Inactive for the 2025-2026 Training Year
Our Mission
Provide innovative mental, behavioral, and psychiatric health services through an empowered, interconnected, and passionate team of interdisciplinary clinicians in a mental health ecosystem that surrounds and embraces each community we serve.
About Our Site
Central Iowa Psychological Services (CIPS) is a comprehensive multi-specialty group private practice in Central Iowa that provides multiple medical, substance use, outpatient mental health (psychotherapy and psychological testing), community-based individual and family behavioral health interventions services, school-based therapy, and multiple community partnerships with medical centers, school settings, and workplace settings.
CIPS offers four internship positions focused on provision of outpatient mental health therapy, psychological testing/evaluation, working with our addiction services program, and working with two of our medical community partners (Mary Greeley Medical Center and Story County Medical Center) to provide mental health services within a hospital setting.
Among other experiences, interns will:
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Develop their therapeutic skills with a choice of a variety of populations including children, teens, families, adults, older adults, and couples
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Develop and co-lead group interventions of interest to the intern. Some possibilities include: groups for LGBTQ+ youth and parents, cognitive flexibility groups for children, interpersonal psychotherapy groups, and other special interest groups such as mood disorders, anxiety, and SPACE therapy (empirically supported parental psychotherapy intervention for children with anxiety disorders)
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Develop their psychological testing skills with a variety of age ranges and with exposure to a wide variety of presenting concerns including ADHD, Learning Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Mood Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, PTSD and Trauma-Related Disorders, and a variety of Neurological Disorders and Dementias
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Learn how to fully integrate measurement based care into their therapeutic work with clients
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Learn how to co-lead substance abuse treatment groups and work with persons with a variety of addictions
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Have the opportunity to be fully trained and certified in Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT; for the interested intern)
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Develop consultation skills by providing psychological consultation to medical staff and educational staff and provide psychoeducational presentations on mental health topics to parents and professionals in the community
Training Opportunities
Psychology interns at Central Iowa Psychological Services will have opportunities to provide a variety of services to a wide variety of client populations. During their rotations with Central Iowa Psychological Services outpatient clinic interns will provide individual, group, and family therapy as well as psychological testing services to children (as young as age 4), teenagers, young adults, and adults. Therapeutic services include play therapy and Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT is an empirically supported form of behavior management parent training) with children. Interns who choose to learn PCIT and work with preschoolers and school age children will finish their internship year with full certification in this popular and important treatment modality.
Interns who provide therapy to older children, teenagers, young adults, and adults will learn how to conceptualize and provide treatment from a variety of theoretical perspectives including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Interpersonal Psychotherapy, and Person-Centered therapy. Interns will also provide Psychological Testing services to children, teens, and adults for a variety of presenting concerns including ADHD, Autism Spectrum conditions, Anxiety disorders, Mood Disorders, Trauma-related conditions, and presurgical evaluations (i.e., Bariatric Surgery).
During rotations at Mary Greeley Medical Center interns will provide psychotherapy (using the above mentioned orientations) primarily with teenagers, families, young adults, and adult (including older adults) client populations through both their outpatient clinic and medical specialties in cardiology, diabetes management, and oncology.
The rotation at Story County Medical Clinic also provides the same opportunities for psychotherapy with a wide range of populations who present with a variety of medical complications, substance use, and mental health struggles.
Psychological testing will also be available for all presenting concerns through both medical center rotations. Group therapy is also available at all site locations for a variety of topics including LGBTQ+IA groups, Dialectical Behavior Therapy groups, Interpersonal Group Process, Medical recovery groups, and other areas of interest and specialty.
Rotation Schedule
Interns will have the opportunity to work five days per week at their respective site location (Central Iowa Psychological Services – CIPS outpatient, Story County Medical Center, Mary Greeley Medical Center) for a period of six months. After the first six months interns will switch to the other location. For example, the two interns who work at CIPS Outpatient clinic for their first six months will move to Mary Greeley Medical Center (MGMC) and Story County Medical Center (SCMC), respectively, during their second six months. Alternatively, the interns who worked at MGMC and SCMC for their first six months will then work at CIPS Outpatient Clinic during their second six months.
Placement Location
Central Iowa Psychological Services is located in Ames, Iowa, 40 minutes north of Des Moines. CIPS is also the host location for didactic training. Interns at this location will rotate through CIPS as well as two partner agencies, Mary Greeley Medical Center and Story County Medical Center. All rotation clinics are within 15 minutes or less of eachother.
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APPIC Training Experiences
Treatment Modalities
Supervised Experiences
Psychology interns at Central Iowa Psychological Services and it’s rotations will work with children, teenagers, young adults, adults, and older adults with a variety of presenting concerns including ADHD, Autism spectrum disorders, PTSD and trauma-related disorders including survivors of abuse, anxiety disorders, mood disorders including major depression and bipolar disorder, behavioral problems for younger children, and substance use disorders. Integrated and co-located health care will also be a significant part of the internship experience. There will also be the opportunity to receive supervision of your own supervision of Psychology practicum students as part of the internship experience.
Patient Population
Client populations for the Central Iowa Psychological Services rotations include children (as young as age 3-4), adolescents, young adults, adults, and older adults. A large portion of our population is from rural and underserved areas and we emphasize work with the LGBTQ+IA community across all ages.
Our Supervisors
Site Training Director
Warren H. Phillips, Ph.D.
Warren Phillips, Ph.D. is a licensed Psychologist in Iowa and Minnesota and is the Chief Clinical Officer and Training Director for Central Iowa Psychological Services. He is a Past President of the Iowa Psychological Association and currently a co-chair of the Iowa Psychological Association’s Public Education Committee. He specializes in working with children, teens, and adults from a primarily Acceptance and Commitment Therapy perspective and has a passion for psychological assessment with children, teens, and adults. He is also a Teaching Professor at Iowa State University where he teaches undergraduate courses in Developmental Psychology and Graduate courses in Psychological Assessment.
Supervisors
Cara Reed, Psy.D.
Cara Reed, Psy.D. is a postdoctoral fellow at Central Iowa Psychological Services who received her doctoral degree from Indiana State University and completed her predoctoral internship at Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital. Dr. Reed provides therapeutic services for individuals across the lifespan with a clinical focus on children/adolescents. She is particularly passionate about exposure therapy in the treatment of specific phobias, OCD, social anxiety, and other disorders. Dr. Reed also conducts psychological assessments to provide diagnostic clarification and treatment recommendations.
Jessica Miller-Lance, Psy.D.
Dr. Miller-Lance’s practice includes individual psychotherapy and psychological evaluations with children, adolescents, their families, and adults who present with a wide variety of concerns including anxiety, depression, trauma, attention and hyperactivity issues, behavior and social difficulties, school, and family issues. She is trained in Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT).
Dr. Miller-Lance uses an integrative approach in her practice where she combines different therapeutic approaches and tools to best fit the needs of my clients. The primary approaches that I use are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Client-Centered Therapy, Play Therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).
She conducts psychological assessments to help identify and clarify mental health issues so that the individual can receive the appropriate services and be better able to reach their goals and full potential. Common presenting concerns that she assesses are inattention/hyperactivity, behavioral concerns, personality issues, learning disabilities, and emotional difficulties.
Dr. Miller-Lance believes that all people have strengths and focus on using clients’ strengths and past abilities as a foundation to develop new skills and abilities. She also believes in providing a safe and non-judgmental environment where clients can learn, grow, and realize their potential and goals.
Rob Doss, Ph.D.
Dr. Doss’ practice includes individual and group psychotherapy with young adults and adults as well as psychological evaluations with children, adolescents, and adults who present with a wide variety of concerns including anxiety, depression, trauma, attention and hyperactivity issues, behavior and social difficulties, school, and family issues. He has specialized training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy and works out of our Ankeny, Iowa office.
Annual Pay, Benefits, and Support
Annual Pay for the 2025-2026 Training Year: $38,500
Employment Requirements
Central Iowa Psychological Services collects pre-employment background information from the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services for child and adult dependent abuse and from the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigations for criminal arrests. The only reasons we would break a match with an intern would be if they were flagged as on the Iowa child or dependent adult abuse registry, the Iowa sex offender registry, or were flagged as committing a felony on the Department of Criminal Investigations background check.
Intern Selection Process
Central Iowa Psychological Services chooses intern candidates through a thorough review of internship application materials and either on-site or virtual interviews. All of our primary supervisors including the Internship Training Director are part of the selection and interview process. We are looking for interns with a variety of training experiences that could include training with children, adolescents, families, adults, and couples and who are interested in deepening and extending their experience in both psychotherapy and psychological testing. The idea intern candidate for our site has an interest in developing “general” skills in psychotherapy and psychological testing with a variety of populations AND has an interest in developing area(s) of specialty such as working with children and families, specializing in trauma, specializing in psychological testing. or other areas of focus. We are looking for interns with a passion for serving the community, meeting the mental health needs of Iowans, and seeking new and exciting experiences.
Interview Process
Our Psychology Internship interview process will be conducted with our Training Director and Co-Training Director, virtually. Candidates will begin the day with an overview from the Regional Training Director of each of the sites in the Cy-Hawk Consortium. Following that, applicants will have the opportunity for a one hour interview with our Training Director and Co-Training Director. In this interview the applicant will be asekd questions about their training background, clinical training and experiences, and goals for the internship year. This interview will last for approximately one hour. Candidates will have the opportunity to ask questions about the site during and after the interview. Our site will set specific days for interviews and share that with candidates for scheduling purposes.
COVID-19 Response
All services at Central Iowa Psychological Services are a hybrid of in-person and virtual, depending on the comfort and preference of clients. While masks are provided on site they are not mandatory at the present time but can be worn by clients and staff depending on comfort level, preference, and Covid status. If a staff member has been diagnosed with Covid and completed any necessary quarantine (work from home) procedures they can return to work once they have tested “negative” for Covid for 24 hours. Covid vaccines are highly encouraged but not required at the present time. However, our policies on Covid-19 are reviewed anytime there is a change in recommendation from the CDC.
Life in…
Ames, Ankeny, and Des Moines are excellent areas to live due to cost of living, childcare opportunities, quality of education, and entertainment and food choices. Des Moines, in particular, has a thriving night life, excellent shopping opportunities, and a variety of unique and specialty stores and restaurants particularly in their East Village. Ames and Ankeny, Iowa provide exposure to the beautiful Iowa State University Campus and library as well as several bike and hiking trails. Public transportation is readily available in both Ames (through the Cy Ride) and the city of Des Moines through their bus system.