The Child Guidance Clinic (CGC) internship program aims to produce well-rounded psychologists that are ready for entry-level practice who have specialized training in forensic psychology practice but can excel across a broad spectrum of professional psychology settings. While our program offers a wide range of training experiences to develop professional competencies, psychological assessment is emphasized. The overarching training goal of our program is for interns to acquire clinical assessment and intervention skills that are generalizable to multiple professional settings, as well as the specialized evaluation, intervention, and psycho-legal skills requisite for forensic practice.
Interns primarily work with adolescents involved with the juvenile justice system in Washington, DC who have been court-ordered or court-referred to CGC for clinical services. Interns conduct psychological, psychoeducational, psychosexual, competency for trial, and violence risk evaluations. Interns provide individual and group psychotherapy as well as forensic interventions for competency remediation and sex offense treatment. Interns also provide treatment to adult forensic and non-forensic populations via rotations with Howard University Counseling Services and the U.S. Probation Office. Clinical services are provided across court, community, detention, and virtual settings. Interns also provide supervision to externs and engage in interdisciplinary consultation with attorneys and probation officers.
Diversity in our faculty and trainees at all levels is an integral part of our program. Thus, we prioritize recruitment of diverse interns from a range of cultural and personal backgrounds, as well as applicants with experience or a strong interest in working with clients from diverse individual, cultural, and community backgrounds. We offer an inclusive and supportive work and training environment that welcomes everyone and values diverse participants. Our curriculum supports acquisition of skills and knowledge related to intersectionality and diverse people, families, and communities, and amplifies the voices of diverse experts. Interns receive exceptional and unique training and experience in clinical work with diverse populations. Interns receive supervision and mentorship from a training faculty that is diverse in ethnicity and culture, gender, sexual orientation, age, and ability. Interns work in an organization with diverse leadership and interdisciplinary colleagues. Interns have access to mentorship from alumni who share similar personal and cultural identities. Our recruitment of diverse interns and externs results in training cohorts comprised of students with differing experiences, identities, backgrounds, abilities, and interests. We offer accessible facilities, assistive technology, interpreter services, and DC Courts’ own ADA Coordinator.
Interns work alongside staff with a variety of specialties, including a Board Certified Forensic Psychologist and specialists in childhood trauma and assessment research.
The majority of youth served by CGC identify as African-American or Hispanic/Latino/Latinx. The youth served by CGC are typically between the ages of 12 and 18. Approximately 75% of the youth served by CGC are male and 25% are female. Youth and families served by CGC may also identify in other diverse ways, including varying sexual orientation, gender identity, language, nationality, ability, religion, family composition, income level, and more. Many of the youth served by CGC have personal histories of trauma and come from economically disadvantaged and under-resourced communities with frequent exposure to community violence and crime. Interns have exceptional and unique opportunities to provide culturally informed assessments and services to youth presenting with an array of cognitive and psychosocial problems.
This internship site complies with APPIC guidance for deadlines and agrees to abide by the APPIC policy that no person at this training facility will solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information from any intern applicant. The program is accredited by the American Psychological Association. Questions related to the program's accredited status should be directed to the Comission on Accreditation: APA Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation, 750 1st St NE, Washington DC 20002; Phone: (202) 336-5979, Email: apaacred@apa.org, Online: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation.
Please note, our program description and information here on our site profile in the APPIC Directory has the up-to-date information about our program. The DC Courts website/materials are currently under revision and do not include the most up-to-date information. Please refer to the program information included in this APPIC site profile, which is up to date as of 9/6/23.