The Center for Deployment Psychology’s Pathways to Military Internships is a program aimed at doctoral students in clinical or counseling psychology who are seriously considering applying for military internships at one of the ten training programs located throughout the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force. The program’s vision is to be a valued training resource for military psychology by preparing top psychology students for a military internship.
Pathways to Military Internships comprises two training programs, The Summer Institute and The Winter Institute. Both training programs are designed to raise doctoral students’ awareness of what it would be like to serve as a military psychologist, as they gain first-hand knowledge of military culture and the work of psychologists serving in uniform. The programs also give students the opportunity to network with like-minded participants from all over the country. In addition, students gain valuable military insights that increase their competitiveness for a military internship.
To qualify, students must:
- be a U.S. citizen,
- complete an application with an essay and short answers,
- and be enrolled in an APA-accredited clinical or counseling psychology doctoral program.
The Summer and Winter Institutes provide students with the unique opportunity to:
- Gain knowledge about military culture and military psychologists’ clinical activities, roles and responsibilities
- Learn about presenting problems most common among military personnel and evidence-based strategies to treat them
- Develop skills for working with military clients consistent with evidence-based practice and conceptualizing cases through a cognitive-behavioral framework
- Discover how military life affects not only the service member, but also the family system
Curriculum includes:
- Didactics on military values and military- and deployment-related psychology topics
- Interactive panels with military psychologists and training directors from DoD psychology internships
- Discussions about ethics and clinical practice unique to military providers
- Networking opportunities with others pursuing a military psychology career
Should I apply to The Winter Institute or The Summer Instiute?
| The Winter Institute | The Summer Institute |
|
Exploring an interest in a military psychology career |
Seriously considering pursuing a military psychology career |
| Prefer to complete the course in three days |
Prefer a more detailed five-day course |
| Prefer to attend the course online and/or not to travel | Prefer to attend the course and network in person (hotel and tuition are covered but individuals are responsible for travel, meals, parking, and incidentals) |
| Standard topics covered | Standard topics covered plus more in-depth and additional topics |
Questions can be emailed to Hakimah Campbell at hakimah.campbell.ctr@usuhs.edu.