Monitor on Psychology - February 2012 - (Page 34)

center and two outpatient facilities. The number of internship slots during that time has doubled from seven to 14. Sites fund the internships in a variety of ways, including through grants, Medicare billing and stipends written into their budgets, says DiVincenzo. Joining forces has had advantages for everyone involved. Site supervisors gain APPIC membership through the consortium as well as the ability to share resources and ideas. Interns receive more comprehensive and deliberate training because they have a coordinated team working with and for them. And patients get better access to care and better care, as interns’ presence helps reduce wait times and they bring the latest on ethics laws, assessment and treatment. “They contribute a lot of energy and insight to treatment teams,” DiVincenzo says. And thanks to weekly didactic meetings that include all of the students, DiVincenzo and guest speakers, the arrangement gives the sense of being in a professional cohort, says Chestnut Hill student Angelika Montalbano, who is doing her internship at Rider University Counseling Center in New Jersey, one of the consortium sites. “I knew that no matter which placement I got [within the consortium], that all of the students would come together at the didactic meetings and learn about each others’ sites,” she says. “This experience feels so much richer than it would if I were doing an internship at one independent site.” From McCutcheon’s perspective, affiliated consortiums are an important development because they make doctoral programs responsible for ensuring students have access to quality internships. “The model says that students must attend a quality internship program, and that the program will provide resources to make sure those experiences are available,” he says. Toolkits and other efforts Meanwhile, APA and related groups are spearheading other activities to address the internship imbalance, says Catherine Grus, PhD, APA’s deputy executive director for education. For one, APA, along with several training councils, APPIC and the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students, has developed an internship toolkit that walks schools and psychology programs through the steps needed to create and expand internship programs (visit it at www.apa.org/ education/grad/internship-toolkit.aspx). In addition, APA’s Government Relations Office continues to advocate for internship funds at the federal level, in particular for the Graduate Psychology Education Program, which funds internship programs, including intern salaries, in underserved areas through the Health Resources and Services Administration. Despite the current economic climate and significant cuts in other HRSA programs, APA was successful in securing $3 million for the program in 2011, the result of nearly 360 visits to Capitol Hill by psychologists and psychology students, says Nina G. Levitt, EdD, APA’s associate executive director of government relations. Meanwhile, Guzmán and her Hogg Foundation colleagues continue to think creatively about ways to address ? the internship problem. They are now exploring the possibility of helping existing non-accredited internship sites in Texas take the necessary steps to A brain teaser? Or a psychological test become accredited. about behavioural change? “In some ways, this is an even more Learn how understanding behaviour in psychological testing can be one way creative way to influence training than to drive effective change in your organisation, with the University of Liverpool developing new sites,” says McCutcheon. online MSc in Applied Psychology. “Providing support to already existing Visit our website to discover the solution to the brain teaser, and learn programs could help reduce the barriers about the online MSc in Applied Psychology. to accreditation and could have an even greater impact in attracting a large number of high quality students.” n www.ohecampus.com Tori DeAngelis is a writer in Syracuse, N.Y. 4.5"x4.5"_11-05_appliespsych_gp.indd 1 34 M o n i t o r o n p s y c h o l o g y • F e b ru a ry 2 0 1 2 5/17/11 10:50 AM http://www.apa.org/education/grad/internship-toolkit.aspx http://www.apa.org/education/grad/internship-toolkit.aspx http://www.ohecampus.com http://www.ohecampus.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Monitor on Psychology - February 2012

Monitor on Psychology - February 2012
Letters
President’s column
Contents
From the CEO
APA files two briefs in support of same-sex couples
New registry seeks to understand addiction recovery through ‘crowdsourcing’
APA launches a database of tests and measures
Watch for new member benefit: “APA Access”
Apply now for APA’s Advanced Training Institutes
PsycTHERAPY, APA’s new database, brings therapy demos to life
In Brief
APA scientists help guide tobacco regulation
A-mazing research
‘A machine for jumping to conclusions’
Judicial Notebook
Random Sample
Righting the imbalance
The beginnings of mental illness
Science Directions
Improving disorder classification, worldwide
Protesting proposed changes to the DSM
Interventions for at-risk students
Harnessing the wisdom of the ages
Anti-bullying efforts ramp up
Hostile hallways
R U friends 4 real?
Support for teachers
Speaking of Education
Record keeping for practitioners
Going green
At the intersection of law and psychology
Division Spotlight
Grants help solve society’s problems
Personalities

Monitor on Psychology - February 2012