Rutgers School Psychology Internship Consortium
The Rutgers School Psychology Internship Consortium will provide doctoral
school psychology internship positions in schools and other settings in New Jersey that
serve the mental health, educational, and health needs of children and adolescents. The
mission of the Consortium will be to provide doctoral level school psychology interns
with intensive professional training experiences within the context of a practitionerscholar model. The doctoral internship is the culminating professional practice
experience in doctoral level education and training in school psychology.
Interns will have completed all doctoral coursework and practicum requirements
of the Rutgers School Psychology Training Program, will have met all School
Psychology Program professional competencies at least at an entry level for school
psychologists, and will be certified as a school psychologist by the New Jersey
Department of Education before beginning their internship.
Benefits to Consortium member sites:
* A stable source of well-trained entry level school psychologists who are already
certified as school psychologists, by the New Jersey Department of Education, prior to
the internship experience, and have knowledge of school psychology best practices and
innovative practices.
* Partnership with a nationally recognized doctoral level school psychology
program, access to its faculty, and participation in colloquia and workshops at GSAPP.
Benefits to school psychology graduate students:
* Increased opportunities for high quality internship experiences (organized
training experience, enhanced oversight of internship experience, closer communication
between internship site and training program).
* Increased opportunities for internships acceptable to psychologist and
psychology training program credentialing organizations (e.g. APA, NASP, CDSPP,
National Register of Health Service Providers, state licensing boards).
Benefits to the profession of school psychology:
* Increased numbers of well-trained school psychologists who are credentialed to
work in the schools and are also eligible to pursue independent practice.
Internship Goals
The goals of the internship are to prepare school psychology doctoral students to:
a) function at a high level of professional competence in a range of school psychological
service roles; b) assume leadership roles within the context of the profession; c) obtain
the credentials necessary to engage in independent practice.
Internship Activities and Timeframe
The internship is an organized training program that is designed to provide the
intern with a planned, programmed sequence of training experiences. It follows a
programmed sequence of coursework and practica, and occurs after substantial
completion of all coursework and practicum requirements leading to the doctoral degree.
It should provide an extension of education and supervised training from the university
program.
The internship consists of a range of activities including assessment, evidencebased intervention, consultation, program development, program evaluation, research,
and supervision, designed to meet the psychological, educational, and health needs of
clients. Interns should have experiences in prevention and development of systems
supports, as well as with direct intervention for client problems, and should have
experiences dealing with cultural and individual diversity.
The intern shall spend at least 25% of his/her time in provision of direct
psychological services to clients, such as assessment, intervention, and counseling. The
intern engages in research activity which includes the evaluation of services delivered
and the effectiveness of the intern’s own training.
The internship must include a minimum of 1500 hours and must be completed in
no less than 10 months and no more than 24 months. Interns who are interested in
working toward licensure in New Jersey should complete 1750 hours.
Intern Supervision and Professional Development
The intern will engage in at least two hours per week of regularly scheduled,
formal, face-to-face individual supervision focusing on the psychological services
provided by the intern. This supervision must be provided by a doctoral level
psychologist who is licensed to practice at the independent level by the State Board of
Psychological Examiners in New Jersey (the supervisor must be licensed in the state in
which the psychological services are delivered.)
In addition, the intern will spend two additional hours per week in scheduled
group or individual supervision, conducted by a doctoral level school psychologist.
The intern has regularly scheduled, supervised, training activities with other
doctoral interns such as professional development/inservice training; case conferences
involving a case in which the intern is actively involved; seminars dealing with
professional issues; or observing delivery of health, educational, and/or child/adolescent
services.
Consortium Membership Requirements/Rutgers Responsibilities
School districts or other psychological service delivery organizations who are
members of the Rutgers School Psychology Internship Consortium must employ a
doctoral level psychologist who is either licensed by the State Board of Psychological
Examiners to practice at the independent level and/or is certified by the New Jersey
Department of Education as a school psychologist.
School districts or other psychological service delivery organizations will provide
a stipend of $25,000 per year for each intern.
The required two hours per week of individual supervision for the intern will be
provided by the licensed psychologist employed by consortium members and/or by
Rutgers faculty members who are licensed psychologists. Consortium members who are
not able to provide the required two hours per week of individual supervision, or who can
provide only one hour per week of individual supervision, will supply $2000 per year to
the Consortium to underwrite each hour of individual supervision needed by the intern,
but not provided by the Consortium member ($2000 per year for one hour per week;
$4000 per year for two hours per week).
Rutgers will provide the required additional two hours per week of group
supervision, as well as the training activities with other interns through the Rutgers
School Psychology Internship Seminar, which interns must register for and attend on a
weekly basis.
Intern Selection
Prospective interns will interview for intern positions with personnel at the
Consortium member site, giving the Consortium member flexibility in choosing an
intern.
Intern Evaluation
Interns must receive a formal, written evaluation at the end of each university
semester. Rutgers will provide the format and forms for intern evaluation consistent with
the Rutgers School Psychology Training Program goals and competencies. The intern’s
supervisor will complete the evaluation form and meet with the intern to provide
feedback and discuss the evaluation.
The Rutgers School Psychology Internship Coordinator will conduct a site visit at
least once each semester to each Consortium member site to review intern activities and
progress with the intern and site-based supervisor.
Internship Contract
Each intern will have a completed Rutgers School Psychology Internship Contract
signed by the Rutgers School Psychology Program director of training, the Consortium
member site primary supervisor, and the intern prior to beginning the internship.
Other Internship Working Conditions
The intern will have the title “School Psychology Doctoral Intern”, and reports or
other documents prepared by the intern must be co-signed by the doctoral psychologist
supervisor for the intern.
Due process procedures for interns should be given to interns prior to the
beginning of the internship by the Consortium member site. If due process procedures
are initiated at the internship site, the university director of training must be notified.