Doctoral Clinical Psychology Internship Training Program

• Overview

  • Introduction

  • Duke University Medical Center

  • Life in Durham

  • Application

  • Compensation

  • Requirements of Completion

• Adult Psychology

• Child Psychology

• Faculty

Introduction

Duke University Medical Center’s Clinical Psychology Internship Program, part of the Department of Psychiatry’s Division of Medical Psychology, provides one year of doctoral-level internship training in the essential skill areas of Clinical Psychology: assessment and diagnosis, effective intervention, consultation and evaluation, and supervision.  Training takes place in a health care setting and offers all interns training in general Clinical Psychology, as well as the opportunity to concentrate on specific areas of Health Psychology.  Training takes place within the context of the scientist-practitioner model and has as its overarching goal, to produce a Psychologist who is able to integrate science with professional practice knowledge, attitudes, and skills.  At the completion of the program interns are expected to have developed proficiency in observation, interviewing, assessment, report-writing, short-term psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral treatment, family therapy, and group therapy, which will serve them well in subsequent clinical practice.  Graduates of the program may function as clinicians, as researchers, or as both.

Due to our scientist-practitioner model, the internship accepts applications from students matriculated in PhD programs.  The one exception to this is the Adult Neuropsychology Concentration, where PsyD applications are accepted.  The program offers interns two major tracks: Adult Psychology and Child Psychology.  Interns apply to one of these two tracks.  Within each track, interns also specify an area of concentration: In the Adult track, either Health Psychology, Neuropsychology, or Cognitive-Behavioral Psychology and in the Child track, either Pediatric Psychology or Child Clinical Psychology.  Further, within the Child Clinical Concentration, applicants should indicate whether they are interested in applying to the Child Trauma focus, the ADHD focus, or the Community Psychology focus.  Applicants to the Child Clinical Concentration may indicate an interest in being considered for one, two, or all three of these foci, but should indicate a priority if possible. 

 PLEASE SEE THE FOLLOWING FLOW DIAGRAM SHOWING THE BREAKDOWN OF EACH TRACK FOR APPLICATION PURPOSES:

 TWO TRACKS ARE OFFERED AT DUKE (A. CHILD PSYCHOLOGY, AND B. ADULT PSYCHOLOGY).  PLEASE SELECT EITHER A OR B:

  A.  CHILD PSYCHOLOGY TRACK (apply for either I or II listed below)    

            I.  CHILD CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY CONCENTRATION (Select a focus below):

                        Focus I.1.a – Child Trauma focus 

                        Focus I.1.b. – ADHD focus

                        Focus I.1.c – Community Psychology focus           

            II. PEDIATRIC PSYCHOLOGY CONCENTRATION 

B.  ADULT PSYCHOLOGY TRACK (apply for either I, II, or III listed below)

             I. COGNITIVE BEHAVIORALCONCENTRATION (rotations in CBT & Eating Disorders)      

            II. HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY CONCENTRATION (rotations are listed below)*

                        A. Pain/Biofeedback

                        B. Pain Prevention

                        C. Behavioral Medicine

                        D. Structure House

                        E. Weight Loss Surgery

                        F. Behavioral Sleep

                        G. Diet and Fitness

                        * Those applicants coming for an interview will be provided with a list of the  program codes for the match which will show the detailed Health Concentration rotational breakdown structure for the coming year to aid them in the match process. 

             III. CLINICAL NEUROPSYCHOLOGY CONCENTRATION (rotates in Neuropsychology with a minor rotation in Cognitive Behavioral Concentration (I. above)

 A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF EACH ROTATION THAT WE OFFER IS PROVIDED UNDER EACH TRACK IN THIS WEB BROCHURE.

Both Adult and Child Tracks tracks afford interns the opportunity to integrate the multiple roles and responsibilities of a Clinical Psychologist in a health care setting.  Interns learn through clinical experiences in outpatient settings, inpatient units, community settings, school, in didactic seminars, through readings and by participation in ongoing research of their clinical supervisors.  All interns participate in weekly core seminars designed to expose them to both basic and advanced concepts in clinical practice, including individual and cultural diversity, ethics and professionalism, and theories and methods of supervision.  Interns also attend any of the weekly departmental grand rounds that pertain to their interests.

The Adult Psychology track offers eight to ten internship positions per year and the Child Psychology track offers three to four positions each year.  The following provides a description of concentrations and rotations within concentrations.  The availability of specific rotations and the combination of rotations in any given year may be affected by the availability of funding.  Specific training experiences may vary by rotation.

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Duke University Medical Center

Duke University Medical Center, the largest private university medical center in the Southeast, is licensed for 989 beds.  The Duke Department of Psychiatry, of which the Division of Medical Psychology is a functional unit, offers outpatient and inpatient services, teaches courses in all four years of the Duke University School of Medicine’s curriculum, and offers an approved psychiatry residency program.

The resources of the medical center and psychiatry department enable the program to offer interns opportunities to integrate assessment, treatment and consultation with a wide variety of patients, many of whom have both medical and mental health problems; to develop skills in functioning on multidisciplinary treatment teams; to participate in faculty research if desired, and to establish a mentor relationship with senior faculty.

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Life in Durham

Durham, North Carolina, a city of approximately 200,000, offers both the friendliness of a small town and the sophistication of a major city.  Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University and North Carolina Central University are within a 25-mile radius of Durham.  Each contributes theater, art, music, sports, and a continuing source of local and visiting scholars and distinguished personalities.  Chapel Hill and Raleigh, Durham’s neighbors in the Research Triangle, offer additional cultural and recreational opportunities.  The beauty and relaxation offered by North Carolina’s famed barrier island beaches are a two-hour drive to the east, while the Blue Ridge Mountains are little more than a four-hour drive to the west.

Housing for psychology interns is available close to the medical center.  The sports and recreational facilities of the university, including facilities for swimming, tennis and track, are open to interns.

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Application

APPLICATION TO THE DUKE CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Applicants must be enrolled in an APA-approved Ph.D. Program in Clinical Psychology.  The Neuropsychology Concentration also accepts applicants from PsyD programs.  Applicants from graduate programs adhering to a scientist-practitioner model (or model similar in philosophy) are strongly preferred. 

In addition, they must have completed the third year of their graduate program by the beginning of the internship year.  Completion of all academic work, including the dissertation, is preferred.

 APPLICATION MATERIAL MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2008

 Application materials should be collected by the applicant and forwarded in ONE PACKAGE.  Copies of transcripts and letters of reference should be enclosed in sealed envelopes with the appropriate stamp or signature over each seal.  Please staple each multi-page item.  Do not place your materials in binders or folders as these interfere with our filing system. 

 A complete application package will consist of the following:

 1.      A cover letter indicating why the applicant is interested in the Duke Internship Program.  In the letter, please specify which track you are applying for (Child or Adult) and the concentration within the track (for Child Track, either Clinical Child or Pediatrics; for Adult Track, specify Cognitive Behavioral, Health, or Neuropsychology). Applicants to the program must specify which track they are applying to:  Adult Psychology or Child Psychology.  These are separate tracks that do not crossover.  Finally, if applying to the Child Track, Child Clinical Concentration, please also specify if you are interested in the Community Psychology, Child Trauma, or ADHD Focus.  If interested in being considered for more than one focus, please so indicate. 

 2.      A completed APPIC Application for Psychology Internship (AAPI) (Part 1).  The AAPI is available from the APPIC Webs site: http://www.appic.org.  Applicants should indicate in their statement of internship goals how their professional interests and training goals match with those of the Duke Internship Program.  The last page of the application must be signed and dated (Section 6. Application Certification). 

 3.      The APPIC Verification of Internship Eligibility and Readiness Form (Part 2). 

 4.      Vita

 5.      Official graduate transcript(s) - no copies, no faxes

 6.      Three letters of recommendation one of which can be from the DCT at your university

 7.      Clinical work sample (this is a sample of a patient or client assessment, evaluation, or progress note with identifying information blanked out using either a black marker or by de-identification on word processor).  (A research report for journal publication is not appropriate).  Supervisor signatures are not required on work samples.

 The complete application packet should be mailed overnight or priority mail through express mail services such as Federal Express, United Parcel Service (UPS), or Airborne Express.  Applicants should make sure that their application is mailed in time for it to be received in our office no later than October 31, 2008.  The application should be addressed to:

Karen C. Wells, Ph.D. 
Director of Internship Training
Child and Family Studies Center
718 Rutherford Street, Room 206 
Durham, NC  27705
Contact #:  919-416-2434 (Patrice Mansfield)

NOTE:  Please do not put “Duke” in the address because the packages sent via UPS and US Parcel Service (USPS), and US Postal will be forwarded through Duke’s campus mail, delaying receipt of the application package.  Sometimes packages are even sent back to applicants instead of being forwarded to us.  We are not located on campus.  We have not experienced this situation with Federal Express.

Applicants may be invited for an interview after a review of application materials.  Notification of invitation will be no later than December 15 through an initial email followed up by a formal letter with detailed information for planning travel to our site.  The Duke Internship Program's Interview Day for 2009 will be Friday, January 16. A smaller interview day will be held Wednesday, January 14. Neurospsych applicants and half of the health applicants that are invited to interview with us will come on January 14. The January 16 date will include Child and Peds applicants, CBT applicants and the other half of the health applicants.

The Duke Internship Program participates in the APPIC Internship Matching Program (www.appic.org).  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.