Psych. and Social Work Training Programs

GENERAL INFORMATION

Three internships are available each year, beginning during the third or fourth week in August and continuing for 12 months, with four weeks of vacation. Positions include a $40,382 stipend, plus benefits including individual or family health insurance; vacation and sick leave; time for meeting with dissertation committees; and professional development and job search time.

Applications are accepted from advanced doctoral students currently enrolled in APA-approved clinical, counseling or professional psychology programs. We place precedence on creating an open and affirming environment for students of all backgrounds.

The detailed program description is available for download below. 

APPLICATION

APPIC Program Code: 1320

APPIC National Matching Service (NMS) Code: 132011

Include your vita, three letters of recommendation (preferably from clinical supervisors) and a graduate transcript. The application deadline is November 3rd.

Applicants must have completed a minimum of 500 hours of direct clinical contact. Applicants who have completed a minimum of 3 integrated testing reports will be preferred; a minimum of 1 integrated testing report is required.

All interviews for internship will be completed via Zoom for the 2024-2025 internship selection cycle.

Notification: Our program is a member of APPIC and follows that organization’s application and acceptance policies. All applications are screened; personal interviews (all via Zoom) will be scheduled by December 1st with those students whose interests and qualifications appear most compatible with our training program. Interviews will be held during the second and third weeks in December – please refer to our APPIC profile for details on the interview process: https://membership.appic.org/directory/display/701

Submit the standard Application for Psychology Internship (AAPI).

Criminal Records Check (CORI)

Under University of Massachusetts Amherst requirements, employment is contingent upon a successful Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) check. This will be completed by the university's Human Resources department prior to the start of employment.

More Information

CONTACT

Jennifer Lefort, Ph.D., Acting Coordinator of Doctoral Psychology Training, Assistant Director of Training

University of Massachusetts Amherst
Center for Counseling and Psychological Health
Middlesex House, 111 County Circle
Amherst, MA 01003-9255
(413) 545-2337

The Doctoral Internship in Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Center for Counseling and Psychological Health is currently accredited by the American Psychological Association. It was originally accredited in 1979 and was granted reaccreditation in 2011 by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association. The Commission on Accreditation can be contacted at (202) 336-5979; email, apaaccred@apa.org, or via the APA website, http://apa.org/ed/accreditation.

The University of Massachusetts is committed to a policy of equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, military status, or genetic information in employment, admission to and participation in academic programs, activities, and services, and the selection of vendors who provide services or products to the University. To fulfill that policy, the University of Massachusetts is further committed to a program of affirmative action to eliminate or mitigate artificial barriers and to increase opportunities for the recruitment and advancement of qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and covered veterans. It is the policy of the University of Massachusetts to comply with the applicable federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations concerning equal opportunity and affirmative action.

FELLOWSHIP TRAINING OVERVIEW

The mission of the CCPH W.E.B. Du Bois Diversity Fellowship is to continue the multicultural training and clinical experience of the early career clinician who has successfully completed the masters in social work or a Ph.D. or Psy.D. in psychology.  We will offer continued supervised clinical experience, to deepen and broaden the fellow's clinical skills.  Our goal is for them to leave the fellowship en route to the independent level of clinical practice. Fellows will be expected, in addition to general clinical responsibilities, to provide training and support to underrepresented campus communities.

The training philosophy/educational model is focused on developing practitioners in a university-based managed care setting. Our goal is to support competent multi-modal practitioners who will successfully transfer treatment skills to a variety of outpatient settings within the rapidly evolving world of health care. To achieve this fellows will continue as a part of our multidisciplinary treatment teams utilizing a variety of brief treatment modalities to address a wide range of diagnoses and presenting problems. These include intensive brief therapies for individuals, couples, crisis intervention, on-call management of emergencies,  and outreach/consultation.  Disciplines represented within the treatment teams include clinical psychology, psychiatry, advanced practice nursing, clinical social work, together with trainees in psychology and social work. In addition, a mentor specifically drawn from a pool of qualified licensed clinicians of color from outside the UMass community will be engaged to mentor and support the W.E.B. Du Bois Fellows.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Eligibility: Successful completion of social work master’s degree or a Ph.D. or Psy.D. in psychology.
Structure:  12 month benefited fellowship position. Occasional evening hours required.
Application Procedure: Please submit current vita, and a separate brief statement describing your fellowship goals and reasons for applying to this site and two letters of recommendation, from outside of CCPH.
Stipend: Range is $40,000-50,000 depending on experience, with benefits.

PHILOSOPHY AND GOALS

The training program has a fundamental commitment to provide experiential and didactic learning experiences that will maximize the personal and professional development of highly competent mental health professionals. Development is viewed as the process of forming a professional identity which includes an increased awareness of self, responsible and ethical clinical behavior, increased professional skills, and a respect for and sensitivity to others. The W.E.B. Du Bois Diversity Fellowship has a specific commitment to issues of race, social justice, and diversity.

Our university mental health focus offers a wide variety of direct clinical contacts ranging from minor maladjustment to severe psychotic disorder. Accordingly, the fellowship is designed to deepen and mature the fellow's professional competency. Fellows continue to refine their expertise in systemically applying a variety of brief therapy modalities to more skillfully address each client’s unique clinical picture. In addition to individual therapy, supervised training experiences are provided in group therapy, crisis intervention, outreach/consultation-education, biofeedback, and cultural competency. Individual supervision is provided by licensed senior social workers with additional training by staff representing the disciplines of psychology, advanced practice psychiatric nursing and psychiatry who are themselves involved in these activities.

In recognition that the goal is development of an independent level of clinical competence, the fellow will have an increasing level of clinical responsibility as contrasted with their internship year, while having ready access to consultation and supervision.

ACTIVITIES

The fellow will have a broad base of responsibilities and activities, consistent with that expected of a functioning professional. These will include:  Individual Psychotherapy, Intake, Group Psychotherapy, Clinical Triage and Crisis Intervention.  Fellows will also participate in staff in-service training, weekly case conferences, bi-weekly intake team meetings and weekly staff meetings.

CRIMINAL RECORDS CHECK (CORI)

Under University of Massachusetts Amherst requirements, employment is contingent upon a successful Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) check. This will be completed by the university's Human Resources department prior to the start of employment.

» Click here for more information on CORI checks.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Send a letter of interest (including your interest, knowledge, and demonstrated commitment to issues of race, multiculturalism, and social justice), a curriculum vita, and two letters of reference from former clinical supervisors.

» Click here to apply online.

Fellowship Training Overview

Fellows will receive supervised training in counseling/psychotherapy, comprehensive training and supervision in the assessment of Learning Disabilities and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and mental health crisis intervention. Our training program will be of interest to individuals with a doctoral degree in Counseling or Clinical psychology and are seeking postdoctoral supervised clinical experience. Fellows receive two and a half hours of individual supervision weekly.

Fellows do intake assessment, carry a case load of brief therapy clients, present at clinical and assessment case presentations, and conduct psychological assessments for Learning Disabilities and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder and participate in the crisis on-call rotation. Fellows receive clinical supervision from a licensed psychologist as well as intense supervision of assessment practices and assessment reports writing. A major portion of training is in assessment.

Philosophy

The Postdoctoral Fellowship program’s mission is to train psychology postdoctoral fellows. Our program is designed sequentially to refine a fellow’s professional identity while instilling competencies in delivery of services at a university-based mental health service with a primary focus on our mentor – apprenticeship supervisory model. This is accomplished through a combination of supervision with experienced clinicians. Our goal is the development of practitioners who can successfully transfer their skills to a variety of outpatient settings within the rapidly evolving healthcare field.

Fellows are part of multidisciplinary treatment teams, using brief treatment modalities to address a wide range of diagnoses and presenting problems. These include intensive brief therapies for individuals and couples; psychological assessment; crisis intervention; on-call management of emergencies; running of groups; and outreach/consultation.  There may be an opportunity to provide supervision.  Post-doctoral fellows are encouraged to have a clinical specialty related to university mental health practice.  Possibilities include assessment, outreach, and working with specific populations.

Each week fellows meet with the training director or the post-doctoral coordinator as part of their professional development.  Meetings include discussion of clinical issues, administrative issues, and discussion on preparing for licensure and developing a professional identity as a psychologist in a university counseling setting.

Diversity:
At CCPH, the training program is committed to serving a diverse campus community.  Trainees are expected to be inclusive and affirming in areas related to multicultural practice.  As part of training, there is a monthly two hour multicultural seminar attended by staff and trainees.

Minimum Qualifications

Candidates must have completed a doctoral degree in Counseling or Clinical Psychology from an APA accredited graduate institution and must have completed a pre-doctoral psychology internship. Demonstrated ability to work with a diverse student population; demonstrated competence in psychological assessment; knowledge of developmental issues of college students; and ability to work collaboratively with students, faculty and staff are required. Candidates will be required to submit verification of completion of their doctorate prior to the start date. On call shifts require evening, weekend, and holiday availability.

General Information

Eligibility: Successful completion of psychology pre-doctoral internship.
Structure:  12 month benefited fellowship position. Occasional evening hours required.
Stipend: $40,000 benefited.

Criminal Records Check (CORI)

Under University of Massachusetts Amherst requirements, employment is contingent upon a successful Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) check. This will be completed by the university's Human Resources department prior to the start of employment.

» Click here for more information on CORI checks.

UMass Amherst:

UMass Amherst is a flagship public higher education campus in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, making a profound, transformative impact to the common good.  Founding in 1863, we are the largest public research university in New England, distinguished by the excellence and breadth of our academic, research, and community outreach programs.

We currently rank 24 in a field of more than 700 public, four-year colleges and universities in the Unites States in the U.S. News and World Report’s annual colleges guide.  UMass Amherst is one of the fastest-rising, top-tier public-research universities in the country.

Location:  UMass Amherst, located in Amherst, Massachusetts, sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, 90 miles from Boston and 175 miles from New York City.  The campus provides a rich cultural environment in a rural setting close to major urban centers. 

Fourth year psychiatry residents from Baystate Medical Center, affiliated with University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), are eligible to participate in a 4- or 9-month elective in College Mental Health and Narrative Psychiatry.

The elective is designed to offer participants experience in assessing and treating the mental health challenges that young adults face and in providing psychiatric care to college students using the collaborative, resilience-focused approach of narrative psychiatry.  Participants will also learn to effectively collaborate with the wider college community and upon completion of the elective, will be well-prepared to work as a staff psychiatrist at a college or university counseling service.

Participants in the elective will conduct initial psychiatric consultations with college and graduate students, provide psychopharmacologic consultation, collaborate with psychotherapists, participate in weekly multi-disciplinary case-consultation teams, and may also offer short-term psychotherapy or co-facilitate therapy groups.  Residents are supervised by SuEllen Hamkins, MD, who has expertise in college mental health, narrative psychiatry and narrative therapy.

For more than 20 years, Center for Counseling and Psychological Health (CCPH) has offered internship for social workers in their final year of advanced study. Our social work training program expanded in 2021 to offer placements for social work interns in their foundational year placement.

Currently, two advanced and two foundational year social work students are placed at CCPH. The advanced SW internship requires 35-hours-per week, and the foundational SW internship requires 22-hours-per week. All placements begin mid-August and runs until the end of spring semester classes. Each student makes accommodations for time off with their supervisor. There is a stipend associated only with the advanced social work placement. The predominant client population the interns work with is college-aged or above.

The advanced year social work experience includes 8 – 10 clinical hours each week, with participation in brief intermittent therapy with individuals, and opportunities for clinical work with couples, group therapy, and psycho-educational workshops. CCPH maintains a 24-hour on-call system, and during the training program interns serve on that rotation with a supervisor. Advanced social work interns meet with their primary supervisors for a minimum of two hours each week and are encouraged to seek consultation from other staff with expertise in specific areas of interest.

The foundational year social work experience includes a focus on psycho-educational workshops, case management, outreach, and brief, intermittent clinical treatment. Foundational year social work interns meet with two supervisors, one that focuses on their clinical development and the other focuses on their outreach work.

The program's multidisciplinary nature is one of its strengths. Interns are assigned to clinical and functional teams which blend social work, nursing, psychiatry and psychology. Advanced year social work and psychology trainees also participate together in seminars focused on treatment and complementary services in college mental health.

Seminars

Advanced social work and psychology trainees participate together in the following seminars:

Individual Treatment in College Mental Health 

The individual treatment seminar is a case-oriented approach to the principles and practice of short-term outpatient psychotherapy in a college mental health setting. Major objectives are to refine the ability to accurately diagnose and select clients for individual brief treatment, explore various theoretical models and psychotherapy approaches that fit within a UCC brief treatment model, and develop a deeper understanding of the complex interweaving identities, life experiences, and symptom pictures that inform clinical decision making in this context. Theoretical and clinical readings provide a basis for the weekly discussion of interns’ ongoing cases. Each clinician involved in training provides a unique perspective, derived from their personal theoretical orientation and experience in the delivery of brief treatment. Topics include treatment course and caseload, higher level of care – details and decision making, dialectical behavior therapy, motivational interviewing, narrative therapy, trauma informed treatment, family therapy with the individual, psychopharmacology, sexual assault/trauma, first symptoms of psychosis, substance abuse, eating disorders, international students, LGBTQIA students, and gender non-conforming students.

Complementary services in college mental health

Whereas the individual treatment seminar focuses on outpatient psychotherapy with individuals, the complementary services seminar emphasizes development of proficiency in the provision of the various types of non-individual therapy services that clinical staff and interns offer in a brief treatment UCC setting. The coordinators of each of the complementary services program offer multi-week sections to support interns as they learn about and provide all of the clinical services that CCPH offers to students and the university community. Similar to the individual treatment seminar, skills are learned and refined through a combination of theoretical and clinical readings, presentation and intern case discussion. A main objective is to learn how to effectively manage the special considerations of integrating multimodal therapies to fit each client’s unique requests and diagnostic picture in a brief treatment UCC setting. Topics include group therapy, crisis intervention, outreach, behavioral medicine, stress management workshop training, family therapy supervision, intersectionality between therapist and marginalized-privileged identities, and Title IX considerations.

Criminal Records Check (CORI)

Under University of Massachusetts Amherst requirements, employment is contingent upon a successful Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) check. This will be completed by the university's Human Resources department prior to the start of employment.

» Click here for more information on CORI checks.

• Togetherall has a Trained Peer Program: https://togetherall.com/en-us/togetherall-trained-peers-program/  
• Active Minds is a Registered Student Organization at UMass. They are UMass students "dedicated to changing the conversation around mental health." You can find them on Instagram at @umassactiveminds
• UMass has a Student Wellbeing Advisory Board: https://www.umass.edu/studentlife/health-safety/center-health-promotion-chp/student-wellbeing-advisory-board-swab