Our internship values creating an education and training environment that is inclusive, equitable, and respectful of diversity. We recognize the value diverse interns bring to our internship training community and provide to our patients. We aim to wholistically recruit interns from a wide range of backgrounds.
For detailed information about our guidance and policies around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), please see our internship handbook (found on the front page of our website) which includes:
- our values and commitments related to DEI,
- support for APA’s Multicultural Guidelines,
- a framework for self-reflection regarding one’s own multicultural identities and biases,
- general guidance for positive and productive interpersonal engagement regarding DEI,
- Emory School of Medicine Policy on Discrimination and Harassment Reporting,
- internship policy on addressing discriminatory/racist patient behaviors,
- working definitions for DEI-related terminology,
- and links to additional resources and references at the end of this document
We hope that the values, commitment, and framework articulated inform and are integrated into our work culture.
Supervision
Our supervisors are strongly encouraged to incorporate discussions of identity and diversity in individual supervision. In particular, we encouraged our supervisors and interns to openly discuss aspects of their identity and how that may affect their interactions with patients and within the supervision process during the first weeks of supervision.
Monthly Diversity Seminars
Interns participate monthly Diversity Seminars during the year. The seminars include psychologists and trainees from across the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta system and cover a variety of topics associated with diversity, equity, and inclusion within psychology. The seminars occur on Fridays at lunchtime.
Mentorship Program
The Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Doctoral Internship Mentorship Program exists to encourage interns’ professional growth and provide support for all interns as future health service psychologists, particularly in the context of diversity and inclusion factors. Each intern is matched with a faculty member outside of their primary track to serve as a mentor. Matches are based on interns’ areas of interest. In addition, interns can request to be matched on aspects of culture/identity such as gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, spiritual/religious background, parental status, ability status, and first generation college graduate status.
Didactics
Every year our didactics fluctuate; however, we typically invite presenters to speak on several DEI related topics such as Culturally Responsive Self-Care; Differences in Sex Development; Neurodiversity-Affirming Practices.
Reflective Local Practice
We have adopted the Reflective Local Practice (Sandeen et al., 2018) model to encourage self-reflection, common language of “hot spots,” “hidden spots,” and “soft spots” among trainees and supervisors, as well as to help interns learn about the Atlanta and Georgia community where are patients live. Interns are assigned to visit and experience locations within the area (e.g., Civil Rights Museum, Buford Highway international restaurants, Refuge coffee which provides job training for refugees in the Clarkston community, Sweet Auburn Market a historic market opened in 1918).