Doctoral Internship in Psychology
Training Program and Structure
The Doctoral Internship in Professional Psychology at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, an APA accredited program, is pleased to offer an outstanding training program in professional psychology within a state-of-the-art hospital setting. The program is designed as a full-time, 12-month doctoral internship beginning Aug. 12, 2024, and ending on Aug. 11, 2025, providing 2,000 hours of clinical training.
The internship has adopted a Scientist-Practitioner Model of education, interns are viewed as scholars, active consumers of research, and progressively, highly trained professional practitioners who apply knowledge and techniques in patient care. The internship program is a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) and participates in the APPIC match process. The internship program is accredited by the American Psychological Association.
Questions related to the program’s accreditation 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
Phone: 202-336-5979
Email: [email protected]
The Doctoral Internship in Professional Psychology is an intensive clinical training year wherein interns use this final phase of their formal doctoral training to develop broad and general professional competencies with an emphasis in pediatric/child populations. The program provides an integrated, individually-tailored, balanced and coordinated series of learning experiences.
The overall aim of the internship program is to prepare interns for entry level practice in health service psychology. This aim is accomplished by providing training in generalist clinical skills in psychology, diversity, collaborative skills for operating within an interprofessional and interdisciplinary team, and overall professional development as a psychologist.
Our internship provides education and training designed to promote intern development in the nine profession-wide competencies according to APA’s required Profession Wide Competencies for internship programs as listed in the Standards of Accreditation for Health Service Psychology. These competencies and the according elements are summarized below. Interns are expected to achieve the following competencies by the end of the internship year:
- 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 program is structured with required components to provide interns with therapeutic, assessment and consultation experience in clinical and pediatric psychology. Experiential training is provided through psychological/neuropsychological assessment and differential diagnosis, outpatient therapy, consultation-liaison services, neonatal follow-up, and hematology/oncology for children and adolescents with a wide variety of medical conditions.
Interns may also choose to select from additional training experiences, which include a variety of medical specialty teams within the hospital depending on interest and the feasibility of scheduling. As part of the training requirements, interns will participate in weekly didactics, and attend Grand Rounds. Research collaboration with a faculty member is possible, depending on mutual interests and feasibility of scheduling.
The training program is committed to the recruitment of culturally and ethnically diverse interns. Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital seeks to provide a workplace free of harassment and discrimination. It is the policy of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital to provide equal job opportunities to all people without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, mental or physical ability, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law. Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital maintains a written Affirmative Action Plan designed to ensure employment opportunities for qualified women and minorities. Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital takes claims of unlawful discrimination and harassment seriously, will respond promptly to complaints and will impose immediate and appropriate corrective action as necessary.
Learn more about our program
Training programs in the Center for Behavioral Health at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital are designed to provide clinical and research experiences necessary to support independent practice in pediatric and clinical child psychology and advanced training for a career within an academic medical or hospital setting. Opportunities for supervisory experiences exist for both assessment and intervention.
Eligibility
Applicants from APA- or CPA-accredited programs in clinical, school or counseling psychology with strong backgrounds in child clinical or pediatric psychology are preferred. A minimum of 600 hours (intervention plus assessment) is expected, as is the completion of all coursework requirements. Comprehensive exams must have been passed by the application deadline, and the dissertation proposal must be defended by the start of the internship. Immediately before the start of the internship year, a criminal and background check will be completed for each intern, as well as health screening. In order to start the internship, the results from the criminal and background check and health screening must meet Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital requirements for working with patients. Applicants who are not U.S. citizens must be eligible for and receive a U.S. visa for the internship year. The internship program abides by Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital policy as an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Drug testing is mandatory for all individuals selected to internships and fellowships at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. Marijuana is an illegal drug under federal law, and ACH prohibits the use of marijuana in any form as part of its commitment to a drug-free workplace. Therefore, please be advised that any positive test for marijuana, cannabis, or CBD will result in dismissal from the internship or fellowship program, regardless of any potentially extenuating circumstances, such as whether the student has a prescription for marijuana or a medical marijuana card.
Application Procedures
The Doctoral Internship in Professional Psychology at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital abides by all APPIC policies regarding application and notification procedures, including APPIC policy that no person in this training facility will solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information from any intern applicant. All applicants must complete the on-line APPIC Application for Psychology Internship.
The formal on-line application must be completed by Nov. 15 and should include:
APPIC Application for Psychology Internship (AAPI), available at the APPIC website.
- Cover letter
- Curriculum Vitae
- Three letters of recommendation. Note: All letters of recommendation must use the APPIC standardized reference form
- A de-identified, integrated report of a child or adolescent. Please delete all identifying information from the report and upload as supplemental materials.
- Official transcripts of all graduate coursework
The training faculty will review each application and indicate whether the applicant should be extended an invitation for an interview. We will notify any applicant no longer being considered as soon as possible. Applicants will be contacted no later than Dec. 15. Applicants are requested not to contact the training office regarding interviews before that date. We will make every effort to inform applicants of their status as early as possible.
Interviewing is a prerequisite for further consideration for the training program. During the virtual, remote or online interview, applicants (a) meet with faculty members in the program, (b) meet with current trainees in the program, and (c) tour the facility and observe the day-to-day activities in the hospital. After all applicants are interviewed, the faculty meet as a group to develop the rank order list. Applicants are ranked according to the faculty’s assessment of the candidate’s “fit” with the program.
This training program observes the guidelines regarding timing of internship and offers and acceptances adopted by the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers and the Councils of the University Director of Clinical and Counseling Programs. In applying to this internship facility, applicants also are agreeing to adhere to these guidelines.
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 before Uniform Notification Day.
Questions about the Doctoral Internship in Professional Psychology at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital may be directed to the Psychology Internship Director, Lauren Gardner, Ph.D., ABPP, at [email protected] or 727-767-7124.
Additional information about internship admissions, support, and initial placement data is available here.
Download and print our psychology internship handbook and brochure:
Psychology Internship Handbook
Psychology Internship Brochure