Welcome and thank you for your interest in our internship program.
The Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (CCPS-formerly Habif Mental Health Services) at Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) offers a full-time comprehensive, 2000 hour (500 direct service) twelve-month Doctoral Internship in Health Service Psychology for students working toward their doctoral degrees in counseling or clinical psychology. We emphasize the core elements of counseling center work in our program; however the skill set developed is highly transferable to other clinical settings in professional psychology.
Four interns are admitted to the internship program per academic year, and CCPS offers a highly competitive stipend of $45,000 per year plus a benefits compensation package. The internship for the 2025-2026 academic year will begin on Tuesday, July 15, 2025 and runs for one full calendar year. All interns are introduced to the counseling center and greater university community during an initial orientation period. During orientation, interns also begin to define specific training interests for the internship year and familiarize themselves with the CCPS staff and WashU Student Affairs community.
There are core competencies of the internship program represented by the two primary aims of:
- Developing the skills and competencies needed to successfully function as an entry-level health service psychologist capable of working with a diverse clientele in a university counseling center or other related clinical environment and
- Developing a solid professional identity as a health service psychologist. To that end, we strive to provide a training experience that is both consistent in the core components but also individualized to meet the differing needs, interests and goals of each intern. We encourage you to explore our Internship Brochure for more in depth and expansive information about our internship program, including aims and competencies, training and direct services activities as well as areas of concentration.
Please reach out to us by phone 314-935-6695 or email Cristie Cunningham, PhD with any questions you may have about our internship program.
Internship philosophy
Internship is a time to continue the development of professional competencies and to make the transition from graduate student to professional. The CCPS internship program desires to further the growth and development of professional psychologists capable of working as generalists with a specific skill-set applicable to work in a university setting. Within this context, the training program most closely identifies with the practitioner-scholar model of psychological training (Ellis, 1992) as we emphasize the integration of experience, research, theory, and shared intellectual inquiry to inform the services we provide to the university community. We seek to integrate the professional and personal development of our interns as they proceed throughout the program. We believe that part of the development process requires moments of vulnerability, stretching out of one’s comfort zone, and trying new things. We attempt to create an environment that provides the appropriate balance of support as interns have experiences that may be new and challenging. Additionally, we hope to foster an environment that allows our interns to laugh together, be curious with one another, and be collaborative with each other even when differences exist. We seek to assist our interns in becoming confident and competent new professionals who have a passion for their work.
While there is a basic “core” component of the internship program, interns are encouraged and able to individualize and customize their training experience at CCPS in terms of client population and issues, areas of concentration, outreach, and group. As interns traverse through the course of the internship year, they will have the opportunity to engage in professional experiences that increase in complexity and difficulty and will take on more responsibility. The hope is that having an increase in responsibility and complexity will continue to foster their development and their confidence as they prepare to complete their training experience.
Additionally, evaluation and feedback are important components of the internship program. Interns receive four formal evaluations over the course of the year with clearly defined elements and expectations. Feedback is provided both formally and informally with the focus on fostering intern growth and development as they work towards becoming autonomous professionals. Supervisors aim to provide feedback that is clear and useful to discussion of both growth edges and strengths. Additionally, interns will provide feedback to supervisors, the training director, and the program as CCPS aims to continue to grow and improve the training experience of interns.
Aims & competencies
The CCPS Internship Program aspires to actualize the training philosophy by creating an environment that is inclusive, supportive, challenging and focused on the development and growth of interns both personally and professionally. The components of the program have been developed based on 9 core competency areas that guide training development and evaluation procedures. The program has two aims that serve as the overarching purpose of the program.
The first aim is for interns to develop the skills and competencies needed to successfully function as entry-level health service psychologists capable and qualified to work with diverse clientele in a university counseling center or other related clinical environment.
The second aim is that interns will develop a solid professional identity as a health service psychologist. Thus, the internship program offers interns the opportunity to engage in training activities (e.g. supervision, didactic seminars, consultation, etc.) and direct service activities (e.g. individual and group therapy, outreach, provision of supervision, etc.) intended to promote growth and development in the competency areas. Each intern is evaluated over the course of the year within the specific areas set forth by APA’s Profession Wide Competencies. More information on Aims, Competencies and Elements can be found in the Internship Brochure.
Compensation & benefits
A competitive salary of $45,000 plus benefits is offered for the course of the internship year. Each intern has vacation, sick leave and professional development days allotted that they can access by following the appropriate pathways set for by CCPS policy (e.g. prior approval from Training Director, etc.).
Benefits also include competitive health insurance options with priority appointments and lower copays/coinsurance, dental insurance, life insurance, and access to professional development funds. Medical coverage begins after the completion of one month’s employment and includes access to the WashU Direct program.
Additional benefits include (some involve a fee) access to WashU facilities such as Sumers Recreation Center, Kemper Art Museum and a myriad of presentations and seminars presented by WashU faculty and esteemed visitors. Interns will also have access to free use of the St. Louis Metro transportation system through U-Pass. Each intern will participate in WashU’s Benefits Orientation that will occur during the first few weeks of employment. More information on benefits can be found at the Human Resources website.
Qualifications & how to apply
Qualifications of candidates
- Enrollment in a doctoral program (Ph.D. or Psy.D.) in counseling or clinical psychology
- Completion of comprehensive exam/project by the start of internship
- Approval and statement of readiness from DCT
- Interest, experience and training in working with university students and their presenting concerns.
How to apply
Our internship is currently has provisional membership to the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC). We will be accepting applications online through the AAPI Portal for the 2025-2026 internship year. The deadline for applications is December 6, 2024 and applicants will be notified if they are being offered an interview by December 13, 2024. We participate and adhere to the rules and regulations of the APPIC match process. Applicaiton materials should include cover letter, AAPI applicaiton, CV, graduate transcripts, letters of recommendations and letter of support from doctoral program. No supplemental materials are required. For more information, please contact, via email, Cristie Cunningham, PhD.
Once a match made, completing an online application through WashU Jobs will be required. Prior to starting the internship, incoming interns will be required to complete the university pre-employment background check process.