Accreditation Status
The University of Washington School of Medicine’s Psychology Internship Program is accredited by the American Psychological Association. We have received accreditation renewal in 2023 for the next 10 years. Our next site visit is set for the year 2032.
Any questions on accreditation status may be addressed to the Commission on Accreditation (CoA):
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
Education Directorate
American Psychological Association
750 First Street NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
202-336-5979
apaaccred@apa.org
Program Disclosures
Program Tables were updated: 09/01/26
Internship Program Tables
| Compliance | |
|---|---|
| Does the program or institution require students, trainees, and/or staff (faculty) to comply with specific policies or practices related to the institution’s affiliation or purpose? Such policies or practices may include, but are not limited to, admissions, hiring, retention policies, and/or requirements for completion that express mission and values? | Yes
_X_ No |
| If yes, provide website link (or content from brochure) where this specific information is presented : NA | |
Internship Program Admissions
Briefly describe in narrative form important information to assist potential applicants in assessing their likely fit with your program. This description must be consistent with the program’s policies on intern selection and practicum and academic preparation requirements:
We are a scientist-practitioner training model program which is administratively housed within the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and in partnership with the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine within the University of Washington’s School of Medicine.
Our training program has emphasis tracks in general adult psychology, general child psychology, autism/developmental disabilities, behavioral medicine, and rehabilitation neuropsychology. More information about these specialized tracks can be found on our Track and Rotation pages. Our training sites include a variety of medical settings including inpatient and outpatient settings.
Our psychology resident selection process is weighted strongly toward applicants whose training, experience, and academic accomplishments indicate potential for both clinical and research excellence. Candidates from professional school programs without some research experiences are rarely competitive in our selection process.
Successful applicants typically show evidence of scientific contribution, such as publications, presentations, and research activity. They also demonstrate evidence of a high degree of clinical competence and experience in assessment and therapy.
We especially welcome applicants who have a combination of excellent clinical skills, strong research interests and potential, and well-developed interpersonal and communication skills that will allow them to flourish in a multidisciplinary environment.
Our goal is to provide the highest quality training for residents in a supportive and stimulating academic medical center environment.
Applicants must be:
- Have completed at least three years of graduate study.
-
Be in good standing in an APA-, CPA-, or PCSAS-accredited scientist-practitioner or clinical scientist doctoral program in clinical, counseling, combined, or school psychology.
Applicants from School Psychology doctoral programs are welcome to apply; however, program fit depends on the nature and breadth of the applicant’s doctoral training and its alignment with our internship. Our program emphasizes generalist training in health service psychology, with most clinical training occurring in medical and healthcare settings. We encourage applicants from School Psychology programs to review our FAQ page for additional information when considering whether our program is a good fit for their training goals and background.
- Have completed comprehensive examinations and have an approved dissertation proposal by the internship application deadline.
The University of Washington’s Psychology Internship Program is an equal opportunity training program. Our program welcomes and strongly encourages applications from all qualified candidates.
Preferences
Scientist-Practitioner Training and Program Fit
Our internship is grounded in the scientist-practitioner model and is designed to prepare psychologists for careers that integrate clinical practice with research, scholarship, teaching, and other academic activities. Historically, the majority of our applicants and matched residents have come from Clinical Psychology PhD programs. In our selection process, we give preference to applicants whose doctoral training, research experiences, and professional goals demonstrate strong alignment with our scientist-practitioner model, particularly applicants interested in careers in academic medical settings, medical or health-related research, academic psychology, and/or research-informed clinical practice. These career paths are consistent with those pursued by many of our graduates following internship.
Applicants from PsyD and School Psychology doctoral programs are welcome to apply. We recognize that doctoral programs and individual training experiences vary considerably in their emphasis on research, scholarship, and health service psychology. Applicants from PsyD and School Psychology programs may be competitive when their research experiences, breadth of clinical training, and professional goals align well with our internship’s scientist-practitioner model, particularly those interested in academic medical settings, medical or health-related research, or other careers that integrate clinical practice with research and scholarship. Because much of our clinical training occurs in medical and healthcare settings, we encourage applicants from these programs to carefully review the training experiences and expectations of the track(s) to which they are applying. Applicants who are uncertain about fit are welcome to contact the relevant Track Coordinator for additional guidance.
Practicum Experience and Preparation for Licensure
Successful applicants generally have accrued approximately 1,300 total practicum hours by the time they begin internship. These hours include direct clinical services (intervention and assessment), supervision, and support activities. The 1,300-hour figure is a guideline rather than a strict minimum or cutoff, and we consider the overall quality, breadth, and depth of an applicant’s clinical training rather than relying solely on total hours.
Our recommendation of approximately 1,300 practicum hours also reflects consideration of preparation for psychologist licensure in Washington State. Washington currently requires 3,300 hours of qualifying supervised experience for psychologist licensure. Residents who enter internship with approximately 1,300 qualifying practicum hours and successfully complete our 2,000-hour internship may therefore have sufficient supervised experience hours to meet Washington’s 3,300-hour experience requirement without needing additional postdoctoral hours for that requirement. Applicants should be aware that individual hours must meet Washington State’s applicable requirements to qualify toward licensure, and completion of the required supervised hours does not by itself satisfy all requirements for psychologist licensure.
Given the demands of the internship and the geographic distribution of our training sites across the greater Seattle area, our program is particularly well suited for applicants who are well organized, self-directed, adaptable, and comfortable navigating a complex academic medical training environment.
Does the program require that the applicants have received a minimum number of hours of the following at time of application? If Yes, indicate, how many.
| Type of Hours | No | Yes | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Direct Contact Intervention Hours | N | NA | Amount: NA |
| Total Direct Contact Assessment Hours | N | NA | Amount: NA |
Describe any other required minimum criteria used to screen applicants: NA
Financial and Other Benefit Support for Upcoming Training Year
| Salary or Benefit Type | Response |
|---|---|
| Annual Stipend/Salary for Full-time Interns | $44,304 |
| Annual Stipend/Salary for Half-time Interns | N/A |
| Program provides access to medical insurance for intern? | Yes |
Benefits – Medical and Leave
| If access to medical insurance is provided: | Response |
|---|---|
| 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? | Yes |
| Hours of Annual Paid Personal Time Off (10 hours per month for 11 months), and 2 personal holidays, for an amount of 126 hours of paid personal leave which could be taken over the internship year. The PTO accrued in the month of June (10 hours) will be paid out in salary on the intern’s last paid check. A total of 126 hours or the equivalent of 15.75 days can be used for paid vacation and/or professional leave activities. Accrued leave becomes available to be used starting August 1, 2025. | 136 hours |
| Hours of Annual Paid Sick Leave (sick leave is accrued at 8 hours per month and becomes accrued sick leave becomes available starting August 1, 2025.) | 88 hours |
| In the event of medical conditions and/or family needs that require extended leave, does the program allow reasonable unpaid leave to interns/residents in excess of personal time off and sick leave? | Yes |
Other Benefits
University of Washington (UW) offers a wide range of benefits as part of your total compensation package. All clinical psychology interns are provided with appropriate office space, access to equipment and other resources necessary for their clinical activities. More information on benefits are available: Summary of Benefits for Psychology Interns
The Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EOAA) supports the University’s compliance with the law and spirit of equal opportunity and affirmative action as it relates to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, citizenship, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, or status as a disabled veteran or Vietnam-era veteran, or other protected veterans.
Further information regarding these policies and statutes may be obtained through the University of Washington Equal Opportunity Office website.
Initial Post-Internship Positions
| An aggregated tally for the preceding 3 Cohorts | 2024 – 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Total # of interns who were in the 3 cohorts | 55 | |
| Total # of interns who did not seek employment because they returned to their doctoral program/are completing doctoral degree | 0 | |
| PD | EP | |
| Community mental health center | NA | 1 |
| Federally qualified health center | NA | NA |
| Independent primary care facility/clinic | NA | NA |
| University counseling center | NA | NA |
| Veterans Affairs medical center | NA | NA |
| Military health center | NA | NA |
| Academic health center | 51 | NA |
| Other medical center or hospital | NA | NA |
| Psychiatric hospital | NA | NA |
| Academic university/department | NA | 2 |
| Community college or other teaching setting | NA | NA |
| Independent research institution | NA | NA |
| Correctional facility | NA | NA |
| School district/system | NA | NA |
| Independent practice setting | 1 | NA |
| Not currently employed | NA | NA |
| Changed to another field | NA | NA |
| Other | NA | NA |
| Unknown | NA | NA |
Note: “PD” = Post-doctoral residency position; “EP” = Employed Position
Last Modified: September 22, 2026