Psychology Internship

Research and Training

A major goal of this internship is to develop professionals who are able to integrate science with clinical practice and who are dedicated to advancing our understanding of the biopsychosocial model of health and disease. In order to fulfill this requirement, all interns are required to be involved in a clinical research activity throughout the year. One day (or two half-days) of protected time per week is reserved for the intern to conduct clinical research activities. All interns participate in ongoing research investigations with clinical faculty that have engaged in funded research projects, published peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and presented scholarly work to national and international professional organizations. Early in the internship, interns and faculty meet to discuss the research interests of the interns and to identify ongoing research projects that are amenable to intern participation.  Expectations of intern research include:  1) presentation of such research at the annual College of Health Professions Research Day in April; 2) presentation of the completed research project to the internship faculty; and 3) submission, as the first-author, of such research to a peer-reviewed journal by year’s end.  In the past, interns have been offered the opportunity to engage in research in the areas of obesity, spinal cord injury, cognitive neuroscience, gerontology, smoking cessation, rehabilitation, public health, cancer treatment, trauma identification, childhood disease management, and disaster preparedness, to name but a few. After the intern has selected a research project, a designated research preceptor will mentor and supervise the intern’s research experience throughout the year.  As part of research and clinical work, interns can access a range of libraries, computer facilities, statistical software, and support services within the Health Sciences System, College of Health Professions, Medical School, Dental School, and the main campus of Temple University. 

Interns are provided the opportunity to co-teach a class in the College of Health Professions in the Fall semester, and then assume primary teaching responsibilities for the class in the Spring semester. Examples of classes include Health Psychology, Counseling Techniques for Health Professionals, Addiction, and Human Sexuality. In the Fall semester, interns will teach 2 – 3 classes for a course around a specified theme (i.e., obesity interventions, eating disorders, smoking cessation, depression treatment in chronic illness populations). In the Spring semester, interns are afforded the opportunity to teach the entire course. Notably, interns are mentored in their teaching by a full-time faculty member in the Department of Public Health. In addition, interns will participate in a monthly seminar series on effective teaching methods.