Doctoral Psychology Internship: Admissions, Support & Initial Placement

Doctoral Internship

The Doctoral Psychology Internship in the Counseling Center is a full-time (40-42 hours per week), twelve-month position beginning August 1, 2025. Interns will need to document completion of at least 2,000 hours as a part of satisfactorily completing the internship program, at least one-fourth of which must be in direct service activities.

Internship Admissions, Support, and Initial Placement Data
Data Program Tables are updated: May 14, 2024

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?

___ Yes

X No

If yes, provide website link (or content from brochure) where the specific information is presented:

n/a

Admissions

Internship Program Admissions

Briefly describe in narrative form important information to assist potential applicants in assessing their likely fit with your program. This description must be consistent with the program’s policies on intern selection and practicum and academic preparation requirements:

The Counseling Center offers a comprehensive twelve-month Doctoral Internship in Health Service Psychology for students working toward their doctoral degrees in counseling or clinical psychology. Emphasis is placed on training interns to perform the primary functions of a university counseling center psychologist, with generalizable skills transferable to a wide variety of settings. Two interns are admitted to the internship program per academic year, and each intern works 40 hours per week. All interns engage in a 3-4 week period of orientation in August designed to assist them in getting to know Counseling Center staff and also to become familiar with the mission and staff of other offices within Student Affairs. During orientation, interns begin to define specific training goals for the internship year. While there are core required components of the internship program, each intern's training experiences are individualized as much as possible to more effectively meet the developmental needs and interests of each intern. For additional information about the Counseling Center's mission and philosophy, services, staff, environment, etc., visit our Doctoral Internship overview page.

Does the program require that applicants have received a minimum number of hours of the following at time of application? If Yes, indicate how many:

Total Direct Contact Intervention Hours

Yes

No

Amount: 450

Total Direct Contact Assessment Hours

Yes

No

Amount: n/a

Describe any other required minimum criteria used to screen applicants:

Minimum Requirements:

enrollment in a doctoral program in counseling or clinical psychology
successful completion of comprehensive exam/task by application deadline (Monday, November 4, 2024)
a minimum number of 450 AAPI Intervention hours
experience, training or interest in working with college and university students and their presenting concerns
dissertation proposal approved by the start of internship
approval for internship by academic training director

Preferred Qualifications:

interest in and commitment to university counseling work and college student development
a collaborative spirit of warmth, acceptance, respect, and trust towards colleagues
interest in working within the internship program's developmental-practitioner model
a willingness and ability to explore one's sense of self, have the capacity to self-reflect, and use one's self-awareness effectively to further personal and professional growth
energy to flexibly manage the professional demands of a challenging caseload while maintaining positive and healthy perspectives and relationships
self-motivation, self-direction, and commitment to high professional ideals
an appreciation for and experience with working with students from traditionally underrepresented groups and issues pertinent to these populations
excellent oral and written communication skills
dedication to the exploration of diversity variables in professional and personal settings

James Madison University completes a national background inquiry which includes a criminal felony and misdemeanor search, national sex offender registry database search, social security number validation and trace. Adverse information discovered in the background check will not automatically disqualify an individual from employment. Decisions concerning employment will be made on a case-by-case basis in conjunction with a review of the job description and requirements.

Support

Financial and Other Benefit Support for the Upcoming Training Year*

Annual Stipend/Salary for Full-time Interns

$43,888

Annual Stipend/Salary for Half-time Interns

Program provides access to medical insurance for intern?

Yes

No

If access to medical insurance is provided:

Trainee contribution to cost required?

Yes

No

Coverage of family member(s) available?

Yes

No

Coverage of legally married partner available?

Yes

No

Coverage of domestic partner available?

Yes

No

Hours of Annual Paid Personal Time Off (PTO and/or Vacation)

24 days

Hours of Annual Paid Sick Leave

Peer coverage model

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

No

Other Benefits (please describe):

Benefits package (health, retirement, life insurance, etc.). For a description of the benefits, please go to: JMU HR Benefits
An office equipped with a desk, computer, file cabinet, video and audio-taping equipment, Internet access, bookshelves, and optional decorative/practical materials such as pictures, clocks, lamps, plants, etc.
Ten (10) paid University holidays (JMU announces these holidays on an annual basis)
$600.00 in professional development funds (pending State Budget approval)
Access to university libraries and the University Recreation Center, and reduced rates at cultural and sporting events.
You can find out more information about benefits here: AP Faculty Benefit leave.

** Program Note. The stipend and benefits are subject to change at the start of each internship year.

*Note. Programs are not required by the Commission on Accreditation to provide all benefits listed in this table

Initial Post-Internship Positions

(Provided an Aggregated Tally for the Preceding 3 Cohorts)

2020-2023

Total # of interns who were in the 3 cohorts

6

Total # of interns who did not seek employment because they returned to their doctoral program/are completing doctoral degree

0

PD

EP

Academic Teaching

PD=0

EP=0

Community mental health center

PD=0

EP=0

Consortium

PD=0

EP=0

University Counseling Center

PD=2

EP=2

Hospital/Medical Center

PD=0

EP=0

Veterans Affairs Health Care System

PD=0

EP=0

Psychiatric facility

PD=0

EP=0

Correctional facility

PD=0

EP=0

Health maintenance organization

PD=0

EP=0

School district/system

PD=0

EP=0

Independent practice setting

PD=2

EP=0

Other

PD=0

EP=0

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.

Total Completed Applications

2021-2022 - 56 applications

2022-2023 - 38 applications

2023-2024 - 113 applications

Instructions for Internship Application

The Counseling Center Doctoral Psychology Internship Program is participating in APPIC's Computer Matching Program. The NMS Match Code is 164911.

Applications reviewed will include the completed AAPI Online (Application for Psychology Internship) with the following elements attached:

A curriculum vitae
All graduate transcripts
Cover letter describing experience and interest in providing the following services: individual and group counseling (include number of individual clients seen in therapy and names of groups you have co-facilitated), crisis intervention (during and after office hours), outreach programming (include names of outreach programs you have prepared/facilitated), consultation, brief therapy, intakes, and clinical work with diverse populations. In addition, the cover letter must include a paragraph stating why you are interested in our internship site and why you believe you are a good fit for our program.
Three letters of reference, at least two of which are from individuals who have supervised your clinical work. Use of the Standardized Reference Form is required.

Selection Process

We will accept applications from interested candidates through the end of the day on Monday, November 4 2024 and will offer extended interviews to select candidates by Monday, December 9, 2024. Brief phone interviews will be conducted to decide which applicants will be invited for an extended interview, most likely via Zoom. Extended interviews will be conducted during the first or second week of January, 2025. All candidates who submit an application will be notified as to whether or not they will be invited for an extended interview. Candidates will be contacted via email through the APPIC Portal.

This internship program abides by the APPIC Match Policies, which are published on APPIC's Web site.

This internship site further 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.

During the extended interview, applicants will be asked permission for their photograph to be taken. Given the large number of interview applicants, the photographs are very helpful in serving as a reminder of each applicant.