User:
Site Name: Western State Hospital
Department: Psychology Department
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will not be conducting in person interviews for the 2021-2022 intern cohort. We will be having 3-days of virtual Open Houses, via ZOOM, in which 10 applicants, for each day, will be invited to attend. Tentatively, these virtual Open Houses are scheduled for January 5-7 from 9 AM to 12 PM. The virtual Open House will consist of 2 hours of presentations by our internship faculty, followed by group interviews. Attendance at the virtual Open House will be by invitation only.
The interview process consists of a group interview with 2-3 candidates and 2 committee members. The candidates may be asked original questions, or they may be asked to respond to something said by another candidate. The group interview will be held on the same days as the virtual Open Houses and will last 45-60 minutes.
Note: While U.S. citizenship is not required, candidates must be attending a qualifying graduate program in the United States.
Western State Hospital features broad-based training in major mental illness and inpatient mental health. Specialty rotations include criminal forensic, adult civil, sexual predators (required), and child/adolescent. Ample training opportunities include extensive forensic seminars, intern seminar series, and other continuing education provided at the hospital. Each rotation is four months long. A specialty rotation at the nearby Special Commitment Center (SCC) involving the evaluation or treatment of Sexually Violent Predators is required. SCC treatment is located on McNeil Island and is accessed by passenger-only motor launch from the Steilacoom ferry terminal. SCC evaluation is located in nearby Steilacoom, three miles from the hospital. Our psychology department is one of the largest in the state with approximately 70 licensed psychologists. About half of our staff are former interns. The psychology department also co-sponsors a postdoctoral fellowship in forensic psychology in association the University of Washington School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Our interns have the option of participating in the postdoctoral fellowship seminar series. Western State Hospital is located in the Tacoma/Lakewood/Steilacoom area, about a forty-five minute drive from downtown Seattle. South Puget Sound is accessible by way of the quaint town of Steilacoom. An award-winning park with walking and hiking trails is across the street from the hospital on the south side. The nearby Cascade Mountain range offers many areas for downhill and cross-country skiing, hiking, and camping. Western State Hospital provides an intern open-house in January. Intern applicants are welcome at other times by arrangement. Please contact us by telephone, or email with any questions.
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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.dshs.wa.gov/bha/division-state-hospitals/western-state-hospital-internship-program 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.