User:

Site Name: Harris County Juvenile Probation Department

Department: Forensic Unit

Program Information: Forensic Unit

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Member Site Information
APPIC Member Number: 2000
Program Type: Internship
Membership Type: Full Membership
Site: Harris County Juvenile Probation Department
Department: Forensic Unit
Address: 1200 Congress
Houston, Texas 77002
Country: United States
Metro Area: Not Applicable
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX
Distance from Major City:
Phone: 713-222-4257x
Fax: 713-437-4074x
Email: nicole.dorsey@hcjpd.hctx.net
Web Address: https://hcjpd.harriscountytx.gov/Pages/Internship.aspx
Brochure Website's Address: https://hcjpd.harriscountytx.gov/Documents/Professional_Psychology_Doctoral_Internship_Program.pdf
Primary Agency Type: Prison or Other Correctional Facility
Additional Agency Types:
Member of APPIC since: 06/01/2007
Accreditation
APA Accreditation Accredited
CPA Accreditation Not Accredited
Internship Staff/Faculty Information
Training Director & Lead / Director: Nicole Dorsey
Chief Psychologist: Uche Chibueze
Number of Full-Time Licensed Doctoral Psychologists on Staff/Faculty 9
Number of Part-Time Licensed Doctoral Psychologists on Staff/Faculty 0
Position Information
Start Date: 08/02/2021
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: 32448
Part Time Annual Stipend for Next Class: 0
Fringe Benefits: Comp Time , Dissertation Release Time, Dental Insurance, Disability Insurance, Health Insurance, Licensing Exam Release Time, Life Insurance, Professional Development Time, Sick Leave, Vacation
Other Fringe Benefits (not indicated above): Interns have a shared office space with their own individual computers, access to office supplies, and administrative support.
Brief description of the typical work day for an intern at this training site Interns participate in three rotations throughout the year: two assessment focused rotations and one specialty court rotation. During the assessment-focused rotations, the majority of one's time is spent conducting and writing psychological evaluations of youth in the detention center or who are in the community. During the specialty court rotation, interns engage in a variety of activities for youth who are involved with a particular court, such as participating in case staffings, attending court hearings, and meeting with the youth. Throughout the internship year, all interns provide individual psychotherapy to youth in the detention center, participate in individual and group supervision, and participate in a variety of didactic seminars. Interns typically have some regularly scheduled activities during the week and then it is their responsibility to manage their time in order to complete the remainder of their tasks for the week. As a result, the daily schedule varies. Please see our website at hcjpd.harriscountytx.gov for additional information.
Does this site have practicum psychology students on site? Yes
Doctoral Psychology Practicum StudentsYes
Masters Psychology Practicum StudentsYes
Do Psychology Interns/Postdocs Have the Opportunity to Supervise Practicum Students?Yes
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: 11/06/2020 11:59 PM
Application Due Date Time Zone: Eastern Standard Time
This program uses the AAPI: Yes, with additions
An onsite interview is:
  • Virtual
Interview notification date: 12/15/2020
Interview notification date time zone: Central Standard Time
Tentative interview date:
Interview process description:

***Due to COVID-19, we are planning to conduct virtual interviews for the 2021-2022 internship year (even for local applicants).***

Under typical circumstances, this would be our interview process:  We will notify applicants via email if they have been invited to participate in an interview.  We will have two to three interview dates in mid- to late-January from which applicants can choose to participate.  An on-site interview is stongly preferred, but we can arrange an interview by Skype or by phone if necessary.  The interview day begins at 9 AM and will last until approximately 3 PM.  However, we realize that not all applicants can stay for the entire time, as some individuals will have airline flights to catch.  Please notify the Training Director in advance if unable to stay for the entire day. 

Applicants will have at least three individual interviews with staff members, which will include the Training Director (Dr. Dorsey), the Chief Psychologist (Dr. Chibueze). and the current Post-doctoral resident.  In addition, applicants will individually meet with two small panels of additional staff members (2-3 staff members per panel).  Applicants will be asked to complete a writing assignment while on-site for the interview, and most applicants find it preferable to bring along their own laptop or tablet for this exercise.  Applicants will be given a brief tour of the detention center and will have the opportunity to meet with the current interns during lunch that we will provide.  During the interview, we will ask to take a photo of each applicant in order to assist us in remembering each individual after we have conducted all of our interviews.  Applicants may elect not to have a picture taken, which will have no effect on the interview or applicant status.  Applicants will also be asked to sign an acknowledgment form that matched interns must successfully complete a criminal background clearance, Department of Family and Protective Services clearance, and a drug/alcohol screening prior to starting the internship.
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: 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: No
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: 250
Minimum Number of AAPI Assessment Hours: 100
Minimum Number of Years of Grad Training Required: 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 Accepted
Ph.D Degree Accepted
Psy.D. Degree Accepted
Ed.D. Degree 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: Preferred applicants will have a minimum of 10 integrated psychological reports. Interns must complete a criminal background check and fingerprinting prior to starting the internship. Interns and other HCJPD employees may not have a felony within 10 years or a misdemeanor within 5 years of starting the internship. Interns must also received clearance from the Department of Family and Protective Services (Children's Protective Services). Finally, interns and all Harris County employees must pass a drug and alcohol screening prior to starting internship and they are subject to random drug and/or alcohol screenings throughout the year.
Program Description

Detailed information about the APA-accredited internship program at Harris County Juvenile Probation Department is available at: hcjpd.harriscountytx.gov (click on "Join our Team" in the blue header, then "Internship Program").  The client population at Harris County Juvenile Probation Department is comprised of youth with diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, ethnicities, ages, and diagnoses.  Recipients of mental health services are children ages 10 to 17 years who are involved in the juvenile justice system.  The primary training site will be the Juvenile Justice Center in Houston, Texas, which houses approximately 250 youth.  However, there will also be opportunities to provide services within the community; therefore, personal transportation is strongly recommended.  The primary emphasis of the internship program is assessment-focused.  Our department provides general psychological evaluations as well as more forensically oriented evaluations.  

Interns will participate in three major rotations.  They will spend their first rotation primarily conducting general psychological evaluations with the juvenile forensic population, with a focus on clarifying diagnoses and making appropriate recommendations for treatment and placement.  The second rotation will give the intern opportunities to conduct more specific forensic evaluations, such as when the court is considering transferring the youth to the adult criminal justice system or fitness to proceed (competency to stand trial) evaluations.  At times, such evaluations might require an intern to provide court testimony regarding the findings of their evaluation.  The third rotation will consist of the intern being an integral part of one of our specialty courts, either the Court 360 for youth who have extensive mental health needs, or the CARE Court, for youth who are involved in human trafficking.  This role involves evaluating youth for the appropriateness of speciality court involvement, possibily providing short-term psychotherapy to youth who are awaiting transfer to a more permanent placement, extensive multidisciplinary consultation, and interfacing with judges and attorneys.  Throughout the year, interns will also have a small caseload of individual therapy clients of youth who are residing in the detention center.  There might also be opportunties to provide group therapy to youth who are in the detention center or who are residing in the community. 

Due to COVID-19, some training experiences have been modified and at this time, it is unknown how long these modifications will continue.  While there is some face-to-face work that is occurring in the detention center, we have attempted to provide the majority of our services via telehealth.  We are detaining a lower number of youth and releasing more youth into the community.  As a result, we are conducting psychological evaluations and providing therapy via telehealth to youth who are at home.  We have temporarily suspended interns providing individual therapy to detained youth, but we hope that this will soon resume.  The majority of the interns' work has been done from home during the pandemic, although there are times when it is necessary for a clinician to be physically present at the building.  Masks are currently required by all staff in our building (unless staff is in their own enclosed office space) and we attempt to maintain social distancing when feasible.  We are committed to providing a safe environment for our youth, staff, and interns.  During this current application cycle, HCJPD will be flexible regarding some requirements, such as minimum number of hours and number of reports written.

Internship Training Opportunities

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

(training opportunities continued)

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

(training opportunities continued)

Experience
Health Psychology:
Women's Health:
HIV/AIDS:
Eating Disorders:
Sexual Disorders:
Sports Psychology:
Rehabilitation Psychology:
Physical Disabilities:
Learning Disabilities: EXPERIENCE (21% to 30%)
Developmental Disabilities: EXPOSURE (1% to 20%)
Assessment: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Neuropsychology-Adult:
Neuropsychology-Child:
Serious Mental Illness: EXPOSURE (1% to 20%)
Anxiety Disorders: EXPOSURE (1% to 20%)
Trauma/PTSD: EMPHASIS (31% to 49%)
Sexual Abuse: EXPERIENCE (21% to 30%)
Substance Use Disorders: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Forensics/Corrections: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Sexual Offenders: EXPOSURE (1% to 20%)
Geropsychology:
Pediatrics:
School:
Counseling: EXPERIENCE (21% to 30%)
Vocational/Career Development:
Multicultural Therapy: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Feminist Therapy:
Religion/Spirituality:
Empirically-Supported Treatments: EXPERIENCE (21% to 30%)
Public Policy/Advocacy:
Program Development/Evaluation: EXPOSURE (1% to 20%)
Supervision: EXPOSURE (1% to 20%)
Research: EXPOSURE (1% to 20%)
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://hcjpd.harriscountytx.gov/Pages/Internship.aspx  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
Number of Completed Applications: 66 41 50 65
Number of applicants invited for interviews: 23 23 33 29
Total number of interns: 3 3 3 3
Total number of interns from APA/CPA accredited programs: 2 3 3 3
Total number of interns from Ph.D. programs: 1 2 2 0
Total number of interns from Psy.D. programs: 2 1 1 3
Total number of interns from Ed.D. programs: 0 0 0 0
Number of interns that come from a Clinical Psychology program 3 3 3 3
Number of interns that come from a Counseling Psychology program 0 0 0 0
Number of interns that come from a School Psychology program 0 0 0 0
Range of integrated assessment reports: lowest number of reports written 16 17 11 20
Range of integrated assessment reports: highest number of reports written 64 35 61 75
Summary of Post Internship Employment Settings of Each Internship Class
2016-2017 2017-2018 2018-2019 2019-2020
Working on dissertation/Student: 1 0 0 0
Postdoctoral Fellow: 2 3 3 0
Community Mental Health Center: 1 0 1 0
Health Maintenance Organization: 0 0 0 0
Veteran's Affairs Medical Center: 0 0 0 0
Military Medical Center: 0 0 0 0
Private General Hospital: 0 0 0 0
General Hospital: 0 0 0 0
Other Medical Center: 0 0 0 0
Private Psychiatric Hospital: 0 0 0 0
State/County/Other Public Hospital: 0 0 1 1
Correctional Facility: 2 1 1 1
School District/System: 0 0 0 0
University Counseling Center: 0 0 0 0
University Teaching Faculty: 0 0 0 0
2 or 4 year Undergraduate Teaching Position: 0 0 0 0
Medical School: 0 0 0 1
Academic Non-Teaching Position: 0 0 0 0
Research Position: 0 0 0 0
Independent Practice: 0 1 0 0
Other (e.g. consulting): 0 1 0 0
Not Currently Employed: 0 0 0 0
Changed to Other Career Field: 0 0 0 0
Unknown: 0 0 0 0
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