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Site Name: IWK Health

Department: Psychology

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Department : Psychology

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Member Site Information
APPIC Member Number: 1812
Program Type: Internship
Membership Type: Full Membership
Site: IWK Health
Department: Psychology
Address: IWK Health, 4th floor link
5980 University Ave
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3K6R8
Country: Canada
Metro Area: Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Distance from Major City: In Halifax Regional Municipality
Phone: 902-470-8408
Fax:
Training Director Email: Joanne.Gillespie@iwk.nshealth.ca
Co-Training Director Email:
Web Address: http://www.iwk.nshealth.ca ( under For Health Professionals)
Brochure Website's Address: http://www.iwk.nshealth.ca/page/pre-doctoral-residency-pediatric-and-child-clinical-psychology
Primary Agency Type: Academic Health Center
Additional Agency Types:
  • Academic Health Center
  • Child/Adolescent Psychiatric or Pediatrics
  • Community Mental Health Center
Member of APPIC since: 2000
Accreditation
APA Accreditation Not Accredited
CPA Accreditation Accredited
Internship Staff/Faculty Information
Training Director: Joanne Gillespie
Chief Psychologist: Marcie Balch
Number of Full-Time Licensed Doctoral Psychologists on Staff/Faculty 45
Number of Part-Time Licensed Doctoral Psychologists on Staff/Faculty 15
Position Information
Start Date: 09/01/2026
Funded
Number of Full Time Slots Expected Next Class: 6
Number of Part Time Slots Expected Next Class: 0
Stipend
Full Time Annual Stipend for Next Class: 55185
Part Time Annual Stipend for Next Class: 0
Fringe Benefits: Dissertation Release Time, Dental Insurance, Health Insurance, Professional Development Time, Sick Leave, Vacation
Other Fringe Benefits (not indicated above): 3 days off for professional development or defense; ability to apply for funding for workshops/conferences; access to primary care provider at Dalhousie Health Services; up to $5000 for relocation assistance
Brief description of the typical work day for an intern at this training site There is a huge variability in what our residents do, as we have a very large choice of major and minor rotations. All residents will provide direct and indirect treatment and assessment to children and adolescents. All residents will also have involvement in some program development or evaluation, as well as supervision of junior trainees.
Does this site have practicum psychology students on site? Yes
Doctoral Psychology Practicum StudentsYes
Masters Psychology Practicum StudentsNo
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: 11/16/2025 11:59 PM EST
A Virtual Interview are: Required
Interview notification date: 12/05/2025
Tentative interview date: 01/12/2026-01/23/2026
Interview process description:

Given the strong recommendation from APPIC and CCPPP, we are only offering virtual interviews again this year to promote safe and equitable practices for all applicants. All interviews are done individually.

Following CCPPP planning, most interviews will be from January 12-23, 2026. However, for interviewees who want a different time, this can usually be accommodated.  You will be notified by email on Dec. 5, 2025, to let you know if we are offering you an interview.  Our interview is approximately 2 hours long and will be conducted via Zoom for healthcare, MS Teams, or by telephone. We have two psychologists involved in each interview; one whom serves on the Clinical Training Committee and one whom works in a rotation in which you expressed interest.

Topics which will come up in the interview will include: your assessment and intervention experience with children and adolescents (e.g. practica experience, range of ages and presenting problems, types of assessments and interventions carried out); a child/adolescent assessment or intervention case; an ethical dilemma or a professional issue you have encountered in your clinical or research work; your dissertation research. We will also provide you with several examples of clinical cases and ask you to discuss your case conceptualization and the treatment approach you would choose.

The coordinator of clinical training meets individually (virtually) with all applicants who are interviewed. Requests to meet with specific staff (virtually) will be honoured whenever possible. There will also be an opportunity to meet with at least one of our current residents; this meeting is not part of the formal interview process and is not evaluative. Finally, we host an informal virtual open house in January that is attended by many members of the psychology discipline. The open house is optional for applicants to attend and provides the opportunity to meet staff and ask questions about rotations.
How to obtain application info: Visit Website
Preferred method of contacting the program: Email the Program
We have matched with interns from these programs: In recent years - University of Calgary, Dalhousie University, Guelph, UBC, University of New Brunswick, OISE, York, University of Alberta, Concordia, Queens, Simon Fraser University, University of Regina
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: 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: Yes
Masters Degree Required: No
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):
Minimum Number of AAPI Assessment Hours (if applicable):
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): No
Minimum Number of Years of Grad Training Required (if applicable):
Accepted / Not-Accepted Program Types
Clinical Psychology Accepted
Counseling Psychology Not Accepted
School Psychology Not Accepted
APA-Accredited Accepted
CPA-Accredited 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: No
How to obtain text of statement:
Other Requirements: As a condition of employment, IWK Health requires a criminal records check, child abuse registry check, and proof of up to date vaccination status.
Program Description

IWK Health serves the population of the Maritime Provinces of Canada and is an academic tertiary care centre. All staff follow a family-centred care philosophy, recognizing and respecting the family as a vital part of the health care process. Psychological services are provided to children and adolescents with a wide range of pediatric, developmental, and mental health challenges, on an inpatient, outpatient, and day treatment basis. As a resident, you will receive extensive, supervised experience with a variety of populations and presenting problems in children and youth aged from preschool to 19 years. You will acquire skills in diagnostic assessments, psychological assessments (e.g., psychoeducational/cognitive), consultation, and evidence-based intervention, as well as program development and/or program evaluation, and clinical supervision. You will participate in multidisciplinary teams, have an opportunity to engage in clinical research, and take part in seminars and peer support sessions with other clinical psychology residents in Nova Scotia. We have a total of six positions in the residency program- five positions are within our Child & Adolescent Psychology track, and one position is within our Health Psychology track. The Health Psychology track allows for more concentration in assessment, consultation and intervention with children presenting with medical illness, although residents in both tracks have opportunities to complete rotations across all IWK services (i.e., health psychology rotations are not limited to the health track resident). Supervised experience with a Forensic population is also available. For further details on how the residency is organized, please refer to our website. 

Internship Training Opportunities

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

(training opportunities continued)

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

(training opportunities continued)

Experience
Health Psychology: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Women's Health:
HIV/AIDS:
Eating Disorders: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Sexual Disorders:
Sports Psychology:
Rehabilitation Psychology: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Physical Disabilities: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Learning Disabilities: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Developmental Disabilities: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Assessment: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Neuropsychology-Adult:
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: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Sexual Offenders:
Geropsychology:
Pediatrics: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
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: Experience (21% to 30%)
Supervision: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Research: Experience (21% to 30%)
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: www.iwk.nshealth.ca ( under For Health Professionals)  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 2025-2026
Number of Completed Applications: 41 42 43 44 48 47 46 47 45
Number of applicants invited for interviews: 20 21 21 21 23 25 24 19 24
Total number of interns: 3 3 3 4 4 5 5 5 6
Total number of interns from APA/CPA accredited programs: 3 3 3 4 4 5 5 5 6
Total number of interns from Ph.D. programs: 3 3 3 4 4 5 5 5 4
Total number of interns from Psy.D. programs: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Total number of interns from Ed.D. programs: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Number of interns that come from a Clinical Psychology program 3 3 3 4 4 5 5 5 6
Number of interns that come from a Counseling Psychology program 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Number of interns that come from a School Psychology program 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Range of integrated assessment reports: lowest number of reports written 9 10 11 10 15 10 10
Range of integrated assessment reports: highest number of reports written 25 16 23 35 48 26 56
Summary of Post Internship Employment Settings of Each Internship Class (1st Placement)
2022-2023 2023-2024 2024-2025
Academic teaching:
Community mental health center: 3 1 0
Consortium: 0 0 0
University Counseling Center: 0 0 0
Hospital/Medical Center: 0 2 0
Veterans Affairs Health Care System: 0 0 0
Psychiatric facility: 0 1 0
Correctional facility: 0 0 0
Health Maintenance Organization: 0 0 0
School district/system: 0 0 0
Independent practice setting: 1 1 0
Other (Academic Psychology Department): 1 0 0
Link to Program's Trainee Admissions, Support, and Outcome Data:
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