Practicum Traineeships in Clinical Psychology

The Training Year

Practicum training at IOA involves a 12-month commitment that begins the first week in August and ends the last week of July of the following year. Trainees should expect to attend some full-day orientations during the first two weeks of the training year. Thereafter, the vast majority of trainings, meetings, and case conferences will take place on Friday afternoons.

Trainees will be allowed 2 weeks of vacation over the course of the year. However, vacation time may not be used during the first 3 weeks of training or final 2 weeks of training.

Practicum Traineeships are open to pre-internship psychology students enrolled in doctoral-level graduate programs. We are not currently able to offer psychology department training opportunities to MFT or other Master’s Level trainees or interns.

Goals of the Training Program

At the conclusion of the training year, practicum students should expect to have gained the following knowledge and experience:

• A solid understanding of the aging process and its related developmental challenges.
• An introductory level understanding of the major medical and psychological problems faced by older adults.
• The development of skills in providing psychotherapy for older adults and an awareness of the specific psychotherapy needs of this population.
• An understanding of the ethical and legal issues that come with the practice of geropsychology; including issues related to both elder abuse and conservatorship.
• An expanded sensitivity to the issues sometimes face by older adults from non-dominant cultures.

Practicum Student Responsibilities

As part of the requirement for successful completion of our practicum training, trainees have a number of responsibilities. There is a minimum time commitment of 16-20 hours per week (depending on school requirements). Those hours will be filled as follows:

• 10-12 hours per week of face-to-face supportive counseling in patient's residences (private homes, residential care facilities, skilled nursing facilities) or at our clinic. Maximum caseload of 7-9 individual patients (transportation time is included in hours)
• 4 hours of training, (1 hour weekly individual supervision, 1 hour weekly didactic training, 1.5 hours weekly clinical case conference, and .5 hours Staff Meeting)
• 2-4 hours administrative time (paperwork, collateral contacts)

Application Procedure

The IOA practicum training program will adhere to all BAPIC timelines and guidelines related to application and matching. Please consult the BAPIC directory for the most current information about the IOA training program.

Application Packets should include the following:

• Current CV
• Letter of Interest
• Two letters of recommendation

The final deadline for receipt of application packets is February 22nd of each year, but applicants are encouraged to apply sooner. Please feel free to contact the Director of Training if you have any questions. Interviews will be conducted beginning in mid-February.