New this academic year, the Barnes Center at The Arch has received approval from the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) to offer a Doctoral Internship in
Health Service Psychology. The program was approved over the summer and was made possible thanks to the hard work and dedication of Barnes Center at The Arch health and wellness team members led by Heather Cosgrove, Ph.D., assistant director of counseling training, psychologist.
Cosgrove began the time-consuming APPIC membership application for the program because she knew it would enhance the student experience through a variety of lens surrounding both those receiving services and those seeking professional development.
“This has been a vision of mine since I’ve started with Syracuse University three years ago. This [program] provides a rich experience for trainees and staff alike. Bringing on doctoral interns further diversifies our training program and moves us towards being a true training clinic,” said Cosgrove when asked what inspired her to create the new program. “Having a full internship program also allows us to recruit high-quality trainees from diverse backgrounds, further expanding our staff’s skill set and areas of experience.”
The application for the program took Cosgrove and her team several months to complete. For a program to become an APPIC member, it must meet all 16 membership criteria and pass through three rounds of reviews, concluding with a final review and vote by the APPIC Board of Directors. At last count, there were only 787 APPIC-member internship programs in the United States and Canada.
Participants will gain valuable, hands-on experience that will help them stand out when applying for jobs after graduation.
“Our internship features several unique aspects, including the opportunity to supervise graduate students, participate in a specialty rotation focused on a specific area of mental health treatment, engage in a robust groups program, gain experience with crisis intervention and receive intensive supervision from multiple supervisors. Many of these skills are highly sought after, specifically in counseling center work, but can also be applied broadly to many mental health professional settings,” shared Cosgrove.
This internship will assist students in growing and honing their counseling skills, with the end goal of developing well-rounded health service psychologists. The program was designed per the American Psychological Association’s functional competencies, so interns can exit the program knowing they have gained the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed beyond the University. Skills addressed in the internship include the following.
This program impacts more than its doctoral student interns—Cosgrove believes the entire Syracuse University community will benefit from this new opportunity.
“The energy of the staff behind training has been incredible. This energy behind professional development will directly and positively impact our student body since they will have therapists who are receiving intensive training in all aspects of their role, with a focus on providing the highest quality of care.”
2022-23 Doctoral Internship in Health Service Psychology Applications
Eligible students interested in applying for the Doctoral Internship in Health Service Psychology are invited to explore the Barnes Center at The Arch Professional Development webpage for application instructions or to call 315.443.8000. Please note, the 2022-23 program application deadline is Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. For additional information or to request accommodations, please contact the program facilitator.
Written by Division of Enrollment and the Student Experience communications intern Cecelia Kersten ’23, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.
