Founded in 1973, AACI is one of the largest community-based organizations advocating for and serving the marginalized and vulnerable ethnic communities in Santa Clara County. Our mission is to strengthen the resilience and hope of our diverse community members by improving their health and well-being.

prepares interns for professional clinical licensure.

Internship Aims and Competencies

The aim of our Doctoral Internship in Clinical Psychology is designed to train the next generation of culturally-sensitive mental health providers to effectively work with underserved members of the community in a trauma-informed and holistic manner. Our systematic training program integrates evidence-based practices and multicultural sensitivity, and prepares interns for professional clinical licensure.

Interns will learn about, gain experience, and be evaluated in the following areas, which are the APA Profession-wide Competencies for Interns:

• Research
• Ethical and Legal Standards
• Individual and Cultural Diversity
• Professional Values and Attitude
• Communication and Interpersonal Skills
• Assessment
• Intervention
• Supervision
• Consultation & Interprofessional / Interdisciplinary Skills

Training Model

The training year for the Doctoral Internship in Clinical Psychology begins with a 1-day orientation that is designed to inform incoming interns about agency policies, our mission, internship aims and competencies, and other information applicable to internship.

During the orientation period, the Associate Director of Internship & Training and the supervisory and management teams will go in depth about specific programmatic and training track structure and guidelines. Interns will be informed about evaluation expectations, grievance and due process policies, and other important parts of internship. Interns will receive approximately 2 weeks of introductory trainings while progressively increasing their caseloads to expected internship capacities. Interns will also be provided with psychological assessment referrals, and their assessment supervisors will support them in training on specific assessment measures that are applicable to referrals we typically receive.

We utilize both a reflective and competency-based modality of supervision in which we encourage active discussion and ongoing consideration of culturally-sensitive and trauma-informed practices with clients, while also supporting each intern as a professional work-in-progress as they hone their skills toward eventual licensure in the field of psychology.

Client Demographics in the Behavioral Health Department

Internship Tracks

AACI offers 4 different clinical tracks for applicants to consider. These tracks have some similarities (overall aim of internship, competencies, peer supervision rotation, etc.) and some differences (program-specific rotations for each track). Please see below for our available clinical tracks:

• Adult/Older Adult (AOA) Track
• Family & Children (F&C) Track
• Center for Survivors of Torture (CST) Track
• Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH) Track

Optional Rotations & Duties:

Please note that participation in any optional rotations & duties will require the approval of the Associate Director of Internship & Training. Assignment of the following rotations may also be dependent on interns’ past experiences providing services to specific populations, as well as the specific workload of the intern upon the time of request to participate in an optional rotation. In total, optional rotations should not exceed 4 hours per week.

Didactic Training

The training program provides a minimum of two hours per week in didactic activities such as case conferences, seminars, workshops and in-service training. Doctoral psychology interns are required to participate in a minimum of four hours per week of didactic activities.

A schedule of activities is developed each year in keeping with the interns’ interests and requirements. Interns are also expected to attend regularly scheduled administrative and clinical meetings with all other team members. Some examples of training and workshop opportunities available the past several years to interns have included:

• Client Values
• Coping Skills
• Motivational Interviewing
• Art Therapy
• Child Therapy
• Intimate Partner Violence
• Personality Disorders
• LGBTQ+ Sensitivity
• ADHD Treatment
• Neuropsychological Assessment
• Trauma-informed Care
  Compassion Fatigue
• Treatment Termination

Interns are required to attend all MH Department Trainings, Assessment Didactics Trainings, and Clinical Didactic Trainings.

The following is a list of required trainings:

Mondays (2^nd 9:15am-10:30am, 4^th 9am-10:30am): MH Department Training

Tuesdays (2^nd & 4^th 9am-11am): Assessment Didactic Training

Tuesdays (1^st, 3^rd, and 5^th 9am-11am): Clinical Didactic Training

Approximate Breakdown of Training Hours

The program adheres to all AACI Policies and Procedures. A complete copy of the most recent AACI Personnel Handbook will be available to you on the company Intranet. In addition, the training program has designed procedures to address issues specific to this program.

Pay Periods

There are two pay periods per month (the 10^th and 25^th of each month). Pay will include stipend and other expenses that have been approved by the Internship and Training Manager (including mileage).

Monthly Summary of Clinical Hours

Interns are required to submit a completed “Monthly Summary of Clinical Hours” form to their primary supervisor at the end of each month.

• A copy of the completed form is retained by the primary supervisor.
• This form is for reference only and should not be submitted to the Board of Psychology unless specifically asked to do so.

Mileage Reimbursement

All intern program placements  (AOA, F&C, CST, & IBH) will require travel. It is expected that you have a working vehicle to travel to and from community locations for client contact. You will be required to provide a copy of your auto insurance and driver’s license as part of our onboarding process. While caseloads may vary, it can be expected that at least half of your caseload will be at community locations (client’s home, other outside locations, etc.).

Some automobile mileage is considered a reasonable business expense, for which an intern may request reimbursement. Other travel is considered travel to work, and would NOT be covered. Your supervisor will clarify any questions you have. Some general guidelines are provided below:

1. When an intern travels to the agency main office or other work site from home, it is considered commute to work and is not reimbursed. Similarly, when an intern leaves the work site at the end of a work day and commutes home, the mileage is not reimbursed.
2. Travel from one work site to another during the course of a day is reimbursable.
3. Travel from a work site to a seminar location is reimbursable. Travel to home, from a seminar site would NOT be reimbursed as it would be considered one’s commute home.

Mileage and Expense Reimbursement Policies

In accordance with AACI policy, reimbursement for mileage, travel and authorized out-of-pocket expenses must be submitted through AACI’s online Certify system within 60 days from the date of travel or expenses incurred.

Requests for reimbursement received in Finance after 60 days will be returned to sender and will not be paid.

Gym Reimbursement

The interns have the benefit of receiving a $25 reimbursement each month if they provide proof (signature from gym staff, online record, etc.) that they attended the gym a minimum of 8 times during any particular month. In order to be eligible for this benefit, the intern must submit documentation of their gym membership to the Human Resources office in advance of the initiation of reimbursement.

Health Insurance

Interns are eligible to receive health care coverage and have the opportunity to opt out if so desired. For further information, the intern is encouraged to consult with the Human Resources (HR) office, and to reference the AACI employee handbook.

Stipend

The interns will be paid a stipend of $43,680 ($21/hour) for the entire internship year, to be paid at a bi-monthly rate.

Interns will be selected according to a number of different factors, including language capacity as it is applicable to the clients whom we serve, as well as their prior experiences serving populations that include the following:

• Severe Mental Illness (SMI)
• Asian/Pacific Islander (API)
• Low Socio-Economic (SES)
• Underserved
• Refugee
• Ethnic, Religious, and Sexual Minorities

Fluency in an Asian language or Spanish is preferred but not required.

Interns will also be selected according to their prior experiences with conducting neuropsychological assessment and integrated psychological reporting.

Prior Doctoral Program Experience

Interns will be expected to be familiar with evidenced-based practices as they apply to our clients, particularly in the treatment of mood disorders, anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, and trauma. Prior hands-on experience with neuropsychological assessment and integrated psychological reporting is also required.

Non-discrimination Policy

AACI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, national origin, mental or physical disability, political belief or affiliation, veteran status, or sexual orientation and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under state or federal law in any aspect of employment and application for employment.

All applicants must register for the APPIC Match at www.natmatch.com/psychint (no paper applications will be accepted).

For the online application process, please submit:

1. A cover letter that describes your interest in the training program at AACI, as well as your comfort level and experience with providing community-based therapy services in a client’s home or other community environment(s), and the specific program(s) to which you are applying (AOA, F&C, CST, and/or IBH) and why. Applicants who do not include this information in their cover letters will not be considered for an interview. 
2. The APPI   
3. Current Curriculum Vitae
4. 3 Letters of Recommendation (minimum of 2 from past practicum supervisors).
5. Copy of Graduate School Transcripts
6. Copy of a de-identified integrated psychological assessment completed by the applicant (mock reports completed in a university classroom will not be accepted). WAIS-IV or WISC-V administration preferred as a part of the sample submitted.

If you have any questions regarding accreditation, please contact:

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
750 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 2002-4242
Phone: (202) 336-5500
TDD: (202) 336-6123

If you have questions about the Doctoral Internship in Clinical Psychology at AACI and/or the contents of this brochure, please contact:

Anthony Miner, Psy.D
Associate Director of Internship & Training
Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI)
2400 Moorpark Ave., Suite 300
San Jose, CA 95128
anthony.miner@aaci.org
Phone: (408) 975-2730 ext 143