Welcome to the Clinical Psychology Internship and Externship Programs

Maimonides Medical Center’s Department of Psychiatry offers internship and externship programs in clinical psychology. Our clinical psychology internship program exposes interns to a culturally diverse patient population, inpatient and outpatient treatment approaches, and the psychiatric emergency room. Upon completion, interns can diagnostically assess and treat all levels of mental illness within the public mental health sector, including hospital-based settings.

Our pre-doctoral Clinical Psychology Internship program is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA)

American Psychological Association

The APA-accredited Psychology Internship Program

The Psychology Internship Experience

The multi-disciplinary 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.

Adult inpatient unit rotation

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.

Assessment and disposition 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.

Wellness recovery rotation

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.

In-service training

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.

Special population concentrations

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.

Internship admissions, support, and initial placement data

The psychology internship at Maimonides Medical Center is a generalist program grounded in the scholar/practitioner model. There are three 4-month rotations: Inpatient, Wellness Recovery (outpatient SMI population), and Assessment and Disposition. The location is a Community Mental Health Center, psychiatric inpatient facility, and a psychiatric ED at a medical center.

Prior to the start of this internship, it highly recommended that applicants have completed the following:

  • 700 total direct contact hours
  • 50 total direct contact psychological/neuropsychological assessment hours
  • 300 hours total group/individual supervision with a licensed psychologist

Preference is given to candidates with:

  • A dissertation proposal approved by the internship start date
  • An expressed interest in working with a multicultural population in the public sector
  • At least 3 years of graduate/clinical experience
  • Clinical and psychological testing experience with both children and adults
  • Experience with varied treatment approaches and assessment methods/materials

How to apply

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 14th. Only submissions that include three letters of recommendation, one comprehensive psychological/neuropsychological evaluation, and one case report will be considered.

Other internship requirements

NYS requires all healthcare workers to be vaccinated for COVID. We strongly encourage annual influenza vaccination.

The standard onboarding process for 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 their Covid-19 vaccination card and 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

Financial and other benefit support for upcoming training year

Annual stipend/salary for full-time interns $45,000
Annual stipend/salary for half-time interns N/A
Program provides access to medical insurance for intern? Yes
If access to medical insurance is provided:
Trainee contribution to cost 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 off (PTO and/or vacation) 140 hours
Hours of annual paid sick leave 84 hours
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: $200 monthly meal card accepted by local businesses; 5 conference days (can be used for dissertation release time); 12 holidays + 1 personal day

Initial post-internship positions

2021-2024
Total # of interns who were in the 3 cohorts 18
Total # of interns who did not seek employment because they returned to their doctoral program/are completing doctoral degree 1
PD EP
Academic teaching 0 0
Community mental health center 0 0
Consortium 0 0
University Counseling Center 1 0
Hospital/Medical Center 4 0
Veterans Affairs Health Care System 0 0
Psychiatric facility 1 0
Correctional facility 0 0
Health maintenance organization 0 0
School district/system 0 0
Independent practice setting 9 0
Other 2 0

Note: “PD” = Post-doctoral residency position; “EP” = Employed Position

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. No
  • Please remove Electives section under the Psychology Internship Program
  • Please leave externship information as is.

Electives

The Psychology Internship program is pleased to announce the addition of four elective programs.

Perinatal Mental Health:

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

LGBTQIA+ Mental Health

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

Cancer Center

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

Consult/Liaison Psychiatry

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

The Psychology Externship program

The Psychology Externship Experience

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.

How to apply

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.

The future of medical care is you

Maimonides’ Clinical Psychology Internship and Externship Programs provide superior educational experiences in an environment that assures a balance between academic and clinical activities. We take great pride in our success in preparing interns and externs to become the next generation of expert psychologists.

Apply to the Psychology Internship and Externship Program today!

Choose Your
Location