The Mentor's Corner - Winter 2004
Peter asks:
I am wrapping up my education at an APA-approved PsyD program and I am preparing to send out APPIC applications for internships this fall. Recently, I have been offered a paid, non-APA approved internship position at a local hospital that has the components that I am looking for. I am tempted to “skip” the entire matching process and accept this position. The question I have is...how important is the APA “stamp” when it comes to internships? Will serving my internship at a non-APA approved site affect my career in any way?
Dr. Rob Handelman responds:
I have a Psy.D. from Yeshiva, an APA accredited program. I had a non-accredited internship program and I must tell you, in the five years that I have been out of school, not one person or job has asked about this. From what I understand, I can’t work at a VA hospital. This works out fine for me. That said, I’ve gone quickly into private practice, and it is a total non-issue here for me. Nor was it an issue for my first job out of school, working in a community mental health center. I’m not sure how it works in terms of academic careers, however. If there is an experience at the hospital you want to have, don’t fear. If it is just to avoid the matching process, will you feel okay not having gone for what you really want?
Steve Hampe replies:
What has been said before, about VA work and checking licensing laws, is true. Truth be told, the APA standards are not universal by any means. Some states have adopted them, in their entirety, as their licensing standards. Most others say that programs have to be APA accredited or “equivalent”.
When it comes to internships, the situation is even more confusing because:
1) No one seems able to agree how many hours are needed and 2) There are far fewer APA-accredited internships compared to APA-accredited programs. Florida, for example, requires graduation from an APA-accredited program, but two years (2,000 hours) of supervised practice, the first 1,000 must “meet APA standards.” In other words, they require APA accreditation for your program but NOT the internship.One of the best resources is the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards’ (ASPPB) licensing directory, available online at : http://www.asppb.org/
William Greenhouse adds:
If you have the opportunity to go to an APA accredited Internship, but are pulled in the direction of a non-APA site because of the training they offer, I strongly recommend going with an APA site. You can always train at the non-APA site AFTER you finish internship. By going for APA accreditation, you are aiming at the Highest possible denominator rather than the Lowest possible denominator. This will greatly enhance your flexibility in being approved for licensure in other states in the future. Having to go back, twenty years after training, to attempt to demonstrate that one’s internship was substantially equivalent to APA standards will be a hoop-jumping nightmare.In a related matter, it is so important early in our careers to get our training firmly documented by using the National Register and the ASPPB credentials bank in the event that your training director moves on without leaving documentation someone else can decipher, or if your site drops the internship in the future, or if the hospital or other location is closed.
Please see the National Register website at: http://www.nationalregister.com/
Larry Ball concludes:
Well, that’s one person’s opinion, yet I respectfully would like to use this forum to disagree. I’d urge you to consider going to the internship site that will support your growth to become the best psychologist you can be, AND in the area of psychology you’d like to practice. Personally, I chose to go to a non-APA accredited internship site because they offered superior training to that offered at a local (APA approved) University Health Center (e.g., ending up seeing students in the health center) or the local VA (e.g., treating substance abuse cases). For me, it seemed that the vast majority of APA approved internship sites were either at a University or at the Veteran’s Administration. Also, location can be a big factor as to where you go, especially if you are married and your spouse is in a career of their own. I do take issue, however, with Dr. Greenhouse’s opinion that only APA internships are the “highest”, while other internship sites are the “lowest”. I do appreciate his endorsement of the ASPPB credentialing organization, as they are supportive to demonstrate parity with excellent training sites for interns (as an alternative to the APA route). It should be enough that a graduate school that offers Doctorate degrees and is APA accredited. By the way, for accreditation, APA also looks very closely at the quality of internship training as part of the accreditation process. For excellent internships in California refer to California Psychology Internship Council at www.CAPIC.net They have a list of internship locations in California that are outstanding, and meet all of the requirements for ASPPB.
Tristine Barry asks:
I just finished my first two days of classes and my confidence is so incredibly shaken I am doubting my abilities. Anyone have some advice for a brand new grad student?
Esther Lerman Freeman replies:
This is one of my favorite issues to respond to. In the 20 years that I taught doctoral students I felt it was always my responsibility to tell them how long it would take until they felt competent. In grad school I had always thought everyone knew more than me and that I just would never get it. It would make me feel nervous and incompetent and ignorant. When I finished my internship and got my degree I felt I was finally good at diagnostic interviews. I was right. Getting competent at treatment takes a long time. In the meantime we have supervisors and mentors to help continually increase our knowledge and skill, which then leads to real confidence and not false confidence which can get novices in trouble. So Tristine, do not fret, just take things slow and remember that being nervous and feeling you don’t know what you’re doing is healthy at this stage of the game. The most important thing right now when you enter the room with clients is compassion and an interest in learning who they are and why they came. Your professors will help you make sense of it over time and your intuition and skill will increase. Good luck.
Joan Huble adds:
The best advice may be to give your “new career” some time to take hold. I returned to grad school in my late 40’s after a series of successful careers. Approaching it as something completely new for which I had little experience and little knowledge helped me. If you can remember the attitude you had starting other new things in your life, maybe that will help you through the initial onslaught of grad school.Hang in there.
Jacqueline Wilcox contributes:
I am a third year PsyD student and one of the ways I got through my first year especially, was to remind myself that I wanted to attend grad school for a reason - to get my advanced degree in psychology. And that even though I felt like I didn’t know what I was doing, and I couldn’t make it through grad school, psychology was a passion for me and I had to keep on going that eventually I would feel more secure that I was actually going to make it.
I like the advice someone else gave about approaching it as you would anything else that was new to you.
It really does get better!
Tara Andreoli replies:
I am in my fifth year and remember feeling this way when I first started. One of my friends, who had already been through this, explained that it was a common experience for many students. She dubbed it “imposter syndrome” (this term may have been around for awhile, I don’t know) but is used to describe that horrible feeling we have when we think that, at any time, someone is ‘going to find out’ that we don’t really belong in the program, that we really should not be in grad school. Of course this is only in our minds and is likely a feeling shared by your classmates.
I think school is a big change in one’s life, but it is also a process, and you will be able to acclimate in time. I think it might help, like others said, if you connect with some other students to study together. All the best.
P.S.- remember this is a marathon, not a sprint
Beverly Celotta adds:
Tristine – I am glad you asked. Years ago, when I was a professor, I wrote this for my beginning graduate students. I think you are well ahead of the game because you are admitting it! Hopes this helps.
Beginningitis: A Novice’s Disease