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Site Name: The Help Group

Department: Training Department

Department : Training Department

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Member Site Information
APPIC Member Number: 1164
Program Type: Internship
Membership Type: Full Membership
Site: The Help Group
Department: Training Department
Address: 13130 Burbank Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, California 91401
Country: United States
Metro Area: Not Applicable
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA MSA
Distance from Major City: Downtown Los Angeles is southeast, less than 10 miles away
Phone: 818-779-5201
Fax:
Email: rkretz@thehelpgroup.org
Web Address: https://www.thehelpgroup.org/professional/doctoral-internships/
Brochure Website's Address: https://thehelpgrouporg.sharepoint.com/sites/TrainingDirectordocs/Shared%20Documents/Forms/AllItems.aspx?id=%2Fsites%2FTrainingDirectordocs%2FShared%20Documents%2FHandbooks%20and%20Manuals%2FInternship%2F2023%2D2024%20Intern%20Brochure%2Epdf&parent=%2Fsites%2FTrainingDirectordocs%2FShared%20Documents%2FHandbooks%20and%20Manuals%2FInternship
Primary Agency Type: Community Mental Health Center
Additional Agency Types:
  • Community Mental Health Center
  • School District
Member of APPIC since:
Accreditation
APA Accreditation Accredited
CPA Accreditation Not Accredited
Internship Staff/Faculty Information
Training Director: Robert Kretz
Chief Psychologist: Susan Berman
Number of Full-Time Licensed Doctoral Psychologists on Staff/Faculty 4
Number of Part-Time Licensed Doctoral Psychologists on Staff/Faculty 3
Position Information
Start Date: 08/05/2024
Funded
Number of Full Time Slots Expected Next Class: 5
Number of Part Time Slots Expected Next Class: 0
Stipend
Full Time Annual Stipend for Next Class: 34387
Part Time Annual Stipend for Next Class: 0
Fringe Benefits: Dissertation Release Time, Dental Insurance, Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Professional Development Time, Sick Leave, Vacation
Other Fringe Benefits (not indicated above): Interns who are bilingual (English/Spanish speaking) and can provide clinical services in Spanish will receive an additional $3,000 stipend.
Brief description of the typical work day for an intern at this training site Interns participate in a variety of activities on a typical work day which includes engaging in individual, collateral, and family therapy, psych assessment, supervision, trainings, and clinic meetings. Given the nature of the setting and population, interns must be flexible as client crises are unpredictable and require immediate attention. Interns also spend 4-8 hours per week in various group supervisions and didactic trainings.
Does this site have practicum psychology students on site? No
Is this program fully affiliated with one or more doctoral programs? No
Is this program partially affiliated with one or more doctoral programs? No
Internship Application Process
Accepting Applicants: Yes
Application Due Date: 11/10/2023 11:59 PM EST
Interviews at this site are: Optional
A Virtual Interview is: Required
Interview notification date: 12/15/2023
Tentative interview date: 01/04/2024
Interview process description:

Students will be contacted on or before December 15th to schedule interviews that will likley be conducted during the month of January. Multiple options for virtual individual interview dates/times during the month of January will be offered. During this period of interviews, students are also strongly encouraged to attend an Internship Open House to better acquaint themselves with the agency, the Internship Program, and Supervisors. Students will be interviewed by the Director of Training and usually along with one other training faculty supervisor; interviews will last for approximately 45 minutes.

Interviews will be conducted virtually. In addition, The Help Group will host open houses virtually. 
How to obtain application info: Visit Website
Preferred method of contacting the program: Email the Program
We have matched with interns from these programs: Wright Institute, University of North Carolina, University of Arizona, University of California - Santa Barbara, Riverside, and Irvine, Adler University, Fordham University, Pace University, Suffolk University, Pepperdine University, CSPP Alliant, Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, Fuller Theological Seminary, University of Wisconsin, and University of Texas.
Internship Applicant Requirements
US Citizenship Required: No
If NOT a U.S. Citizen, Authorization to Work or to Engage in Practical Training (CPT or OPT) in the US is Required: Yes
Canadian Citizenship Required: No
If NOT a Canadian Citizen, Authorization to Work in Canada or to Engage in Practical Training (CPT or OPT) in Canada is Required: Yes
Masters Degree Required: Yes, by start of internship
Comprehensive Exams Passed: Yes, by start of internship
Dissertation Proposal Approved: Yes, by start of internship
Dissertation Defended: No
Minimum Number of AAPI Intervention Hours (if applicable): 450
Minimum Number of AAPI Assessment Hours (if applicable): 75
Minimum Number of Combined Intervention and Assessment Hours (if applicable): 525
Minimum Number of Years of Grad Training Required (if applicable): 3
Accepted / Not-Accepted Program Types
Clinical Psychology Accepted
Counseling Psychology Accepted
School Psychology Accepted
APA-Accredited Accepted
CPA-Accredited Not Accepted
PCSAS-Accredited Not Accepted
Non-Accredited Not Accepted
Ph.D Degree Accepted
Psy.D. Degree Accepted
Ed.D. Degree Not Accepted
This institution, department, internship, or postdoctoral program requires trainees to sign a statement about personal behavior and/or religious beliefs as a condition of admission and/or retention in the program: No
How to obtain text of statement:
Other Requirements: The Help Group currently has a mandatory Covid-19 vaccination policy at this time that applies to staff and interns. In addition, acceptance is pending fingerprint clearance from the Department of Justice and the FBI, pre-employment physical, and verification of your legal right to work in the United States. A conviction of a criminal offense will not necessarily be a bar to acceptance, in that those factors such as age and time of the offense, seriousness and nature of the violation, and rehabilitation will be taken into account. However, you must be cleared by licensing agencies of the State of California in order to work at The Help Group. If you have any questions specific to yourself, please call the Director of Training. Applicants must also be U.S. Citizens or be able to obtain an F-1 Visa and authorization to participate in Curricular Practicum Training from their university. The Help Group does not sponsor students for visas.
Program Description

We serve an incredibly diverse range of clients with respect to ethnicity, culture, SES, age, diagnosis, cognitive ability, and physical ability. We serve children/adolescents/families with special needs related to child maltreatment/trauma, emotional disturbance, autism spectrum disorder, and learning disabilities. Clients are served in an outpatient community mental health setting, in several different on-site non-public school-based milieu settings, in day treatment programs, and in residential treatment. Clinical supervision focuses on case conceptualization, treatment planning, treatment interventions, and the treatment process, including the nature of the therapeutic relationship and the therapist using the self as a therapeutic instrument. Supervisors also focus on uncovering the many layers of meaning in a therapeutic encounter, on identifying transference/countertransference, and on learning how to turn countertransference experiences into techniques. EBPs such as behavioral and cognitive-behavioral techniques are utilized regularly, as are art and play therapy techniques. A multi-disciplinary treatment team approach is a crucial component of our orientation and our training.The Help Group's staff mirror the rich cultural diversity of Los Angeles, and we pride ourselves on our ability to meet the needs of families from diverse ethnic, religious, and linguistic backgrounds as well as train interns from diverse backgrounds. Interns attend a monthly Cultural Complexity Seminar with training staff, and intertwine the topic of culture into all their roles.In addition to direct service (individual, family, group therapy in schools, homes, and clinic) and psychodiagnostic assessment (cognitive, personality, perceptual and academic functioning), interns are exposed to a number of different professional roles:consultant, supervisor of a practicum trainee, program developer/evaluator, and administrator.

**Due to Covid 19 and in adherence to state/federal mandates, some of the internship activities may occur through telehealth (e.g., therapy, assessment, supervision, and didactics), but daily attendence on-site is expeced. The Help Group continues to monitor guidance from public officials and health officials to determine the need to work remotely. Due to the ongoing and fluid nature of the public health emergency, if you have questions about the nature of service delivery and training at the time of application please email the Director of Training for an update.

Please note, the internship prefers applicants who have a minimum of 450 intervention hours, and 75 assessment hours, and who have completed 4 integrated child psych assessments. 

The Help Group’s Doctoral Internship Program is accredited by the American Psychological Association.  Questions related to the program’s accreditation status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation

American Psychological Association

750 First Street, NE

Washington, D.C., 20002-4242

(202) 336-5979

TDD/TTY: (202) 336-6123

apaaccred@apa.org

www.apa.org/ed/accreditation

The Help Group is a member of APPIC and follows their guidelines.

Internship Training Opportunities

Populations
Infants:
Toddlers:
Children: Yes
Adolescents: Yes
Adults: Yes
Family: Yes
Older Adults:
Inpatients:
Outpatients: Yes
Gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender: Yes
Ethnic minorities: Yes
Spanish-speaking: Yes
French-speaking:
Deaf/Hearing-impaired:
Students: Yes
International Students:
Rural:
Urban: Yes
Low income: Yes
Homelessness: Yes
Other:

(training opportunities continued)

Treatment Modalities
Assessment: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Individual Therapy: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Couples Therapy:
Family Therapy: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Group Therapy: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Community Intervention: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Consultation/Liaison: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Crisis Intervention: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Brief Psychotherapy: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Long-term Psychotherapy: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Cognitive Rehabilitation:
Primary Care:
Evidenced Based Practice: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Evidence Based Research:
Supervision of Practicum students : Exposure (1% to 20%)
Other: Program Development, Program Evaluation

(training opportunities continued)

Experience
Health Psychology:
Women's Health:
HIV/AIDS:
Eating Disorders:
Sexual Disorders:
Sports Psychology:
Rehabilitation Psychology:
Physical Disabilities:
Learning Disabilities: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Developmental Disabilities: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Assessment: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Neuropsychology-Adult:
Neuropsychology-Child:
Serious Mental Illness: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Anxiety Disorders: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Trauma/PTSD: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Sexual Abuse: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Substance Use Disorders: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Forensics/Corrections:
Sexual Offenders:
Geropsychology:
Pediatrics: Exposure (1% to 20%)
School: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Counseling: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Vocational/Career Development:
Multicultural Therapy: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Feminist Therapy:
Religion/Spirituality: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Empirically-Supported Treatments: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Public Policy/Advocacy: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Program Development/Evaluation: Experience (21% to 30%)
Supervision: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Research: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Administration: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Integrated health care - primary:
Integrated health care - specialty:
Other:

Additional information about training opportunities: Not all rotations or training experiences may be available as described in the APPIC Directory. Please consult the program's application materials or their website at: https://www.thehelpgroup.org/professional/doctoral-internships/  for a complete description of the training opportunities available at this training site. IF the site has not updated their information by August 1, feel free to contact the Training Director for additional information.

Summary of the Characteristics of the Specified Internship Class
2017-2018 2018-2019 2019-2020 2020-2021 2021-2022 2022-2023 2023-2024
Number of Completed Applications: 157 110 125 132 110 117 103
Number of applicants invited for interviews: 47 43 49 49 46 41 38
Total number of interns: 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
Total number of interns from APA/CPA accredited programs: 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
Total number of interns from Ph.D. programs: 2 1 1 0 2 3 3
Total number of interns from Psy.D. programs: 3 4 4 5 3 2 2
Total number of interns from Ed.D. programs: 0 0 0 0 0 0
Number of interns that come from a Clinical Psychology program 5 4 4 5 4 3 3
Number of interns that come from a Counseling Psychology program 0 0 0 0 2 0
Number of interns that come from a School Psychology program 0 1 1 0 1 2 2
Range of integrated assessment reports: lowest number of reports written 3 3 10 4 4 8 1
Range of integrated assessment reports: highest number of reports written 22 31 69 22 20 23 13
Summary of Post Internship Employment Settings of Each Internship Class (1st Placement)
2022-2023
Academic teaching:
Community mental health center: 1
Consortium: 0
University Counseling Center: 0
Hospital/Medical Center: 1
Veterans Affairs Health Care System: 0
Psychiatric facility: 0
Correctional facility: 0
Health Maintenance Organization: 1
School district/system: 0
Independent practice setting: 0
Other (Academic Psychology Department): 1
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