Clinical and Pediatric Psychology Doctoral Internship Detail

The Child Clinical and Pediatric Psychology Doctoral Internship Program at the University of Louisville School of Medicine is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). Specifically, the program is an accredited internship in clinical psychology that adheres to the APA's Guidelines and Principles for Accreditation of Programs in Professional Psychology. The program has been continuously accredited since 1987 and was last reviewed by the Commission on Accreditation (CoA) in 2016, at which time we received seven years full accreditation.  

Additional information is available from the CoA:

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242

(T) 202-336-5979 (F) 202-336-5978
http://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation
apaaccred@apa.org

Internship Admissions, Support and Initial Placement Data

Date Program Tables are updated: 09/19/2024

Program Disclosures

Does the program or institution require students, trainees and/or staff (faculty) to comply with specific policies or practices related to the institution's affiliation or purpose?  Such policies or practices may include, but are not limited to, admissions, hiring, retention policies and/or requirements for completion that express mission and values.  

Internship Program Admissions

Applicants who match with our program have a decided focus on child/adolescent/pediatric healthcare careers. Graduates are divided between those who go into academic-affiliated children’s medical center settings, independent healthcare settings and academic university departments of psychology.

Does the program require that applicants have received a minimum number of hours of the following at time of application?

• Total Direct Contact Intervention Hours (Yes):  400
• Total Direct Contact Assessment Hours (Yes):  150.  In addition, a minimum of 10 integrated child/adolescent psychological assessments (with full integrated reports) is recommended for candidate consideration. Preference is given to applicants whose clinical practica and experiences reflect a child/adolescent/pediatric healthcare emphasis.
• We understand that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the availability of practicum opportunities.  If you are interested in our internship but do not have the required hours above, we still encourage you to apply, as we review all applications received.

Financial and Other Benefit Support for Upcoming Training Year*

*Note. Programs are not required by the Commission on Accreditation to provide all benefits listed in this table

• Annual Stipend/Salary for Full-time Interns:  $35,000
• Annual Stipend/Salary for Half-time Interns:  N/A
• Program provides access to medical insurance for intern?  Yes
• Is medical insurance provided?  Yes
• Training contribution to medical insurance required? Yes
• Coverage of family member(s) available? Yes
• Coverage of legally married partner available? Yes
• Coverage of domestic partner available? Yes
• Hours of Annual Paid Personal Time Office (PTO and/or Vacation):  20 days
• Hours of Annual Paid Sick Leave:  Included in personal time off total listed above
• In the event of medical conditions and/or family needs that require extended leave, does the program allow reasonable unpaid leave to interns/residents in excess of personal time off and sick leave?  Yes
• Other Benefits:  Interns receive additional funds for CME, professional dues and books as well as up to 10 professional days of leave. Additional benefits include free parking, use of University of Louisville library services and access to fitness facilities on the HSC campus.

Initial Post-Internship Positions

Note: “PD” = Post-doctoral residency position; “EP” = Employed Position. Each individual represented in this table should be counted only one time. For former trainees working in more than one setting, select the setting that represents their primary position.

Requirements

Applicants for the internship must be from an American Psychological Association accredited or Canadian Psychological Association recognized program in clinical, counseling, or school psychology. They must have completed all academic requirements leading to a PhD or PsyD except for the dissertation and internship by the start of the training year on July 1. Applicants must have proposed their dissertations and are strongly encouraged to complete or be near completion of their dissertation before beginning the internship year. The intern's areas of specialized study must be in clinical psychology or directly related to clinical psychological work. Because this internship has an emphasis in child clinical and pediatric psychology, applicants who show promise of a career focus in these areas will be given priority. Evidence of prior experience in and commitment to child clinical or pediatric psychology will be weighed heavily in evaluating applicant credentials.

Important Notes for Applicants

The University of Louisville is required by federal and state law to perform a pre-employment background check on all new residents and fellows entering its Graduate Medical Education Programs
While guidance is continually updated as necessary, at this time, the University of Louisville and Norton Healthcare do require the flu vaccination as part of the vaccination panel for employees and affiliates.  Other vaccination requirements may be applicable at the time of employment.

Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the psychology training faculty recognize that there will be a need to be flexible during the training year (e.g., through the use of telehealth or teleconference methods).  Currently, all faculty and trainees are on-site daily, with appropriate precautions in place.  The faculty's goal is to ensure that competencies are met for each intern, per APPIC guidance.  The faculty will follow appropriate guidance (e.g., CDC, state of Kentucky, APPIC, Norton Healthcare, University of Louisville School of Medicine) to ensure that safety recommendations are prioritized.

Application & Interviews

Applicants must fully complete the APPIC Application for Psychology Internship (AAPI) online by the November 3, 2024 deadline to be considered for the program. The AAPI can be found at http://www.appic.org. Three letters of recommendation should be included with the application. No other supplemental files are required.
After a review of these application materials by the psychology faculty, selected applicants will be invited for one of two virtual interview dates (Monday, January 6, 2025 or Friday, January 10, 2025). Offers will be made according to the APPIC 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.

As part of our virtual interview days, we will ask permission to take a group screenshot of applicants on each interview day. These photos are used to assist interviewers with their recall of applicants after the completion of the interview process. Interviewees may opt out without penalty.

If an applicant needs accommodations due to a disability on the date of the interview, we will do our best to accommodate such requests. Please inform the Training Director of any requests as soon as possible to allow for accommodations requests to be implemented. 

The internship begins July 1 and ends June 30 of each calendar year.
We strongly encourage students from non-majority groups to apply and are careful not to discriminate in our review process based on sociocultural  background, gender, age, or sexual identity.  This is in keeping with the University of Louisville's commitment to nondiscrimination.
UofL Nondiscrimination Statements

Our organization is committed to creating equitable and inclusive campus environments that accelerate the success of the full range of our students and employees.  We believe that employees who feel valued and respected will create policies, programs, practices and services to effectively meet the needs and exceed the expectations of the increasingly diverse student population we serve and hope to serve.

We encourage candidates to apply who have demonstrated capacity to create inclusive work environments, work effectively on increasingly diverse teams and serve the increasingly diverse students we serve and want to attract.
We are committed to hiring and attracting a diverse, culturally competent faculty/staff/leadership at all levels of the organization who not only reflect the demographics of our students but also continue to deepen their skills and competencies to serve the full range of our students.

Please be aware that all potential UofL employees are subject to a background check process that obtains data from the National/Local Sex Offenders Registry, State Criminal and Other Offenses (for each place of residence), National Criminal Database, SanctionsBase and Education History.  Findings are reviewed by Human Resources on a case by case basis to determine employment eligibility. 

The overarching aim of the Child Clinical and Pediatric Psychology Doctoral Internship Program at the University of Louisville School of Medicine is to prepare psychology interns for entry into professional practice in clinical child and pediatric psychology.  The program adheres to the Standards of Accreditation (SoA) for Health Service Psychology, including required profession-wide competencies as well as program-specific competencies that are further reviewed below. 

 Required Profession-Wide Competencies

Certain competencies are required for all interns who graduate from programs accredited in health service psychology. Programs must provide opportunities for all of their interns to achieve and demonstrate that each required profession-wide competency has been met. The role of the internship is to build upon a trainee’s competencies in all of the competency areas. Because science is at the core of health service psychology, programs must demonstrate that they rely on the current evidence base when training and assessing interns in the competency areas. Interns must demonstrate competence in the following:

• Research
• Ethical and legal standards
• Individual and cultural diversity
• Professional values, attitudes and behaviors
• Communication and interpersonal skills
• Assessment
• Intervention
• Supervision
• Consultation and intraprofessional/interdisciplinary skills

By the end of the training year, interns are expected to achieve a minimal competency of High Intermediate (4/5), for all profession-wide competencies.  High Intermediate is defined on the program rotation competency evaluation form as “skills and functioning in this area are strong. Able to use this skill effectively with minimal to no supervision in typical situations. Performs at the level necessary to enter the practice of psychology and/or continue to more specialized post-doctoral fellowship training.”

Program-Specific Competencies

While internship programs accredited in health service psychology must encompass profession-wide competencies required of all programs, they may also elect to demonstrate program-specific competencies. The program must specify if its intended training outcomes will place special emphasis on the development of any competencies in addition to those expected for all psychology interns or to a greater degree of achievement than might be expected for all psychology interns.  Additional competencies, if any, must be current and consistent with the definition of health service psychology, ethics of the profession and aims of the program.

The Child Clinical and Pediatric Psychology Doctoral Internship Program at the University of Louisville School of Medicine has one key program-specific competency - Child Clinical/Pediatric Psychology Practice and Training. This competency is demonstrated through year-long clinical and didactic opportunities that are unique to an internship that aims to prepare psychology interns for entry into professional practice in clinical child and pediatric psychology.  The following competency evaluation items reflect how the program defines this program-specific competency:

• Demonstrates the flexibility/adaptability often required for interdisciplinary practice in a medical setting
• Demonstrates knowledge and application of consent, assent and confidentiality issues as they apply to work with children, adolescents and families and in communication with other professionals
• Demonstrates effective case management, discharge planning and successful termination for clinical care of children, adolescents and families, including communication of treatment plans to other relevant professionals
• Displays a basic understanding of the key issues and terminology relevant to the medical specialty, C/L, or inpatient psychiatry setting
• Demonstrates an understanding of the workings of the medical specialty, C/L, or inpatient psychiatry setting, including levels of organization and function and the roles of psychologists in these settings
• Understands the impact of chronic illness, traumatic injury and medical/psychiatric hospitalization on pediatric patients and their families
• Understands the principles of providing behavioral interventions in medical settings to facilitate management of medical conditions

By the end of the training year, interns are expected to achieve a minimal competency of High Intermediate (4/5), for this program-specific competency.  High Intermediate is defined on the program rotation competency evaluation form as “skills and functioning in this area are strong. Able to use this skill effectively with minimal to no supervision in typical situations. Performs at the level necessary to enter the practice of psychology and/or continue to more specialized post-doctoral fellowship training.”

The internship adheres to a practitioner-scholar model. Training involves intensive clinical experience with integration of the scientific aspects of psychology through didactic training and supervision. Interns attend a variety of child/adolescent-focused seminars throughout the internship year, including clinical case conferences and child and adolescent psychiatry and psychology grand rounds. Speakers include faculty, professionals from the region and local community and trainees. Topics are varied and have included child and adolescent development and psychopathology, child-focused psychotherapy and psychosocial assessment, the interplay of medical and emotional adjustment problems, cognitive-behavioral treatment interventions and policy and procedure in mental health.

Many of our faculty identify as scientist-practitioners and are involved in ongoing research. Interns are encouraged to participate in faculty research or continue research through their graduate programs as desired. However, time for research is not built into the interns’ schedules due to the clinical emphasis of the training year. 

Interns are assigned to lead a Journal Club and present a Case Conference for CAPP in the Bingham Clinic. A faculty member is assigned to facilitate discussions in Case Conferences and Journal Club presentations.  Additionally, interns have the opportunity to present their dissertation research at the end of the training year.

The following is a typical didactics schedule:

Supervision

Interns and supervisors are expected to meet regularly each week during protected times, resulting in a minimum of four hours of supervision per week.  Interns have at least one hour of weekly individual supervision for outpatient therapy, psychological testing and their current clinical rotation. This results in three hours per week of individual supervision with licensed psychologists responsible for patient care on their respective clinical services.  Supervisors will change based on rotation and allow interns to experience different supervisory styles. Interns also have weekly group supervision with the Training Director. This experience provides for group interaction and learning, as well as addressing emergency room consultation, program evaluation, professional development and any other issues that may arise over the course of the year.

Supervisors will help structure the internship experience, providing guidance, advocacy, continuity and feedback.  It is helpful to discuss areas of strength and gaps in training to set goals with supervisors at the start of each rotation. Supervision activities may include case consultation, live observation, review of reports and progress notes and listening to audio recorded or videotaped sessions.  Supervisors are legally and ethically responsible for all interns’ clinical behavior while an intern in the supervisory relationship. Clear, open communication; mutual respect; and supportive relationships are key!

Additionally, interns will have access to the faculty psychiatrists for consultation of emergency department evaluations and disposition planning. Interns also are encouraged to seek peer supervision.

Evaluations

General Principles:

1. The primary aim of evaluations is to provide interns feedback regarding their progress in the program to further their development as emerging professionals.   Evaluations are also used to strengthen the training program and to identify any problem areas that need to be addressed with interns or staff.
2. Interns are under continuous evaluation through their day-to-day interactions with the faculty, staff, other trainees and patients.
3. Supervisors are responsible for providing interns with continuous feedback regarding their progress in the specified domain of supervision.
4. Interns are responsible for self-monitoring in addition to supervisor feedback.
5. Formal written evaluations are completed at the end of each 4-month rotations.  Supervisors rate interns on their performance of competencies demonstrating each of the program’s goals and objectives. Interns also rate their competencies as well as their training experiences, including supervision.

Intern Evaluation Procedures:

• Informal Evaluation: Evaluations in this way are ongoing and happen primarily through discussions with supervisors and other faculty.  Each intern is expected to regularly assess their own strengths and weaknesses and to provide feedback regarding the effectiveness of the training program.  Faculty discuss interns’ performance and progress in their monthly faculty meetings.
• Written Evaluations: Supervisors will complete written evaluations of the interns at the end of each 4-month rotation.  These should also be discussed in a supervision session.  It is recommended that supervisors and interns discuss interns’ skills regarding the identified competencies at the start and mid-point of each rotation, as well.
• Evaluation Session with Faculty:  The psychology faculty as a group meets with each intern at the end of each 4-month rotation period to provide comprehensive feedback and address any areas of concern and/or strength.
• Feedback to Graduate Programs: If the intern’s graduate department requires routine feedback, it may be provided on specific evaluation forms provided by the graduate program or by sending a summary report distilled from internship rotation evaluations.  In the event of concerns regarding an intern’s progress, the Internship Training Director may consult informally with the Director of Clinical Training from the intern’s graduate program to build on any prior work to address similar concerns earlier in the intern’s training.  The Training Director will initiate written feedback to the Director of Clinical Training if an intern fails to achieve goals in a written remediation plan (see below).  All written communications with the academic department will be reviewed and signed by both the Training Director and the intern.  If the intern declines to cosign the report, this will be noted on the form and the report will be forwarded to the academic supervisor.

Supervisor and Program Evaluation Procedures:

• Informal Evaluations: Evaluations in this way are ongoing and happen primarily through discussions with supervisors and other faculty.   Each intern is expected to provide feedback regarding the effectiveness of the training program and address any concerns with supervisors or the Training Director.   Group supervision with the Training Director provides a helpful forum for such discussions.
• Written Evaluations: Interns complete written evaluations of their training experiences at the end of each 4-month rotation.  The Training Director will review the evaluations and provide feedback to supervisors after the interns have left the program unless there is an immediate area of concern that needs to be addressed.
• Evaluation Session with Faculty:  The psychology faculty as a group meets with each intern at the end of each 4-month rotation period.  This is a time for interns to share their experiences and appraisals of the training program.
• Alumni Surveys:  The program periodically surveys former interns to help gauge our success in training interns for careers in child clinical and pediatric psychology.  The input of past interns once they have developed new perspectives as early career psychologists is invaluable.

Completion Requirements

Interns must complete the full 12 months of the internship (minus allotted vacation and professional leave).  Interns are expected to achieve minimum ratings of 4/5 on all profession-wide competencies by the end of the training year.

Due Process: Remediation and intern dismissal procedures

If, an intern fails to perform in a satisfactory manner, such feedback would be given informally by the concerned supervisor or Training Director with guidance as to how to better meet program expectations.  If the intern’s performance continues to be inadequate, they will be notified in writing.  In addition, a formal meeting would be scheduled with the intern and the psychology faculty to discuss the areas of deficiency and to develop a written remediation plan. A period of time would then be specified in which the intern is expected to show significant progress towards remediation of their deficiencies as measured by clearly stated goals.  Should the intern fail to show expected progress, formal contact would be made via written communication with the intern’s Director of Clinical Training (DCT) at their home university, specifying the concerns and remedial efforts.  If the intern fails to meet these expectations by the specified date, the Psychology Faculty may elect to obtain outside consultation, either from APA or APPIC regarding procedure, or an inside clinician to evaluate the intern’s strengths and weaknesses so as to assist the intern and faculty with remediation.  However, the faculty may also elect to formally dismiss the intern from the program, by a majority vote of the faculty and with the advice and approval of the Chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology and the Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics.  In the unlikely event of dismissal, the Training Director would notify the intern’s home university in writing (doctoral interns only).  Moreover, informal contact via telephone communication may be conducted to enable the Training Directors of the internship and the DCT of the graduate program to address mutual concerns and consult with regard to remedial efforts.

Grievance Procedures and Problem Resolution

The problem resolution process is intended to provide an effective means of bringing all problems to the attention of those responsible for the program’s day-to-day operation as well as the Board of Directors and/or University Administration, if necessary.

Most misunderstandings or complaints can and should be solved on an informal basis with the intern’s supervisor.  However, more formal provisions have been made to resolve any difficult problems.  A complaint or misunderstanding is defined as any condition of employment/training the intern feels is unjust or inequitable.  There will be no discrimination against any intern for his or her part in the presentation of a complaint.

The procedure for presenting a complaint is as follows:

1. The intern should discuss the matter with the pertinent supervisor directly.  The supervisor will conduct an investigation of the complaint and give an answer as soon as possible.  (There may be times when an intern feels they cannot take a complaint to the supervisor most closely involved.  In such instances, the intern may go directly to the Training Director.  Should the intern feel they cannot go to the Training Director, they may take the complaint to the Chief of the Division of CAPP.)
2. If a complaint cannot be resolved with the supervisor, an intern may meet with the Training Director or Associate Chief as fits the situation.
3. If a complaint cannot be resolved satisfactorily at this level, an intern may present the complaint to the Chief of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology (CAPP).
4. If a complaint cannot be resolved with the Chief of CAPP, the intern may present the complaint in writing to the Vice Chair of Medical Education or to the Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics. If a response is not received within three working days from any level, the intern may proceed to the next level of the resolution process.

If the complaint results from action taken in violation of the written policy of the Clinic/University, the intern will be advised of the corrective action to be taken.  If there is not a written policy on the subject of the intern’s complaint, then appropriate steps shall be taken by the Division or Department administration to resolve the intern’s complaint.

Any intern may feel free to obtain assistance in writing regarding a grievance and may bring anyone who is knowledgeable about the matter to any meeting.

NOTE: Not every problem can be resolved to everyone’s total satisfaction, but only through understanding and discussion of mutual problems can interns and faculty develop confidence in each other.  This confidence is important to the operation of an efficient and harmonious working/learning environment.

Our doctoral interns have come from a variety of graduate training programs in psychology including the following: University of Southern Mississippi, University of Georgia, University of Oklahoma, University of Louisville, Emory, St. Louis University, Auburn University, University of Texas, University of North Carolina – Greensboro, Wright State University, University of Wisconsin, Boston University, Vanderbilt University and Northern Illinois University, to mention a few. They have been ethnically diverse and have come from a range of geographical areas within the United States.

We strive to help our interns maintain a healthy work/life balance while having ample exposure to the many unique training opportunities available.  We schedule protected time for writing testing reports and completing clinical documentation throughout the week.  Below is an example schedule for an intern on the Consultation/Liaison service:

We are very proud of the interns who come through our program and are even more proud of the work they have gone on to do professionally.  Previous interns have gone to a variety of career and employment settings which include academic psychology, medical school faculty, medical school post-doctoral training, private practice, community mental health, research consultation and hospital-based intervention (see below).  

• Stipend for the internship is $35,000
• Interns receive funds for CME, professional dues and books
• Health insurance premiums are subsidized by the University of Louisville and interns have the option to purchase dental and vision insurance
• Additional benefits include:
  • Free parking
  • Use of University of Louisville library services
  • Access to employee fitness facilities on campus
  • Administrative support is provided by the program coordinator and clinic front office staff.