The Psychological Center (“The Clinic”) serves as the primary practicum site for the doctoral student training therapists at The Clinic, students conduct psychological evaluations, treat child and adult patients, conduct group psychotherapy, and administer psychological and neuropsychological assessments. Other clinical experiences, such as externships and clinical fellowships, are optional for students and complement the training they receive at The Clinic. All practicum experiences are integrated into the curriculum through courses, clinic teams, and supervision.
Clinical training at The Clinic
Year 1. All students participate in a Clinic Team, beginning in the first semester (participation in Clinic Teams last for the duration that the students treats patients at The Clinic). In Clinic Teams, students in residence present clinical cases and engage in an ongoing weekly dialogue with each other and the Clinic Directors regarding crisis, clinical emergencies, ongoing treatments, termination of care and disposition of cases. Additionally, beginning in Year 1, students operate the front desk one hour per week. Beginning in the second semester of Year 1, students take either the Child Intake or Adult Intake courses. In these courses, they learn how to conduct comprehensive child or adult evaluations. Upon completion of these courses students begin to treat their first patients for ongoing psychotherapy and simultaneously begin to meet weekly with a different supervisor for each therapy case.
Year 2. Students continue to treat their patients from the previous year. In addition, in the Fall students take a practicum course (e.g. Child practicum if Child Intake was completed in Year 1 or Adult practicum if it was Adult Intake. ) and enroll in the intake course not yet completed (e.g. adult intake if child intake was taken in Year 1). By the Spring semester, students have full caseloads (3 case minimum) and responsibilities in the Clinic.
Years 3 and 4. Students continue to carry a minimum caseload of three ongoing psychotherapy patients. In addition, students may choose to receive training in an empirically supported treatment and/or co-lead a psychotherapy group. Students in their 4th year and beyond are given the opportunity to peer supervise students in Years 1-2. Students complete their mandatory residency at The Clinic at the end of their 4th year and also must have a minimum of 500 direct clinical hours.
Year 5 until Internship. Students may opt to continue treating patients at The Clinic.
Externships
Additional clinical experiences are available through external externships after a student completes the prerequisite hours and courses at The Clinic. These additional clinical experiences complement the in-house clinical work by offering students an opportunity to work with particular populations (i.e. serious mental illness, LGTBQ, school-based, inpatient).
Past externship sites of our students include:
- King’s County Medical Center
- Ackerman Institute of Family Therapy
- Jacobi Medical Center
- NYU Post Doctoral Program
- Bellevue Hospital
- Mt. Sinai/St. Luke's Hospital
- Columbia Psychoanalytic Institute
- Brooklyn VA Medical Center
- St. Barnabas Medical Center
- Memorial Sloane Kettering Medical Center
- Manhattan School of Music
- MIT Counseling Center
- North Central Bronx Medical Center
- The Addictions Institute
- Rikers Island Penal System
- Columbia University Medical Center/New York Presbyterian Hospital
Clinical Fellowships
Clinical fellowships offer students the opportunity to work as a therapist within the CUNY system. These experiences increase the range of clinical experiences students can have while in the program by specifically offering training at counseling centers. Students can apply for a fellowship in their 3rd year or beyond.
Current clinical fellowship sites include:
- Baruch College Counseling Center
- Bronx Community College Counseling Center
- Brooklyn College Counseling Center
- CCNY Counseling Canter
- College of Staten Island Counseling Center
- The Graduate Center Counseling Center
- Hunter College Counseling Center
- John Jay Counseling Center
- LaGuardia Community College
- Lehman College Counseling Center
- BMCC Counseling Center
- Queen's College Counseling Center
- Hunter High School
- Hunter Elementary
Internships
The internship experience normally takes place during the fifth or sixth year of a student’s training.
For further statistics pertaining to our program's internship history, click here to see our student outcomes data. Here is an overview of the sites our students have attended for Internship over the past 3 years:
2022-2023
- Montifiore Medical Center
- Maimonides Medical Center
- Madison Park Psychological Services
- North Bronx Healthcare Network
- Mount Sinai Beth Israel
- Lenox Hill Hospital
- North Bronx Healthcare Network
- VA Sierra Nevada
- Mount Sinai Morningside
- New York University/Bellevue Hospital Center
2021-2022
- Pace University Counseling Center
- Derner Internship Consortium
- North Central Bronx Medical Center
- Lenox Hill Hospital
- Columbia University Medical Center/New York Presbyterian Hospital
- Bellevue Hospital
- Maimonides Medical Center
- VA New Jersey Health Care System
- Jamaica Hospital Medical Center
- University of California, Davis Davis
- YCS Institute for Infant & Preschool Mental Health
- VA Hudson Valley Health Care System
- Chillicothe VAMC
- Albany Consortium/Albany Medical College
2020-2021
- Pacific Clinics
- New York University/Bellevue Hospital Center
- Mt. Sinai Beth Israel Medical Center
- VA Medical Center, Brooklyn
- Mount Sinai St. Luke's and West Hospital Center
Last Updated: 09/11/2022 12:34