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Site Name: Hamilton Health Sciences

Department: Regional Rehabilitation Centre (Neuropsychology)

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Department : Regional Rehabilitation Centre (Neuropsychology)

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Member Site Information
APPIC Member Number: 1867
Program Type: Internship
Membership Type: Full Membership
Site: Hamilton Health Sciences
Department: Regional Rehabilitation Centre (Neuropsychology)
Address: Hamilton Health Sciences, Regional Rehabilitation Centre
First Floor Mailroom, 300 Wellington Street North
Attention: Dr. Esther Direnfeld Ph.D., C.Psych.
Hamilton, Ontario L8L8E7
Country: Canada
Metro Area: Hamilton (Burlington)
Not Applicable
Distance from Major City: 45 miles from Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Phone: 905-521-2100x73422
Fax:
Training Director Email: direnfelde@hhsc.ca
Co-Training Director Email: spencerjus@hhsc.ca
Web Address: https://www.hamiltonhealthsciences.ca/learning/
Brochure Website's Address: https://www.hamiltonhealthsciences.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Clinical-Neuropsychology-Residency-Brochure.pdf
Primary Agency Type: State/County/Other Public Hospital
Additional Agency Types:
Member of APPIC since:
Accreditation
APA Accreditation Not Accredited
CPA Accreditation Accredited
Internship Staff/Faculty Information
Training Director: Esther Direnfeld
Chief Psychologist:
Number of Full-Time Licensed Doctoral Psychologists on Staff/Faculty 10
Number of Part-Time Licensed Doctoral Psychologists on Staff/Faculty 10
Position Information
Start Date: 09/08/2026
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: 43270
Part Time Annual Stipend for Next Class:
Fringe Benefits: Vacation
Other Fringe Benefits (not indicated above): Residents are entitled to 15 paid vacation days and 11 paid statutory holidays, in lieu of benefits.
Brief description of the typical work day for an intern at this training site Please refer to brochure.
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: 11/02/2025 11:59 PM EST
A Virtual Interview are: Required
Interview notification date: 12/05/2025
Tentative interview date: 01/20/2026, 01/23/2026, 01/26/2026
Interview process description:

Neuropsychology Program: Virtual interviews will take place in the third or fourth week of January 2026. Dates are scheduled for Tuesday, January 20th, Friday, January 23rd, and Monday, January 26, 2026. You will be asked to attend ONE of the virtual interview days. The interview consists of meetings with the Directors of Training, faculty, and current residents. Some components are in group format, although the formal interview portion is completed individually. Please contact Dr. Direnfeld (direnfelde@hhsc.ca) for additional information.

 

*With respect to the Citizenship Requirement below, we require EITHER Canadian Citizenship or a valid work permit that continues through to the end of August 2027. 
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: 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 start of internship
Dissertation Proposal Approved: Yes, by application deadline
Dissertation Defended: No
Minimum Number of AAPI Intervention Hours (if applicable): 100
Minimum Number of AAPI Assessment Hours (if applicable): 300
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): 3
Accepted / Not-Accepted Program Types
Clinical Psychology Accepted
Counseling Psychology Not Accepted
School Psychology Not Accepted
APA-Accredited Accepted
CPA-Accredited 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: As of September 17, 2024, HHS no longer requires COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of employment. Residents are still required to provide proof of vaccination for other vaccines in order to receive clearance from Employee Health
Program Description

The Clinical Neuropsychology Residency program is a full-time commitment over the course of one calendar year from September 8, 2026 to August 31, 2027, and will provide Residents with well over the minimum of 1600 hours of supervised experience.

For the Adult Clinical Neuropsychology track, residents (2) complete major rotations in the Adult Acquired Brain Injury Program (ABIP), in the Stroke Rehabilitation Unit, and in the Adult Consultation Neuropsychology service. Minor rotations in Adult Epilepsy and/or Health Psychology rotations (e.g., Chronic Pain, Psychosocial Oncology, etc.) are also completed. Residents work on interdisciplinary rehabilitation teams and in outpatient consultation services. Typically, residents spend about 1.5 to 2 days per week devoted to their major rotations for about 5.5 months. In addition, Residents have opportunities to participate in group treatment and to carry individual treatment cases, often through the ABIP program, over the course of the entire Residency with designated time devoted to treatment. 

For the Pediatric Clinical Neuropsychology track, the resident (1) will spend about 2 days per week in Pediatric General Neurology/Neurosurgery for the entire residency year completing both comprehensive neuropsychological assessments and clinical intervention. In addition, Residents will complete consecutive 6-month rotations (2 days per week) in Hematology-Oncology and Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy. All three rotations are embedded within multidisciplinary programs, allowing the resident to gain experience working with medical residents, nursing staff, social workers, genetic counselors, dieticians, child life, and physicians.

Opportunities for educational rounds/didactics are also provided throughout the residency. Please refer to the Brochure for additional information or contact the Director of Training, Dr. Esther Direnfeld, if you have any questions about our program.

Internship Training Opportunities

Populations
Infants:
Toddlers:
Children: Yes
Adolescents: Yes
Adults: Yes
Family:
Older Adults: Yes
Inpatients: Yes
Outpatients: Yes
LGBTQ+: Yes
Ethnic minorities: Yes
Spanish-speaking:
French-speaking:
Deaf/Hearing-impaired:
Students: Yes
International Students:
Rural: Yes
Urban: Yes
Low income: Yes
People without housing: Yes
Other: Exposure to other populations is possible. It depends on the nature of the referrals and who is admitted into the inpatient units.

(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: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Community Intervention:
Consultation/Liaison: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Crisis Intervention:
Brief Psychotherapy: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Long-term Psychotherapy:
Cognitive Rehabilitation: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Primary Care:
Evidenced Based Practice: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Evidence Based Research: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Supervision of Practicum students : Exposure (1% to 20%)
Other: Neuropsychological & Psychological Assessments

(training opportunities continued)

Experience
Health Psychology: Experience (21% to 30%)
Women's Health:
HIV/AIDS: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Eating Disorders:
Sexual Disorders:
Sports Psychology:
Rehabilitation Psychology: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Physical Disabilities: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Learning Disabilities: Experience (21% to 30%)
Developmental Disabilities: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Assessment: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Neuropsychology-Adult: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Neuropsychology-Child: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
Serious Mental Illness: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Anxiety Disorders: Experience (21% to 30%)
Trauma/PTSD: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Sexual Abuse: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Substance Use Disorders: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Forensics/Corrections:
Sexual Offenders:
Geropsychology: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Pediatrics: Major Area of Study (50% or Greater)
School:
Counseling:
Vocational/Career Development:
Multicultural Therapy:
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: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Integrated health care - specialty: Exposure (1% to 20%)
Other:

Please see brochure for more details around training opportunities. This site offers diversity of patient populations for both assessment, rehabilitation, treatment and consultation experiences; however, not all rotations or experiences can be guaranteed to be available each year. Please contact the Director of Training if you have any specific questions.

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.hamiltonhealthsciences.ca/learning/  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: 23 54 28 30 18 20 18 16
Number of applicants invited for interviews: 11 22 18 18 15 15 15 15
Total number of interns: 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Total number of interns from APA/CPA accredited programs: 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Total number of interns from Ph.D. programs: 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2
Total number of interns from Psy.D. programs: 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
Total number of interns from Ed.D. programs: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Number of interns that come from a Clinical Psychology program 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 2
Number of interns that come from a Counseling Psychology program 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Number of interns that come from a School Psychology program 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Range of integrated assessment reports: lowest number of reports written 20 13 32 38 28 32 24 38
Range of integrated assessment reports: highest number of reports written 115 143 62 100 44 89 62 35
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: 2 1 2
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: 1 1 0
Other (Academic Psychology Department): 0 0 0
Link to Program's Trainee Admissions, Support, and Outcome Data:
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