NAAPTC Application Process

NAAPTC Pre-doctoral Internship in Clinical Psychology is APA-accredited and a member of the APPIC (Association of Psychology Post-doctoral and Internship Centers). Students who are preparing for a Ph.D. or Psy.D. in clinical, counseling, or school psychology and those with outstanding credentials from Ed.D. programs are eligible to apply. APA accreditation of the applicant's graduate program is not required, but is much preferred; clinical psychology training is preferred.

Applicants must meet all their school's standards of internship readiness before application deadline; have a minimum of three years of pre-internship graduate training, possess at least an equivalent of master's degree and have their dissertation proposal defended and accepted by the start of the internship year. The minimal practical training requirements are 1600 Grand Total Practicum Hours and/or 500 hours of Supervised Assessment and Intervention Experience expected by the start of the internship. Applicants with more practical experience and those with more diverse experiences receive more favorable ratings.

All applicants should register for the APPIC Match.

Each application package should include: a letter of intent; curriculum vitae; AAPI (the APPIC application) Part 1 and 2; RAMS Supplementary Application; and an integrated psychodiagnostic assessment report on a comprehensive clinical battery of tests (identifying data removed). In addition, the following should be enclosed in signed and sealed envelopes: an official graduate transcript of courses and grades and three recent letters of recommendation.

The application deadline is November 1 (postmarked).


INTERVIEW PROCESS


Interviews are conducted by the Director of Training and one of the clinical supervisors. An average interview takes about an hour, and is rather informal.

Applicants are asked about their past training and clinical work, as well as career goals. They are expected to be ready to present cases to illustrate their style of work and to demonstrate clinical competency. Experience of working with clients of diversity and applicants' understanding of the role their own cultural identity plays in the clinical encounter are often discussed. Other topics of the interview may include applicants' experience in working with the underprivileged and with the severely disturbed as well as applicants' theoretical orientation and their own ideas about how therapy works.

SELECTION OF APPLICANTS


The National Asian-American Psychology Training Center and RAMS, Inc. are Equal Opportunity Employers and do not discriminate on the basis of race, culture, religion, ethnicity, nationality, class, physical ability, age, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation. The applicant is notified of acceptance or rejection according to the procedures adopted by APPIC. We abide by our agreement with APPIC for participation in the APPIC Match, including the APPIC policy that no person at this training will solicit, accept or use any ranking-related information from any intern participant.

NAAPTC PREDOCTORAL INTERNSHIP SELECTION CRITERIA

The criteria listed below are those that are typically used for rating applicants during the interview and considered in our ranking of the applicants.

This information is provided to you in hope that it will help reduce the interview stress. It is not necessary that all areas apply to each applicant.

APPLICATION REVIEW:
 
Doctoral Training:

Clinical, Counseling or School Training

School's APA Accreditation

Previous Practical Experience (# of hours, relevance)

Relevant extra-training experiences

Interest & skills relevant to our training

Experience of psychodynamic supervision/training
 
Application Essays:
Evidence of self-awareness in the essays
Evidence of cultural sensitivity in the essays
Writing Style and Organization of Essays
 
Recommendation Letters
Quality of recommendations

Settings: populations, services, & training
(similarity to RAMS)
 
Psychological Testing Report:
Case Formulation
Writing Style
Level of Organization of Material
Type of Formulation
Psychometric Accuracy
Test Data Interpretation Accuracy
Justification of Diagnostic Impressions
Cultural Factors Taken into Account
Number of Full Batteries
 

 

 

INTERVIEW:
 
Case Presentation:
Presentation of relevant history & assessment information
Ability to diagnose according to the DSM-IV
Case formulation’s relevance to history and clinical data
Integration of cultural factors into case formulation
Case formulation’s consistency with theoretical approach
Treatment plan’s consistency with case formulation
Emotional sensitivity/use of self in clinical work
Working knowledge of psychodynamic approach
Knowledge of medications and relevant  biological issues

Cultural Sensitivity:
Awareness of own cultural identity
Sensitivity to issues of diversity
Knowledge regarding diversity issues
Dedication to culturally competent clinical work
Commitment to working with Asians & immigrant populations
Relevant bilingual skills
 
Personal Characteristics:
Ability to express self and to be direct, self-assertive, candid
Self-awareness (including ability to discuss countertransference)
Commitment to own personal growth                      
Capacity to tolerate stress and work pressure
Commitment to Community Mental Health
Unique interests that could be met at a placement here
Unique skills that would benefit a placement here
 

 

You can find information about
APPIC Match Polices and Schedule
as well as the APPI form at
http://www.appic.org

Click here to download
RAMS Supplementary Application
(in RTF file format)

 

 

For additional information,
contact

Dr. Alla Volovich

or call 415.668.5955

A training year at RAMS should be stimulating and exciting,
and we look forward to receiving your application.


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