Doctoral Psychology Internship Program

Health Service Psychology Internship

  • Practitioner-Scholar Philosophy: The Southwest Behavioral & Health Psychology Internship program embraces the philosophy of the Practitioner-Scholar model of training which grew out of the conference on Professional Training in Psychology held in Vail, CO in 1973. At the heart of this model is the development and honing of clinical skills required of professional psychologists, including clinical interviewing, client advocacy, treatment planning, and therapeutic interventions, as well as consultation, community outreach, and advancements in research and practice standards. The program is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) and is a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC).
  • Internship Program: Internship is the year that bridges the space between being a student of psychology and being a professional psychologist. As such, the program is designed to meet the increasing skill level of the intern, approaching training and supervision from a developmental model. At the start of the internship, all interns will participate in the New Employee Orientation (NEO) to acclimate them to the agency. Clinical Week encompasses the second week of the internship year, training interns on various clinical activities such as the Initial Engagement Session, service planning, and safety support planning. The program is sequential, cumulative and graded in complexity. Thus, supervision in the initial months of internship is more directive, allowing interns to gain skills needed to be successful. Directive supervision, for example, may take the form of assisting interns understand clinical data to develop a service plan; it may take the form of recommending and modeling or teaching a specific intervention. As the intern gains confidence in clinical skills, supervision typically shifts to having the intern present cases and review the effectiveness of the intern’s intervention strategies. The internship program is designed to meet the American Psychological Association (APA) Standards of Accreditation (SoA), and Arizona licensure requirements. Through supervision, colloquia series, and training, interns will have ample opportunities to achieve the required profession-wide competencies outlined in the APA Standards of Accreditation for Health Service Psychology: (1) Research (2) Ethical and legal standards (3) Individual and cultural diversity (4) Professional values, attitudes, and behaviors (5) Communication and interpersonal skills (6) Assessment (7) Intervention (8) Supervision and (9) Consultation and inter-professional/interdisciplinary skills. Licensure requirements vary from state-to-state, so prospective interns are encouraged to be knowledgeable regarding the requirements of other states.

Internship Positions

In all areas of service, SB&H supports the belief that all individuals possess personal strengths, interests, and desires, and are capable of live fulfilling and rewarding lives. Thus, SB&H embraces a strengths-based, recovery oriented, community-integrated approach to treatment.

Description of Internship Tracks

Supervision

Supervision is integral to professional development. The interns receive multiple forms of supervision and training during their internship. Psychologists associated with the Training Institute and licensed to practice independently will provide a minimum of two hours of weekly individual supervision and two hours of weekly group supervision for each intern. During individual supervision, interns and the supervisor will review cases, treatment planning, intervention strategies, and other relevant issues. The supervisor will also review the intern’s documentation of cases, and if necessary, advise the intern on appropriate conduct. The two hours of group supervision per week, facilitated by the Training Director, provides a forum for interns to present cases, discuss current research, and consult with the other interns. All weekly individual supervision activities take place in-person per Arizona Revised Statute 32-2071.

Financial Support and Benefits

Full-time interns receive an annual stipend of $35,000.00 to be paid in increments every two weeks throughout their internship year. Health, vision and dental insurance plans are available to interns and these benefits go in to effect on November 1st of the training year. Eighty hours of Paid Time Off, and paid holidays are counted as compensated hours. Parental leave is offered in accordance with the APPIC Guidelines for Parental Leave During Internship and Postdoctoral Training document dated 10/1/2015.

Application Information

The Southwest Behavioral & Health Services Doctoral Psychology Internship Program is a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) and is accredited by the American Psychological Association. All internship positions are filled through the APPIC Match. For more information, please visit http://appic.org/.

  • Eligibility: Doctoral psychology students in clinical, educational, school, or counseling psychology who have met their institution’s requirements for internship are invited to apply to the SB&H Doctoral Internship in Psychology program. At a minimum, applicants will have completed 250 direct/face-to-face intervention hours, 50 direct/face-to-face assessment hours, and have completed at least two practica. Advanced practicum experience and experience in community mental health is highly preferred, though not required. Ideal applicants will indicate a strong desire to work in public behavioral health. The program is committed to recruiting and training interns who represent a variety of ethnic, racial, gender and personal backgrounds. The Training Institute follows traditional psychology clinical preparation requirements. These are the standards required by APA as well as the State of Arizona Board of Psychology Examiners. Applicants are required to have completed an APA approved (or equivalent) course of study which covers the identified core competencies.
  • Application Process: Southwest Behavioral & Health Services is a member of Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC), and participates in the National Match to fill all doctoral psychology internship positions. Please see the APPIC website (http://appic.org/) for assistance with application submission.
  • Equal Opportunity Employer: SB&H is an equal opportunity employer. Selections for the internship positions are made without discrimination for any non-merit reason, including, but not limited to, age, race, color, religion, physical disabilities, national origin, political affiliation, gender, sexual orientation, and marital status. Reasonable accommodations in facilities and work expectations will be made for individuals with limitations if the individual would be able to perform the job satisfactorily given appropriate accommodations. If an applicant requires special accommodations in order to complete the application/interview process, the applicant should contact Dr. Livesay, via email at DoctoralTrainingProgram@sbhservices.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.

Questions related to the program's accreditation status should be directed to:

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

Phone: 202-336-5979 Email: apaaccred@apa.org
Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation

         

Doctoral Psychology Internship 2025 Brochure

internships, admissions, support, and initial placement data

For more information about the SB&H Doctoral Psychology Internship Program, please contact Chief Psychologist, Dr. Lynette Livesay: DoctoralTrainingProgram@sbhservices.org.