WIHD has one part-time externship training slot for students in Professional Psychology Doctoral Programs that are filled through a competitive process each year. Externships are 16-20 hours a week and run from September through June. The externship is offered through the Child Welfare Department and provides opportunities to learn: site-based assessment with children and parents involved in the child welfare system and provide therapeutic services to children. Externs will collaborate with child welfare caseworkers and participate in seminars focused on child welfare and psychological assessment.

WIHD has two full-time internship training positions for students from Psychology Doctoral Programs that are filled through a competitive process each year. The WIHD Pre-Doctoral Internships are open to those who are in a Clinical, Counseling, and/or School Doctoral Program and have met their school’s requirements to apply for internship.

WIHD has one post-doctoral psychology training position that is filled through a competitive process each year. The WIHD Post-Doctoral Fellowship is open to those who will have completed their doctorate by August of the application year. The doctorate must be in Psychology, and can include Clinical, Counseling, and/or School Psychology. The candidate would be expected to have appropriate background and experiences to pursue the areas or to add our specialty areas to their skill set.

Psychology interns and fellows are trained in a twelve-month supervised experience during which they gain competence (clinical, assessment, consultation, and research) in working with underserved populations.

Training activities can include providing assessment to children and families involved with the foster care system, as well as therapeutic services to children seen at our Children’s Advocacy Center. Trainees will participate in a variety of assessment and intervention activities, which support gaining increased experience in various clinical skills and learning to negotiate the complex system of child welfare and social services. For more information on the Child Welfare Department, click here.

• Assessment activities can include: (a) completing child psychological evaluations of children entering foster care or being adopted, and (b) completing child psychological evaluations of children receiving Preventive Services through our local Department of Social Services.
• Intervention activities can include: providing individual therapy to children seen at our Children’s Advocacy Center for significant sexual and/or physical abuse concerns.

Trainees may also participate in WIHD’s Behavioral Psychology Program. This involves providing a variety of treatment services to clients across the lifespan. Activities involve providing evidence-based behavioral​​​​ treatments (Applied Behavior Analysis, CBT, Behavior Therapy, DBT techniques) to adults and children with autism and developmental disabilities​​, with challenging behavior and/or​ mental health needs on an outpatient basis. Opportunities may also arise to provide services to group homes and collaborate on behavior plans.

Additional minor rotations involve completing specialized assessments with young children (Birth-5 years old).

Psychology Training and the LEND Training Program. An added feature of the WIHD Internship and Post-Doctoral Fellowship is the federally-funded, 9-month, Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities training that occurs the entire day of Thursday. Approximately 24 trainees from eight to ten different disciplines gather for a carefully coordinated set of training experiences addressing pediatric disabilities, lifespan development, family-centered practice, cultural competence, policy, advocacy, and evidence-based methods. Through interactive seminars, individual projects, and small group projects, each trainee develops leadership skills based on their Individualized Training Plan, developed with LEND faculty. LEND trainees have the opportunity to attend a disability seminar in Washington DC and a state policy exchange day in Albany, NY. Psychology post-doctoral fellows have additional opportunities to develop teaching, grant writing, and research skills on an individual basis. For more information about the LEND fellowship, click here.

TRAINING SETTING
The Westchester Institute for Human Development is a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD). As a UCEDD, there is a strong focus on training on all levels. In addition to LEND trainees, students from affiliated college and university programs in Social Work, Speech-Language Pathology, Psychology, Public Health, and other disciplines participate in clinical and practicum training at WIHD.

WIHD is on the same campus as the Westchester Medical Center and the New York Medical College, with which it has academic affiliations. The combined clinical and academic setting allows access to library resources and grant administration. WIHD at all times is carrying out various grant-related activities related to developmental disabilities support.

SUPERVISION AND TRAINING
All psychology trainees have the opportunity to develop an individualized training curriculum in conjunction with their training supervisor. Trainees include a combination of clinical, supervisory, and/or research and training experiences. Trainees receive semi-annual written evaluations and individual and group face to face supervision on a weekly basis.

ACCREDITATION STATUS
The WIHD internship and postdoctoral programs are not accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association. Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation: Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation American Psychological Association 750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002 Phone: (202) 336-5979/mail: apaaccred@apa.org Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Interns and post-doctoral fellows have numerous professional development opportunities including attending conferences and trainings along with his/her fellow trainees and/or program staff. In addition, opportunities for working alongside his/her training supervisor are numerous throughout the training year.

PLEASE SEE UPDATES BELOW FOR RECRUITMENT FOR THE 2024-2025 TRAINING YEAR.

• Recruitment for the 2024-2025 externship training year has now ended.
• Recruitment for internships for the 2024-2025 training year has now ended.
• Recruitment for post-doctoral fellowships for the 2024-2025 training year has now ended.

For questions regarding any of the training opportunities, please feel free to email Director of Psychology Training, Dr. Trupti Rao, at trao@wihd.org

To access a fuller description of the Psychology Training Programs offered, please view the following documents:

• Psychology Externship Manual
• Internship Training Manual
• Internship Recruitment Flier
• Internship Program Disclosures
• Internship Intern Admission
• Intern Support
• Initial Post-Internship Positions
• Psychology Post-Doctoral Fellowship Manual