PROBLEMS IN THE PREDOCTORAL INTERNSHIP SELECTION PROCESS - A PRELIMINARY-REPORT

Psychology predoctoral internships are 12-month professional training residencies at sites other than the academic program. They are require d of students working toward an applied psychology doctoral degree. Us ually degree granting universities and professional licensing boards s pecify that these internships be accredited by the American Psychologi cal Association and the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Int ernship Centers (APPIC, 1994-1995). In this study, 42 respondents from 12 states completed a survey reporting their experiences in the predo ctoral internship selection process. They completed 3 to 17 applicatio ns, with an average of 11 each, and they had between 2 and 16 intervie ws (personal and telephone) with an average of 8. Questions most frequ ently asked by interviewers are provided. Fifty-one percent of student s reported that they had been asked, directly or indirectly, to disclo se their rankings of sites, in violation of Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) policy. No one notified th e program representative or the APPIC Standards and Review Committee a bout violations. They complained about too few APA-accredited position s, APPIC policy violations, nonstandardized application forms, expensi ve travel requirements, and mistreatment by site officials. Students' suggestions for change are noted.