Nebraska Mental Health Centers

Psychology Internship Program

Thank you for your interest in Nebraska Mental Health Center’s Psychology Internship Program (NMHC-PIP). NMHC-PIP offers an excellent opportunity to develop skills in an outpatient program. Intern applicants should have knowledge in general practice skills and abilities in applied psychology. Additionally, intern applicants should have an interest in working with a wide variety of presenting problems (depression, anxiety, substance abuse, parent-child problems etc.) and populations (child/adolescent, adults, couples, older adults, etc.)

NMHC-PIP is an APPIC-accredited internship site. The doctoral internship program is designed to be, at a minimum, a 12-month learning experience with intern full-time equivalency of at least 40 hours weekly and in total at least 2,000 hours. Typically, the internship year begins mid-August and ends mid-August the following year.

NMHC-PIP requires the interns to have 40% of their time involved in direct, face-to-face service delivery. Over the course of the internship, interns function in an increasingly independent manner and by the end of the internship, are functioning at a full caseload capacity.

Additionally, interns are required to attend all supervisions, trainings, and professional development seminars that are provided by NMHC, complete psychological testing and assessments with their supervisors in a timely fashion, comply with NMHC policies and procedures, provide all clinical services, including accurate and comprehensive clinical record for the patients, and maintain professional behaviors within APA ethical guidelines.

Mission Statement

The mission of the NMHC-PIP is to provide a comprehensive, organized and sequenced training experience. The mission is accomplished by training future generations of mental health professionals in an open learning environment, building upon individual values and strengths, instilling an understanding of personal infinite potential within each individual, inviting and embracing the inevitability of change, keeping abreast of the latest scientific discoveries, and striving for excellence in meeting the dynamic health care needs of a diverse society.

Director of Intern Training

The NMHC clinical director, Dr. Lee C. Zlomke, serves as the Director of Intern Training and is responsible for coordinating and directing all activities of the internship program and resources, including intern supervision, evaluation of program goals and activities, and documentation and maintenance of intern records.

In addition to Dr. Zlomke, four (4) additional licensed psychologists participate in the training committee processes, such as monitoring the progression of each intern toward training goals, determining appropriate policies and procedures, and in the recruitment and selection of future interns.

Range of Training Opportunities

There is a combination of training opportunities during the internship year that provide a vast array of experiences for interns in order to sequentially and thoroughly train him or her for the delivery of psychological services beyond the level achieved as a practicum student. All interns must complete training opportunities in general outpatient diagnostic interviewing, psychological/psychometric assessment and general outpatient psychotherapy. In addition, interns will experience training opportunities in children, adolescent and family specialization, substance abuse assessment, diagnosis and treatment, rural behavioral health practice, geriatric mental health, behavioral psychology, developmental disabilities, and domestic violence treatment. Other specialized training opportunities such as neuropsychology, forensic psychology, mental health administration and supervision are offered and available to all interns. The Director on Intern Training meets with each intern to devise a sequential training plan at the beginning of the program.

All interns must have completed the necessary coursework and practicum training required of a regionally accredited doctoral level psychology program. Additionally, interns accepted are from an American Psychological Association accredited psychology program in order to ensure that interns have an adequate education prior to entering their internship year.

Prerequisites

Applicants must be from a clinical, counseling or school psychology program, hold a Master’s degree (or can demonstrate equivalency if from a program that does not confer them), and complete a full application for psychology internship on the APPIC website (APPIC.org). Applicants, like all NMHC employees, also must pass a criminal background check as a condition of beginning the internship. Minimum requirements for applicants to be considered:

• Have a solid clinical foundation in their graduate training
• Have demonstrated experience and interest in community based general outpatient practice
• Have completed all the doctoral class course work
• Have dissertation proposal defended
• Have provided at least 400 hours of clinical work
• Hold a master’s degree or equivalent (with coursework/training content primarily in therapeutic mental health from a Council of Higher Education Accreditation approved institution)
• Be licensed as a Provisionally Licensed Mental Health Practitioner or Licensed Mental Health Practitioner and psychological assistant with the State of Nebraska.
• Graduation from an APA-approved or APA-equivalent program

How to Apply

Interns interested in the NMHC-PIP should use the APPIC application form (AAPI) that can be directly obtained through http://www.appic.org. The NMHC-PIP APPIC program code 178111.

There are no additional forms or attachments required for application. All materials required on the AAPI, including three letters of recommendation, graduate school transcripts, etc., are to be submitted through the AAPI online. Deadline for applications is December 4, 2015.

NMHC-PIP abides by all rules and regulations set forth by APPIC in regard to application for internship as well as the entire conduct of the internship program. Please be aware that all training time credited to internship is post-practicum.

Nebraska Mental Health Centers Psychology Internship Program - Intern Manual