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Site Name: Access Institute for Psychological Services

Department: Psychology

Department : Psychology

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Member Site Information
APPIC Member Number: 2095
Program Type: Internship
Membership Type: Full Membership
Site: Access Institute for Psychological Services
Department: Psychology
Address: 110 Gough St.
San Francisco, California 94102
Country: United States
Metro Area: San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
Distance from Major City:
Phone: 415-861-5449x393
Fax:
Training Director Email: molly@accessinst.org
Co-Training Director Email:
Web Address: http://www.accessinst.org
Brochure Website's Address: https://www.accessinst.org/training-brochure.html
Primary Agency Type: Community Mental Health Center
Additional Agency Types:
  • Community Mental Health Center
Member of APPIC since: 12/2011
Accreditation
APA Accreditation Accredited
CPA Accreditation Not Accredited
Internship Staff/Faculty Information
Training Director: Molly Russo
Chief Psychologist: Robert Magee
Number of Full-Time Licensed Doctoral Psychologists on Staff/Faculty 0
Number of Part-Time Licensed Doctoral Psychologists on Staff/Faculty 3
Position Information
Start Date: 09/08/2025
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: 30000
Part Time Annual Stipend for Next Class: 0
Fringe Benefits: Dissertation Release Time, Dental Insurance, Disability Insurance, Health Insurance, Professional Development Time, Sick Leave, Vacation
Other Fringe Benefits (not indicated above): Commuter benefits
Brief description of the typical work day for an intern at this training site Daily activities vary, but a typical workday includes 3-4 hours of direct clinical service (including psychotherapy services to adults and couples and comprehensive psychological assessment), 2-3 hours of didactic training and supervision, and 1-2 hours of meetings/administrative activities. All activities may be conducted over video conferencing, if there continue to be concerns about COVID-19.
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? Yes
Details of the above affiliations We are a partially affiliated site with the Wright Institute and, out of the five internship placements at Access Institute, we reserve four (4) positions for Wright Institute students.
Internship Application Process
Accepting Applicants: Yes
Application Due Date: 11/11/2024 11:59 PM EST
Interview notification date: 12/09/2024
Tentative interview date: N/A
Interview process description:

All candidates will be notified if they are being offered an interview via email no later than December 9, 2024. Every qualified candidate will be offered an individual interview with the Director of Training. Interviews will be held during the months of December and January, in-person or via videoconferencing, depending on the restrictions on traveling and meeting in person. Tours will be offered during on-site interviews and all applicants will be offered contact with current and previous interns.

How to obtain application info: Visit Website
Preferred method of contacting the program: Email the Program
We have matched with interns from these programs: The Wright Institute, California Institute of Integral Studies, California School of Professional Psychology/Alliant University, George Washington University, Pacifica Graduate Institute, Palo Alto University, Pacific University, The New School
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: No
Masters Degree Required: Yes, by start of internship
Comprehensive Exams Passed: Yes, by application deadline
Dissertation Proposal Approved: Yes, by application deadline
Dissertation Defended: No
Minimum Number of AAPI Intervention Hours (if applicable): 500
Minimum Number of AAPI Assessment Hours (if applicable): 50
Minimum Number of Combined Intervention and Assessment Hours (if applicable):
Does your program require applicants to submit supplemental materials (i.e., an assessment report and/or a case/treatment summary):
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 Accepted
PCSAS-Accredited
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: TB results, COVID vaccination required, live scan fingerprinting
Program Description

Access Institute provides high-quality psychological care to people of all ages who fall through the socioeconomic cracks while training the next generation of mental health professionals through a model that values human complexity, supports socially conscious practice, and promotes sustained human growth. We serve people in the “gap” - those who are marginalized and not served by existing mental health systems.

At Access Institute, we utilize a psychoanalytically-oriented model of mental health care. This model takes a depth approach to treatment and appreciates the complexity of each individual and the varied and idiosyncratic forms of mental suffering. We not only believe in reducing symptoms, but also value the long-term goals of expanding people’s capacity to live more meaningful and satisfying lives. We soundly reject the idea that lack of adequate financial resources should be a barrier to this type of treatment. Our treatment model recognizes that individual experience in all its complexity is embedded in one's social context, and working within that context is a critical element to fostering therapeutic growth.

Our full-time internship program trains four doctoral interns over a 12-month period, during which time interns provide clinical services and receive training and supervision from some of the Bay Area’s top clinicians. Our doctoral internship program provides an intellectually rigorous and emotionally immersive training in psychoanalytic psychology. At Access Institute you are taught and supervised by contemporary thinkers who have evolved psychoanalytic practice in meaningful ways.

Interns provide psychotherapy (individual and couple) and conduct comprehensive psychological testing at our Hayes Valley clinic in San Francisco for 17 hours per week; participate in 3 hours of individual supervision and 1.5 hours of group supervision, plus 7.5 hours of training (didactics, case conference, and community and cohort meetings) weekly, and spend the rest of their time engaging in administrative activities. For more information regarding the program please visit our website. 

Please include with your application the following supporting documents:

  • Current curriculum vitae
  • Cover letter
  • Three letters of recommendation from those familiar with your clinical work
  • Official transcripts from graduate school(s)
  • De-identified psychological assessment report

Internship Training Opportunities

Populations
Infants:
Toddlers:
Children:
Adolescents: Yes
Adults: Yes
Family: Yes
Older Adults: Yes
Inpatients:
Outpatients: Yes
LGBTQ+: Yes
Ethnic minorities: Yes
Spanish-speaking: Yes
French-speaking:
Deaf/Hearing-impaired:
Students: Yes
International Students: Yes
Rural:
Urban: Yes
Low income: Yes
People without housing:
Other:

(training opportunities continued)

Treatment Modalities
Assessment: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Individual Therapy: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Couples Therapy: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Family Therapy:
Group Therapy:
Community Intervention:
Consultation/Liaison: Experience (21% to 30%)
Crisis Intervention: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Brief Psychotherapy: Exposure (1% to 20%)
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 :
Other:

(training opportunities continued)

Experience
Health Psychology:
Women's Health: Experience (21% to 30%)
HIV/AIDS:
Eating Disorders: Experience (21% to 30%)
Sexual Disorders: Experience (21% to 30%)
Sports Psychology:
Rehabilitation Psychology:
Physical Disabilities:
Learning Disabilities: Experience (21% to 30%)
Developmental Disabilities:
Assessment: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Neuropsychology-Adult: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Neuropsychology-Child: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
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: Experience (21% to 30%)
Substance Use Disorders: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Forensics/Corrections:
Sexual Offenders:
Geropsychology: Experience (21% to 30%)
Pediatrics:
School:
Counseling:
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:
Program Development/Evaluation: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Supervision: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Research: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Administration: Experience (21% to 30%)
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: www.accessinst.org  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 2024-2025
Number of Completed Applications: 10 32 67 79
Number of applicants invited for interviews: 5 26 25 38
Total number of interns: 2 4 4 4 5
Total number of interns from APA/CPA accredited programs: 2 4 4 4 5
Total number of interns from Ph.D. programs: 2 1 1
Total number of interns from Psy.D. programs: 0 4 3 4
Total number of interns from Ed.D. programs: 0
Number of interns that come from a Clinical Psychology program 2 4 4 5
Number of interns that come from a Counseling Psychology program 0
Number of interns that come from a School Psychology program 0
Range of integrated assessment reports: lowest number of reports written 2 0
Range of integrated assessment reports: highest number of reports written 4 44
Summary of Post Internship Employment Settings of Each Internship Class (1st Placement)
2022-2023 2023-2024
Academic teaching:
Community mental health center: 2 3
Consortium: 0 0
University Counseling Center: 0 0
Hospital/Medical Center: 1 1
Veterans Affairs Health Care System: 0 0
Psychiatric facility: 0 0
Correctional facility: 0 0
Health Maintenance Organization: 0 0
School district/system: 0 0
Independent practice setting: 0 1
Other (Academic Psychology Department): 1 0
Link to Program's Trainee Admissions, Support, and Outcome Data: https://www.accessinst.org/uploads/1/2/7/0/127071560/apa_back_data.pdf
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