The Psychology Internship at Cambridge Health Alliance is a full time internship accredited by the Committee of Accreditation of the American Psychological Association.
CHA will apply for appointments as Clinical Fellows at Harvard Medical School on behalf of interns. Please note final appointment decisions are made at the discretion of Harvard Medical School. This would provide access to university libraries, athletic facilities and other benefits.
The internship is full time from June 30th to June 29th. Most interns have reported that the internship requires about 45-50 hours per week. Stipends are $53,000 per year, plus $1000 of professional-related expense reimbursements. All interns receive four weeks of vacation time. Health insurance and other benefits are available to interns as employees of Cambridge Health Alliance.
Internship Admissions, Support, and Initial Placement Data
Accreditation
The Cambridge Health Alliance Psychology Internship is accredited by the:
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 1st Street. NE, Washington, DC, 20002
Telephone: 202-336-5979
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
Goals and Objectives of the CHA Psychology Internship
The overarching goal of the CHA psychology internship is to prepare doctoral candidates in psychology to understand and treat persons suffering with a broad spectrum of emotional distress. We also aim to prepare our interns to be future leaders in clinical service and training. Using a scholar-practitioner approach, our curriculum emphasizes a biopsychosocial and cultural approach to clinical understanding and treatment. Our specific goals are fourfold. First, we aim to develop competency in diagnostic assessment of patients with severe and persistent forms of mental illness. Second, we aim to develop competency in the consultation, treatment planning, and conduct of individual psychotherapy. Third, we aim to develop competency in collaboration skills across disciplines. Finally, we aim to develop competency in working effectively within complex systems of care. Our objectives toward each goal are as follows. Interns will develop competence in psychological and psychiatric evaluations in outpatient settings, with particular attention to the assessment of risk. Second, interns will demonstrate competence in their ability to formulate clinical problems and develop appropriate treatment plans. Third, interns will demonstrate competence in their collaborative professional skills, working on interdisciplinary teams and with collateral treaters. Finally, interns will demonstrate competence in working with multidisciplinary staff and with the necessary communication tools for collaboration within a complex and distributed health care system. Please see our Training Manual for an extended description of our goals and objectives.
How the Internship is Structured
The CHA internship has 6 tracks, each of which are described below. In your cover letter with the AAPI, please indicate the track to which you are applying. In general, we recommend that you limit your applications to just 1 or 2 tracks. All interns share a dual responsibility to the Psychology Division and to their placement sites, and report to the Psychology Division Training Directors as well as to Service and Team leaders.
Adult Outpatient Services/Research Track APPIC MATCH # 133411
This track involves approximately 3 days a week of general outpatient services. Interns will be placed on an outpatient team in either general psychiatry or a team for patients with chronic psychosis. Additionally, interns will spend 1 day a week in research activities under a research mentor. A psychological testing rotation is also required.
Adult Outpatient Services/Adult Acute Services APPIC MATCH # 133412
This track involves approximately 3 days a week of general outpatient services on a team for either general psychiatry or a specialty team. Additionally, interns will spend 1 day a week in psychiatric emergency services for six months. For the other six months, the intern will spend 1 day a week in an Urgent Care Clinic. A psychological testing rotation is also required.
Latinx Outpatient Services/Adult Acute Services APPIC MATCH # 133415
This track involves approximately 3 days a week of general adult outpatient services on the Latinx team. Additionally, interns will spend 1 day a week in psychiatric emergency services for six months. For the other six months, the intern will spend 1 day a week in an Urgent Care Clinic. A psychological testing rotation is also required.
Child Outpatient Services with Inpatient Rotation Track APPIC MATCH # 133413
This track involves approximately 3 days a week of child/adolescent outpatient services. One case may be a family therapy case. A psychological testing rotation takes place in Child Outpatient Services. For approximately half a day a week for six months, interns will co-lead groups on child/adolescent inpatient services.
Child Outpatient Services/Research Track APPIC MATCH # 13414
This track involves approximately 3 days a week of child/adolescent outpatient services. One case may be a family therapy case. A psychological testing rotation takes place in Child Outpatient Services. One day a week will spend 1 day a week in research activities under a research mentor.
CHA/Weil Child Outpatient/Pediatric Primary Care APPIC MATCH # 133418
This track involves approximately 3 days a week in child/adolescent outpatient services, and 1 day a week in Pediatric Primary Care. A psychological testing rotation is required.
FOR ALL TRACKS PARTICIPATE IN APPROXIMATELY ONE DAY A WEEK OF SEMINARS.
In both adult outpatient services and child outpatient services, interns' caseloads will be diverse in terms of diagnostic problems and will range in treatment length (from several weeks to months). The diverse caseload will suit various treatment approaches, including but not limited to CBT (including the Unified Protocol), DBT, and psychodynamic therapy.