Selection Criteria
We are interested in highly qualified applicants who have a demonstrated commitment to clinical and research interests relevant to work with children with pediatric populations. Applicants must be enrolled in a doctoral psychology program (School and Clinical Psychology preferred, Counseling Psychology considered) at a regionally accredited institution of higher education and must have completed at least three years equivalent of full-time graduate-level study by the start of the internship. In addition, applicants must have the approval of their graduate program Director of Clinical Training, and have the completed at least 500 hours of practicum work at the time of application, and they must have a dissertation/capstone project proposal accepted by their graduate faculty to the start of internship. Our internship follows the selection guidelines and procedure of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Center (APPIC), and thus application materials are not accepted directly by the program. In the APPIC match process, successful candidates will match with one Track, although they may list multiple Tracks on their match rank-order list.
Successful candidates on the Intensive Intervention Track, Multidisciplinary Feeding Track, and Complex Behaviors Support Track will have a strong background in behavioral theory and treatment, and/or other significant clinical experience with individuals with developmental disabilities. Successful candidates on the Neurodevelopmental Assessment and Early Intervention Track will have considerable standardized assessment experience, including some experience with autism or other developmental disabilities. Successful candidates for the Behavioral Mental Health Track will have significant experience using evidence-based treatments within individual therapy. Candidates to the School Consultation Track must experience in schools and have a BCBA. Candidates to the Pediatric Psychology track will have experience with children with co-occurring medical and psychological conditions.
The internship requires a minimum of 500 combined hours practicum, which may include and assessment and treatment experiences. Preference is given to applicants from programs accredited by the APA or the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA). Foreign nationals are encouraged to apply and must arrange on their own any work visa required to hold a paid trainee position for the duration of the internship. We welcome applications from both PhD and PsyD programs.
Application Materials and Deadline
All applicants to the Internship program are managed via the APPIC application and match process. In accordance with their guidelines, candidates must submit the following:
- A complete APPIC Application for Psychology Internship (APPI), curriculum vitae, official transcripts of all graduate coursework, and letters of recommendation written by three professors or work supervisors must be uploaded to the application portal.
- Within your cover letter, please indicate your interest in specific Tracks.
- The Deadline for receipt of all application materials is November 1st. Qualified applications will be reviewed and interview notifications will be issued by the first Monday in December.
Interviews
Candidates are required to complete an interview day, which will be scheduled on one of 4 days in December and/or January. Candidates will be notified of the invitation to interview by the first Tuesday in December. Please see the APPIC website for updated interview information.
Notification of Application Status
This internship site agrees to abide by the APPIC Policy that no person at this training facility will solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information from any intern applicant. Notice of acceptance into the Internship program will be extended via the computer matching service and a subsequent phone call. Confirmation is documented to new interns and their graduate program Directors of Clinical Training soon after the completion of the match.
Start Date
The Internship program begins the first week of July. Alternate starting dates are not negotiable.
Employment Requirement
Interns are subject to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta pre-employment screening which includes (Policy 9.06). Interns must be present two weeks prior to the start of internship to complete pre-employment screening.
Your employment will be contingent upon the following:
- Passing a drug screen including nicotine (30 days without use) and marijuana.
- Proof for vaccinations and titres for MMR, varicella, Tdap, hepatitis B, COVID-19, and annual influenza vaccine. Necessary immunizations will be provided.
- Documented negative Tuberculosis (TB) blood test within the last twelve months or complete a TB blood test.
- Pre-employment health screening to ensure employee is capable of meeting physical demands of their job description, including lifting 50 pounds.
- Passing a background check, including misdemeanors (some case-by-case exceptions allowed for misdemeanors, please consult ahead of time).
- Proof of eligibility to work in the United States.