Applying to Clinical Internships: Insider Tips for Maximizing Your Success

1. Applying to Clinical Internships:Insider Tips for Maximizing Your Success Panelists: • Michelle Paul, Ph.D.Clinical Psychology Program Associate DCTUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegasmichelle.paul@unlv.edu • Stephen L. Soffer, Ph.D.Director - Outpatient ProgramTraining Director – Psychology Internship Training ProgramChildren's Hospital of Philadelphiasoffer@email.chop.edu • Sandra S. Pimentel, PhDChief of Child and Adolescent PsychologyAssociate Director of Psychology TrainingMontefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicinespimente@montefiore.org • Karen Guan, Ph.D.Postdoctoral Scholar, Child FIRST LabUniversity of California, Los Angeles Internship at Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services, Los Angeles, CAkguan10@gmail.com

2. Audience Questions and Answers Submit a question during the webinar: • Post your questions for the Q&A segment! On right side of screen, click on the Questions tab on the Go-To-Webinar control panel, and submit your questions Continue the conversation after the webinar in the SCCAP53.org Forum • For one month, panel members will respond to as many questions as possible       • Go to https://sccap53.org • Log in with your member ID and password • Scroll down and click on the “Forum” box • Under Webinar Discussions, “Applying to Clinical Internships” • See the forum rules posted by the Web Editor, and then • Post away! Up coming webinars: Submit your ideas for our 2020 Webinar Series: sccapdiv53@gmail.com

3. Preparing Your Application Materials Michelle Paul, Ph.D. Clinical Psychology Program Associate DCT University of Nevada, Las Vegas

4. Shaping and Organizing Application Materials Start with self-reflection: • Where do you want to be professionally in 5 years? 10 years? • How far has your training brought you and what else do you need to achieve that goal? • Compared to another student who might look exactly the same on paper (e.g. similar research, practica, and coursework), what makes you different? What are YOUR unique reactions, impressions, passions, observations, and reflections on each training experience? • What do you think is important in the field? What contributions do you see yourself making? • How are your research and clinical ideas similar and different from those of your advisors and supervisors? • What values guide your professionally?

5. With your answers in mind, search for sites that appear to be a good fit • They offer the next logical step in your training and you come prepared to that next step • Their materials speak to you in terms of the training and professional values and philosophies they articulate • Organize your materials accordingly

6. Essays and CV • Prepare your CV and essays to work in tandem, chapters in a book • CV • Education, honors/awards, practicum training, research, teaching/service • Specify APA-accredited and date of dissertation defense (anticipated) • Look at models, pay attention to formatting • Essays • Let your CV speak for itself. Let the essays bring you and your ideas to life. • State your training goals explicitly throughout.

7. Cover letters – abstract of your application • P1 – Introduction • Introduce yourself, where you are training and your application. • “I am currently a 4th year … I have received rigorous generalist training in a scientist practitioner program. At the same time I have also focused my research and clinical training in the areas of… • P2, 3, 4 • Layout the match specific to the site and what in particular you find attractive or appealing • It’s ok to add personal information such as a desire to return to a home state to complete training and launch your career • P4,5 • Summarize/reiterate the match, restate enthusiasm

8. Choosing your letter writers • Secure strong letters from the people who know you and your work best • The quality of your character, what it’s like to work with you as well as your competencies • Ask explicitly if the person feels comfortable writing a strong letter and if not, what can you do so they can feel comfortable doing so • Meet and discuss explicitly what you/they wish to be conveyed in your letters per section of the SRF – jog each others memories • Research advisor and practicum/clinical supervisors

9. Selecting Internship Sites Stephen Soffer, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Training Director – Psychology Internship Training Program, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

10. Selecting Potential Internship Sites • Alignment of an internship site with your training needs and goals is an essential consideration • The “fit” may not be obvious as you start the process • Time and energy in assessing and evaluating fit has a high “return on investment” • Multiple steps students can follow to evaluate internship-student fit

11. Self Assessment and Reflection • APPIC application process – requires thorough self-assessment • Consider goals of supporting breadth and depth of training experience • What are your career goals? • Opportunities for building independence and expansion of breadth • How clear are your training and career goals? • Honestly and fully examine areas of strength and needs in training • Acknowledging opportunities for growth is important and expected • Process will help build your cover letter and interview responses

12. Information Gathering • Sources for identifying sites: • APPIC - https://membership.appic.org/directory/search • APA Div. 53 – SCCAP - https://sccap53.org/resources/student-resources/training-program-database/ • APA Div. 54 – SPP - https://societyofpediatricpsychology.org/training • Some lists have filters based on interests/areas of emphasis • Connect with other students in your program (lab colleagues, more advanced students) • What programs did they apply to? What was their thought process? • Contact program’s students who interviewed or completed internship at a site of interest • Mentors and supervisors

13. Assessing Sites • Start reviewing internship site brochures/websites • Multiple training opportunities of interest and connected to your goals (avoid overly focusing on one great rotation) • Combination of experiences supporting depth and breadth • What excites you about the site? • Look beyond rotations: • Training aims, didactics, research opportunities, supervision skill development • Imagine a “day in the life” of an intern at each site

14. Evaluate Potential Fit • How excited are you about rotations offered at the site? • How easy is it to write the application cover letter for a specific site? • Focus more on fit of experiences than name/reputation of internship • Consider and rate variables important to you: • Range of rotation choices that support interests/training needs • Opportunities for breadth and depth experiences • Geographic location • Research experiences • Development of professionalism and collaboration competencies

15. Applying and Interviewing • Be honest with yourself • If you are working hard to justify the fit…consider not applying • Help the site’s faculty clearly see the fit through your application • Interview day – strong information source: • Interviews may be your future supervisors (can you easily envision?) • Current interns – are they happy, does experience match expectations, supportive faculty? • Write down your “gut reactions” as soon as possible following interview day

16. Internship Selection Criteria & Commonly Asked Interview Questions Sandra Pimentel, Ph.D. Chief of Child and Adolescent Psychology Associate Director of Psychology Training Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

17. Criteria that internship sites use: What are sites looking for? • In general…a good MATCH! • By site…good fit may differ • Certain minimum hours • Specific skills (e.g., CBT), assessment types (e.g., projectives), populations • Authentically advance your professional development? • Experiences had & experiences sought • Interpersonal strengths & communication Skills • Enthusiasm and curiosity about the program offerings • Conscientiousness • PROOFREAD! SPELLCHECK! And then PROOFREAD and SPELLCHECK AGAIN!

18. Do your homework! Site’s Mission and Vision Program Requirements Nuts and Bolts Strengths and Weaknesses

19. Commonly Asked Interview Questions/Domains

20. Commonly Asked Interview Questions/Domains • Why us? • Professional Goals • Case Conceptualization • Culture and Diversity • Challenging Cases/Professional Challenges • Familiarity with the site offerings • Supervision experiences • Dissertation and Research

21. What happens to applications? PORTAL CLOSES! Applications Reviewed & Rated by Several Faculty Subset Invited to Interview Interview Day: Faculty Meets Again to Review Ranking Meeting Match Day!

22. Applying for Internships: A Student Perspective Karen Guan, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Scholar, Child FIRST Lab University of California, Los AngelesInternship at Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services, Los Angeles, CA

23. Applying for Internships: A Student Perspective • My background: • Clinical Psychology Ph.D. from UCLA • Clinical interests: generalist; underserved children/adolescents 5-18 • Research interests: addressing barriers to implementation of evidence-based practices in community settings for youth • Major clinical experiences: • 1 year practicum at community mental health agency providing outpatient therapy to children/families • 1 year practicum at specialty ASD assessment and treatment clinic in academic medical center • Applied in Fall 2016 to scientifically-informed community mental health agencies and academic medical centers with Child/Adolescent tracks • Matched to Didi Hirsch, a large community mental health agency in LA

24. Overarching Tips • Seek out info everywhere, from everyone you can, at every stage of the process • Take care of yourself • Remember the silver linings: • The application process is a structured opportunity to reflect on how you’ve grown during grad school and what you want for the future • Internship is only a year and won’t make or break your career

25. Tips for Building Your Application • Start early! Especially: • Deciding on and requesting letters of rec • Brainstorming your goals before searching for sites • Potential categories: must-haves, prefer-to-haves, and absolutely not • Skills I have, skills I would like • Starting in July, devote regular time to the application process • Start a spreadsheet to organize info about sites, application requirements • Consider budget for application & interviews • Ask previous applicants similar to you to share their site lists (labmates, alums)

26. Tips for Building Your Application • Essays: • Read examples, but remember your essays should reflect YOU • Have multiple people read drafts • Vary readers according to type of essay • Minor tailoring may be needed across sites • Cover letters: more time consuming than you think, so chip away! • Use as a litmus test for fit • Make sure you write with the updated site brochure for that year in hand

27. Tips for Interviewing • Prepare using lists of common questions • Practice! • Check email regularly and have phone handy for interview offers • Schedule strategically • Minimize usual responsibilities • Timing • Region • Use your cover letter as your study guide • Take detailed notes after interviewing at each site

28. Tips for Interviewing • Prepare for both structured and unstructured interviews • Have generic and site-specific questions to ask • Send thank-you emails • Take advantage of time with current interns • Ask about: • The “vibe” (e.g., training versus service orientation) • Proportion of time spent on different activities • Support for professional development • Future plans • Get their email addresses for follow-up Qs

29. Other considerations • Creating rank lists • Continue seeking out info if needed • Consult with others you trust • Weigh what’s most important to you • Research time

30. Audience Questions and Answers Beth Moroney, M.A Student Representative, SCCAP Student Development Committee University of California, Los Angeles

31. Source Citation for this Presentation Samples: With website link • Guan, K.; Paul, M.; Pimentel, S. S.; Soffer, S. L. (2019). Applying to Clinical Internships: Insider Tips for Maximizing Your Success [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from https://sccap53.org/applying-to-clinical-internships-insider-tips-for-maximizing-your-success-7-24-19/  Without website link • Guan, K.; Paul, M.; Pimentel, S. S.; Soffer, S. L. (2019). Applying to Clinical Internships: Insider Tips for Maximizing Your Success [PowerPoint slides]. Webinar sponsored by the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, Division 53 of the American Psychological Association.  New York, NY.