Predoctoral Psychology Externships
The Johns Hopkins Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation offers clinical and research externships for doctoral students enrolled in APA-accredited clinical or counseling psychology programs.
We will begin accepting externship applications for the 2025 - 2026 training year (training start date: September 1, 2025) on January 1, 2025 via our online portal. Please see below for Program Overview, Required and Preferred Qualifications and Instructions for How to Apply. Click on the specific externships below to learn more about each training opportunity.
Research Externships
Program Overview
- Number of positions: 2 - 3 inpatient, 1 outpatient, 1 research
- Program duration: nine months (September through May)
- Application deadline: February 3, 2025 11:59 p.m. E.S.T.
- Interviews: TBD
- Offer/Acceptance: Rolling/Early March
- Start date: September 1, 2025
- Format: part-time (two days/week)
Required Qualifications
- Enrolled and in good standing in a doctoral clinical or counseling psychology (Ph.D. or Psy.D.) from an APA-accredited program
- Trainees in psychology master’s degree programs will be considered for research externships on a case-by-case basis (clinical externs must be in doctoral programs)
- Successful completion of at least one supervised clinical practicum/externship conducting psychological assessment and/or intervention
- Successful completion of a criminal background check if offered a position
- If offered a position, proof of COVID-19 and flu vaccination in adherence with JHU/JHM vaccination policies
Preferred Qualifications
- Enrolled in year 3 or 4 of doctoral training at the time of application (year 4 or 5 at the time of externship training)
- Completion of foundational graduate coursework in psychological assessment and intervention
- Familiarity with empirically supported treatments and evidence-based practice
How to Apply
All application materials must be submitted through the online portal. Materials include:
- Statement of interest (no longer than 500 words, ~1 single-spaced page) that includes:
- A description of your relevant clinical and/or research experience
- How our externship position(s) would meet your current training and future career goals
- Curriculum vitae (CV)
- Two professional reference forms (submitted by your referees through the online portal)
More instructions will be provided through the online portal.
Contact Us
For general inquiries, email [email protected]. For program-specific questions, contact the program director below.
Program Director
Nicolette Carnahan, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Email: [email protected]
Clinical Externships
Inpatient Assessment and Intervention in a Rehabilitation Hospital
Location: The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
Weekly commitment: 2 days (~16 hours) with the flexibility to choose between Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Training focuses on assessment, treatment, and consultation regarding adult rehabilitation populations with a wide range of injuries, illnesses, disabilities and acute and chronic health conditions. The mission of the training program is to provide experiential education and training in the areas of rehabilitation psychology and neuropsychology, as well as exposure to didactic training in these areas, in order to develop skills that will prepare them for predoctoral internships and postdoctoral fellowships in the specialty areas of Rehabilitation Psychology and Neuropsychology.
Externs will provide direct assessment and treatment to rehabilitation inpatients and outpatients, working closely with rehabilitation teams, and will engage in consultation with other health care providers. Externs receive supervision from licensed psychology faculty and postdoctoral fellows. Externs are encouraged to attend weekly didactics and monthly seminars within the Division for Rehabilitation Psychology and Neuropsychology, and the Department of PM&R, to the extent that schedules allow.
Outpatient Neuropsychological Testing in a Rehabilitation Clinic
Location: The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Greenspring Station outpatient clinic and Johns Hopkins Howard County outpatient clinic
Weekly commitment: 2 days (~16 hours) with the flexibility to choose between Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Training focuses on conducting neuropsychological assessment of adult rehabilitation populations with a wide range of injuries, illnesses, disabilities and acute and chronic health conditions. The mission of the training program is to provide experiential education and training in the administration and scoring of a wide variety of neuropsychological assessments, as well as exposure to didactic training in this area, in order to develop skills that will prepare them for predoctoral internships and postdoctoral fellowships in the specialty area of Neuropsychology.
Externs will provide direct neuropsychological assessment of rehabilitation outpatients, including test administration and scoring. Externs receive supervision from licensed psychology faculty and postdoctoral fellows, and will be involved in case interpretation. Externs are encouraged to attend weekly didactics and monthly seminars within the Division for Rehabilitation Psychology and Neuropsychology, and the Department of PM&R, to the extent that schedules allow.
Research Externships
Multiple Chronic Conditions Research
Location: The Johns Hopkins Hospital and virtual
Weekly commitment: 1 - 2 days (~8 to 16 hours) with the flexibility to choose the days of the week that work best with the applicant’s schedule.
This research externship focuses on advancing knowledge and clinical practice related to multiple chronic conditions (MCC) in immigrant populations. The ideal candidate will have an interest in community-engaged research and implementation science and a commitment to improving health for diverse populations.
During this externship experience, the extern will be actively involved in the execution of research studies focused on multiple chronic conditions framed within a health equity context. This hands-on experience will include quantitative and qualitative data collection and data analysis, as well as conducting literature reviews to inform research projects and identify gaps in existing research. Opportunities to contribute to presentations and manuscripts are available for dedicated externs. The ideal candidate for this position is an advanced graduate student with prior research experience.