Internships - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the application process?

The Patton internship is a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) and our intern positions are selected through the APPIC match.  Details on the match process can be found on the APPIC website.  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 first step in the application process is to download the Patton Internship application materials located on the Internship Home Page.  Once completed applications are received, qualified applicants will be contacted to schedule an interview. Because completing a work sample is part of the application process, on-site interviews are required. Though internship offers are made in February, actual employment in September is contingent on passing a physical examination (including a drug-screening) and a security clearance following fingerprinting.

What are the minimum qualifications required to apply to the Patton internship?

Internship applicants must be enrolled in a doctoral program (preferably APA Accredited) in clinical psychology at a recognized university or professional school, must be recommended by their clinical program, and must meet our prerequisites. Applications from combined clinical programs will be considered as long as clinical psychology is one of the subfields reflected in the degree (e.g., Clinical/Counseling combined programs).  The Clinical Psychology Intern (CPI) civil service position requires that interns have completed a core curriculum and a minimum of 500 hours of assessment and therapy practica in clinical psychology. Since 1990, all successful applicants have completed over 1,000 practicum hours. The core curriculum should include mental measurement, personality assessment techniques, psychopathology, psychological treatment modalities, and theories of personality. Practica should include experience in the administration, scoring and interpretation of intelligence tests and personality assessment instruments. The applicant should have experience in writing integrated assessment reports.

What personal characteristics are necessary to succeed in Patton’s internship?

In general, the most successful interns possess strong time management skills.  Our internship is very demanding and requires interns to balance time spent in supervision, providing treatment, conducting assessments, attending seminars, and writing reports.  Time management skills are particularly important at Patton’s internship due to the fact that interns are not allowed to work more than 40 hours per week.  In order to assist with time management and get the most out of the training experience, it is very helpful to complete the dissertation prior to beginning internship.

What graduate programs have interns come from in the past?

Historically, interns have come from a large variety of clinical doctoral programs from around the country.  In recent years, interns have come from the following graduate programs:

• Alliant University
• Azusa Pacific University
• Central Michigan University
• Chicago School of Professional Psychology
• Florida Institute of Technology
• Fuller Graduate School of Psychology
• George Fox University
• Loma Linda University
• Loyola College
• Pacific Graduate School of Psychology
• Pepperdine University
• Rosemead School of Psychology
• Spaulding University
• State University of New York (SUNY) at Binghamton
• University of Arkansas
• University of California at Berkeley
• University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB)
• University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• University of Hawaii
• University of Louisville
• University of Michigan
• University of Tulsa
• Utah State University
• Wright State University

How many supervisors will I have during the year?

Each intern is assigned a “Coordinating Supervisor,” who serves as a mentor and who provides a minimum of one hour of individual supervision per week.  In addition to the Coordinating Supervisor, each intern works with approximately five to ten adjunct supervisors.  Currently, there are 48 psychologists on staff. All psychologists are either licensed in California or actively working toward licensure. A wide variety of theoretical orientations are represented among Patton psychologists, including cognitive/behavioral, strategic, humanistic, existential, feminist, sociocultural, psychodynamic and psychosocial approaches to treatment. Each intern is supervised by several licensed staff psychologists and is exposed to a variety of clinical experiences and theoretical orientations.

How many hours of supervision will I receive each week?

The total number of weekly supervision hours varies greatly depending on the intern’s caseload at any given point in the training year.  At a minimum, each intern receives two hours per week of individual supervision and three hours of group supervision.  At least one hour of weekly individual supervision is provided by the coordinating supervisor with additional hours provided by adjunct supervisors. Interns are expected to develop specific competencies in Assessment, Treatment, Diversity, Consultation, and Forensic Issues.  Both Intern Performance and Program Performance evaluations are part of the process. At the end of the year, written evaluations are provided to each intern’s school and a certificate of completion is awarded to the intern.

What resources are available to interns during the training year?

Patton’s internship program has access to a wealth of internal and external training resources including an excellent staff library, computers, voicemail, teleconferencing ability, assessment materials, assessment software and dictation equipment. Additionally, one of our psychologists, who is also an attorney and ABPP board certified forensic psychologist, provides his expertise in a mock court proceeding intended to facilitate preparation for forensic testimony. There are many inservice and community training conferences/workshops scheduled throughout the year.

What is the salary?

Salary funding is through a California civil service appointment for Clinical Psychology Intern (CPI). The annual salary for the 2006-2007 year is $39,396. There are no unpaid positions. Interns have the same holidays as other state employees, plus accrued annual leave or sick/vacation time depending on which plan the intern selects.  The starting date is September 1.

Where do interns live?

There are several nice apartment communities within a 15-20 minute drive from the hospital.  Although California has a higher cost of living than many other areas of the country, the cost of living in the areas surrounding Patton is one of the cheapest in California.  Interns who match at the Patton Internship will be contacted by the Internship Director and will be provided with a list of apartment complexes that are recommended by former interns.