Doctoral Psychology Internships
Mid-Ohio Psychological Services, Inc. (MOPS), Doctoral Psychology Internship Program (MOPS-IP) in Health Service Psychology is APA-accredited.
Additional questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:
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
MOPS is an APPIC Approved internship site.
MOPS offers a full-time, 2000 hour Doctoral Psychology Internship Program. We offer a unique training experience in community mental health and working with a variety of populations. The Doctoral Psychology Internship Program is an integral and essential feature of Mid-Ohio Psychological Services, Inc. The mission and aim of MOPS-IP is to prepare Doctoral Psychology Interns to function as entry level professionals in Health Service Psychology. The program is generalist in nature and seeks to expand the intern’s experience and awareness of self and others while refining skills necessary to practice psychology effectively utilizing evidence-based approaches. To learn more about the goals, experiences, and policies and procedures of the training program and the experiences offered through the internship, please view our program handbook & brochure.
An annual report containing data regarding the program and performance outcomes can be found by clicking Internship Admissions, Support, and Initial Placement Data . View our Facebook or LinkedIn page for examples of the many ways that interns are involved in activities that help transform the agency’s mission and core values into action.
Agency Mission & Promise
Mid-Ohio Psychological Services, Inc. is a non-profit community mental health organization that strives to provide high-quality, cost-effective, culturally-sensitive, socially-responsible, mental health, substance abuse, and support services to individuals and community organizations, while offering professional development to its staff and other professionals in the field.
We acknowledge that the world is facing unrest on multiple levels, from racism and systemic injustices to threats to our health and safety, that disproportionately affect members of society. Our staff continue to have crucial conversations. We acknowledge the pain and hurt. Below is our promise to our clients, employees, and community. Our promise is simple and clear:
We will treat each individual with dignity and respect.
We will be inclusive, appreciating what brings us together and appreciating our individual differences.
We stand for equality. We stand against racism and injustice.
We will be socially responsible in being a part of the change process. It is our mission as a culturally sensitive and socially responsible agency to do our part to actively address systemic racism.
We will listen, educate, discuss, advocate, support, and grow during this time.
We are committed to providing a safe and supportive space for our employees, clients, and community.
This message is our commitment, but change occurs with action and solutions. Our plan for the future is to continue conversations regarding inclusion, diversity, and be part of the transformational change. We will develop a vision and action steps for improvement as part of our upcoming strategic plan. We will ask for staff’s ideas, feedback, and participation, including intern feedback.
Diversity and Inclusion Philosophy
MOPS-IP strives to function in ways that reflect professional ethics and standards that place a high value on the dignity and worth of individuals regardless of their race, ethnicity, age, color, religion, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, physical or mental handicap, developmental disability, genetic information, human immunodeficiency virus status, or in any manner prohibited by local, state or federal laws. MOPS-IP is committed to creating an inclusive and effective teaching and learning environment that reflects our value of, and appreciation for, individual differences. Finally, we hold the expectation that all staff honor the agency’s conviction for, and their ethical responsibility to, accept and support the right of colleagues and clients to affirm all gender identities, gender expressions, sexual identities, and sexual orientations.
As we strive to educate ourselves and others about the mental health issues of a multicultural society, we recognize that an examination of personal prejudice and discrimination and their impact on our professional work is best accomplished within a climate of safety and respect. In the spirit of our practitioner-scholar training model, MOPS-IP is fully committed to building an organizational atmosphere of respect and trust where each individual is encouraged to explore and discuss attitudes, beliefs, values, and behaviors in relation to others who are similar to and different from themselves.
We understand that valuing diversity empowers people to improve the quality of their own lives and to positively contribute towards addressing misconceptions inherent in society. We understand that prejudice and discrimination run counter to professional ethics, are detrimental to the effective practice of the psychological competencies and hinder the development of professional collegial relationships among staff members. Therefore, we require of ourselves a commitment to work toward the recognition and elimination of prejudice and discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, age, color, religion, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, physical or mental handicap, developmental disability, genetic information, human immunodeficiency virus status, or in any manner prohibited by local, state or federal laws. In the spirit of this commitment, all staff are expected to respect the dignity, worth, and fundamental human rights of all individuals when carrying out their personal and professional responsibilities. Further, staff members are expected to support each other and trainees in exploring their individual prejudices, and in cultivating positive attitudinal and behavioral change in one another. By holding these expectations, MOPS hopes to challenge all persons to expand their individual awareness, increase empathy and tolerance for different perspectives and life experiences; challenge stereotypes, assumptions, and biases; and serve as advocates of human rights and social justice. Our Affirmative Action policy can be found here.
Admission Criteria
MOPS-IP selects three qualified applicants each year. Applicants who have achieved doctoral candidacy from a regionally accredited doctoral program in psychology upon the start of the internship year are considered as viable candidates. A Master’s degree is preferred but not required. In addition, successful candidates will have a minimum of three years of pre-internship graduate training that encompasses a minimum of 400 hours of direct clinical work, 50 hours of assessment, dissertation proposal approved, and completed comprehensive exams. Despite the minimum hour requirements noted, we intend to be flexible in our expectations when reviewing applications as we recognize that many practicum placements have been recently impacted. Although all applicants with the above criteria are considered, applicants who possess an interest in working in a community mental health setting after graduation are encouraged. Additionally, as a federally qualified Community Mental Health Center, all employees are required to be fully vaccinated for COVID before their orientation date or submit an approved medical or spiritual/religious exemption form. If you have questions about the vaccine mandate or exemption requirements, please contact our Operations Director, Shawna Watts at shawnawatts@mopsohio.com.
Application & Selection Procedures
MOPS participates in the Internship Matching Program that is operated by the National Matching Services, Inc. (NMS) and administered by the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC). The selection for Psychology Interns will adhere to the rules and regulations set forth by the APPIC, American Psychological Association (APA), and other regulatory bodies. Applicants must obtain an Applicant Agreement and register for the Match to be eligible for the Internship Program. This internship site agrees to abide by all APPIC policies pertaining to the match process. For details of the Match Policies please see http://www.appic.org. After acceptance, the formal appointment to the position is contingent upon a satisfactory background check and pre-employment drug screening.
To apply for an internship position, an applicant must submit the following:
- AAPI Online
- Transcripts of all graduate work
- Current curriculum vita
- Three letters of reference
- Cover letter that addresses the following questions
- What do you feel you need to accomplish during your internship year?
- What are your career interests beyond your internship year?
- In what way does an internship with Mid-Ohio Psychological Services, Inc. help you meet your professional goals?
All materials must be submitted via the AAPI Online and received by Monday, November 20, 2023.
Mid-Ohio Psychological Services typically offers virtual interviews in early to mid-January (tentatively scheduled for Tues 1/9/24 & Thurs 1/11/24). The Training Director, Executive Director, and other program faculty meet to review the completed applications and offer invitations to interview. A successful candidate is one who demonstrates interest in community mental health and will practice and implement our agency mission, promise, and core values in addition to meeting hour and coursework requirements. Notification of interview status will be made by Thursday, December 14, 2023.
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.
If you are interested in finding out more about our doctoral program, you may also contact our Training Director– Dr. Tatia Williams at (614) 751-0042 or tatiawilliams@mopsohio.com.
We also occasionally accept post-doctoral residents in psychology. To find out more about post-doctoral training opportunities, please contact Dr. Tatia Williams by e-mail at tatiawilliams@mopsohio.com.