intern-patient interviews and testing, reviews of video- or audio-taped therapy sessions, detailed reviews of the intern's written assessment reports and treatment progress notes, observations of required intern presentations of case formulations and treatment planning, as well as formal and informal feedback from referral sources. Feedback to interns about their progress in achieving competence in professional skills is accomplished through several means. First, each supervisor provides interns with verbal feedback about performance during the course of assessment/consultation rotations or therapy cases. Second, all supervisors complete detailed, written, scaled evaluations of the performance of each intern supervised during the quarter. Third, the Divisions review and discuss the progress of each intern, on a quarterly basis, and makes individualized recommendations for training experiences for the following quarter. These progress reports and recommendations are reviewed by the Internship Director. Fourth, the Internship Director meets individually with each intern to review the formal feedback from the faculty evaluations, to assist the intern in conducting a self-assessment of progress, and to integrate the evaluative information into the training plan for the remainder of the internship year.
We expect that interns generally start the year of training with "beginning" to "intermediate" levels of knowledge and skill (i.e., that they require a relatively high degree of faculty input into the planning and provision of clinical services). As the training year progresses, we expect that intern progress will be such that their levels of knowledge and skills will progress to the "intermediate" and eventually "advanced" (i.e., "entry") level. The "advanced" or "entry" level is defined as knowledge and abilities required for the competent performance of professional psychology skills with minimal supervision. At the conclusion of the internship year, all interns are expected to demonstrate "advanced" skills with regard to knowledge and abilities in their designated area of focus. At the conclusion of the internship year, each intern is also expected to demonstrate "intermediate" to "advanced" proficiency with regard to competencies outside their designated area of focus.
Competence in the understanding and application
of ethical principles is stressed throughout the internship year. Interns are
exposed early and often to the wide array of ethical issues that arise in
clinical practice. Discussion of ethical issues is an important feature of
didactic training and individual and group supervision and often arise in the
Friday morning clinical case discussions. In didactic meetings, interns are
required to demonstrate an ability to apply the APA Ethical Principles and Code
of Conduct in a clinical context. Application of these principles is fostered
through group discussions (during the intern didactic seminar series) of the
possible courses of actions to be taken in specific case scenarios. Knowledge
and sensitivity to issues of individual and cultural diversity in psychological
practice is ensured through a variety of means. Interns are prompted by the
faculty to discuss these issues as they relate psychological assessment and
treatment in individual and group supervision. A series of didactic and
experiential presentations is devoted specifically to key issues of cultural
and individual diversity. Top
FEEDBACK REGARDING PROGRESS
At mid-year (or sooner if warranted by the presence of a significant issue) and at year-end, the Internship Director writes a letter to the Director of Clinical Training of each intern's doctoral program. This letter summarizes the intern's progress. Each intern is asked to read this letter and to sign it prior to mailing. The intern is encouraged to indicate points of agreement or disagreement either in the letter itself or in a separate correspondence to his or her Director of Clinical Training.
Minor deficiencies in intern preparation or performance are generally remediated through the course of normal interaction with the intern's supervisor(s). The remediation may consist of didactic supervisory instruction, modeling of techniques by the supervisor, and/or readings in the appropriate literature. When the deficiency is in the domain of experience, the intern may be assigned additional relevant cases to provide the needed exposure. Minor deficiencies in experience, training, or performance are communicated to the Director of Clinical Training from the intern's home program in the context of the mid-year evaluation letter. Since interns undergo ongoing informal evaluation and receive formal quarterly evaluations from faculty, major deficiencies are generally detected early, usually the during first quarter of training.
When a major deficiency is detected, three steps
are taken. First, the intern is placed on "probationary status" to
communicate clearly that significant improvement in performance is needed for
successful completion of the internship and that failure to remediate the
deficiency could result in dismissal from the internship program. Second, a
remediation plan is developed by the faculty and the Internship Director to
ameliorate the noted deficiency. Such plans typically involve increased
supervisory contacts (for both training and evaluation) along with intensive
variations of the remediation methods used to deal with minor deficiencies. The
remediation plan specifies the required changes in performance along with a
timetable for re-evaluation of progress. Third, the Director of Clinical
Training at the intern's home program is notified by the Internship Director
first by telephone and then in a written correspondence with a copy provided to
the intern. The input of the Director of Clinical Training is sought in the
remediation plan, and he or she is kept abreast of the intern's progress
through follow-up contacts both by telephone and by mail. If the deficiency is
remediated, probationary status is lifted. If the intern fails to remediate the
deficiency, the faculty carefully reviews evaluations from the intern's
supervisors as well as the intern's self-evaluation of progress. The faculty
then decides whether sufficient progress has been made to warrant continuation
of the probationary status, with the expectation that the deficiency will be
remediated, or whether dismissal from the program is warranted by the intern's
failure to demonstrate progress. Over the past ten years, major deficiencies in
performance have been noted in 2 of our 99 interns (2%). In one instance, the
deficiency in performance was satisfactorily remediated; in the other instance,
the intern voluntarily withdrew from the program. Top
CULTURAL AND INDIVIDUAL
DIVERSITY
The
RESPECT FOR INTERNS
Our Program is committed to treating interns with
courtesy and respect. Interns are viewed as junior colleagues, and the faculty
strives in all interactions to treat interns with dignity and with concern for
their welfare as trainees and as persons. Moreover, the faculty show respect
for cultural and individual diversity among interns. Interns are apprised of
the APA ethical standards regarding their treatment as students, and they are
informed of the various formal and informal means of assistance in event of
difficulties in this area (See Section on GRIEVANCES). Interns are
afforded the opportunity for personal counseling, and appropriate assistance to
attain such services are arranged on a confidential basis by the Internship
Director. Top
GRIEVANCES
A stepped-approach is used in the resolution of
disputes and grievances. These steps, which are specified in the University
of Florida Graduate Student Handbook are outlined in detail for interns
during the orientation period. Interns are encouraged to resolve problems
directly with the individual(s) involved if at all possible. Interns may seek
the advice and guidance of the Internship Director in resolving problems at
this level. If this procedure is not successful, the intern may ask the
Internship Director to intervene. In such a case, the Internship Director
collects all relevant information from the intern and other parties and
consults with other faculty and staff as is appropriate to the specific
situation. Subsequently, the Director brings the relevant individuals together
and presents a plan for resolution of the problem. The Director then follows up
with the intern and other relevant parties to determine whether a successful
resolution of the problem has been achieved. If the grievance is such that the
intern believes that the complaint cannot be brought to the Internship
Director, or if the intern wishes to appeal the Director's decision, the intern
may bring the problem to the Department Chair for resolution. Finally, if
appropriate redress of the problem cannot be achieved within the Department,
the intern may pursue a grievance or appeal procedure to the Dean of the
RESOURCES
The Internship Program is housed within the
University of Florida Health Science Center, which is comprised of six colleges
(Public Health and Health Professions, Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy,
and Veterinary Medicine)
The Department currently occupies approximately
23,000 square feet of space. The offices for seven of the interns are housed
contiguously with the Psychology Clinic area and the Department's research
laboratories and conference rooms. The offices of the three child psychology
interns are located nearby in the Department of Psychiatry. The seven interns
housed within our Department share two large and one medium sized rooms. The
three interns housed in the Psychiatry Department have small to medium sized
individual offices. Each intern is provided with an individual desk, storage
space, and a personal computer with Internet access. Through our college
network, each computer has a variety of software programs for word-processing
and statistical analyses, and each office is equipped with a printer. The
INTERN SALARY AND BENEFITS
The base salary for interns in the class of
2009-2010 will be $18,500 per annum. In addition, interns will also receive a
$1,000 allotment for the purchase of health insurance. This $1,000 is added to
the base salary and is paid bi-weekly. Interns may purchase a health plan
provided to students by the University or they may select a private policy of
their choice. Interns have 15 days per year of annual leave, which may be used
for vacation or professional activities, and 10 days per year of sick leave,
which may be use for personal illnesses or to care for family members who are
ill. In addition, there are nine paid holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther
King Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving
Day and the day after, and Christmas Day. Top
DECISIONS REGARDING
ADMISSIONS
Admissions to the Internship Program are made in
a two-step process. The Internship Admissions Committee, which is chaired by
the Internship Director and includes representative from each of the Divisions,
selects applicants to be invited for on-campus interviews; following the
interviews, the particular faculty members associated with each of the three
training Divisions (i.e., clinical child/pediatric psychology; medical/health
psychology; and clinical neuropsychology) decide on the rankings of candidates
to be submitted to the National Matching Services, Inc.
If you wish to apply for an appointment as a psychology intern, you should complete the AAPI Online which may be accessed at www.appic.org click on APPI Online. Please specify in your cover letter which track (Neuropsychology, Medical/Health or Child-Pediatric) you are applying for. Include three letters of recommendation from individuals who are knowledgeable about your clinical training. Please upload and attach to your electronic application a work sample of a psychological evaluation report that you personally have written. Be sure to protect the confidentiality of patients or clients and their families (i.e., compliant with all federal regulations regarding patient privacy).
All application materials must be submitted by November 1st to ensure consideration for selection. Personal interviews will be offered to those applicants who have passed an initial review conducted by training faculty. Telephone interviews may also be arranged in the event that the applicant cannot personally visit the program. Personal interviews are scheduled for three (3) Fridays in January prior to the selection date. For January 2010, the Friday interview days will be January 8th, January 15th and January 22nd. Although a personal interview is not required for admission, in nearly all cases it is beneficial and informative for both the Program and the applicant. For additional information, please contact Nettie P. Van Wyen, 352-273-6155 or via email: nettiepa@phhp.ufl.edu
The program abides by all APPIC regulations regarding Uniform
Notification. A copy of regulations currently in effect can be found on by clicking
on http://www.appic.org/. The Psychology
Internship Program is accredited by the American Psychological Association,