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Welcome to the Clinical Psychology Internship Program

This Clinical Psychology Internship Training Program is housed within the Department of Psychiatry in the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania. Perelman School of Medicine, the first school of medicine in the nation, is part of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and includes the first hospital and the nation's first psychiatric unit founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1751. The goal of the internship training program is to provide a year-long combination of clinical rotations, supervision, and didactic experiences that prepare clinical psychologists for careers in the evidence-based practice of psychology. The program is committed to an affirming learning environment to support ongoing development of cultural humility and opportunities to serve multicultural populations.   

The internship consists of three parallel tracks: a General Adult Track (Match #153612) - 4 positions, a Child/Developmental Disabilities Track (Match #153611) - 1 position, and a Neuropsychology Track (Match #153613) - 1 position. Each of the tracks is described in detail below

The Psychology Internship Program at The University of Pennsylvania Department of Psychiatry is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation, American Psychological Association. *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 Phone: (202) 336-5979 / E-mail: apaaccred@apa.org Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation

University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM)

The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) has a strong, well-established history of research and practice with a diverse, multidisciplinary and collaborative faculty and ample resources that promotes an environment rich for developing young investigators and practitioners. Penn is home to a diverse body of more than 10,000 full-time students enrolled in its four undergraduate schools and nearly 11,000 students enrolled in its 12 graduate and professional schools, each a national leader in its field. Penn’s schools are located on a compact campus, the geographical unity of which supports and fosters its multidisciplinary approach to education, scholarship, and research. Research and research training are substantial and esteemed enterprises; our research community includes more than 4,000 faculty and a large support staff bolstered by an annual University budget of $6 billion. Penn’s 165 research centers and institutes bring together researchers from multiple departments, schools, and disciplines.

The PSOM prides itself on the vision of Benjamin Franklin, founder of the University, that education should be oriented toward combining theory and practice for the betterment of humanity. Penn can rightfully be called the “birthplace of American medicine,” as it includes the nation’s first hospital (Pennsylvania Hospital in 1751), first medical school (1765), first university hospital (Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania [HUP] in 1874), and first integrated academic health system (1993).

The Department of Psychiatry Chair: Maria Oquendo, MD

The Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania is one of the most successful mental health research entities in the country. The department faculty conducts research across a broad array of disciplines, from basic genetic and animal model research through large-scale implementation and policy research. Behavioral medicine and addictions research at Penn leads the field in integrating advances in basic science into behavioral medicine research and practice, and promote the successful diffusion of new prevention and treatment approaches from the laboratory, to the clinic and community. Clinical research in the Department is devoted to understanding mental illnesses with the aim of decreasing their toll on patients, their families, and society.

The Department takes seriously its role as a spokesperson for the profession and in publicizing the importance of behavioral health for the nation’s and world’s well-being. The Chair and Department faculty have played a national role in psychiatric and behavioral health forums (e.g., focusing on depression, schizophrenia, alcohol and drug addictions, tobacco use, obesity eating disorders, national security and bio terrorism, and patient advocacy, among others). As important, the Department maintains active, leading programs in each of these areas. The vision of the Department includes growing research on the etiology of psychiatric illness and the increasing number of treatments available to patients is at last beginning to lift the stigma of mental illness and offering hope to those who suffer from it. These developments are increasing the likelihood of expanded funding for clinical care, research, and philanthropy. In addition, there is a growing national grassroots movement to support parity for mental health care coverage which, if successful, will bring about much-needed improved reimbursement for mental health care.

Training Goals & Objectives

The primary goal of the Psychology Internship program is to train entry level psychologists who are highly competent in evidence-based practices for a range of clinical populations. To this end, we seek to train interns to:

Objective 1:develop evidence-based clinical skills in the areas of intervention, assessment, consultation, and supervision.

Objective 2:develop culturally informed, identity affirming clinical skills in an attitude of cultural humility.

Objective 3:work collaboratively in multidisciplinary settings and to develop skills in interprofessional conduct and communication.

Objective 4:understand and implement professional ethics in psychology practice.

Objective 5:develop a scientist-practitioner approach to research and practice.

The training year will be divided into two 6-month blocks and most rotations will occur in a single block. Interns will have two rotations per block. In addition they will have a primary outpatient rotation that will be 12-months long. Each week, 8 hours will be spent in each of the three rotations. There are a number of rotations available allowing for flexibility to customize the training experience to meet the goals of each individual. All interns will have rotations that include outpatient therapy and/or assessment. Prior to the start of the training year the incoming interns will be asked to rank order their choices for rotations. Whenever possible interns will be provided with their top choices. Interns will also have a 4-hour per week research rotation for the entire year.

Research Rotation

The Department of Psychiatry has an active research program, and we are strongly committed to helping our interns further enhance their research skills. Up to 10% of an intern’s time may be protected for research-related activities. If an intern has not yet completed his or her dissertation, this time should be used to make significant progress towards defending the dissertation. If the intern has completed the dissertation by the time the internship starts, or at any point during the internship year, they are encouraged to use this protected time to link up with researchers at Penn with shared interests, and/or explore research questions that can be answered using data from any variety of data sets available. The intern should initiate this conversation with the Training Director, who can then direct him or her to an appropriate faculty mentor.

Clinical Rotations – General Adult Track

12-month Rotations

Center for Cognitive Therapy. At the Center for Cognitive Therapy, we offer training in both the psychotherapy process and the diagnostic interview process using the Cognitive Model and Evidence Based Practice. We treat a wide range of both emotional disorders and personality disorders. Supervision is offered by therapists who are both certified cognitive therapists and licensed psychologists or social workers. Primary supervisor: Mary Anne Layden, PhD, Director of Education.

Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic. The Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic (OPC) provides individual and group psychotherapy to the Penn community and to the larger West Philadelphia community. The OPC is a multidisciplinary team clinic including social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, and nurse practitioners. Psychotherapy orientations include psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral, and eclectic. Providers use time-efficient treatments ranging from short-term psychodynamic to trauma-informed to rational emotive behavior to dialectical behavior therapeutic approaches, as well as many in between. Primary supervisor: Jeremy Tyler, PhD, Director of Psychotherapy Services.

The Psychosis Evaluation and Recovery Center (PERC) is a SAMHSA funded program providing both first episode psychosis and clinical high risk coordinated specialty care services to individuals from Philadelphia and surrounding counties. The trainee will play a lead role in ensuring high quality specialty care for each client in coordination with a multi-disciplinary team, including psychiatrists, psychologists, family psychoeducation and support therapists, supported employment specialist, and peer support specialists. Training opportunities within this framework will be customized to each intern’s training goals. The trainee will provide individual therapy, engaging youth in recovery oriented cognitive therapy (CT-R) integrated with complementary therapeutic strategies, with the aim of promoting recovery and relapse prevention in youth who have experienced early psychosis. Training in the assessment of psychosis using both unstructured and semi-structured approaches will be provided, and the trainee will have the opportunity to participate in client and collateral interviews during the intake evaluation process, as well as to conduct symptom monitoring assessments. Other opportunities include facilitating or co-facilitating groups, including CT-R for families, psychoeducation for families, processing for patients, and cognitive remediation. In addition to on-site supervision (weekly) and team meetings (twice weekly), there are numerous training and supervision opportunities through PERC’s participation in the Pennsylvania Early Intervention Center/HeadsUp, which provides ongoing training and education for early psychosis providers across Pennsylvania, and in the Connection Learning Health System hub of the Early Psychosis Intervention Network (EPINET). Primary Supervisor: Monica E. Calkins, PhD, Associate Professor and Associate Director of PERC.  **Note also available as a 6-month rotation

Center for Women’s Behavioral Wellness. Interns in the Center for Women’s Behavioral Wellness will receive supervision in the provision of evidence-based psychotherapies to women presenting with mental health conditions related to reproductive health complaints. Didactic sessions, journal clubs, and group and individual supervision will focus on providing interns with an understanding of the psychological effects of common reproductive life experiences such as pregnancy, the postpartum period, premenstrual dysphoric disorder (or other menstrual cycle related mood changes), infertility, pregnancy loss, midlife changes/menopause, and chronic health conditions that interact with reproductive health. The PCWBW is a collaboration between the departments of Psychiatry and Obstetrics and Gynecology. We provide clinical care to women throughout the lifespan and in both an outpatient psychology clinic and in an embedded women’s health clinic at HUP (The Helen O. Dickens Center). Primary supervisor: Sara L. Kornfied, PhD; Director, Maternal Wellness Initiative.

6-month Rotations

Assessment & Consultation Rotation will have two primary components. First, each intern will be expected to complete 6 full batteries on complex adult patients from the community on a variety of differential diagnostic questions, including evaluations for Learning Disabilities, ADHD, Intellectual Disability, TBI, dementia, psychoticism, executive functioning, and general diagnostic clarification. Interns will be expected to have facility with structured diagnostic interviewing, as well as the WAIS, WMS and WIAT, the CVLT, the MMPI-2 and MMPI-2-RF, the DKEFs, and use of computerized CPTs. Any intern not having previous experience with these specific instruments should do the rotation in the first part of the year, and should participate in summer didactic instruction specific to those measures. The second component of the rotation will be the opportunity to provide supervised supervision to clinical psychology graduate student trainees at the University of Pennsylvania completing their introductory practicum in Assessment and Consultation. Interns will provide some live supervision of the trainee’s cases, will collaborate with the trainee on choosing tests and measures and refining their diagnostic case conceptualization, will edit and comment on the trainee’s draft assessment reports, and will join the trainee and the senior supervisor for the final feedback session with the patient. This rotation is an opportunity to refine differential diagnosis and case conceptualization skills, to maintain and expand facility with various tests and measures, and to provide an invaluable service to the diverse community in the greater Philadelphia area, most of whom would never be able to access comprehensive assessment outside of our clinic. Primary supervisor: Melissa Hunt, Ph.D.

The Joan Karnell Supportive Care Program. The Joan Karnell Supportive Care Program at Pennsylvania Hospital has a long history of partnering with Penn Medicine psychology trainees in an effort to provide psychosocial care to patients struggling with cancer and sickle cell diagnoses. In this tradition, psychology interns on this rotation provide individual short-term psychotherapy (eight sessions) to patients with cancer/sickle cell diagnoses and their family members. Opportunities for couple and family treatment also occasionally arise. Our trainees take a flexible approach to treatment. Depending on the client's needs, psychotherapy might involve exploratory engagement, supportive techniques, or some combination of the two. Each intern carries a caseload of ~6 patients and has the opportunity to facilitate support and/or therapy groups with patients/caregivers. Our interns are also integrated into the medical, supportive, and palliative care teams. Supervision involves both a weekly individual meeting and a weekly group meeting. Primary supervisors: Jennifer Slipakoff, MSW, LCSW.

The Penn Medicine Autism Clinic. The Penn Medicine Autism Clinic serves individuals from 12 months of age through adulthood and provides initial diagnostic assessments as well as comprehensive behavioral/psychological evaluations for patients with prior autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnoses. Our mission is to use gold standard assessment tools, in conjunction with family-centered care, to facilitate parents’ understanding of their child’s unique developmental/behavioral profile and how that relates to the child’s intervention/educational needs. Families are then connected directly to quality, evidence-based intervention that is most appropriate for their children. The intern will participate in comprehensive treatment-planning evaluations for individuals with autism. Primary supervisor: Keiran Rump, Ph.D.

Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety. On this rotation, trainees will receive intensive training in exposure and response prevention (ExRP) for obsessive compulsive disorder. Participants will also receive training in prolonged exposure therapy (PE) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) depending on availability of training cases. Additionally, participants will receive training in a variety of evidence-based treatment manuals for other anxiety-related disorders depending on the chief complaints of patients on their caseload. Trainees will conduct individual therapy and group therapy. Primary supervisors: Lily A. Brown, Ph.D., Director & Elizabeth Turk-Karan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor.

The Center for Weight and Eating Disorders. The Center for Weight and Eating Disorders provides evidence-based individual psychotherapy services and psychological evaluations for bariatric patients preparing for surgery. Interns will be trained and supervised in the administration of bariatric evaluations and letter-writing, while interacting with a multi-disciplinary team. They will also have a small caseload of patients seeking psychotherapy for presenting problems such as binge eating disorder, weight management (often by referral of medical specialists), night eating syndrome, bariatric-related issues, and body image issues. Primary supervisor: Courtney McCuen-Wurst, PsyD, LCSW

Consultation/Liaison Service. This rotation takes place in the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where interns are part of the C/L team. The C/L team is contacted whenever medical inpatients in the hospital are reporting emotional distress or other psychiatric concerns. Interns respond to these calls with a bedside evaluation of the patient to determine what services they might benefit from. This often leads to conducting short-term therapy while the patient is in the hospital, and then helping them find a place to continue treatment after discharge. Interns work alongside psychiatrists and social workers for an interdisciplinary team approach. Primary supervisor: Samantha Zwiebel, M.D.

Inpatient Psychiatry Unit. The inpatient unit is located at Pennsylvania Hospital, which is part of the Penn Health System in the Center City neighborhood. Interns provide evaluation and therapy for inpatients and are an important component of the treatment team. Each morning, interns will round on the unit with the attending psychiatry and other providers followed by case conference. Interns will spend 3 months each on a unit focused on mood disorder-spectrum cases and 3 months on a psychosis-spectrum unit.  Primary supervisor: Reed Goldstein, Ph.D.

Pain Medicine. Over 80 million adults in the United States suffer from chronic pain. Often patients with patient present with multiple medical and psychiatric co-morbidities which requires a multimodal approach. The PENN Pain Medicine Center provides diagnostic assessments, a variety of interventions including neuromodulation, injections, medication management and behavioral health care. The behavioral medicine clinic sees 10-12 patients per day and provides preoperative psychological evaluations, CBT/ACT and co-management of patients with chronic pain and concomitant substance use disorders. Interns will be involved in direct patient care under supervision, exposure to interventional pain care and provided opportunity for scholarly activity (case reports, review articles). Primary Supervisor: Martin D. Cheatle, PhD, Associate Professor

Penn Memory Center. The Penn Memory Center (PMC) is made up of a multidisciplinary team with expertise in neurology, gerontology, psychiatry, neuropsychology and social work. The PMC serves as a unified Penn Medicine source for those age 65 and older seeking evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, information, and research opportunities related to symptoms of progressive memory loss, and accompanying changes in thinking, communication and personality. This one day/week position is designed for a trainee who is interested in learning about neurodegenerative disease, working with older adults, and obtaining experience with cognitive screening for individual's with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias. Primary Supervisor: Dawn Mechanic-Hamilton, Ph.D., ABPP-CN

Penn Trauma Violence Recovery Program: The Penn Trauma Violence Recovery Program (PTVRP) provides individualized psychosocial support, goal setting, and service connection to Philadelphia residents treated for violent injury at Penn Trauma to promote holistic recovery and prevent recurrent violent injury. Some patients, particularly those with prolonged hospital stays, would also benefit from supportive psychotherapy prior to hospital discharge. The psychology intern will provide 8 hours per week of clinical care to PTVRP participants prior to hospital discharge, dedicated to patients with prolonged hospital stays and/or substantial distress . The intern will conduct indicated psychological assessments and bedside, trauma-informed psychotherapy. Psychiatry consultation will be obtained as needed. This rotation will provide psychology interns with exposure to the challenges faced by patients recovering from violent injury and will provide patients with timely, psychological care that can speed their recovery and streamline management of mental health challenges. Primary Supervisor: Lily Brown, Ph.D.   

 

Clinical Rotations – Child/Developmental Disabilities Track

** Interns in this track may select rotations available in the Adult General Track based on availability and training goals.

a. Intervention Rotations

Pediatric Anxiety Treatment Center at Hall Mercer (PATCH). PATCH provides evidence-based assessment and treatment for youth ages 5-18 with anxiety and related disorders at Hall Mercer Community Mental Health Center. PATCH therapists are trained in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with an emphasis on exposure therapy, the most demonstrated-effective psychotherapy for these disorders. CBT involves a partnership between the therapist and family and helps children learn to modify their thoughts and behaviors so that anxiety no longer has control over their lives. We treat a range of presenting concerns, including generalized anxiety, separation anxiety, social anxiety, specific phobia, school anxiety, panic attacks, selective mutism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, tics, and trichotillomania. PATCH provides a unique opportunity for interns to deliver evidence-based practices within a community mental health setting. Many cases in the PATCH program have complex comorbidities and require clinicians to engage in collaboration with other behavioral health providers, such as psychiatrists and case managers. Primary supervisors: Keiran Rump, Ph.D.; Julie Worley, Ph.D.

Juvenile Detention.  Hall-Mercer Community Mental Health Center, the behavioral health division of Pennsylvania Hospital, provides on-site services at Philadelphia's only secure juvenile detention facility. The detention center holds youth ages 13-20 years old who are awaiting the outcome of their court hearings. The Hall Mercer Juvenile Justice (JJ) team is charged with providing screening, assessment, brief intervention, and referral to in-house psychiatric care for all youth that have been identified as at-risk for mental health challenges. For youth with increased length of stays, treatment is initiated when indicated. The JJ team is grounded in CBT approaches to care, having training specifically in trauma-focused modalities such as TF-CBT and Cognitive Behavioral Interventions for Trauma in Schools. This rotation will offer training in these CBT modalities as well as evidence based screening, assessment, and brief intervention strategies to support the clinical experience of interns.  Supervision is provided by a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. 

Assessment of Anxiety in Autistic Youth. On this rotation, trainees will serve as independent evaluators for a NIMH-funded randomized effectiveness trial comparing two treatments for anxiety among autistic youth in community mental health. Trainees will conduct comprehensive diagnostic interviews and anxiety severity ratings before and after treatment to determine the relative efficacy of each treatment tested in this trial. They will receive comprehensive training and supervision in the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule (ADIS) – Child and Parent Versions, the Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale modified for Autism (PARS-A), and the Ambiguous Situations Interview. Trainees will receive one hour of supervision each week to review cases and ensure assessments are administered and scored reliably. There will be opportunities to contribute to publications as part of this rotation if this aligns the intern’s training goals. Primary supervisor: Andrew G Guzick, PhD

b. Assessment Rotation

Penn Medicine Autism Clinic. The Penn Medicine Autism Clinic provides initial diagnostic assessments as well as comprehensive behavioral/psychological evaluations for patients with prior ASD diagnoses for individuals from 12 months of age through adulthood. Interns will have the opportunity to participate in parent interviews, child assessment, feedback sessions, treatment planning, and report writing. Supervision is provided by a licensed psychologist.

c. Consultation Rotations

School District of Philadelphia: Autism Support A team of consultants from the Center for Mental Health Policy and Services Research provide ongoing consultation and support to the School District of Philadelphia’s programming for students with ASD. Consultation regarding the use of evidence-based practices for students with ASD, including classroom and behavior management, the use of visual supports and daily routines to support student engagement, and individualized instruction based in applied behavior analysis, is provided to teachers and staff within kindergarten-through-fifth grade autism support classrooms throughout the School District of Philadelphia. Consultation is also provided at the school-wide level to improve opportunities for inclusion for children with ASD within the regular education setting. Interns will participate in the delivery of school-based consultation to improve teachers’ use of evidence-based practices for their students with ASD. Supervision is provided by a licensed psychologist.

BRIDGE: Interns provide consultation to school mental health clinicians on concrete strategies to guide their consultation with teachers. Consultants provide an initial training to clinicians, followed by two months of weekly in-person support and two months of phone consultation. These clinicians participate in brief, ongoing consultation meetings with teachers. The objective of these meetings is for clinicians to help teachers implement effective classroom strategies to address behavioral and emotional challenges exhibited by students in the classroom. Supervision is provided by a licensed psychologist.

 

Clinical Rotations – Neuropsychology track (**NEW**)

Neuropsychology intern rotations are within the Neurology Department at the University of Pennsylvania Health System and located at two hospitals, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Hospital. The rotations will be available as 1 or 2 day per week placements, for 6 or 12-month rotations, based on availability and preference. Some rotations may also offer opportunities to provide supervision to more junior trainees. The neuropsychology track intern may have the option to take one 6-month rotation outside of the neuropsychology track, based on availability and training goals.

Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center (PD&MDC) Rotation: The PD&MDC at the University of Pennsylvania has been recognized by the National Parkinson Foundation as one of 45 worldwide "Centers of Excellence" and is among the largest of its kind in the country. Our center provides comprehensive evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, and management for a range of movement disorders, including but not limited to Parkinson’s disease, atypical and secondary parkinsonism, Huntington’s disease, essential tremor, ataxia, functional movement disorders and etc. Neuropsychological evaluations are conducted to assess cognitive and neuropsychiatric functioning and to assist with clarifying diagnosis and treatment planning, such as appropriateness for deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery and other interventional procedures. In addition to weekly supervision, the intern will be involved in monthly DBS case conference meetings, presenting findings of the neuropsychological evaluation when their patients are discussed in surgical conference. The intern will also participate in feedback sessions with patients and their caregivers, providing recommendations for evidence-based interventions specific to the movement disorders population. Supervisor: Baochan Tran, PsyD, Clinical Director, Neuropsychology Division

General Neuropsychology Rotation: Penn Neurology has 17 divisions and programs, including divisions of epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, cognitive and stroke, neurodegenerative disease specialty centers (e.g. Penn Memory Center and Frontotemporal Degeneration Center), a neuro post-COVID clinic, and a specialty center for evaluation and treatment of patients with Traumatic Brain Injury. This rotation will include assessment of patients referred from across the department for comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations. Interns will be involved in all aspects of the evaluation, including interviews, testing, report writing, and feedback. Supervisor: TBD

General Neuropsychology Rotation with Bilingual option: Penn Neurology has multiple specialty centers for assessing and treating patients with neurodegenerative disease (e.g. Penn Memory Center and Frontotemporal Degeneration Center), a dedicated neuro post-COVID clinic, and a specialty center for evaluation and treatment of patients with Traumatic Brain Injury. This rotation will include assessment of patients referred from these clinics for comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations. Interns with be involved in all aspects of the evaluation, including interviews, testing, report writing, and feedback. Bilingual (Spanish speaking) interns will have the opportunity to perform evaluations with Spanish-speaking patients alongside the bilingual supervisor. Supervisor: Katya Rascovsky, PhD

Penn Memory Center, Psychotherapeutic Intervention in MCI Rotation: The Penn Memory Center (PMC) is made up of a multidisciplinary team with expertise in neurology, gerontology, psychiatry, neuropsychology and social work. The PMC serves as a unified Penn Medicine source for those age 65 and older seeking evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, information, and research opportunities related to symptoms of progressive memory loss, and accompanying changes in thinking, communication and personality. The Cognitive Fitness Psychotherapy Group is an 8-week intervention group for individuals with MCI, who are experiencing symptoms of depression and/or anxiety. The group employs an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) approach to address distressing thoughts and feelings and incorporates compensatory strategies to implement use of ACT tools. This is a one day/week position. Supervisor: Dawn Mechanic-Hamilton, PhD, ABPP/CN, Chief, Neuropsychology Division

Penn Memory Center, Brief Assessment Rotation. Brief Assessment Rotation. The Penn Memory Center (PMC) is made up of a multidisciplinary team with expertise in neurology, gerontology, psychiatry, neuropsychology and social work. The PMC serves as a unified Penn Medicine source for those age 65 and older seeking evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, information, and research opportunities related to symptoms of progressive memory loss, and accompanying changes in thinking, communication and personality. This one day/week position includes brief clinical screenings for individual's with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias. The intern will attend weekly consensus conference and present the brief cognitive screening to the multidisciplinary team. Primary Supervisor: Dawn Mechanic-Hamilton, Ph.D., ABPP-CN

Research Opportunities: The neuropsychology track intern will have the opportunity to engage in a research project once their dissertation is complete. There are ample opportunities within the Neurology Department, associated centers (e.g. Penn Memory Center, Penn Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center) and with several rotation supervisors to find a match for the intern’s area of research interest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Initial Training: Interns will receive in-depth training covering a breadth of topics related to each internship rotation during the first two weeks of the internship year. The initial training will include a combination of didactic and experiential learning opportunities to provide a foundational level of knowledge and experience with the theories and practices that drive the clinical model of service delivery throughout the internship. Training will be provided by the internship supervisors, as well as core members of the Internship Training Committee. 

Supervision: Rotation supervisors provide at least three hours per week of formal supervision. There will also be a weekly one-hour group supervision.

Core didactics: The core didactic series consists of two, one-hour weekly seminars and will include a variety of topics including the practice of psychotherapy, assessment, ethics, professional development, research presentations, and case conference. For part of the year, this time will include participation in the weekly psychotherapy curriculum for psychiatry residents, which includes topics in Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Couples/Family Treatment, and Complex Case Formulation. Topics focused on diversity, race, and cultural competency will be integrated into all didactics, and also covered in seminars focused on these areas.  The intern for the Child Track will also have the opportunity to attend a didactic series through the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Supervision seminar: There will be a monthly seminar series focused on providing clinical supervision, which will include both didactic and experiential learning.

Rotation didactics: Many rotations will also offer specific didactic experiences for interns who are on that rotation.

DEI Process group: There will be a monthly process group facilitated by two faculty members from Children's Hospital of Philadlephia focused on discussion of personal identity and how this impacts one’s experience as a clinician as well as the role it plays when working with diverse clinical populations.

Neuropsychology track didactics: In addition to rotation specific didactic training and consensus conferences noted within the rotations, there is a dedicated Neuropsychology Seminar Series on Monday afternoons. This seminar series is a joint effort between neuropsychologists in the Penn Neurology Department, the Philadelphia VAMC, Bancroft NeuroRehabilitation and Temple University and includes neuropsychology-relevant topics 2x per month and fact-finding and professional development discussions 1x per month.

Evidence-based training workshops: There may be opportunities to participate in training workshops lasting from 1-3 days on topics such as Prolonged Exposure, Motivational Interviewing, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia.

In addition there are a number of other seminars and didactics available to interns including the Department of Psychiatry Grand Rounds and other talks offered across the university.
 

The annual salary for the 2024-2025 training year will be approximately $36,000. In addition, interns are regular hospital employees and will receive three weeks paid vacation, medical, dental, vision coverage, and other hospital benefits. Interns are also granted release time for the dissertation defense and other professional development activities. Interns will have access to University of Pennsylvania facilities (e.g. libraries).

Financial and Other Benefit Support for Upcoming Training Year

 

Annual Stipend/Salary for Full-time Interns

$36,000

Annual Stipend/Salary for Half-time Interns

N/A

Program provides access to medical insurance for intern?

Yes  XX

No

If access to medical insurance is provided:

 

 

Trainee contribution to cost required?

Yes  XX

No

Coverage of family member(s) available?

Yes  XX

No

Coverage of legally married partner available?

Yes  XX

No

Coverage of domestic partner available?

Yes

No  XX

Hours of Annual Paid Personal Time Off (PTO and/or Vacation)

  15 days PTO/sick combined

Hours of Annual Paid Sick Leave

  15 days PTO/sick combined

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  XX

 

 

 

No

Other benefits (please describe):

Dental, vision, flexible spending account.

 

a. Intern Evaluations

Supervisors provide feedback to interns throughout the year to aid the intern in developing competencies. The Internship Training Committee meets monthly to discuss each intern’s progress. A midpoint evaluation is completed halfway through the training year and is based on input from supervisors across training experiences. At the end of the year, a final review of the all training activities for each intern is completed. The intern also provides input regarding his/her assessment of performance during each step of this process.

b. Completion Requirements

The internship is a 2000 hour, full-time training program for doctoral-level graduate students in psychology. Interns spend no less than 25% of their time in face- to-face direct service delivery.

The internship begins on July 1st and ends on June 30th of the following year.

In order to successfully complete the program, interns must receive a competency rating score indicating a 3 (‘basic to intermediate’) or higher rating on each item on the Psychology Trainee Evaluation Form at the mid-year evaluations, and a 5 ('independent') or higher on each item on the Psychology Trainee Evaluation Form at the end-of-year evaluations.

 

Applicants must be advanced doctoral candidates from APA-accredited Psychology programs. Applicants should have passed the doctoral comprehensive examination prior to applying to the internship. Penn adheres to a policy that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender entity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected class. Individuals who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) or as a part of historically under-represented groups, are strongly encouraged to apply and are invited to identify their culture, identity, or background in their cover letter, if desired.

Our Internship Training Committee reviews all applications to determine fit with our program and invites qualified applicants for interviews. Application deadline is November 1st. Applicants will be notified by December 1st by email as to whether or not they have been invited to interview. We plan to conduct all interviews for the 2023-2024 cycle virtually, with interview dates of January 4th, 8th, and 16th. 

For international applicants: If you have a existing student visa that will be valid for the entire duration of the internship year you are eligible to apply. However, we are not able to serve as a sponsor for visa applications.

The University of Pennsylvania values diversity and seeks talented students, faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or status as a disabled or Vietnam Era veteran in the administration or its educational policies, programs, scholarship and loan programs, employment, recreational, athletic or other university administered programs. Questions or concerns regarding the University’s equal opportunity and affirmative action programs and activities or accommodations for people with disabilities should be directed to: Director of Affirmative Action, Suite 228, 3600 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19104-6021. (215) 898-6993 (voice) or (215) 898-7803 (TDD).

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?

_____ Yes

__X__  No

 

Internship Program Admissions

Briefly describe in narrative form important information to assist potential applicants in assessing their likely fit with your program. This description must be consistent with the program’s policies on intern selection and practicum and academic preparation requirements:

Our program is committed to training in evidence-based treatments and the integration of research and clinical practice. To those ends, applicants from programs with scientist-practitioner or clinician scientists models tend to be evaluated more favorably, although this is not an application requirement.  Our evaluation of applications places a priority on the following factors: strong clinical training in a range of settings and with a range of client presentations and demographics, experience with a range of assessment approaches, a track record of scientific publication and conference presentations, and a demonstrated commitment to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.  

Does the program require that applicants have received a minimum number of hours of the following at the time of application?  If Yes, indicate how many:

Total Direct Contact Intervention Hours: N XX    Yes         Amount: N/A

Total Direct Contact Assessment Hours: N XX     Yes         Amount: N/A

Describe any other required minimum criteria used to screen applicants:

Applicants must be advanced doctoral candidates from APA-accredited Psychology programs. Applicants should have passed the doctoral comprehensive examination prior to applying to the internship.  We require 3 letters of recommendation. No supplemental materials such as testing reports are needed and, if you choose to submit them anyway, will not be considered as part of the evaluation of your application.

 

 

 

General Adult Track

Internship Director: Philip Gehrman, PhD, CBSM, Professor of Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, philip.gehrman@pennmedicine.upenn.edu, 215-746-3578

Internship Associate Director: Jason Lewis, PhD, Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, Section Director- Mood, Anxiety, and Trauma Disorders, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, LEWISJ8@email.chop.edu, 215-590-7546

Child/Developmental Disabilities Track

Track Lead/Associate Director: Keiran Rump, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology, Center for Mental Health Policy, Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, keiran.rump@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

Neuropsychology Track

Track Lead/Associate Director: Dawn Mechanic-Hamilton, Ph.D., ABPP/CN.  Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, dawn.mechanic@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

Date Program Tables are updated:  September 1, 2022 

                                                        Internship Program Admissions

Applicants must be advanced doctoral candidates from APA-accredited Psychology programs. Applicants should have passed the doctoral comprehensive examination prior to applying to the internship. Successful applicants will have practicum experiences in some or all of the following:  outpatient clinic and/or counseling centers, inpatient psychiatric facilities, general medical hospitals.  The application is reviewed in its entirety, with special attention given to the interests and fit with our program. Successful applicants bring a strong research perspective to their clinical work and often come from programs with a Scientist-Practitioner or Clinician Scientist model of training.  

Initial Post-Internship Positions

(Provide an Aggregated Tally for the Preceding 3 Cohorts)

 

 

2019-22

Total # of interns who were in the 3 cohorts

                15

Total # of interns who did not seek employment because they returned to their doctoral program/are completing doctoral degree

                  0

 

PD

EP

Academic teaching

0

0

Community mental health center

0

0

Consortium

0

0

University Counseling Center

0

0

Hospital/Medical Center

5

0

Veterans Affairs Health Care System

2

0

Psychiatric facility

1

0

  Correctional facility

0

0

Health maintenance organization

0

0

School district/system

0

0

Independent practice setting

6

0

Other

0

1

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.