This is a student blog piece written by Natalie Hong, a rising fourth year doctoral student in the Clinical Science Ph.D. program at Florida International University.
The internship application, interview, and match process is arguably one of the most highly anticipated, dreaded, and exciting experiences of graduate school for students studying clinical psychology. As such, many resources are available to students that provide recommendations to promote success across each stage of the process. In an effort to provide further support to students embarking on the internship application process this year, we reached out to numerous directors of clinical training (DCTs) at internship programs across the country to ask them the following questions:
Natalie Hong is a rising fourth year doctoral student in the Clinical Science Ph.D. program at Florida International University.
Preparing for APPIC Interviews & Ranking | Chelsea’s Tips
Whenever there is a question along the lines of, “is there anything else you want us to know about you?”, don’t say “no.” Even if you think they covered everything, you can highlight something(s) you want them to remember/know about you. I’ve found this quite helpful before as the interviewer – the applicant highlighted an important topic to them that I hadn’t really noted until that point.
Personally, I don’t find it helpful to ask, “What’s a typical day like for an intern?” Usually each day is different, and you probably want the perspective of the interns more than the training staff’s. If the interview process doesn’t include the opportunity to talk to interns, you should reach out to the interns at a few of your top sites to learn about their experiences. You could then ask the interns what a typical week looks like.
A: Consider using your clinical skills of observation and intuition – not only are you listening for content, you should be paying attention to process and the vibe you feel when interacting with the interviewers. In terms of content, you want to track if the training opportunities you are most interested in (based on their website/brochure) are actually available (unfortunately sometimes it’s a situation of “you can make it happen if you really want this experience” instead of it being a set rotation). In terms of process, how interactive are they in the interview? How organized and considerate has the process been? (E.g., did they tell you you how many interviewers to expect and how long the interview would be?) How comfortable did you feel with the interviewers and interns?
Be prepared to talk about some personal interests – there often is a question about self-care or hobbies; the interviewers are trying to get to know you a little better. (Full disclosure – I felt like a very boring grad student as I had no hobbies by the time I applied for internship! I ended up saying spending time with family and friends because that was pretty much how I spent my free time. That and watching PBS because I had no cable.)
A: Prepare beforehand and consider – What do you want the site to know about you before you leave the interview? Because a virtual interview is likely to be shorter than an in-person internship interview, you’ll have to be strategic in figuring out how to share what you’d like to share with them. For example, I am pretty slow to warm in new situations, so I have had to push myself quite a bit in interviews to be more outgoing (less reserved) so they have a sense of who they’d really be working with. Interviewers understand there’s a baseline of anxiety, so don’t worry too much if your nervous energy shows up.
The internship application, interview, and match process is arguably one of the most highly anticipated, dreaded, and exciting experiences of graduate school for students studying clinical psychology. As such, many resources are available to students that provide recommendations to promote success across each stage of the process. In an effort to provide further support to students embarking on the internship application process this year, we reached out to numerous directors of clinical training (DCTs) at internship programs across the country to ask them the following questions:
This is a student blog piece written by Natalie Hong, a rising fourth year doctoral student in the Clinical Science Ph.D. program at Florida International University.
Natalie Hong is a rising fourth year doctoral student in the Clinical Science Ph.D. program at Florida International University.
FAQ
How do I prepare for a counseling practicum interview?
- Why do you want this internship? …
- Tell us about a good and bad experience you’ve had with a client. …
- What is your professional philosophy? …
- Where do you see yourself in five years? …
- Do you have any questions for us?
What should I ask about a practicum?
How many people work at the site? How many people volunteer at the site? Would you have your own working space? What time is the organization open for you to fulfill the required 10-12 hours/week?
What questions are asked in an internship interview?
- #1: Tell us a bit about yourself.
- #2: Why have you applied for this internship?
- #3: Why have you applied for an internship at our company?
- #4: Why do you want to work in this industry?
- #5: What are your strengths?
- #6: How do you prioritise your work?
What is a practicum in an interview?
