About the program

Internship admissions, support, and initial placement data

Site updated: 9/1/22

Program Disclosures

Does the program or institution require students, trainees, and/or staff (faculty) to comply with specific policies or practices related to the institution’s affiliation or purpose? Such policies or practices may include, but are not limited to, admissions, hiring, retention policies, and/or requirements for completion that express mission and values.

__YES

 x  NO

The doctoral internship in professional psychology at Indiana University’s Counseling and Psychological Services is designed for qualified doctoral students whose professional goals include:

  • Treating adults on an individual and group outpatient basis
  • Supervising psychologists in training
  • Engaging in consultation and outreach

The internship prepares students for work in university counseling centers and other outpatient settings.

The internship is a one-year (mid-July to mid-July) training program that combines practical clinical experience with mentorship from experienced practitioners and rigorous didactic training. Over the course of the internship, participants progress from a highly structured and supportive experience into positions of increasing autonomy. The doctoral internship in professional psychology is an independent training program from other (Ph.D. in Psychology and Master of Social Work practica) training programs offered at CAPS.

At CAPS, we do not subscribe to a single theoretical orientation. However, we do draw from interpersonal-psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral perspectives to frame clinical problems and guide treatment.

Accreditation

The Doctoral Internship in Professional Psychology has been accredited since 1996 by the American Psychological Association (APA).

Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the APA Commission on Accreditation at:

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
  • Phone: 202-336-5979
  • TDD/TTY: 202-336-6123
  • E-mail: apaaccred@apa.org

Who can apply

The internship follows the recruiting practices outlined by the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC). In order to be considered for an internship, candidates must fulfill the following qualifications:

  • Are enrolled in a doctoral program in counseling or clinical psychology
  • Expected to submit departmental documentation that all formal coursework, practica, comprehensive examinations, and dissertation proposal defense have been successfully completed by the time internship begins in mid-July
  • Expect to have completed a minimum of three years of graduate training
  • Have completed a minimum of 800 practicum hours, of which at least 450 were in direct provision of clinical services. Strict adherence to our required clinical practicum hours will likely be relaxed due to the disruptions to training the pandemic has caused.

Note: Due to dual role conflicts, anyone who has accessed IU CAPS services, beyond an initial intake, during their doctoral career is not eligible for an internship at IU CAPS.

Indiana University and Indiana University Student Health Center CAPS are committed to being open and accessible to clients, staff, and trainees from all ethnic, racial, and personal backgrounds. CAPS and the internship fully abide by Indiana University’s Non-Discrimination/Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action policy.

Learn how to apply

Clinical concentrations

CAPS offers three separate yearlong concentrations:

  • Sexual Assault Counseling Services, focused on treatment of survivors of sexual assault
  • Coalition for Overcoming Problem Eating/Exercise (COPE), a multidisciplinary approach to disordered eating/exercise and body image issues
  • Diversity Outreach, focused on reaching out to underserved populations through various university diversity-themed student centers


After a thorough orientation to all three concentrations, interns will submit a ranked list of the three options. The training committee will then appoint each intern to one of the concentrations. Because our agency works with many students with a diverse range of presenting concerns, interns will have opportunities to work with clients whose concerns lay outside the scope of assigned concentrations.

Concentrations are supervised conjointly by specialized staff in the area of concentration and by intern’s primary individual licensed psychologist supervisor.

Diversity

IU’s commitment to making IU an environment in which students could feel safe and at home, regardless of race, age, religion, ability, gender, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status dates back to 1982, with the establishment of The Commission on Multicultural Understanding. The post of The Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs was founded as part of a recommitment of the university to selection, recruitment, retention, and graduation of Latino, African American, Native American, and other underrepresented students. CAPS and the training program,likewise,are committed to supporting these goals of the university.

By establishing and developing Let’s Talk and embedded counseling at the cultural centers on campus and other departments that support the diverse student body, CAPS builds bridges to traditionally underserved populations.

Approximately 26% of students on the Bloomington campus identify as African American, Native American Indian, Asian, Pacific Islander, or Hispanic/Latino. Among our CAPS clientele, nearly 38% identify as members of these populations. Approximately 10% of Bloomington students are from outside the United States. Approximately 5% of CAPS clients are international students.

How to apply

Each year, CAPS receives 80 to 100 applications for three positions. Because of the high demand, we are looking for applicants whose professional interests align with the needs of our clientele, particularly group psychotherapy, consultation, and outreach, and working in a multidisciplinary setting.

Minimum requirements for internship application include:

  • Current enrollment in a doctoral program in counseling or clinical psychology
  • Have completed all formal course work, practicum, comprehensive examinations, and dissertation proposal defense by the November 1 deadline for application
  • Completion of a minimum of three years of graduate training
  • Completion of a minimum of 800 practicum hours, of which at least 450 were in direct provision of clinical services. Strict adherence to our required clinical practicum hours will likely be relaxed due to the disruptions to training the pandemic has caused.

Approximately 30 applicants will be invited to participate in phone interviews and to attend a CAPS open house to meet our entire clinical and training staff including our Director of Training and tour the facilities.

Submitting your application

You must register with National Matching Services, Inc., to apply for a CAPS internship. There, you can apply to our internship online at the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) portal.

Your application must include:

  • A cover letter describing your education, experience, specific internship goals, and how your career aspirations fit with our internship program
  • A current curriculum vitae
  • Official transcripts of all graduate work
  • Three letters of recommendation, two of which are from recent clinical supervisors

The IU-CAPS Doctoral Internship in Professional Psychology APPIC program code is 128911.

Application deadline

Applications for the 2023–24 academic year must be submitted by midnight November 1, 2022.

Policy regarding home department requests for supplemental evaluations

APPIC does NOT require its member programs to complete evaluation forms/materials requested by the academic program in addition to those created by the internship program itself.

—From the APPIC Application for Psychology Internships

As an APA-accredited internship, we have demonstrated that our learning objectives and the manner in which we assess them are acceptable by the American Psychological Association’s Commission on Accreditation. Additional detail about the ten primary goals of our internship, and the manner in which our evaluations are done are available upon emailed request to the Director of Training. Requests to complete additional/supplemental evaluations from students’ home department are redundant and not an appropriate use of our training staff time. Therefore, we will respectfully decline to respond to such requests.

Internship program admissions

Briefly describe in narrative form important information to assist potential applicants in assessing their likely fit with your program. This description must be consistent with the program’s policies on intern selection and practicum and academic preparation requirements:

Indiana University’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) offers a 12-month APA accredited Doctoral Internship in Professional Psychology. Our internship employs a developmental model to provide interns the experiences and education to become proficient at offering professional-level psychological services to a wide range of clients. Our primary focus is to develop professional psychologists who offer high-level individual therapy and group counseling services. Additionally, we expect our doctoral interns to demonstrate proficiency in providing supervision of professionals-in-training, outreach services, emergent clinical interventions, and consultation. As such, our selection committee is committed to interviewing intern applicants who demonstrate an interest in these core areas. IU CAPS training staff expect our interns to continue developing professional skills and knowledge applicable to a diverse population. We encourage interns to be curious about themselves as agents of change with any therapeutic context and therefore expect interns to explore their own processes as they relate to all clinical interventions. IU CAPS can be a high-paced working environment. Colleagues are always available for consultation and support, but we also expect interns to be responsive and responsible for themselves and their work. We have demonstrated a history of providing supervision, support, and mentoring for interns to thrive in a university counseling center environment. Our internship prepares interns for success in all types of entry-level positions in health service psychology.

Does the program require that applicants have received a minimum number of hours of the following at time of application?  If Yes, indicate how many:

  • Total direct contact intervention hours: Yes, 450
  • Total direct contact assessment hours: No

Describe any other required minimum criteria used to screen applicants:

  • Current enrollment in a doctoral program in counseling or clinical psychology
  • Have completed all formal course work, practicum, comprehensive examinations, and dissertation proposal defense by the November 1 deadline for application
  • Completion of a minimum of three years of graduate training
  • Completion of a minimum of 800 practicum hours, of which at least 450 were in direct provision of clinical services

We utilize a complex amalgam of number of adult clinical hours, including number of intakes, individual intervention hours, couples intervention hours, group therapy hours, and substance abuse intervention hours. University Counseling Center hours are privileged over other settings (and we have matched with many superb interns who have had NO UCC hours). Strict adherence to our required clinical practicum hours will likely be relaxed due to the disruptions to training the pandemic has caused.

All Indiana University students, faculty and staff are required to have a COVID-19 vaccine and be fully vaccinated or have an approved exemption. This requirement is part of IU’s ongoing successful response to and management of the COVID-19 pandemic on its campuses and will allow the university to lift most restrictions on masking and physical distancing.

A person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after having all doses of a vaccine (2 doses for Pfizer, Moderna; 1 dose for Johnson & Johnson).

For further information and information about exemptions please review IU policy.

Financial and other benefit support for upcoming training year

Please Note: Programs are not required by the Commission on Accreditation to provide all benefits listed here.

  • Annual stipend/salary for full-time interns: $32,448
  • Annual stipend/salary for half-time interns: N/A
  • Program provides access to medical insurance for intern? Yes
  • If access to medical insurance is provided:
    • Trainee contribution to cost required? Yes
    • Coverage of family member(s) available? Yes
    • Coverage of legally married partner available? Yes
    • Coverage of domestic partner available? No
  • Hours of annual paid personal time off (PTO and/or vacation): 240
  • Hours of annual paid sick leave: Do not accrue SICK time, but can transfer up to 96 PTO hours into sick bank at the end of the calendar year
  • In the event of medical conditions and/or family needs that require extended leave, does the program allow reasonable unpaid leave to interns/residents in excess of personal time off and sick leave? Yes
  • Other benefits (please describe): The university contributes an additional 10 percent of the intern’s stipend to a retirement plan

Initial placement data

Here we provide an aggregated tally for the preceding three cohorts (2019–22).

  • Total number of interns who were in the three cohorts: 9
  • Total number of interns who did not seek employment because they returned to their doctoral program/are completing a doctoral degree: 1
Initial Post-Internship Positions
PlacementPDEP
Academic teaching
Community mental health center
Consortium
University Counseling Center32
Hospital/Medical Center12
Veterans Affairs Health Care System
Psychiatric facility
Correctional facility
Health maintenance organization
School district/system
Independent Practice setting
Other

Note: PD=Post-doctoral residency position; EP=Employed position. Each individual represented in this table should be counted only one time. For former trainees working in more than one setting, select the setting that represents their primary position.