Application Information
Nature of the Position
The CPIP is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association. Any questions related to the CPIP's accreditation status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation at:
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
Four funded positions are available starting on August 29, 2025 and continuing for a full year. The stipend for the 2023-2024-2025 training year is approximately $53,460. There are no unpaid positions.
Medical insurance for the intern and their immediate family is provided at no charge or minimal charge, depending upon the program selected. Dental insurance is also provided.
Vacation, state holidays and paid educational leave are available.
Admission Criteria
Applicants must be doctoral candidates in clinical psychology (APA-accredited program strongly preferred), at a recognized university or professional school. DSH-Napa is unable to review applications from programs where the degree is awarded in a non-clinical specialty (e.g. forensic psychology). Applications from “Clinical-Forensic” programs will be accepted, provided the coursework in the respective program is comparable to a traditional “Clinical” program. Applicants from “Clinical-Forensic” programs may want to address this issue in their cover letter. All requirements for the degree, apart from the dissertation, must be completed by the start of the internship. Applicants need not be U.S. Citizens.
Student Disclosure of Personal Information: The CPIP adheres to APA's Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, December 2002 (with the 2010 and 2017 amendments). Regarding Principle 7.04, interns are not required to disclose personal information. However, in supervising an intern's clinical work, an intern may be asked, for example, to describe how it feels to work with a particular patient, as part of clinical inference-making or part of an exploration of countertransference reactions. Occasionally, an intern may be invited to talk about some aspect of their personal history or about psychological conflicts, which directly bear upon their work with a particular patient.
APPIC Policies and Procedures: DSH-Napa is a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC). Our intern positions are selected through the APPIC match. Details on the match process can be found on the APPIC website. This internship site agrees to abide by the APPIC policy that no person at this training facility will solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information from any applicant.
State of California Eligibility Requirements: Appointment of applicants to internship positions is contingent upon satisfying several eligibility requirements. internship offers will be made in February 2025, actual employment as a clinical psychology intern in August 2025 requires that the applicant pass a physical examination (including a drug screen), fingerprinting, and criminal background check. Applicants with felony and/or misdemeanor convictions should know that prior convictions may jeopardize an applicant's appointment to a clinical psychology intern position.
Application Procedure
A. Complete the online AAPI via the Applicant Portal on the APPIC website, which provides instructions for completing the online AAPI and submitting letters of recommendation and transcripts for the online application process. Select Napa State Hospital as a "Designated Site" on the APPIC Applicant Portal.
B. Submit three letters of recommendation via the AAPI online recommendation submission portal on the APPIC website.
C. Submit copies of all graduate transcripts, a cover letter, and a current CV.
D. As a California State facility, we require all applicants to submit a "California Examination and/or Employment Application" form (i.e., Form 678) as part of the application process. Form 678 can be accessed here: https://jobs.ca.gov/pdf/std678.pdf.
E. Please download a PDF version of Form 678, which can be completed electronically and saved as a PDF. The easiest way to complete the form is to copy/paste relevant information from your CV (please include actual job descriptions and do not simply state, "See CV."). Please email your completed form, with a required electronic signature, to Kaitlyn.Eichenberger@dsh.ca.gov or dshnapapsychologyinternship@dsh.ca.gov (unencrypted email), no later than the application deadline.
If you cannot add an electronic signature, you must fax a copy, or send a hard copy via the postal service. Please note that although APPIC guidelines prohibit internship sites from requesting any materials to be mailed directly to the site, APPIC has made an exception for all internships in California that require this form as part of the application process. Also, please note that APPIC has indicated that they would prefer this form emailed directly to the internship site. Form 678 should not be submitted as supplementary material in the online AAPI portal. We cannot process your internship application without the completed State Application.
DSH-Napa is an Equal Opportunity Employer
Application Deadline
All application materials that are uploaded via the APPIC Applicant Portal (e.g., transcripts and letters of recommendation), as well as Form 678, must be received by Tuesday, November 12, 2024, 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time (8:59pm Pacific Standard Time) to enable the Internship Director and Training Committee sufficient time to review applications. Please refer to the deadlines for submission of rank order lists on the APPIC/NMS websites. We adhere to the APPIC and APA policies and procedures regarding offers and acceptances. All application materials will be reviewed and rated by the Psychology Internship Advisory Committee. Applicants who receive the highest rankings will be invited for a virtual interview, which will be held in January 2025.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances*, applicants who are invited to interview will also be invited to one of a few optional pre-scheduled onsite dates, during which they will tours of the facility and meet with other members of the psychology department.**
*Due to site restrictions related to security and/or Public Health concern, the invitation for tours may be rescinded or canceled at any time.
**Please note that this is optional and will not be considered as a part of the formal interview process. Ranking will be made irrespective of an applicant choosing to attend one of these onsite dates.
For more information, please contact:
Kaitlyn Eichenberger, PsyD, Internship Training Director
Department of State Hospitals-Napa
2100 Napa-Vallejo Highway
Napa, CA 94558
Office: (707) 253-5070
Fax: (707) 253-5341
Kaitlyn.Eichenberger@dsh.ca.gov (encrypted email)
dshnapapsychologyinternship@dsh.ca.gov (unencrypted email)