Selection Procedures

Students in the University of Kentucky (UK) Clinical or Counseling Psychology Doctoral Programs who are interested in the Internship Consortium Program (UKIC) should express this interest to the Director of Training in their doctoral program. The Director of Training will then meet with the student to evaluate their progress through the graduate program on the "Selection Criteria" listed in the Intern Handbook and reprinted below. Students who meet the criteria, according to the Director of Training, will be added to a list of potential internship candidates. The curriculum vitae and a letter of interest from each prospective intern will be sent to the Internship Training Director who will forward the information to the Internship Training Committee (ITC). If the ITC agrees that the potential internship candidate meets the  selection criteria, the Training Committee members will schedule interviews with each internship candidate. Following all interviews, the ITC will decide which internship candidates will be selected for the Consortium and assign interns to specific rotations with the recognition that the first two rotations will be at either the University Counseling Center or Eastern State Hospital. All potential candidates will then be informed of the ITC’s decision regarding admission/rejection via formal written communications.

The Consortium will make consistent and sincere efforts to recruit, select, and retain diverse intern candidates. The internship is committed to upholding the APA Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct in all intern recruitment and selection procedures.

Internship Selection Criteria

Interns must satisfy the following criteria for entrance into the program:

Academic Record: Satisfactory completion of all doctoral-level coursework (interns may not take doctoral-level courses during the internship). Must be at least in the 3rd year of the UK Clinical or Counseling Psychology Doctoral Program at time of application.

Clinical Experience: Completion of required clinical hours and types of clinical experience (see the UK Clinical and Counseling Psychology Programs’ Graduate Student Handbook). Completion of a minimum of 400 clinical intervention practicum hours. Successful completion of EPPP is desirable but not required.

Competency: Interns must show a desire to follow the health service psychology model (this is in line with the Consortium’s philosophy). Their doctoral-level practicum experience must be diverse (practicum placements in the UK Clinical and Counseling Psychology Doctoral Programs provides experience with diverse clients [e.g., individual adults, individual or groups of children; persons with diversity related to gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, race, disability, socioeconomic status, etc.] with diverse presenting problems [e.g., various diagnostic issues] and diverse settings [e.g., university counseling center, inpatient psychiatric unit, primary care settings]). The internship consortium only considers applicants identified by the Director of Training as having met the program’s minimum levels of competency for internship entry standards. Must have completed all doctoral-level coursework to ensure interns have the broad knowledge of psychology necessary for more advanced work in psychology. This will be reviewed by the Director of Training before approval to apply for the affiliated internship.

Scholarship/Research: Fit with health service psychology model. Successful dissertation proposal must be completed prior to beginning the internship, and preferably by November 1 prior to the July 1 internship start date. Research ability must be at a reasonable level.

Diversity Experience: Must have completed the required doctoral program Multicultural course.

Match with Site: Must show evidence of desire to train with available internship training sites. Preference for previous related experience. Preference for desire to work in a related setting.

Writing Skills: Must demonstrate good writing skills (professional, organized, articulate).

Intangibles:  Demonstrated ability to handle the type of work required of the internship. Preference for candidates who are flexible, team players, mature, and open to feedback.

Seniority: Among students eligible for the internship, priority will be given to the student(s) with the most seniority in the UK Clinical or Counseling Psychology graduate programs. 

Background Check: All candidates will have undergone a background check as part of the UK Clinical or Counseling Psychology Doctoral Program requirements. A prerequisite for being selected as a Consortium intern is to have had their background judged as adequate for the doctoral programs. All candidates must be eligible to work in the U.S.