Internship- Doctoral – Child & Adolescent Behavioral Health

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Thank you for your interest in the Doctoral Psychology Internship Program at Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health. We are proud to be fully re-accredited by the American Psychology Association until 2029. We are pleased to offer a wide variety of clinical therapy and assessment experiences to our interns during their 12-month stay with us.

We strive to be an internship program that is a safe and welcoming environment for interns of all backgrounds. In an effort to provide training consistent with our values, the internship program creates a supportive environment where every voice is welcome, heard, and respected. The program welcomes interns to feel free to express themselves based on their unique perspectives. The psychology department staff members have an “open door” policy and encourage interns to feel comfortable in speaking their minds honestly and openly, without repercussion or penalty. Both Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health and the Doctoral Psychology Internship Program maintain a high regard for human dignity and respect to individual differences and factors of diversity.

If you are interested in “rolling up your sleeves” and working to make a difference in the lives of children and families presenting with a wide range of emotional and behavioral difficulties, along with challenging life circumstances, then we are the Doctoral Psychology Internship for you. Below you will find information that outlines our program.

The Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health (C&A) Psychology Internship Program is designed in accordance with APA standards and follows the Standards of Accreditation for Health Service Psychology and Accreditation Operating Procedures. The internship also is listed as a member and strictly follows the policies and procedures of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC).

The purpose of the Psychology Internship Program at C&A is to facilitate the intern’s development as a highly trained, qualified, and functioning individual who is prepared to practice professional psychology with children and families in the community mental health setting. The internship is an organized program that endorses the scholar-practitioner philosophy. It is community-based and systemic in nature and is consistent with the mission, goals and culture of the Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health. The Internship faculty has developed a strong, diversified, evidence-based training program that consistently informs the interns that science and practice are interlocking skills that form the foundation of psychological knowledge and application. Thus, the Internship provides training in clinical interventions that are evidence-based and incorporate issues of human diversity throughout the curriculum. As such, an intensive integration of theory and best practice is stressed throughout the year. The processes of critical thinking, hypothesis-testing, and other elements of the scientific method are integrated into all experiential activities throughout the training process.

Over the course of the training year, interns learn about evidence-based practice and become familiar with interventions that have been supported by the research. It is expected that interns arrive at C&A with well-grounded training in science and the scientific method. Interns will use these as a foundation for the development of advanced skills in clinical practice. They are encouraged to view their practice as an opportunity to become increasingly independent in utilizing their clinical skills that allow them to gather significant data on their clients, to generate hypotheses about client conditions, and to develop treatment plans based on these hypotheses, as well as the current literature. Training faculty expect interns to learn to practice psychology in a manner that is informed by psychological theory and research and to develop the confidence and skills to convey their expertise to clients, parents, consultants and colleagues with respect and dignity.

Interns can expect to develop competence and skills in a number of critical areas. These subject matters include the following: integrating research in practice; ethical and legal standards; individual and cultural diversity; professional values attitudes, and behavior; communication and interpersonal skills; assessment; evidence-based intervention; supervision; and consultation and interprofessional/interdisciplinary skills. Evaluation relative to the above stated competencies is done periodically in a formal manner as well as weekly in supervision activities.

The internship structure includes required activities, such as participation in clinical/therapeutic services, some psychological assessment/consultation services, and one day per week with school-based clients. Further clinical work experiences may include participation with pre-school children and group services. An intern may express a preference in an area of interest at the time of the interview in order that a plan may be developed to meet a training need, desire, or goal of the particular intern, with the understanding that all interns will have the opportunity to work with a variety of clinical presentations across the age continuum. The psychology internship strives to provide training experiences that are relatively flexible in order to accommodate interns' specific training interests.

The internship sequence of training was designed to promote both professional and personal growth and development. The sequence includes an internship and agency orientation, internship seminars, intensive clinical experiences, supervision, attendance at staff meetings (including Quality Assurance and Peer Review sessions), collaboration with other on-staff specialists, and consultation and collaboration with other community systems. The sequence therefore begins with an intern at orientation and ends with an intern prepared to practice, consult and collaborate in a professional manner in the community.

The Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Psychology Internship faculty believe that diverse training is essential to developing expertise in working with children and families. By structuring the training into a seminar format, we have established clear boundaries between training and work experience. This assures that the intern will get more than on-the-job training. The seminars are presented by the internship faculty as well as outside consultants from community agencies and/or in webinar format as needed. Most seminars are two hours. The current Psychology Internship Seminar and Special Topics Schedule includes, but is not limited to, the following presentations:

Assessing and Managing Risk with Clients Who Are Exhibiting Suicidal Ideation or Self-Harm Behaviors
Client Engagement Training
Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS)
Development of Sexual Orientation
Diagnosing Substance Use Disorders
Introduction to Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)-Informed Services
Diversity and Activism: How to be an Ally in Clinical Settings
Ethics in Psychology
Exposure Response Prevention Training
Introduction to Early Childhood Disorders
Introduction to Substance Use Disorders
Juvenile Justice Training
Motivational Interviewing
Professional Development Seminars
Psychological Assessment Seminars (current seminars include the Wechsler scales, OWLS, CPT, PAI, MACI, and MMPI-A)
Race, Class and the Intersection in the Therapy Room
Sexually Inappropriate Behavior Remediation Seminar
Suicide Risk Assessment and Zero Suicide
Supervising for Secondary Stress and Burnout
Supervision in Psychology
Telepsychology Best Practices
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (7 sessions)
Traumatic Grief and Loss
Working with Clients with a History of Sex Abuse

Supervision is an important training component of the internship. Each intern is assigned and meets with a primary supervisor and a number of group supervision supervisors. The intern discusses clinical conceptualization, diagnosis, treatment planning and professional, legal, cultural, and ethical issues with the primary supervisor. The opportunity to meet with the secondary supervisors is also available depending on the particular additional program an intern may choose to be involved in beyond the required activities. Consultation with all staff psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, counselors, and community support providers is encouraged.

The primary supervisors for the program are Colin Christensen, Ph.D., David Coleman, Ph.D., and Seandra Walker, Ph.D. All supervisors serve as group supervisors.

Clinical Services: Individual, play, and family therapy are provided to clients and families presenting with a wide range of presenting concerns and life circumstances. Services are primarily provided on an outpatient basis, although interns also typically work one day a week in a school setting. Interns will develop and exhibit competence in the use of DSM-5/ICD-11 for clinical diagnoses, proceed with treatment planning, treatment follow-up and after care planning, while developing an understanding of and appreciation for the value of community interaction, collaboration, and consultation. The Clinical Services activities with clinical supervision begin immediately following orientation for all interns and continue for the entire 12-month period.

Trauma Focused Therapy: Interns are expected to participate in the treatment of children and families who have experienced trauma. The Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Seminar series begins in July. Interns will have the opportunity to conduct trauma-focused treatment with multiple clients throughout the intern year and may elect to specialize in trauma-focused treatment, if desired.

Intake Assessment: Interns will be trained to complete Intake Assessments throughout the course of the training year and doing the Intake Assessments will be a part of the internship experience.

Assessment Informed Therapeutic Services: Interns may utilize assessment measures (such as rating scales and interview-based measures) to inform their treatment planning and track client progress in therapy.

CLINICAL PROGRAMS/SERVICES AT C&A

* Please note intern participation in the following listed programs may vary based on availability and/or need.

Juvenile Justice Program: This program works predominantly with youth involved with the court/legal system for conduct, delinquency, and inappropriate sexual behaviors. Services in this program vary depending on the presenting problems but are often intensive and involve families, probation, schools, and other community partners. Within the Juvenile Justice Program is the Sexually Inappropriate Behavior Remediation (SIBR) Program. The SIBR program specializes in the assessment and treatment of adolescents who have offended sexually. Group therapy is the primary treatment modality with all other agency services available to the client on an adjunct basis. Assessment services are provided as an aid to family courts and human services agencies across several counties. While an intern will not be able to conduct risk assessments or group therapy with court adjudicated youth during internship due to the high level of accountability to the court that is required by the SIBR Program, interns may gain experience conducting individual therapy or group therapy with non-adjudicated youth after completing the SIBR Seminars.

School-Based Services: Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health offers consultation and therapy services to many area schools in an effort to assist in the development of a healthy learning environment for special education and other at-risk students. Doctoral interns will provide services in a school one day out of the week during the school year. Staff members consult with administrators, school psychologists, counselors, and classroom teachers attempting to identify inappropriate behaviors that under normal circumstances would interfere with a student’s ability to learn. Individual and group therapy are offered to students in order to facilitate changes in problem behaviors and positive school adjustment. Interns may participate in these programs by making school visits, doing classroom observations, and/or participating in-group co-therapy activities. This provides them with an excellent opportunity to learn about the provision of services in one of the settings children and adolescents spend the majority of their day during the week.

Psychiatric Consultation/Medical Services: State licensed psychiatrists and mental health advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) offer psychiatric evaluation, medication, and treatment recommendations to agency clients from any of the service programs on a consultation basis. Interns are expected to both consult with and participate in team efforts with the psychiatric staff personnel. Interns will consult extensively with Medical Services on a regular basis as a clinician, an assessor, and a valued member of a treatment team.

Early Childhood Services: C&A provides consultation and counseling to children under the ages of six and their families in the pre-school, daycare and home environments. Developmental and behavioral consultation is offered to parents and/or classroom teachers based on the child’s needs. Service plans are developed which maximize collaboration between the families and the available community resources.

Transitional Aged Youth Services: The Transitional Aged Youth Services program assists clients in the 14-21 year-old age group in making the transition to adult living. This program offers a variety of services including education, skill training, therapy, case management, and housing assistance. Interns have the opportunity to consult with providers in Transitional Services as well as to serve this population.

Care Pathway Program: The Care Pathway Program is designed to help clients at an elevated risk for suicide. Clinicians are trained to use the Zero Suicide framework and treatment modalities such as the CAMS (Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicide) and DBT-informed therapy to assist clients who are at risk for self-harm.

Gemini Program: The Gemini program is designed for clients aged 10 years or older with the complex needs of having substance use and mental health conditions. It is an organized outpatient service that delivers treatment during the day or evening. Interns will be trained to work with clients with dual diagnoses.

Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health is a community-based mental health center that serves Stark County, Ohio. Stark County has a population of approximately 375,000 and is a combination of urban and rural areas, including Canton, Ohio, a city of approximately 79,000 people. C&A is the only mental health agency in the county that specializes in mental health services to children and their families. While approximately 90% of Stark County residents are Caucasian, on average, approximately 23% of clients at Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health self-identify as African American, Hispanic, or other ethnicities.

Stark County is proud of the cultural and recreational activities available in its community. Canton is the home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which is a major attraction for the sports-minded person. Canton is in the midst of a cultural revitalization in the downtown area, which includes the opening of a local theater and galleries showing the works of local artists. Canton is home to the First Ladies Library, a Classic Car Museum, the Canton Museum of Art, The Canton Ballet, and the McKinley Museum, which honors President William McKinley, who was a native of Canton.

Canton is approximately one hour from downtown Cleveland where the sports fan can find professional football, basketball, and baseball. Cleveland is also home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Cleveland has a theater district that is the country's largest performing arts center outside of New York City. Canton is 20 minutes from Akron to the north and Columbus is approximately two hours to the southwest. These cities offer museums, exhibits and other venues for exploration, study, and enjoyment of culture, history, and science.

C&A is committed to providing a comprehensive, interagency, and community-based system of care that emphasizes child-centered services and family involvement. C&A is also committed to achieving the goals presented in the Mental Health Report of the Surgeon General (1999) and is committed to the use of evidence-based practice as set forth in the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health (2003).

Lastly, C&A is passionate about providing effective, equitable, understandable, and respectful quality care and services that are responsive to diverse cultural health beliefs and practices, preferred languages, health literacy and other communication needs. C&A strives to be a welcoming environment for interns from all backgrounds.

Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health employs approximately 125 people and has a total budget of approximately $8.5 million.

$32,000

Hours: 40 hours/week including at least two evenings (12-month internship)

Vacation: 10 paid vacation days

Holidays: 8 paid holidays

Personal Time: 4 paid personal days

Sick Leave: 8 sick leave days

Insurances: Health, vision (as part of one’s health insurance), and dental insurance are optional; life insurance will be provided.

Other benefits: Professional development flextime; 403b retirement match

Professional Liability: Each intern is insured for up to $1,000,000

Internship begins July 1 and ends June 30 the following year.

Applicants must have:

Achieved candidacy status from a regionally accredited doctoral program in psychology (APA/CPA preferred)
Completed at least 150 hours of clinical practicum
A desire to develop expertise with children, adolescents, and their families
A fundamental knowledge of the use of psychological assessment throughout appropriate course work
To apply for an internship position, an applicant must submit the following:
A vita of educational and professional activities
Three letters of recommendation
Two from supervisors of your therapy and/or assessment experience
One from an academic advisor
A cover letter containing a professional statement, including your reasons for seeking a child/adolescent psychology internship
A graduate transcript of all graduate level coursework
The APPIC Application for Psychology Internship (AAPI)

The deadline for the receipt of all application and supporting materials is November 15, 2024. Applicants selected to be interviewed will be notified of their status no later than December 6, 2024. 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.

Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health is APA-Accredited. Any questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation - American Psychological Association

750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002

Phone: (202) 336-5979/E-mail: apaaccred@apa.org

Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation

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