Introduction
Placement
Specialty Training
Application Information
Faculty

Introduction

Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota is a 316-bed not-for-profit, comprehensive health care provider serving the diverse needs of children from infancy through adolescence. With two major hospital campuses in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Serving as Minnesota's Children’s Hospital since 1924, we are the sixth largest children’s health care organization in the US, currently undergoing the final stages of the largest expansion and modernization project in our 80-year history. An independent, not-for-profit health care system, Children’s provides care through over 12,500 inpatient visits, more than 80,000 emergency room visits and approximately 130,000 outpatient clinic visits during the past year. Children’s was named as one of “America’s Best Children’s Hospitals” by U.S. News and World Report and was designated one of the 2011 Leapfrog Top Hospitals based on a quality and safety survey. The psychology doctoral internship at Children’s is an American Psychological Association (APA) accredited, 2,000 hour per year program, which is committed to a scholar-practitioner model of training, with elements of the scientist-practitioner model as well. Children’s offers three internship positions each year, with preference given to students from APA approved graduate programs in child or clinical psychology.

The internship year is guided by a scholar-practitioner model of training with significant influence from the scientist-practitioner model recommended by the 1990 Gainesville National Conference on Scientist-Practitioner Education and Training for the Professional Practice of Psychology. Further, the program encourages critical, scientific thinking and the application of scientific knowledge to clinical issues. We subscribe to an integrated approach to both science and practice, recognizing that the focus of internship is on the development of the skills necessary for clinical practice.

Internship training experiences are designed to include the following:

Each quarter of the internship is designed to build on previous experiences, with ongoing assessment of skill development and achievement of competencies. Training is highly individualized, and interns have the opportunity to interact with staff members from many disciplines, and to participate in institutional group events conducted at both sites. The growth of the intern’s individual and professional identity is a significant focus of the training program.

Interns work through the year toward the goal of independent functioning in selected areas of practice, recognizing that continued supervision may be ongoing as part of postdoctoral specialty training. Emphasis is placed on competencies in the following areas: intervention, assessment, consultation-liaison, research-based practice, multicultural diversity, and professional development. See our Competency Grid for further clarification of expected competencies for successful completion of the internship.

Three interns are selected carefully for their commitment to psychological services for children, teens, and their families, and training is provided through intensive supervision, clinical experience, and didactic seminars. Although the clinical and educational demands of the internship require full-time concentration of time and energy, we encourage highly motivated interns to develop their own research project or participate in ongoing staff research when possible.

Requirements:

The internship begins September 1 and runs for 12 months. The current stipend is $25,000 per year including a comprehensive benefits package with two weeks of vacation plus sick time, all major holidays, as well as three conference days.

Application deadline: November 1, 2012
Starting date: September 1, 2013

(Last revised 02-12)

Introduction
Placement
Specialty Training
Application Information
Faculty

Placements

Interns serve in a primary placement for the entire year at either Children’s - Minneapolis or Children’s - St. Paul, where they will gain broad-based child clinical experience in assessment, intervention, and consultation-liaison to the medical services. Interns also will gain additional clinical experience in pediatric psychology and neuropsychology services in order to be competitive for postdoctoral fellowships in these areas. Within each hospital setting, interns will focus on experience with general outpatient psychological services (assessment and intervention), medical consultation, research-based practice, multicultural competence, and professional development/supervision. Clinical activity decisions are jointly made by the intern and training director to address both the interests and individual training needs of the intern, as well as competency expectations for a child clinical psychologist.

The specific combination of clinical activities for each intern is designed to assure completing the year with the ability to perform the essential functions of a clinical child psychologist, including cognitive and personality assessments at each developmental level and a variety of developmentally and contextually appropriate interventions including diagnostic assessments and therapy for emotional, health, and behavioral problems.

Children’s - Minneapolis:
The Psychology department provides both inpatient medical and outpatient mental health/behavioral medicine services to children and families. In addition, outpatient specialty opportunities available for intern training include Hematology-Oncology Clinic, Cystic Fibrosis Team, and the Cleft & Craniofacial Clinic.. Diagnostic, consultative, intervention, and liaison services for pediatric medical patients and their families are also provided through interdisciplinary teams.

Children’s - St. Paul:
The Psychology program in St. Paul provides a variety of mental health services for children, adolescents, and their families across a continuum of health care settings. This is a multi-disciplinary department including clinical psychologists, psychiatry, and pediatric nurse practitioners. Specific services provided include diagnostic assessment and therapy for emotional and behavioral problems, as well as school-related problems such as learning disabilities and ADHD. Consultation-liaison services are also provided to the inpatient medical units and a number of medical specialty services, including Hematology-Oncology and Diabetes.

Introduction
Placement
Specialty Training
Application Information
Faculty

Specialty Training

Pediatric Neuropsychology
Neuropsychological evaluations are conducted with children presenting with a variety of neurodevelopmental disorders, neurological conditions and medical disorders with concomitant cognitive manifestations. Evaluations include cognitive/personality assessment, and educational evaluation/consultation for children and adolescents at all developmental levels. Neurodevelopmental patient populations include children with learning disabilities, autism, epilepsy, metabolic disorders, head trauma, brain tumors and congenital malformations. Services also include support for the pediatric consultation/liaison service in the form of assessment of medical inpatients with a variety of neurological disorders. Those interns who plan to pursue postdoctoral training in neuropsychology will be provided sufficient opportunities on internship to be competitive in the application process. All former trainees desiring further training in this area have obtained fellowship placements. For those interns not pursuing specialty training in this area, exposure to neuropsychological evaluations will be provided during the final six months of the internship.

Additional Training Opportunities

Groups: Interns have the option to serve as co-facilitators in groups with children, teens, or parents (to be arranged) or to develop their own psychoeducational group.

Community placements: Interns have the opportunity to work during the year (approximately 4 hours/week) at a community placement, to provide additional opportunities with both consultation skills and non-traditional forms of service delivery. Options vary every year but may include:

Introduction
Placement
Specialty Training
Application Information
Faculty

Application Information

The application deadline for the 2012-2013 internship program is November 1, 2012. The following materials must be submitted via the APPIC AAPI Online by the application deadline to be considered for interviews (to be conducted in mid- to late December 2012):

This internship program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association (750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242; (202) 336-5979) and is a member of APPIC.

We agree 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 prior to APPIC Match Day. We will participate in the computer match through APPIC --- see APPIC Match Policies at http://appic.org/directory/4_3_directory_policies.html)

All matches are contingent upon successful completion of an employment physical, reference checks, compliance with the U.S. Government Eligibility Verification form (I-9) and background checks including Minnesota Statute 148.01 “Minnesota Sexual Exploitation Act.” This statute requires Children’s Hospitals and Clinics to contact employers from at least the last five years to determine whether any sexual exploitation of clients has occurred. Applicants who do not successfully pass this background check will be dismissed from the internship.

All application materials must be submitted via the APPIC AAPI Online by the November 1, 2012 deadline to be considered for interviews. Please submit through the AAPI Online portal.

For additional information about the program, contact Sharon Berry, PhD, Director of Training, at e-mail: sharon.berry@childrensmn.org or:

Sharon Berry, PhD, Licensed Psychologist
Director of Training and Psychological Services System Lead
Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota
Mail Stop 17-301
2525 Chicago Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404

612-813-6727

Process of Selection

Teams of faculty will conduct a thorough review of application materials, with 24 applicants selected for formal interviews. Three days will be set aside for in-person interviews during which each applicant will meet with several staff members, as well as the current interns, regarding the training program. We also encourage interviews by phone or video conferencing as desired. In light of the increasing costs for airfare and travel, we strongly encourage you to consider these alternatives. We have interviewed a number of candidates by phone and have matched with these individuals as well. Interviewing by phone will not alter your chances for consideration as a good fit with our program. All applicants will be notified by December 15 via e-mail regarding interview status.

Please feel free to contact any of the 2011-2012 interns for additional information (through August 31, 2012):

Or contact the incoming interns (between 9-1-2012 and 8-31-2013):

Likely Interview dates: