2025-26 Doctoral Internship in Health Service Psychology
Purpose of Internship
The purpose of the Milton Hershey School Doctoral Internship in Health Service Psychology program is to provide interns with a variety of clinical, consultation, and assessment experiences with children and adolescents from low-income families within a residential school setting. This psychology internship program is accredited by the American Psychological Association. Training is sensitive to cultural and individual diversity.
Practicum and Academic Requirements for Intern Applicants
Doctoral students in APA-Accredited clinical, counseling or school psychology programs are eligible to apply. Eligibility for entry into the internship program is based on satisfactory completion of graduate program coursework; practicum experiences, including 250 assessment hours and 400 intervention hours; and other academic requirements as specified by each graduate program. All coursework required for the doctoral degree must be completed prior to the start of the internship year, as well as any qualifying, comprehensive, or preliminary doctoral examinations. We prefer candidates whose doctoral dissertations will be completed, or at least well underway, before the internship. Applicants must also demonstrate a sound background in psychology and a general level of competency in working with clinical populations. In addition, applicants must demonstrate a specific interest in working with children and adolescents through coursework or practicum experiences.
Celebrating Cultural Differences
Our program is committed to ensuring interns and staff understand the cultural and individual factors of students which are necessary to provide effective and responsive psychological services. Interns need to practice within a sociocultural framework which considers the diversity of values, interactional styles, and cultural expectations in a systematic fashion. The sensitivity to individual and cultural differences is particularly relevant at MHS which provides services to a very diverse community. Our training program places a high value on attracting a diverse group of trainees and on maintaining an awareness of cultural issues which impact professional practice.
Time Commitment
The psychology internship is full-time for a year beginning on August 1st and ending on July 31 of the following year. Interns are given credit for a minimum of 2,000 hours of training for the full year, which is designed to meet all state licensure requirements. Interns work a 40-hour week. However, the residential nature of MHS necessitates that there will be times that the workday extends beyond these hours. It is estimated that interns will spend approximately 35 percent of their time in clinical activities, 25 percent of their time in consultation activities, 20 percent of their time in assessment activities, and 20 percent of their time in individual and group supervision.
Stipend & Benefits
The annual stipend for the doctoral psychology internship is $43,888. In addition to major medical health care, dental health care, and the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) are provided for the intern and his or her dependents as a part of the internship. MHS offers free meals during the hours when the interns are working on campus through the MHS school cafeteria. Administrative and clerical assistance are provided. Each intern has a private office and computer with Internet access. The interns have access to printing, photocopying, faxing, and scanning equipment, scientific journal articles as well as interlibrary loans. The Department has a large array of psychological and psychoeducation testing kits and equipment for the interns’ use. Online and computer scoring is available for many assessment measures. The interns also have available to them a large selection of therapeutic materials and resources. Payment for student membership in the American Psychological Association (APA) and Time2Track are provided. Interns receive a $200 spending allowance to purchase books and other resources that each intern can keep at the conclusion of the internship. Additionally, interns are provided with up to $300 toward professional conference/workshop expenses and receive up to 5 days of professional development leave. There are additional opportunities for continuing education during the internship year. The intern receives paid 48 hours of vacation time, 16 hours of personal time, 64 hours of sick time (if needed), and 13 school holidays during the internship year. The vacation and personal time can be used for any reason, including parental leave.
The Milton Hershey School is seeking three full-time psychology interns. Our program utilizes the AAPI Online. In addition to a cover letter, applicants are required to submit: 1) a completed AAPI, 2) three letters of recommendation, 3) a current curriculum vitae, and 4) a transcript from all graduate programs attended. No additional materials are required. All application materials for the 2025-2026 year must be submitted through the APPIC portal by midnight EST on Nov. 15, 2024.
The Milton Hershey School psychology internship program is a participating member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) and adheres to all policies and procedures of the association. This internship site agrees to abide by the APPIC policy that no person at this training facility will solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information from any intern applicant. Application is with the formal APPIC application and interns are identified through the “Match” process. Information about the Match process and application forms may be downloaded from the APPIC website at http://www.appic.org.
Open Full Internship ManualView the Internship Admissions Support and Initial Placement Data
Life in Hershey
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What Is Culture, According to Kids?
At MHS, students and staff from many different backgrounds come together to form a supportive community. This opens up the opportunity to learn from other cultures while also being friends, mentors, and Spartans.
