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Site Name: Ponce Internship Consortium

Department: School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at Ponce Health Sciences University

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Department : School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at Ponce Health Sciences University

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Member Site Information
APPIC Member Number: 1791
Program Type: Internship
Membership Type: Full Membership
Site: Ponce Internship Consortium
Department: School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at Ponce Health Sciences University
Address: 279 Monterrey St.
Psychoneurometrics Building
Ponce, Puerto Rico 00732
Country: United States
Metro Area: Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Distance from Major City: 79 miles south of San Juan, Puerto Rico
Phone: 787-840-2575x2288
Fax: 787-844-5209
Training Director Email: Ncappas@psm.edu
Co-Training Director Email:
Web Address: https://www.psm.edu/doc/sbbs/Consortium.pdf
Brochure Website's Address: https://www.psm.edu/doc/sbbs/Consortium.pdf
Primary Agency Type: Consortium
Additional Agency Types:
  • Academic Health Center
  • Child/Adolescent Psychiatric or Pediatrics
  • Community Mental Health Center
  • Consortium
  • Medical School
  • Private General Hospital
  • Psychology Department
Member of APPIC since:
Accreditation
APA Accreditation Accredited
CPA Accreditation Not Accredited
Internship Staff/Faculty Information
Training Director: Nydia Cappas Suffix
Chief Psychologist: Nydia Cappas Suffix
Number of Full-Time Licensed Doctoral Psychologists on Staff/Faculty 18
Number of Part-Time Licensed Doctoral Psychologists on Staff/Faculty 16
Position Information
Start Date: 07/01/2026
Funded
Number of Full Time Slots Expected Next Class: 55
Number of Part Time Slots Expected Next Class: 0
Stipend
Full Time Annual Stipend for Next Class: 20000
Part Time Annual Stipend for Next Class: 0
Fringe Benefits: Dissertation Release Time, Health Insurance, Professional Development Time, Sick Leave, Vacation
Other Fringe Benefits (not indicated above): Scheduled institutional holidays.
Brief description of the typical work day for an intern at this training site In all programs of this Consortium, interns typically perform clinical activities which for outpatient settings tend to concentrate in the afternoon and late afternoon hours. In these settings, earlier in the day interns typically have supervision meetings or spend time performing case management, record keeping tasks, research for cases, or attending program-specific didactic activities. In other programs of the Consortium such as hospital-based programs, the order of these duties might be different according to the needs of the setting. In hospital settings, interns report in the morning for a full day on site, during which they will carry out their clinical duties, receive supervision and didactic trainings, and will attend to documentation and other administrative duties. Interns who train in primary care settings follow an itinerary similar to the hospital setting itinerary.
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? Yes
Is this program partially affiliated with one or more doctoral programs? No
Details of the above affiliations This Consortium is fully affiliated to the PHSU PsyD and PhD programs since its inception. All positions of the Consortium are affiliated to the programs. Applicants are fully informed of this through the internship brochure and through in-person orientation sessions held regularly through the academic year.
Internship Application Process
Accepting Applicants: Yes
Application Due Date: 11/14/2025 11:59 PM EST
Interviews at this site are: Required
Interview notification date: 12/08/2025
Tentative interview date: 01/12/2026, 01/13//2026, 01/14/2026, 01/15/2026, 01/16/2026,
Interview process description:

Following review of applications, candidates are invited to group and individual interviews with staff from the Consortium programs where they are being considered.  Group interviews are conducted with supervisory staff and current interns and are designed to evaluate candidates' ability to engage in  collaborative discussion of a topic related to the focus of the program. A topic might be a clinical scenario, a policy issue, or a professional issue pertinent to the program.  Subsequently, interns will attend individual interviews which are directed toward more closely evaluating a candidate's affinity and competencies for the training offered in the program. This is also an opportunity for applicants to obtain additional information about specific programs which will help them optimize their rank ordering decisions.  Candidates receive scores on their group and individual interview performance. On the basis of scores obtained in both interviews, and discussion of the  admissions committee, candidates' rankings in the Match are determined and submitted to ROLIC.

Only under exceptional circumstances will virtual interviews (via zoom) will be conducted, as all our applicants are from our academic programs and therefore would not be required to travel extensive distances.  Every effort will be made to conduct in-person interviews including rescheduling in the event of a schedule conflict.
How to obtain application info: Email the Program
Preferred method of contacting the program: Email the Program
We have matched with interns from these programs: PHSU PsyD and PhD programs exclusively
Internship Applicant Requirements
US Citizenship Required: Yes
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): 400
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): Yes
Minimum Number of Years of Grad Training Required (if applicable): 2
Accepted / Not-Accepted Program Types
Clinical Psychology Accepted
Counseling Psychology Not Accepted
School Psychology Not Accepted
APA-Accredited Accepted
CPA-Accredited Not 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:
Program Description

The Psychology Internship Consortium at the Ponce Health Sciences University (former Ponce School of Medicine and Health Sciences) is an APA-accredited program that seeks to provide a comprehensive range of training experiences in evidence-based practices of Health Service Psychology within a biopsychosocial frame of reference. The training has a practitioner-scholar philosophy and is of a generalist nature.  However, specialized training experiences afford interns opportunities to develop skills in the areas of integrated pediatric and adult primary care, health psychology, neuropsychology, developmental disorders and autism, and personality disorders.  Interns receive intensive supervision in individual and group formats and are required to attend a variety of didactic training programs at their sites as well as at the Consortium-wide training activities. Interns are represented and provide input to the Consortium Training Committee on a regular basis.  Interns receive a minimum of 4 hours of weekly supervision in both, individual and group formats, including direct observation and live supervision.  Additionally, all interns participate in regularly scheduled didactic trainings within their specific programs as well as in trainings developed for all interns in the Consortium.

Internship Training Opportunities

Populations
Infants:
Toddlers:
Children: Yes
Adolescents: Yes
Adults: Yes
Family: Yes
Older Adults: Yes
Inpatients: Yes
Outpatients: Yes
LGBTQ+: Yes
Ethnic minorities: Yes
Spanish-speaking: Yes
French-speaking:
Deaf/Hearing-impaired:
Students: Yes
International Students:
Rural: Yes
Urban: Yes
Low income: Yes
People without housing:
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: Experience (21% to 30%)
Family Therapy: Experience (21% to 30%)
Group Therapy: Experience (21% to 30%)
Community Intervention: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Consultation/Liaison: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Crisis Intervention: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Brief Psychotherapy: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Long-term Psychotherapy: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Cognitive Rehabilitation: Experience (21% to 30%)
Primary Care: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Evidenced Based Practice: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Evidence Based Research: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Supervision of Practicum students : Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Other: Diverse and disadvantaged populations

(training opportunities continued)

Experience
Health Psychology: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Women's Health: Experience (21% to 30%)
HIV/AIDS: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Eating Disorders: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Sexual Disorders: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Sports Psychology:
Rehabilitation Psychology: Experience (21% to 30%)
Physical Disabilities:
Learning Disabilities: Experience (21% to 30%)
Developmental Disabilities: Experience (21% to 30%)
Assessment: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Neuropsychology-Adult: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Neuropsychology-Child: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Serious Mental Illness: Emphasis (31% to 49%)
Anxiety Disorders: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Trauma/PTSD: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Sexual Abuse: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Substance Use Disorders: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Forensics/Corrections: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Sexual Offenders:
Geropsychology:
Pediatrics: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
School:
Counseling:
Vocational/Career Development:
Multicultural Therapy: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Feminist Therapy:
Religion/Spirituality:
Empirically-Supported Treatments: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Public Policy/Advocacy:
Program Development/Evaluation:
Supervision: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Research:
Administration: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Integrated health care - primary: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Integrated health care - specialty: Experience (21% to 30%)
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://www.psm.edu/doc/sbbs/Consortium.pdf  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: 33 31 39 50 53 59 80 73
Number of applicants invited for interviews: 34 28 39 47 40 50 65 68
Total number of interns: 22 25 29 36 34 36 38 35
Total number of interns from APA/CPA accredited programs: 22 25 29 36 34 36 38 35
Total number of interns from Ph.D. programs: 9 9 11 10 8 11 10 7
Total number of interns from Psy.D. programs: 13 16 18 26 26 25 28 28
Total number of interns from Ed.D. programs: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Number of interns that come from a Clinical Psychology program 22 25 29 36 34 36 38 35
Number of interns that come from a Counseling Psychology program 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
Range of integrated assessment reports: lowest number of reports written 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
Range of integrated assessment reports: highest number of reports written 10 10 10 10 12 12 16 16
Summary of Post Internship Employment Settings of Each Internship Class (1st Placement)
2022-2023 2023-2024 2024-2025
Academic teaching:
Community mental health center: 0 0 0
Consortium: 0 0 0
University Counseling Center: 0 0 0
Hospital/Medical Center: 0 0 0
Veterans Affairs Health Care System: 0 0 0
Psychiatric facility: 0 0 0
Correctional facility: 0 0 0
Health Maintenance Organization: 0 0 0
School district/system: 0 0 0
Independent practice setting: 0 0 0
Other (Academic Psychology Department): 0 0 0
Link to Program's Trainee Admissions, Support, and Outcome Data: https://www.psm.edu/doc/sbbs/Consortium.pdf
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