The UCSF Child and Adolescent Services Multicultural Clinical Training Program (MCTP) at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center offers an American Psychological Association (APA)-accredited, one-year child clinical psychology internship based on the scholar-practitioner model. Thus, our program is grounded in serving the needs of the local community with a commitment to research that is taught and valued, particularly, though not exclusively, in the service of clinical practice.
We hold an ideal of professional excellence grounded in theory and empirical research, informed by experiential knowledge, and motivated by a commitment to social justice and ethical conduct. At Zuckerberg San Francisco General, we encourage students to become not just consumers of knowledge, but also agents of change who contribute to the advancement of individuals, communities, organizations, and society. The MCTP provides specialized training and leadership in multicultural psychology and works to break down barriers that families often encounter in their attempts to access culturally appropriate, high-quality, evidence-based care.
The internship program is embedded in the Division of Infant, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in UCSF’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Zuckerberg San Francisco General is a Level 1 Trauma Center and public service hospital committed to serving low-income and culturally diverse populations and those from marginalized communities. Clinical services are linked to the San Francisco Department of Public Health's Community Behavioral Health System. The MCTP is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA)'s Commission on Accreditation. The next site visit will be in 2029.
The MCTP also includes a robust training experience for social work and marriage and family therapy student learners from local graduate programs at the UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare and San Francisco State University only. Instructions for how to apply for a practicum experience/field placement can be obtained from those programs.
The MCTP is designed to train clinical psychologists who are committed to serving children, youth, and families from low-income and diverse ethnic and cultural groups. Over the last several years, 89% of our graduates have obtained positions in academic health centers or hospital centers providing care to underserved children and families.
Training is intended to provide experience across the entire developmental spectrum of 0-24 years of age and provides specialized training in:
- Behavioral and emotional dysregulation
- Child-parent psychotherapy
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Culturally-informed, empirically supported treatments
- Dialectical behavior therapy
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion best practices
- Early childhood developmental evaluations
- Eating disorders
- Evidence-based assessment
- Family therapy
- Immigrant and newcomer youth health
- Juvenile justice and behavioral health
- Positive parenting and trauma-informed parenting
- Posttraumatic stress disorder
- Pre-adoptive evaluations
- Primary care behavioral health
- Services delivered in community settings
- Structural competency
- Substance abuse prevention, assessment, and treatment
- Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy
- Trauma-informed systems
How to apply
Our deadline for receipt of applications is November 1, 2023. Tentative interview dates for this application cycle are Friday, December 8, 2023; Tuesday, January 2, 2024; and Monday, January 8, 2024 (subject to change).
The UCSF Child and Adolescent Services Multicultural Clinical Training Program follows the APPIC match policies. As part of the APPIC Match, applicants must submit the APPIC Application for Psychology Internship (which requires official transcripts as part of the application process).
Please note: The Child and Adolescent Services doctoral internship has the following specialty tracks, each with their own unique APPIC program code.
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190211 - Early Childhood Mental Health
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190212 - Adolescent Mental Health - Eating Disorders
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190213 - Immigrant Mental Health
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190214 - Integrative Behavioral Health
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190215 - Adolescent Substance Use and Mental Health
Each applicant is evaluated in the following areas:
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Clinical training, including experience in assessment and psychotherapy with children, youth, and families
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Overall excellence as a developing psychologist as shown by breadth and depth of experiences and letters of recommendation
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Demonstrated interest and experience working with underserved and diverse communities
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Demonstrated interest and experience in community mental health
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Demonstrated interest and experience with children, youth, and families impacted by acute, complex, or chronic trauma
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Essays that reflect clear theoretical foundations, strong evidence-based practices, and strong case conceptualization skills
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Progress toward dissertation completion
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Research interest as documented by training obtained and activities completed (presentations, publications, or grants)
Application requirements
- Doctoral degree program must be accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) or Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS) in clinical psychology or combined clinical psychology and school/counseling or counseling psychology programs
- Comprehensive exams passed
- Submission of official graduate degree(s) transcripts
- Letter of interest
- Curriculum vitae
- Three letters of recommendation
Preferred criteria
- Dissertation proposal approved and data collection completed prior to the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) Rank Order List submission deadline
- Bilingual (Spanish)
- Experience in evidence-based treatment and assessment
- Experience or interest in treatment of trauma in youth
- Significant psychological testing experience
- Relevant experience in multicultural psychology research
- Learners from underrepresented groups in psychology are strongly encouraged to apply
Internship accreditation
The APA Commission on Accreditation accredited and re-accredited the MCTP in 2007 and 2013, respectively. The Commission on Accreditation completed a site visit in August 2019 and the MCTP received the maximum 10-year reaccreditation. Our next site visit is scheduled for 2029. Questions related to the program’s accreditation status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
750 First Street NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
(800) 374-2721; (202) 336-5979
[email protected]
https://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation/
Internship admissions, support and initial placement data
Contact
Barbara Krishna Stuart, PhD, Director of Training
Child & Adolescent Services
Department of Psychiatry
Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center
1001 Potrero Avenue, Building 5, 6B, Box 0852
San Francisco, CA 94110
Telephone: (628) 206-4306
Related links
- American Psychological Association
- Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers
- California Board of Psychology
- Guide to psychology licensing in other states
