Doctoral Internship Information | UC Davis MIND Institute

The Doctoral Internship Program is dedicated to the MIND Institute's mission of supporting individuals and families facing challenges associated with neurodevelopmental disablities. We believe that everyone in our community deserves fair access to excellent healthcare and education. Our program is committed to building a culture of mutual respect and care, where fairness and well-being are central to our daily efforts.

We strive to foster a rich and varied environment that supports professional growth and development. As a training program, we understand the importance of continuous learning and creating a welcoming atmosphere where everyone feels they belong and can thrive. We value the profound learning that comes from working alongside interns, faculty, and staff from different walks of life and with unique perspectives. We celebrate the accomplishments of every individual, appreciate the diverse experiences each person brings, and seek to train individuals from varied backgrounds to serve children and families who are representative of the communities we serve.

These principles align with those of UC Davis Health and the Association of University Centers on Disabilities.

Principles of Community UC Davis MIND Institute

Interns are responsible for approximately 20 hours of direct and indirect clinical responsibilities and supervision through the Massie Family Clinic and approximately 20 hours of additional learning experiences. Interns are expected to engage in learning activities for a total of 40 hours per week over the course of a year, for a total of 2,000 internship hours.

Interns engage in clinical activities spanning both assessment and treatment (including both individual and group treatment); didactic seminars related to clinical issues, ethical issues, issues of diversity and equity, and professional development (including emerging supervision skills); and high-quality supervision.

Interns also participate in secondary placements (minor rotations) where they can gain experience working with interdisciplinary teams and school personnel in a mobile consultation service, provide behavioral health screening, and brief parenting interventions to youth and families in the pediatric primary care setting, and offer behavioral consultation to families in underserved and rural areas of Northern California via telehealth.

Applicants must be enrolled in an APA-, CPA-, or PCSAS-accredited doctoral program in Clinical Psychology (preferred), Counseling Psychology, or School Psychology and must have completed at least three years equivalent of full-time graduate-level study by the start of the internship. In addition, applicants must have the approval of their graduate program Director of Clinical Training, completed 450 direct practicum hours (minimum of 300 intervention/therapy hours and 150 assessment hours preferred) at the time of application, completed all doctoral coursework as required, passed the academic program’s comprehensive exams (if applicable), and have a dissertation project proposal approved by their graduate program before the beginning of the internship.

Well-suited applicants possess a solid assessment foundation, having completed at least five integrated psychological evaluation reports, and practice from a theoretical orientation aligned with our program's behavioral and cognitive-behavioral frameworks. Additionally, competitive candidates bring direct experience utilizing evidence-based assessment tools and treatments, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), or Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT), with youth presenting a broad spectrum of clinical diagnoses, including neurodevelopmental disabilities. 

Beyond these foundational qualifications, several key attributes contribute significantly to intern success at our site. We highly value applicants who exhibit a high degree of professional humility, self-awareness, and a capacity for ongoing self-reflection. Successful interns often have extensive experience serving individuals from a wide range of social, economic, and cultural backgrounds, and the ability to deliver therapy or assessment services in more than one language is highly advantageous. Finally, we look for candidates with prior involvement in research utilizing social-ecological models, as well as a documented commitment to integrated behavioral health and equitable access to care, which may be demonstrated through professional memberships, extracurricular advocacy, or diversity-focused research. 
 

Length of Appointment
The MIND Institute will accept 4 interns for the upcoming training year. The appointment begins July 1 and ends June 30 of each training year; if these dates fall on a weekend or holiday, start/end dates are the following/preceding business day, respectively. The internship is a one-year, full-time appointment, 40-hour work week. After accounting for the 14 holidays, interns can accrue up to 2,000 hours of supervised professional experience over the course of the training year. Please refer to the vacation policies below for important information on the impact of vacation time on Supervised Professional Experience (SPE) hours. Upon successful completion, the intern will be awarded a certificate of internship completion from the UC Davis MIND Institute at UC Davis Health.

Stipend
Interns are hired as full-time employees of the University of California and receive a hourly wage of $26 (amounting to a minimum gross stipend of $50,112 per year), subject to applicable taxes and standard withholdings. Benefits include:

• Health Insurance: Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life, and disability coverage under the UC Davis Resident and Fellow Welfare benefits. 
• Paid Time Off (PTO): Up to 36 days annually, which includes 20 vacation days, 12 sick days, and 4 professional development days. Use of full PTO results in 1,500 total hours, while partial use allows up to 2,000 hours. 
• Professional Development Funds: Up to $1,000 is allocated to each intern annually to support attendance at regional/national conferences, clinical trainings, or professional certifications. 
• Support and Equipment: Access to dedicated shared office space, MIND Institute-issued secure laptops, scoring materials, UC Davis library database access, and free personal counseling via the Academic and Staff Assistance Program (ASAP). 

Application Process
The MIND Clinical Psychology Training Program, Doctoral Internship program utilizes the uniform application developed by the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC). Our National Matching Service (NMS) Program Number is 2556. 

The internship training program agrees to abide by the recruitment and ranking policies. More specifically, no person at this training facility will solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information from any intern applicant.

Please submit only the APPI online application located on the APPIC website. Follow the directions detailed on the APPIC website for submitting your application and uploading required documents.

Your application will be considered complete upon receipt of the following: 

• A completed APPIC Uniform Application (APPI) 
• A cover letter 
• A current Curriculum Vitae 
• Transcripts of all graduate level coursework 
• Three letters of recommendation. It is preferred that at least one letter be from a current graduate school faculty (typically the doctoral thesis/dissertation advisor) and one letter be from a practicum placement supervisor.

Interested applicants must submit their applications using the APPI by Nov. 1, 2026. If you have any questions, please contact the Director of Training Office at 916-703-0263 or MIND_PsychTraining@health.ucdavis.edu. 

Selection Procedures
Intern selection is made by a committee comprised of the Training Director, Associate Training Director, and training supervisors. Applicants are rated based on their clinical training (including assessment and psychotherapy), academic coursework, letters of recommendation, clinical and research interests, demonstrated commitment to equity and diversity, and stated goals for internship. Prospective candidates assessed by the committee to hold interests and goals most closely matching those opportunities offered by our program will be asked to participate in interviews. 

Applicants will receive notification by Dec. 1, 2026 as to whether they are invited for an interview. Candidates will have the opportunity to meet with current trainees and virtually tour the MIND Institute and clinic. These interviews help both the program and the applicant to determine if there is a good fit between the applicant’s experience and training goals and the program’s needs and training objectives.

Interviews will be held virtually on Jan. 12-15, 2027. Please note that these dates are tentative; final dates will be provided to you if you are invited to interview.     

Interns matching to our site must meet UC Davis Health employment requirements prior to formal appointment, including:

• Documentation of identity and employment authorization
• Completion of an online background check
• Completing pre-employment health screening (additional details here)
• Providing documentation that doctoral program’s requirements for starting an internship program have been completed prior to the start of the training year (by June 30) 

Following the application and interview process, a conditional offer of employment is made to a candidate contingent upon successful completion of the background check. This includes criminal convictions and pending charges since age 18 and may also include verification of relevant degrees. The criminal background check is initiated through Universal Background Screening (no fingerprinting required). The final candidate receives an email directly from Universal and provides information online allowing Universal to conduct the criminal background check.

Through a confidential and individualized assessment process, UC Davis Health determines whether a criminal background check contains any conflicting and/or potentially disqualifying information. If UC Davis Health determines that a criminal background check does not contain information that would disqualify the final candidate’s employment, the candidate is cleared, and the hiring process may proceed. When a criminal background check contains criminal history, we take a holistic approach and conduct an individualized assessment. This approach balances the interests of the individual and UC Davis Health. Learn more information about UC Davis Health background checks here.

Health Clearance: Psychology trainees are required to attend a pre-employment health clearance appointment prior to beginning their appointment. 

Drug Testing: While it is not currently the policy of UC Davis Health to conduct pre-employment drug screenings for these positions, evidence of related impairment on the job could result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.