Selection criteria for American Psychological Association-accredited internship programs: A survey of training directors.

Abstract

A representative sample of 115 training directors of American Psychological Association-accredited internship programs was surveyed. In a two-part survey, they ranked the criteria used in selecting interns for the 1994-1995 training year and elucidated characteristics of the selection process. Clinical experience, the interview, and letters of recommendation were identified as the top three selection criteria, whereas lack of assessment experience was rated as the most common deficit in applicant training. Interviews with prospective interns were conducted by 96% of the respondents and were valued as the means of determining the applicant's poise, personality, and likelihood of meshing with a given site. Results of this study provide prospective interns with common selection criteria used by. internship programs, including significant components of the interviewing process. The question Are too many students chasing too few internships? (deGroot, 1994, p. 62) has resonated throughout the discipline of psychology and has brought the issue of internship placement in clinical and counseling psychology to the forefront. In order to adequately prepare for the selection process,