2013 INTERNSHIP NEWS
All five students seeking internships this year have been matched to excellent internships – congratulations to all!Practica Information
Clinical training is conducted primarily through practicum experiences associated with courses that take place in our Centre for Mental Health Research. We also have an off-campus summer practicum that is required of all clinical students during the summer following the first year of graduate studies. In an institution off-campus, students gain practical experience in psychological assessment, as well as some exposure to psychotherapy, and participate in various programs of the host settings. Students also have the option of taking a second or third part-time practicum in later summers with the approval of their supervisors. There is more information on practicum placements in our Guidebook.
Sites for Practicum Training
Most practicum training takes place in our own Centre for Mental Health Research (CMHR), which is run and staffed by the core clinical faculty. The Centre is well-equipped with one-way mirrors, state-of-the-art sound systems and videotaping facilities. Its primary purpose is to provide our senior, doctoral-level, student-therapists with opportunities to implement the clinical assessment and treatment skills they have learned over the course of their studies. The principal groups seen in the Centre include children, adolescents, adults, couples and families. All work conducted in the CMHR is supervised by the core clinical faculty or adjunct professors in the community. For more information, see UW Centre for Mental Health Research.
Our program requires a four-month fieldwork placement during the summer following the first year of graduate studies. Based on their particular interests, students work at one of many institutions in the area where they gain practical experience in personality assessment and psychotherapy, and participate in various programs of the host settings. On special occasions (depending on career-path considerations or perceived need for more supervised field work), faculty may approve a further summer practicum experience during the summer following the third academic year. Over the past few years, students have done practica at the following settings: the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (Toronto), St. Joseph's Hospital and the Centre for Mountain Health Services (Hamilton), KidsLink (St. Agatha), Lutherwood (Waterloo), and the Grand Valley Institute for Women (Kitchener).
Internship Information
Finally, our students go out on a full-year Predoctoral Internship usually in their sixth year of studies, after defending (or just prior to defending) their Ph.D. thesis. These internships are normally required to be at CPA-accredited sites. Students may apply for a tuition reduction during the internship. Over the past few years, our students have done internships at the following sites: St. Joseph's Healthcare (Hamilton), the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (Toronto), the Calgary Regional Health Association and the Alberta Children's Hospital (Calgary), the Manitoba Health Science Centre (Winnipeg), the Nova Scotia Hospital and the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital (Halifax), and the London Health Sciences Centre (London, Ontario). Please see the Guidebook for further internship information.
