The MN DOC Psychology Internship Program is a member of Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC). The MN DOC was awarded APA accreditation in October 2020. Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation: Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation American Psychological Association 750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002 Phone: (202) 336-5979 Email: apaaccred@apa.org Web:www.apa.org/ed/accreditation Applicants can access program information from the MN DOC public website or directly contact the TC. (https://mn.gov/doc/employment-opportunities/intern-opportunities/intern-positions/mentalhealth/doctoral-psychology-internship/)
Internships are offered at four correctional facilities. Please review the MN DOC Psychology Handbook and the MN DOC Psychology Internship website for additional information on the four facilities. Doctoral Psychology Internship / Department of Corrections (mn.gov)
MCF-Stillwater
The Stillwater facility is a close (a security level between Maximum and Medium) custody facility with a population of about 1200 adult, primarily male incarcerated individuals. The Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater (MCF-STW) has many special programs. The behavioral health staff includes a licensed doctoral psychologist, licensed master-level social workers, mental health therapists, and substance use disorder counselors. Behavioral health staff at this facility provide a wide variety of services, including the following: diagnostic testing and assessments, individual and group therapy, crisis intervention, frequent consultation with the numerous disciplines within the facility, and release planning services. An intern at this site can expect a wide diversity of clients and referral issues ranging in complexity and severity of illness.
MCF-Lino Lakes
The Lino Lakes facility is a medium custody "campus" with large substance use disorder and sexual offense-specific treatment programs (SOTP). SOTP provides direct services to incarcerated individuals, including the following components: assessment, treatment planning, individual and group psychotherapy, psycho-educational classes, and release planning. SOTP serves approximately 270 adult male incarcerated individuals at a given time, many of whom also experience co-morbid mental illness, chemical abuse/dependency, and traumatic brain injury. The intern will work with team clinicians, including licensed drug and alcohol counselors, sexual offense-specific therapists, release planners, and psychologists (who conduct psychosexual assessments and provide ongoing mental health services).
MCF-Shakopee
The Shakopee facility is the MN DOC’s only adult female facility. MCF-Shakopee currently houses over 600 incarcerated individuals of all custody levels. The Behavioral Health Department at MCF-Shakopee includes a multidisciplinary team of psychologists, master’s-level licensed clinicians, licensed alcohol and drug counselors, and two release planners. The intern will be involved in a full range of services, including, but not limited to, completing various assessments (i.e., intake assessments, diagnostic assessments, and comprehensive mental health assessments inclusive of psychological testing). Additionally, MCF-Shakopee offers the intern a wealth of opportunities to provide brief and long-term individual therapy as well as opportunities for group facilitation. Using a developmental supervisory approach, additional activities (e.g., crisis management, multidisciplinary case consultation) are selected to prepare interns for a future career as a psychologist in a variety of settings.
MCF-Oak Park Heights
The Oak Park Heights facility is a maximum-security prison. The facility is unique as it has specialized units that operate comparable to an inpatient medical unit and an inpatient psychiatric unit. Onsite, a team of Psychology staff provides individualized services to incarcerated individuals who reside on the Mental Health Unit (MHU), Transitional Care Unit (TCU), restrictive housing, and those residing in the general population. The Psychology Department provides individual psychotherapy services, group psychotherapy services, assessment, crisis intervention, and consultation. On the MHU, treatment services are centered on assessment and mental health stabilization of complex cases involving serious and persistent mental illness, personality disorders, and civil commitment. Services provided on the TCU are focused on assessment and treatment of mental health concerns with the opportunity to provide assessment and monitoring to those with medical concerns necessitating a hospital-level of care. This facility is an ideal training site for an intern interested in gaining experience in outpatient and inpatient care.