Department : Psychology Services

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Member Site Information
APPIC Member Number: 2500
Program Type: Internship
Membership Type: Full Membership
Site: Federal Bureau of Prisons - FCC Victorville
Department: Psychology Services
Address: 13777 Air Expressway
Victorville, California 92394
Country: United States
Metro Area: Not Applicable
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA MSA
Distance from Major City: 87 miles northeast of Los Angeles
Phone: 760-530-5000x5410
Fax:
Email: ltarrant@bop.gov
Web Address: https://www.bop.gov/
Brochure Website's Address: https://www.bop.gov/jobs/docs/vix_internship_brochure.pdf
Primary Agency Type: Prison or Other Correctional Facility
Additional Agency Types:
Member of APPIC since:
Accreditation
APA Accreditation Accredited
CPA Accreditation Not Accredited
Internship Staff/Faculty Information
Training Director: Lynsey Tarrant
Chief Psychologist: MLiss Doman
Number of Full-Time Licensed Doctoral Psychologists on Staff/Faculty 5
Number of Part-Time Licensed Doctoral Psychologists on Staff/Faculty 5
Position Information
Start Date: 08/11/2024
Funded
Number of Full Time Slots Expected Next Class: 3
Number of Part Time Slots Expected Next Class: 0
Stipend
Full Time Annual Stipend for Next Class: 68338
Part Time Annual Stipend for Next Class: 0
Fringe Benefits: Dental Insurance, Disability Insurance, Health Insurance, Sick Leave, Vacation
Other Fringe Benefits (not indicated above): Psychology interns are appointed at the GS-09, Step 1 level and receive a stipend of approximately $68,338 (2023 figure) for the program year. Interns accrue annual leave (vacation time) and sick leave at the rate of four hours for every two-week pay period (13 days for each). Interns also observe the paid federal holidays, receive liability coverage for on-site professional activities, and may be granted authorized leave to attend off-site training. As temporary employees, interns are eligible for health insurance; however, retirement benefits are not available. Specific maternity and paternity policies are available in the Human Resource Management Manual (Chapter 6, Section 630.4). In the event of maternity or paternity leave, the Internship Program Coordinator will work closely with the intern to ensure all requirements for internship and clinical training hours are completed in a timely manner.
Brief description of the typical work day for an intern at this training site The typical work day varies by rotation. Please see brochure for additional information (https://www.bop.gov/jobs/docs/vix_internship_brochure.pdf).
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: 11/01/2023 11:59 PM EST
Interviews at this site are: Required
A Virtual Interview is:
Interview notification date: 12/15/2023
Tentative interview date: N/A
Interview process description:

Interviews will be held in January 2024. As part of the interview process, applicants must satisfactorily pass a security clearance procedure that includes a computerized Core Values Assessment (CVA), a pre-employment interview, an integrity interview which addresses issues of personal conduct, a subject matter expert interview, and a drug test. If applying to more than one BOP internship site, you may only have to complete portions of this process once. Results of the security clearance procedures can be shared with other Bureau sites for your convenience.

The interview process will also include a panel interview in which you will be asked to respond to a number of scenarios that could arise in a correctional facility. These procedures are used to determine your qualifications for a position of public trust and are required of all applicants seeking employment with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. In addition to the scenarios regarding correctional practice, the panel interview will also include psychology relevant questions. All panel interviews will be conducted by the Internship Program Coordinator, Chief Psychologist, and a Human Resources representative at the specific internship site to which you are applying.

For any additional questions or concerns regarding the interview process, please contact Dr. Lynsey Tarrant, Acting Internship Program Coordinator at ltarrant@bop.gov or 760-246-2661.

How to obtain application info: Visit Website
Preferred method of contacting the program: Email the Program
We have matched with interns from these programs:
Internship Applicant Requirements
US Citizenship Required: Yes
If NOT a U.S. Citizen, Authorization to Work or to Engage in Practical Training (CPT or OPT) in the US is Required: No
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: No
Masters Degree Required:
Comprehensive Exams Passed: Yes, by start of internship
Dissertation Proposal Approved: Yes, by application deadline
Dissertation Defended: No
Minimum Number of AAPI Intervention Hours (if applicable):
Minimum Number of AAPI Assessment Hours (if applicable):
Minimum Number of Combined Intervention and Assessment Hours (if applicable):
Minimum Number of Years of Grad Training Required (if applicable):
Accepted / Not-Accepted Program Types
Clinical Psychology Accepted
Counseling Psychology Accepted
School Psychology Not 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: Yes
How to obtain text of statement: As federal employees, any intern accepted into the FCC Victorville Internship Program is required to take the Oath for Federal Employees. In addition, interns are also held to the Standards of Employee Conduct issued by the Department of Justice. For any questions or concerns regarding these requirements, please contact the Internship Program Coordinator, Dr. Victoria Pagano, at 760-530-5000 ext. 5410 or vpagano@bop.gov.
Other Requirements:
Program Description

The Federal Correctional Complex in Victorville, California (FCC Victorville) is a correctional institution within the United States Department of Justice’s Federal Bureau of Prisons. FCC Victorville has been in operation since the early 2000s, and is comprised of four institutions designed to house nearly 5,000 inmates across the all-male, high security United States Penitentiary (USP), two all-male, medium security Federal Correctional Institutions (FCI-I and FCI-II), and the all-female, minimum security Satellite Prison Camp (SPC). The institutions at Victorville are clustered in close proximity to each other. Given the large population at FCC Victorville, there is considerable diversity in terms of race and ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, education level, socioeconomic status, index offense, and sentence length. With regard to gender, the majority of inmates are male with female inmates housed exclusively at the SPC; however, FCC Victorville also houses transgender inmates at each of the four institutions.  

The FCC Victorville Internship Program aims to produce entry-level professional psychologists who can also function competently in a correctional environment. This means providing educational opportunities across a broad variety of settings to train culturally competent psychologists who can provide mental health care for a diverse population. The core principles guiding training for the FCC Victorville Internship program are the profession-wide competencies identified by APA in the following areas: Research, Ethical and Legal Standards, Individual and Cultural Diversity, Professional Values and Attitudes, Communication and Interpersonal Skills, Assessment, Intervention, Supervision, and Consultation and Interprofessional/Interdisciplinary Skills. Requirements for successful completion of the internship program are that Interns demonstrate their achievement in each of the competencies. This achievement is evaluated using the standardized evaluation form used across all BOP internship sites. 

The FCC Victorville Internship Program utilizes a training plan that is sequential, cumulative, and graded in complexity. At the beginning of the training year, interns primarily observe supervisors’ work and provide services jointly with a supervisor. However, as interns feel more comfortable and display increased competence, they are able to work more independently. Though the program’s primary training method is experiential, interns’ training is supplemented by their individual and group supervision as well as didactic seminars. Interns receive, at a minimum, four hours of supervision each week from a licensed psychologist. Two of these hours are individual, while two are provided in a group format. All formal supervision is provided by a licensed Psychologist and licensed supervisors maintain overall clinical responsibility for the clinical work completed by interns under their supervision. Interns are also expected to attend two hours per week of Didactic Seminars and participate actively. Didactic trainings are provided by supervisors and other psychologists on staff, mental health professionals within the agency, and staff from other disciplines within the agency. In addition, the BOP Central Office staff provide training to BOP Psychology staff and interns, accessible via BOP computers (WEBex) as well as via video teleconferences with all BOP internship sites across the country.

The Internship Program at FCC Victorville is structured according to the requirement that all interns receive 2,000 hours of clinical training throughout a 12-month period. All interns are expected to complete three four-month rotations (Correctional Psychology, BRAVE Program, and Trauma Treatment). Interns gain experience at three of the four institutions on the complex (USP, FCI-I, and SPC). This assures exposure to a continuum of psychology services ranging from outpatient services through residential treatment programs, affords opportunities to work with both male and female populations, and offers the intern familiarity and experience for future work with any security level and a wide-range of presenting problems within a generalist training context. Throughout all rotations, interns participate in learning activities that include direct observation of the rotation supervisor, live supervision/observation of intern's clinical work, review of all clinical documentation, and assigned readings.

Internship Training Opportunities

Populations

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

Treatment Modalities

Assessment: Experience (21% to 30%)
Individual Therapy: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Couples Therapy:
Family Therapy:
Group Therapy: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Community Intervention:
Consultation/Liaison: Experience (21% to 30%)
Crisis Intervention: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Brief Psychotherapy: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Long-term Psychotherapy: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Cognitive Rehabilitation:
Primary Care:
Evidenced Based Practice: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Evidence Based Research:
Supervision of Practicum students :
Other:

Experience

Health Psychology:
Women's Health:
HIV/AIDS:
Eating Disorders:
Sexual Disorders: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Sports Psychology:
Rehabilitation Psychology:
Physical Disabilities:
Learning Disabilities: Experience (21% to 30%)
Developmental Disabilities: Experience (21% to 30%)
Assessment: Experience (21% to 30%)
Neuropsychology-Adult:
Neuropsychology-Child:
Serious Mental Illness: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Anxiety Disorders: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Trauma/PTSD: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Sexual Abuse: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Substance Use Disorders: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Forensics/Corrections: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Sexual Offenders: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Geropsychology:
Pediatrics:
School:
Counseling:
Vocational/Career Development:
Multicultural Therapy:
Feminist Therapy:
Religion/Spirituality:
Empirically-Supported Treatments: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Public Policy/Advocacy:
Program Development/Evaluation: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Supervision: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Research:
Administration:
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.bop.gov/  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: 6 16 44 51 64
Number of applicants invited for interviews: 6 10 34 33 46
Total number of interns: 3 3 3 3 3
Total number of interns from APA/CPA accredited programs: 3 3 3 3 3
Total number of interns from Ph.D. programs: 0 1 0 0 1
Total number of interns from Psy.D. programs: 3 2 3 3 2
Total number of interns from Ed.D. programs: 0 0 0 0 0
Number of interns that come from a Clinical Psychology program 3 3 3 3 2
Number of interns that come from a Counseling Psychology program 0 0 0 0 1
Number of interns that come from a School Psychology program 0 0 0 0 0
Range of integrated assessment reports: lowest number of reports written 12 2 0 10 4
Range of integrated assessment reports: highest number of reports written 30 11 11 21 12
Summary of Post Internship Employment Settings of Each Internship Class (1st Placement)
2022-2023
Academic teaching:
Community mental health center: 0
Consortium: 0
University Counseling Center: 0
Hospital/Medical Center: 0
Veterans Affairs Health Care System: 0
Psychiatric facility: 1
Correctional facility: 2
Health Maintenance Organization: 0
School district/system: 0
Independent practice setting: 0
Other (Academic Psychology Department): 0