Navy Clinical Psychology Internship Program Training Manual/Appendix A
APPENDIX A
INTERN RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION
Application to the Navy Clinical Psychology Internship Program at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center is processed through the Navy Recruiting Command (for Navy Officer commissioning clearance) and through the APPIC Match. The officer commissioning part of the application process is NOT made directly to the internship program. As applicants to the internship are also applying to become active duty naval officers if matched to our program through the APPIC match, they must meet all age, security background check, and medical requirements for commissioning as naval officers prior to being placed on the internship’s APPIC match list. Applicants do not need to be in the military to apply, and despite the extensive officer commissioning background process during the application, there is no subsequent military service obligation unless an applicant matches with the internship through the APPIC match.
The Navy internship sites at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and Naval Medical Center San Diego are not a consortium. They are separately accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) and are listed separately on the APPIC website. Applicants may apply to one or both of the internships. In order to be placed on the APPIC match list for the Navy internships at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Bethesda and Naval Medical Center San Diego, applicants must apply to each internship program separately.
Application packages will include the standard APPIC application (including graduate training director verification of readiness for internship), transcripts of all graduate school education, a curriculum vitae, and letters of reference from graduate school professors and practicum supervisors. Letters from professors and supervisors directly familiar with applicants’ clinical work are most helpful in the application review process. Additionally, Navy Recruiting will include required naval officer recruiting paperwork, the physical examination, and the criminal background check in the application package.
Our internship and the Navy welcome and encourage applications from men and women of diverse backgrounds. We select psychology interns on a competitive basis without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex or national origin (Article 1164, Navy Regulations). In accordance with United States law regarding military officers, applicants must be United States citizens and cannot hold dual citizenship. (Applicants who hold dual citizenship must be willing to relinquish non-U.S. citizenship prior to commissioning as a military officer). As noted above, applicants must meet age, security background check, and medical qualification requirements for Navy officer commissioning prior to being placed on the internship’s APPIC Match ranking list.
It is important to note that the Navy accepts internship applications only from APA-accredited doctoral programs in clinical or counseling psychology.
All doctoral degree requirements other than the internship and doctoral dissertation must be completed prior to the start of the internship year. This includes all required coursework and pre-internship practicum experiences. In addition, all written and/or oral comprehensive examinations and approval of the dissertation proposal by the applicant’s full dissertation committee must be completed prior to the APPIC Match list submission deadline. Whenever possible, the dissertation should be completed prior to internship, but this is not a requirement.
The Navy internships have not established a required number of practicum hours, or required types of practicum settings, to be considered for our internships. However, given the predominantly adult focus of the program and of Navy Psychology in general, we specifically seek applicants with practicum experience in generalist psychological assessment and psychotherapy with adults. Experience treating moderate to severe psychopathology in adults is preferred but not mandatory. Applicants with minimal experience with adults, or with adult experience in narrowly focused specialty areas such as neuropsychological assessment, would be at a significant disadvantage in our review and APPIC ranking of applicants. Applicants with minimal experience with psychological assessment of adults would also be at a disadvantage.
Graduate students interested in applying to the Navy Clinical Psychology Internship Programs at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Bethesda and/or Naval Medical Center San Diego are advised to contact the Navy Recruiting Office in their local areas. This office can typically be found online and in the Government Pages of the local telephone directory. Applicants should specifically ask for a Medical Programs Officer Recruiter. Often, small recruiting offices will not have Medical Programs Officer Recruiters, but can easily direct the applicant to the closest one.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to visit the internship sites in which they are interested, and to which they have been invited for interviews during the APPIC application process. An in-person interview at one of the Navy sites is required. An interview at both sites is preferred. However, we understand the investment of time and finances for the APPIC Match process, and are happy to conduct phone interviews when travel to both Navy internship sites is prohibitive for the applicant. Additionally, applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the Program Director with any questions or concerns.