The multidisciplinary Psychology Internship Program features three 4-month-long rotations: Adult Inpatient Unit, Assessment and Disposition, and Wellness Recovery. Additionally, interns carry a caseload of five adult and five pediatric long-term individual therapy cases.

Interns are fully integrated within each assigned rotation and participate in all treatment and clinical activities. Each intern has two supervisors for long-term therapy cases, one for pediatric cases and one for adult cases. Interns also receive several hours of weekly supervision, including group supervision in their units of rotation, supervision for group therapy, and psychological/neuropsychological testing. Each intern is assigned at least one psychology extern to mentor/supervise.

On the adult inpatient unit, interns are responsible for five daily therapy groups, one each day of the week. Interns also have the opportunity to work with patients individually and to complete inpatient psychological evaluations as needed. During this rotation, interns participate in daily team rounds and admission interviews. Interns are also responsible for leading a community meeting one morning a week to orient patients and discuss any unit issues that arise. During this rotation, interns may be required to present one brief, in-service lecture on the topic of their choice that is relevant to inpatient psychology. Interns are observed by supervisors in vivo weekly while facilitating milieu groups. Interns are expected to complete one outpatient adult psychological/neuropsychological evaluation during this rotation.

During the Assessment and Disposition Rotation, interns spend one full day each week in the psychiatric ER and meet weekly as part of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Services (CAPS) clinical team. While on this rotation, interns also complete up to one pediatric and one adult outpatient admission evaluation weekly and are expected to complete at least one pediatric psychological/neuropsychological evaluation. Interns are also expected to present one in-service lecture relevant to child/adolescent psychology to the CAPS clinical team.

The Wellness Recovery Program focuses on supporting patients diagnosed with severe mental illnesses (SMI). The Program serves an adult population 18 years and older with a chronic history of inpatient hospitalization. Many of the patients in this program are diagnosed with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorders, or bipolar disorders. The Wellness Recovery Program emphasizes patients’ wellness recovery goals such as gainful employment, formal education, and volunteering. During this rotation, interns will facilitate four groups each week and complete at least one outpatient adult psychological/neuropsychological evaluation.

Interns are required to attend in-service training sessions in their assigned rotations, weekly meetings with the internship training director, weekly grand rounds (September through June), and psychology staff meetings bimonthly. Interns are also required to attend weekly didactics, during which members of our multicultural staff and other providers address issues pertinent to their specific cultural backgrounds, clinical interests, and other relevant psychological topics across the lifespan. Interns may also attend monthly elective didactics focusing on LGBTQ+ mental health, perinatal mental health, neuropsychological assessment, DBT, and acute care. Interns also attend a bimonthly group seminar on professional development and well-being.

Interns can choose specialty training in providing mental health care to LGBTQ+ patients, perimental health patients, or cancer survivors. Interns who choose a concentration in LGBTQ+ mental health care will attend a monthly clinic meeting and monthly case conference meeting of the LGBTQ+ Mental Health subclinic. Their individual caseload will include LGBTQ adolescents and adults and they will be supervised by psychology faculty who are part of the subclinic.

Similarly, interns who choose a concentration in perinatal mental health will attend perinatal mental health clinic monthly meetings and didactics. Their caseload will include patients registered to the Perinatal Mental Health subclinic.

Interns who are interested in psycho-oncology spend one morning each week for at least 6 months at Maimonides’ Cancer Center, providing individual and group therapy to patients registered at the Cancer Center.

Up to 2 interns with a specific interest in perinatal mental health will have the opportunity to be assigned to the perinatal mental health sub-clinic, including

• A caseload of up to 5 perinatal mental health patients for individual therapy
• Monthly didactics on perinatal mental health
• Monthly case conferences
• Weekly individual supervision with a psychologist assigned to the perinatal mental health clinic

Up to 2 interns with a specific interest in LGBTQIA+ mental health will have the opportunity to be assigned to the LGBTQIA+ mental health sub-clinic, including

• A caseload of up to 5 adolescent and adult clinic patients for individual therapy
• Co-facilitation of one or two LGBTQIA+ groups
• Monthly case conferences
• Weekly individual supervision with a psychologist assigned to the LGBTQIA+ mental health clinic

2 interns with a specific interest in psycho-oncology will have the opportunity to spend 4 hours a week for 6 months providing behavioral health services to patients of the Cancer Center, including

• Short-term individual therapy
• Short-term group therapy
• Weekly didactics
• Weekly individual supervision with the Cancer Center Director of Behavioral Services
• Note that the Cancer Center is located offsite nearby

Interns with an interest in consult/liaison psychology will have the opportunity for shadowing psychiatrists and psychiatry residents on the C/L service and providing short-term supportive and skills-based therapy to patients admitted to medical units in Maimonides Medical Center

(Provide an Aggregated Tally for the Preceding 3 Cohorts)

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.

The standard onboarding process for psychology interns includes a pre-employment physical as well as bloodwork/titers taken for immunization purposes. Should bloodwork show low immunities to any additional required vaccinations (e.g., MMR, Varicella, etc.), the intern will need to present previous vaccination records that the required vaccines have been administered or receive additional vaccine(s) if necessary for medical clearance. Interns are also required to present to Employee Health proof of last received influenza vaccination.

As part of the onboarding process, the following background checks will be completed:

• NYS criminal search
• Nationwide criminal search
• Address and Social Security trace
• Education verification

The Clinical Psychology Internship Program only considers students from APA- and CPA-accredited programs in Clinical Psychology, Counseling Psychology, and combined Clinical-School Psychology. The internship program participates in the APPIC psychology internship match. Thus, completed applications should be submitted through the APPIC portal by November 15th. Only submissions that include three letters of recommendation, one comprehensive psychological/neuropsychological evaluation, and one case report will be considered.

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.

The Clinical Psychology Externship Program offers experiences in the Child and Adolescent Outpatient Service, and the Wellness Recovery Program.  Externs may work directly with patients in individual, group, and family therapy. They receive at least 1 hour of weekly supervision and participate in all aspects of treatment related to their assigned unit. They receive additional supervision for psycho-diagnostic evaluations.

In weekly group sessions, externs receive additional instruction in psychopharmacology, career development, the role of multiculturalism in therapy, and child and adolescent trauma treatment. They also receive peer supervision from a current intern.

Externs must have a master’s degree at the start of their externship. They must be able to conduct therapy sessions and administer the full battery of basic psychological tests. They must also be present at the hospital for 16 hours spread over 2 days, including Fridays for didactics. Externships start the 1st Monday after Labor Day and end approximately June 30.

To apply, please:

• Submit a letter from the university internship director signifying readiness to begin an externship year
• Provide by email:
  • 2 letters of recommendation
  • Curriculum vitae
  • Cover letter  stating preferred rotation  and indicating that you will have obtained your master’s degree by the beginning of the externship year
  • Transcript (does not have to be official)

Once accepted, externs must provide:

• A physical and proof of a purified protein derivative  (PPD) tuberculosis test, as Maimonides will not be able to perform in-house examinations
• Malpractice insurance from their respective schools as per university guidelines

Externs currently in our service must wait at least 1 year after externship completion to apply for an internship at Maimonides. Interviews are arranged by e-mail, according to the dates set by the Doctor of Psychology NY (PSYDNY) guidelines for scheduling interviews and notification of applicants.