Who Should Apply

Intern applicants who have an interest and background in psychological assessment and psychotherapy and who have interests in advancing competencies in providing hospital-based services to patients experiencing both acute psychiatric difficulties and chronic mental health issues should apply. Traditional psychological assessment using objective and projective measures is emphasized in the Child/Adolescent and Adult tracks, and trainees interested in advancing their skills using these instruments should consider applying. A basic competency in administration, scoring, and interpreting of these measures is required. Applicants interested in the CBT track should have an interest and background in CBT models of intervention and have basic competency in structured diagnostic interviewing and differential diagnosis. Strong preference is given to applicants from APA-accredited doctoral programs in clinical psychology, although applicants from other programs (e.g., counseling psychology) may be considered. All applicants should have completed a minimum of two years of practicum experience providing direct patient care. Prior to beginning the internship, it is considered advantageous for applicants to have completed data collection on their dissertation.

Psychologists who have completed APA-accredited internships and who desire further intensive training to acquire advanced competency in clinical psychology are invited to apply to our residency program.

Application Process

Requirements for Application

Applicants must be enrolled in an APA-accredited Ph.D. or Psy.D. program in clinical (or counseling) psychology and have completed a minimum of 2 years of practicum training in clinical psychology. Elevation to doctoral candidacy and completion of all academic requirements are necessary. Applicants to the Adult and Child/Adolescent tracks are expected to have had basic course work and practicum in psychodiagnostic assessment, including projective measures and psychotherapeutic interventions.

Applicants to the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy track need not have projective testing experience but familiarity with structured diagnostic interviewing is required.

Application and Interview Deadlines

All online APPIC applications, transcripts, and letters of reference must be submitted by November 1. Interviews with the training director, current interns, and members of the training committee will be arranged by invitation after a review of all application materials is completed. Selected applicants will be contacted by December 1 to arrange an interview. Interviews will be arranged between mid-December and the end of January. Inquiries regarding your application can be made by calling 860.545.7167.

Notification of acceptance will follow current APPIC guidelines.

The internship is participating in the match program.

TO STUDENTS WHO PLAN TO PARTICIPATE IN THE 2024 MATCH:

MATCH-NEWS is an e-mail list provided by APPIC as a service to Match participants.  It is an essential source of information about the APPIC Match, and it is very strongly recommended that all internship applicants (as well as academic and internship Training Directors) subscribe to this list as early as possible in the process.  We further recommend that all students subscribe to MATCH-NEWS themselves rather than rely on others to forward announcements to them.  Students who are not yet ready for internship are also welcome to subscribe.

MATCH-NEWS is an "announce-only" list, which means that only APPIC can post messages to the list.  The volume of e-mail messages will generally be very small, usually ranging from zero to five messages per month.  As the Match approaches, MATCH-NEWS will be the primary method of communicating important late-breaking news and information about the Match, as well as tips and suggestions about how to make the most of the process.  Many applicants from previous years have told us that the messages posted to MATCH-NEWS were extremely helpful to them in navigating the selection process. 

NOTE: If you previously signed up for MATCH-NEWS and are receiving messages, there is no need to sign up again.

To subscribe to the MATCH-NEWS e-mail list, send a blank e-mail message to: subscribe-match-news@lyris.appic.org

You will subsequently receive an e-mail message (with the subject line, "Your confirmation needed") that contains instructions for you to follow in order to confirm your subscription.  Simply follow the instructions in that message, and you will soon receive a "Welcome" e-mail in response.  This "Welcome" e-mail confirms that you are successfully subscribed to the list (please note that you are NOT subscribed to the list until you have received the "Welcome" message).  NOTE:  It is possible that this confirmation message will be redirected to your "Junk Mail" folder.  If you do not receive a confirmation message in your "Inbox," you should check your "Spam" or "Junk Mail" folder to see if the message is there.

For assistance with APPIC's e-mail lists, please contact the APPIC List Manager, Dr. Nicole Dorsey at Nicole.Dorsey@cac.hctx.net.

Submitting Applications

Applicants need to complete the APPIC universal application. Please include 3 letters of reference and submit at least one copy of a comprehensive psychological testing report as supplementary material for applicants to the Adult and Child/Adolescent tracks.

Internship Selection Procedure

An applicant’s completed application will be reviewed by at least two members of the psychology staff who are participating in the internship selection.

During the initial review an applicant may be excluded from further consideration for the following reasons:

  • Applicant is not enrolled in an APA-accredited doctoral psychology program
  • Applicant has not completed at least two practicum experiences
  • Applicant has accrued fewer than 500 hours of clinical practice (anticipated accrued hours may be considered)
  • Applicant has not completed all the graduate courses required for completion of their doctoral program prior to start of internship
  • Applicant has no experience providing comprehensive psychological testing using intellectual, projective, and/or objective measures (projective testing is not required for CBT track applicants)
  • Applicant has neither completed a graduate course in initial interviewing or DSM-V nor had supervised experience in conducting an initial intake interview and providing individual psychotherapy

Interviews are required for selected applicants. All interviews remain virtual (via Zoom) at this time. For applicants who are scheduled for interviews, each applicant will be interviewed by the Training Director, a current intern or fellow, and at least two other supervisory staff. Each interviewer completes a rating form after the interview which is used to help construct the final ranking list for the match.

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.

Statement of Nondiscrimination

The Institute of Living/Hartford Hospital is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants from various racial, ethnic, sexual orientation, religious and cultural backgrounds as well as those with physical disabilities.

Substance Use/Screening and Background Checks

In response to recent nationwide trends among both corporate businesses and hospital communities, the Institute of Living/Hartford Hospital has recognized the need to establish clear drug use policies for its employees. In light of this concern, the hospital has instituted a confidential drug testing procedure for all new employees. Similarly, the hospital also requires all employees, including predoctoral interns and postdoctoral fellows, to go through a standard background check including legal history and a DCF (Department of Children and Families) check. Drug testing via urinalysis and the standard background check will occur prior to the internship start date with employment contingent upon the results.

COVID and Flu Vaccination Requirements

For healthcare providers and workers, being vaccinated against the COVID-19 and flu viruses is one of the most important and responsible actions we can take to demonstrate our commitment to ensuring the safest possible caring and working environment.

Based on the latest guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH), colleagues are considered up-to-date for their COVID-19 vaccination when they have received all doses in the primary series and all boosters recommended for them, when eligible. Please see CDC website regarding up-to-date vaccination status. Employees may be eligible for vaccine exemption based on medical or religious reasons – these exemptions are reviewed by a hospital committee on a case-by-case basis and cannot be guaranteed prior to employment.

Contacts

Psychology Department