Psychology interns at the Center will be exposed to a range of outpatient diagnoses and presenting concerns with children and adolescents through our C.O.O.L. Program, with adults and older adults, and with couples and families. Some of the most common reasons clients seek services include (in no particular order): depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, trauma and adjustment issues, OCD, ADHD, ASD, sleep disorders, family or relationship problems, chronic pain or health conditions, etc. While less common, there are also a variety of other concerns and diagnoses that present at the Center, with some examples including: substance use disorders, enuresis, bulimia, binge-eating disorder, anorexia, schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder, personality disorders, somatic symptom disorders, neurocognitive disorders, specific learning disorders and intellectual disabilities, dissociative disorders, etc. In short, interns may expect to have some exposure to many of the various DSM disorders.

Example supervised experiences (as listed by APPIC):

As Iowa is a rural and underserved state, we see a wide variety of clients from all over Iowa. While we have more adult-focused clinicians serving clients, we have child and adolescent clients from all over the state seeking services at the Center due to the reputation of our Children Overcoming the Obstacles of Life (C.O.O.L.) program. While we have a good percentage of our clients who have financial barriers and are on Client Assistance Funds or Medicaid, we also have clients who are among the most affluent in the state. We work hard to provide quality care for all our clients. Because of the range of clients we see, the predoctoral intern will be able to work with their supervisor to focus their caseloads on the interns preferences and learning objectives, within the generalist experience of our internship. Some interns may have a primary caseload of children and adolescents, while others may work primarily with adults, etc. Thus, the percentage of clients the intern will serve will vary depending on their training needs and interests, along with the Center’s preferences. The percentages provided, therefore, may not reflect the individual experience of each intern during their training year.

To be considered for an internship at the Center, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Approval by the applicant’s academic training program, verifying their readiness for internship
• A minimum of three years of an APA-Accredited doctoral program in Clinical,Counseling, or School Psychology
• Have completed their comprehensive exams by the ranking deadline
• Have dissertation proposal be accepted by the doctoral committee prior to the ranking deadline
• A minimum of 300 intervention hours by the time of application
• A minimum of three integrated assessment evaluation reports
• Eligibility to obtain the Iowa provisional psychologist licensure.

Preference will be given to applicants who have greater assessment experience and who will have defended their dissertation by the start of the internship year, who express interest in remaining in Iowa, and/or who have developed clinical skills or interest in areas of high need (e.g., psychological assessment, couple’s counseling, family therapy, linguistic or cultural expertise, etc.

In addition, the Center is not able to financially support Visa sponsorship but welcomes those applicants with Student Visas or who are eligible to work in the United States.

After matching, the aspiring intern would need to agree to a background check, and to sign a confidentiality agreement upon beginning employment.

The Center does not routinely require urinalysis for drug testing, and does not require regular vaccinations (e.g., COVID-19, influenza, etc.).  The Center does encourage and support employees to keep current with vaccinations, and traditionally has offered a flu vaccine clinic day.

The selection process for doctoral internship applicants is a multiple-step review that will involve a group of the training faculty/supervisors, both internship training directors, our executive director, administrative support staff, and other Center staff as appropriate.

• The selection process for doctoral internship applicants begins with a thorough review of the “written” materials requested (e.g., letter of recommendation, cover letter, case conceptualization, testing report, etc.).  The co-directors of the predoctoral internship will complete the first review, then forward applications that appear to be a good fit for our site to the training faculty.
• Applicants will need to be eligible for provisional licensure in Iowa prior to the start of internship, however this does not require the applicant to have received a master’s degree in order to qualify.
• Those applicants who are considered the best fit for the Center will be asked for an interview.

What would make an intern a poor fit for the Center? Characteristics that may be likely to increase friction for the intern and Center include:

• Having restricted or highly-focused clinical interests
• Possessing few or no areas in which we can help the intern to grow in competence or professionalism
• Seeking training specifically in “Bible-based” counseling
• Having difficulty with direct communication
• Having difficulty being open to cultural or religious differences
• Focus on remuneration as the highest professional priority

 What would make an intern a good fit for the Center?  Characteristics that are especially appreciated include:

• Intellectual curiosity about clients and clinical work
• Having a genuine desire to learn
• Willingness to be vulnerable and open to feedback
• Being self-motivated/self-starter
• Problem-solving
• Feeling passion for our mission
• Interest in spiritually-integrated care
• Cultural humility and curiosity
• Community participation
• Willingness to engage in direct communication and “creative interchange”
• Psychological Mindedness

Applicants felt to be an especially good fit for the Center will be invited to participate in a virtual, individual interview of about an hour with our psychology faculty. The purpose of these interviews is to help both the Center and the applicants to discern goodness of fit between what the Center can offer the applicant, and what the applicant can offer the Center. Applicants may expect questions about theoretical orientation and clinical style, questions about training needs and preferences, and some “get to know you” questions among others. Applicants may also wish to prepare questions they would like to ask the faculty, and will be given time in the interview to address those. Applicants who are interested in visiting the Center for a physical tour, may schedule individually with us after the interview have taken place.