How to Apply

Information to Assist Potential Applicants in Assessing Their Likely Fit with the Program

Applicants to the Duke Health Service Psychology Internship Program should be enrolled in either an APA or CPA-accredited PhD Program in Clinical or Counseling Psychology. Applicants from School Psychology programs may apply to our Child Autism Concentration if they state in a cover letter how their interests and experiences are a good fit for our program. Applicants must be from graduate programs adhering to a scientist-practitioner or clinical scientist model. Students from practitioner-scholar model programs will not be accepted.

Applicants must have completed the third year of their graduate program by the beginning of the internship year and must be certified as ready for Internship by their department's Director of Clinical Training. Completion of all academic work and dissertation is preferred.

  • Does the program require that applicants have received a minimum number of hours of the following at the time of application? Yes
    • Total Direct Contact Intervention Hours: 500*
    • Total Direct Contact Assessment Hours: 500*
  • Any other required minimum criteria used to screen applicants? No

We recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the acquisition of clinical hours towards preparation for internship. We have slightly decreased our required minimum number of face-to-face hours for this internship year, though most of our interns in recent years have far exceeded this benchmark. In evaluating applications, we consider the minimum number of hours to be one variable among many others in determining a candidate’s fit for our program.

*We require 500 total face-to-face assessments and intervention hours combined. The distribution of these hours between assessment and intervention depends on the track the applicants choose. For our Adult interns, competitive applicants usually have more intervention hours. For our Child interns, competitive applicants usually have a greater proportion of assessment hours, although intervention experience is also important.   

  • Annual Stipend/Salary for Full-time Interns: $40,000
  • Annual Stipend/Salary for Half-time Interns: n/a
  • Program Provides Access to Medical Insurance for Interns? Yes (interns also have access to dental and vision benefits)
  • If access to medical insurance is provided:
    • Trainee contribution to cost required? Yes     
    • Coverage of family member(s) available? Yes         
    • Coverage of legally married partner available? Yes
    • Coverage of domestic partner available? No
  • Hours of Annual Paid Personal Time Off (PTO and/or vacation): 15 days/year 
  • Hours of Annual Paid Sick Leave: 12 days/year 
  • In the event of medical conditions and/or family needs that require extended leave, does the program allow reasonable unpaid leave to Intern/Residents in excess of personal time off and sick leave? Yes
  • If circumstances arise requiring the intern to take medical leave or leave for family needs, the intern will need to use all remaining unused paid personal time off first before going on an unpaid absence from the internship. The internship will then be extended in order for the intern to meet the 2,000 hours required for completion of their internship.

Other Benefits

  • Education fund: $200
  • Duke holidays: 8 days
  • Professional days (conference presentations, continuing education/conferences, research, postdoc or job interviews): 5 days

Application Deadline: November 2, 2025, 11:59pm.

We will be accepting applications only via APPIC's electronic application 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 intern applicant. 
 
More information regarding this process can be found on APPIC's MATCH-NEWS e-mail list. Applicants are encouraged to sign up for this e-mail list as APPIC will be distributing some important announcements about the Match, the AAPI Online and the APPIC Directory Online throughout the next few months. 

A complete application package will consist of the following:

  • APPIC application form (APPI): The Psychology Internship Training Program at Duke University Medical Center requires a completed APPIC application form (APPI) which is available from the APPIC website. APPIC also includes an instruction manual on their website completing the APPI listing required elements for a complete application.    

In addition to the completed APPI form, the following must be included: 

  • A cover letter indicating how our program will meet your training goals and interests, and specifying which concentration you are applying to. NOTE: Applicants are encouraged to apply to only one concentration. Reason(s) for applying to more than one concentration must be outlined in your cover letter. 
  • A current curriculum vitae
  • Official graduate transcript(s)
  • Three letters of recommendation 
  • Additional supplemental material required: One or both of the following de-identified supplemental materials (de-identified clinical work sample): 1) a treatment or case summary; 2) a psychological evaluation report. 

Requirements for Internship Completion

Interns must successfully complete 12 months of full-time (2,000 hour) training experience to earn a certificate of completion. Successful completion is based on full attendance and passing evaluations of performance by supervisors and mentors in the Profession-Wide Competencies of Clinical Psychology. Duke University’s policies provide for equal opportunity and affirmative action in employment and admission to all programs of the University.

Duke Internship Program Interview Days

Friday, January 9, and Tuesday, January 13, 2025 (half-day virtual interviews)

Applicants may be invited for an interview after a review of application materials. Notification of whether the applicant is being invited or not will be emailed no later than December 15, 2025. For those being invited for an interview, more detailed information will be provided. 

Duke is committed to the principles of excellence, fairness, and respect for all people. As part of this commitment, we seek to embrace each person's rich background and unique abilities. We believe that our possibilities are endless when we understand, celebrate, and tap into our individual and collective strengths and experiences to creatively solve problems and address shared goals.
 
The Duke Clinical Psychology Doctoral Internship Program adheres to Duke University's Equal Opportunity policy in our recruitment and retention of interns. Please visit Duke’s Office for Institutional Equity for related Duke policies, statements, and procedures.

The Duke Health Service Psychology Internship is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association. For questions related to the program's accreditation status, please contact:
 
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 First Street, N.E.  
Washington, D.C. 20002
202-336-5979
apaaccred@apa.org
www.apa.org/ed/accreditation