Predoctoral Psychology Externships
The Johns Hopkins Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation offers clinical and research externships for doctoral students enrolled in APA-accredited clinical or counseling psychology programs.
We will begin accepting externship applications for the 2023 - 2024 training year (training start date: Sept. 1, 2023) on January 3, 2023. Please see below for Program Overview, Required and Preferred Qualifications, and Instructions for How to Apply. Click on the specific externships below to learn more about each training opportunity.
Program Overview
- Number of positions: two to four clinical, research TBD
- Program length: nine months (September through May)
- Application deadline: February 6, 2023
- Interviews: Late February 2023
- Offer/Acceptance: Early March 2023
- Start date: September 1, 2023
- Format: part time (clinical two days/week, research one or two days/week)
Pandemic Modifications
We prioritize our trainees' health and safety. Decisions regarding in-person versus remote externship training during the COVID-19 pandemic will be made closer to the externship start date and will be guided by Johns Hopkins University experts and policy. We encourage applicants to be prepared for in-person training in 2023 - 2024.
Required Qualifications
- Enrolled and in good standing in a doctoral clinical or counseling psychology (Ph.D. or Psy.D.) from an APA-accredited program
- Trainees in psychology master’s degree programs will be considered for research externships on a case-by-case basis (clinical externs must be in doctoral programs)
- Successful completion of at least one supervised clinical practicum/externship conducting psychological assessment and/or intervention
- Successful completion of a criminal background check if offered a position
- If offered a position, proof of COVID-19 and flu vaccination in adherence with JHU/JHM vaccination policies
Preferred Qualifications
- Enrolled in year 3 or 4 of doctoral training at the time of application (year 4 or 5 at the time of externship training)
- Completion of foundational graduate coursework in psychological assessment and intervention
- Familiarity with empirically supported treatments and evidence-based practice
How to Apply
All application materials must be submitted through the online portal, which will open January 3, 2023. Materials include:
- Statement of interest (no longer than 500 words, ~1 single-spaced page) that includes:
- A description of your relevant clinical and/or research experience
- How our externship position(s) would meet your current training and future career goals
- Curriculum vitae (CV)
- Two professional reference forms (submitted by your referees through the online portal)
More instructions will be provided through the online portal.
Contact Us
For general inquiries, email [email protected]. For program-specific questions, contact the program director below.
Program Director
Nicole Schechter, Psy.D.
Program Director, Predoctoral Externships
Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Email: [email protected]
Clinical Externships
Inpatient Assessment and Intervention in a Rehabilitation Hospital
Location: The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
Training focuses on assessment, treatment, and consultation regarding adult rehabilitation populations with a wide range of injuries, illnesses, disabilities and acute and chronic health conditions. The mission of the training program is to provide experiential education and training in the areas of rehabilitation psychology and neuropsychology, as well as exposure to didactic training in these areas, in order to develop skills that will prepare them for predoctoral internships and postdoctoral fellowships in the specialty areas of Rehabilitation Psychology and Neuropsychology.
Externs will provide direct assessment and treatment to rehabilitation inpatients and outpatients, working closely with rehabilitation teams, and will engage in consultation with other health care providers. Externs receive supervision from licensed psychology faculty and postdoctoral fellows. Externs are encouraged to attend weekly didactics and monthly seminars within the Division for Rehabilitation Psychology and Neuropsychology, and the Department of PM&R, to the extent that schedules allow.
Outpatient Neuropsychological Testing in a Rehabilitation Clinic
Location: The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Greenspring Station outpatient clinic, and Johns Hopkins Howard County outpatient clinic
Training focuses on conducting neuropsychological assessment of adult rehabilitation populations with a wide range of injuries, illnesses, disabilities and acute and chronic health conditions. The mission of the training program is to provide experiential education and training in the administration and scoring of a wide variety of neuropsychological assessments, as well as exposure to didactic training in this area, in order to develop skills that will prepare them for predoctoral internships and postdoctoral fellowships in the specialty area of Neuropsychology.
Externs will provide direct neuropsychological assessment of rehabilitation outpatients, including test administration and scoring. Externs receive supervision from licensed psychology faculty and postdoctoral fellows, and will be involved in case interpretation. Externs are encouraged to attend weekly didactics and monthly seminars within the Division for Rehabilitation Psychology and Neuropsychology, and the Department of PM&R, to the extent that schedules allow.
Research Externships
Clinical Pain Psychology
Location: The Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore, MD) and virtual
Our externship in clinical pain psychology research focuses on clinical pain research in adults with a variety of acute and chronic pain conditions. Externs provide support collecting and analyzing data from methodologies including the laboratory based assessment of pain processing (i.e., quantitative sensory testing), systematic review and meta-analysis of scientific literature, and electronic medical record extraction and analysis, among others. Opportunities to contribute to presentations and manuscripts are available for dedicated externs. The ideal candidate for this position is an advanced graduate student with prior research experience.
Disability Prevention in Minoritized Elders
Location: The Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore, MD) as needed for required in-person activities (e.g., orientation), and virtual
This research externship focuses on disability prevention for minoritized older adults via culturally adapted evidence-based interventions. It also provides the opportunity to work on a pilot project related to the adaptation of the intervention to a medical population, including its linguistic adaptation to Spanish and its implementation in community settings. Externs provide support in systematic reviews, and collecting and analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data, among other opportunities. Opportunities to contribute to presentations and manuscripts are available for dedicated externs. The ideal candidate for this position is an advanced graduate student with prior research experience. Given the aims of the research, Spanish fluency is preferred though not required for this opportunity.
Clinical Neuropsychology
Location: Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore, MD) and virtual
Weekly Commitment: 1 or 2 days (~8 to 16 hours)
Our externship in neuropsychology research focuses on novel ways to assess cognitive functioning in adults with stroke and other chronic illnesses. Externs provide research support collecting data, conducting literature searches, preparing databases and writing summaries, among others. Opportunities to contribute to presentations and manuscripts are available for dedicated externs. The ideal candidate for this position will have some knowledge of stroke and assessment of cognition. Candidates must be graduate students with some research experience. Prior neuropsychology experience not required.