Doctoral Internship – East Bay Medical Center (Oakland and Richmond Campuses)

We are committed to nurturing and integrating diversity training into all aspects of our doctoral internship by:

• Providing interns with opportunities to work with diverse patients who represent various aspects of diversity, including age, religion, gender, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, values, and lifestyle
• Placing a high value on interns’ willingness to engage in self-reflection and learning and supporting the exploration of attitudes, beliefs, and therapeutic postures that could have a negative impact on clinical interactions
• Maintaining a consistent focus in clinical supervision on expanding interns’ multicultural awareness and competence in the provision of psychotherapeutic services and by providing guidance, suggestions, and resources on topics related to diversity
• Providing formal in-person or online training on diversity topics such as discovering and mitigating unconscious bias, respecting every voice, and cultivating a sense of inclusion and belonging in the workplace

Each doctoral intern will have (over the course of the year) 100 hours of didactic training. This will be a mixture of organizational required trainings, training specifically on health care terminology and language, medical grand rounds (adult and pediatric), professional development (including residency application processes), application of diversity training, and use of professional resources in treatment.

Regularly scheduled weekly didactic seminars are organized and administered by the Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) Mental Health Training Program. Interns are required to attend the two-hour weekly seminar, which focuses on aspects of clinical practice that the interns may not regularly encounter.

Diversity issues are always integrated into seminar presentations. Seminar topics include Frontiers in Trauma Treatment; Advanced Risk Assessment; Updates in Substance Abuse Research & Treatment; Advancements in Psychopharmacology; Cognitive Processing Therapy; Technology and Mental Health; Trans/Nonbinary Mental Health; Building a Better Brain through Exercise, Nutrition, Sleep and Stress Management; and Self-Compassion.

The KPNC Mental Health Training Program also sponsors professional training courses for continuing professional development. These courses and presentations are offered at select times during the year for all KPNC mental health trainees and medical center staff. The KPNC Mental Health Training Program brings in national experts and keynote speakers on a variety of cutting-edge topics in mental health treatment and research. Interns are expected to attend all MHTP Speaker Series seminars. Current seminar schedules and a list of speakers and topics can be found on the KPNC Mental Health Training Programs website. In addition, many of these lectures are recorded and available on this website under the Continuing Education Seminar Library.

Doctoral interns may be expected to attend team staff meetings and case consultation. During these meetings, interns will practice creating a working hypothesis for a diagnosis and treatment plan, as well as learn how to incorporate Feedback Informed Care (FIC) and symptom management in their treatment planning. Additionally, doctoral interns will learn how to align their patient’s cultural background into their treatment plan.

Doctoral interns will be allocated time off to take the EPPP should they wish to do so.

All doctoral interns are supervised by licensed psychologists and are assigned to a primary and secondary supervisor. These two clinical supervisors meet with their assigned intern one hour per week for individual face-to-face supervision, for a total of two hours of individual supervision per week. The primary and secondary supervisor in each training rotation is responsible for supervising the direct delivery of clinical services. The primary supervisor takes the lead role in developing the intern’s learning plan, monitoring their progress, and evaluating their training schedule. The primary supervisor is also responsible for supervising the intern’s clinical work and completing quarterly evaluations after gathering input from the other delegated supervisors and staff who have worked with the intern.

Doctoral interns are also provided with weekly clinical group supervision and group supervision for psychological assessment. During clinical group supervision, interns learn how to conceptualize treatment plans and frame interventions through a cultural framework that considers age, gender identity, race and ethnicity, family systems, socioeconomic status, work and school history, and other cultural factors. Interns also gain experience presenting clinical cases, as well as giving and receiving peer feedback. These feedback interactions help interns to develop both collegial and supervisory aspects of their professional identities as psychologists. Assessment group supervision provides support for interns gaining proficiency conducting psychological evaluations. During assessment group supervision, interns have an opportunity to discuss several aspects of the assessment process, including how to interpret test results, formulate clinical impressions, and plan patient feedback.

Reflecting Kaiser Permanente’s core commitment to mental health and wellness in our communities, each doctoral intern will spend at least 32 hours during their training year on a Community Partnership Project that focuses on improving mental health in the local community beyond Kaiser Permanente patient membership.

The goal of this project is to provide outreach to underserved populations in the community to promote healthy behaviors. Anchors for this project include developing alliances with individuals and/or systems to improve the lives of those served; providing education and training based on the empirical literature; collecting, analyzing, and presenting relevant outcome data to partnership stakeholders.

The scope and focus of the projects are site specific, reflecting the unique opportunities available in each community to develop meaningful partnerships. Projects are developed in conjunction with the site training director and can take a wide range of forms. Many Community Partnership Projects entail psychoeducational programs at local high schools or community centers, with emphasis in such areas as mindfulness, stress reduction, parenting education, anger management, or communication trainings. Other projects have involved staff consultation at county or non-profit agencies (e.g., homeless shelters, community mental health clinics, prisons, etc.).

All doctoral interns are expected to complete at least 100 hours of assessment batteries during the internship year which includes a structured interview, test administration, scoring and interpretation, report writing, and feedback. Referral questions for testing may be psychodiagnostic or cognitive assessments. Our clinical population will expose doctoral interns to a wide variety of referrals with the vast majority (if not exclusively) being ADHD cases.

Each doctoral intern is required to participate in a demonstration of applied research skill sets. All doctoral interns may be required to present to a Grand Rounds at the medical center (topic developed in conjunction with the program and typically based on the intern’s dissertation) and may be required to submit research of a psychological nature (and if accepted to present) at a state, regional, or national psychology-oriented meeting. All doctoral interns are required to attend a regionally sponsored “Journal Club” in which they will research a topic of clinical interest to the group and present findings. Some residents may be offered an opportunity to participate in a research project.

Five interns serve in the adult services team providing generalist clinical care to a diverse patient population presenting with a wide variety of diagnoses, symptom severity, and racial and cultural identities. Supervisors are experienced generalists with additional expertise in trauma, anxiety, and/or OCD. Interns who thrive in this role enjoy working in a fast-paced environment. Individual therapy caseloads grow gradually at the beginning of the year and expand continuously throughout the year as new patients are seen every week. In addition to psychotherapy, interns in this rotation conduct adult ADHD testing one half day per week, primarily using clinical interviews. Due to the time demands of providing psychotherapy and adult ADHD testing, additional or alternative assessment opportunities are not available. Interns in this rotation work only with adults.

ADHD assessment in this position involves a structured clinical interview and rating scales. This is a high-volume program with an intensive focus on differential diagnosis, but very few opportunities for formal testing or traditional psychological assessment are available. Students interested in more formal testing experience may not find this aspect of the position sufficient for their professional development goals.

Successful interns will need to be able to work in fast-paced environments with a focus on immediate interventions and solution focus interventions with clearly defined treatment end points with patients.
Interns need experience in short-term term outpatient focused treatment setting, where brief time limited treatments are required to have the highest chance of gaining an interview. A large number of clinical hours without this experience will not result in an interview. We strongly encourage each applicant to carefully review their own experience and ensure this is a good match before applying.

For students applying to any position in the Kaiser Oakland Psychology Internship, please do the following:

* We will only offer interviews for people who indicate an interest in a specific track

* We will not use an expressed interest in multiple tracks in any ranking decisions
* Make sure that in the APPI you mark all positions you are interested in working in

* Ensure that your cover letter clearly and specifically lays out why you are interested in a specific training experience AND your background that makes you a good fit for the position as well as why you are interested in working in an integrated health care and HMO model environment rather than a private practice or other environment

* We are using a virtual interview process format for the 2027/2028 training year

*The program is in a large medical center and requires all interns to meet vaccine requirements and well as being able to work on site at any time at the sole discretion of the program and leadership.

One intern serves in the adult services team providing generalist clinical care to a diverse patient population presenting with a wide variety of diagnoses, symptom severity, and racial and cultural identities. Supervisors are experienced generalists with additional expertise in trauma, anxiety, and/or OCD. Interns who thrive in this role enjoy working in a fast-paced environment. Individual therapy caseloads grow gradually at the beginning of the year and expand continuously throughout the year as new patients are seen every week. In addition to psychotherapy, interns in this rotation conduct adult ADHD testing one half day per week, primarily using clinical interviews. Due to the time demands of providing psychotherapy and adult ADHD testing, additional or alternative assessment opportunities are not available. Interns in this rotation work only with adults.

ADHD assessment in this position involves a structured clinical interview and rating scales. This is a high-volume program with an intensive focus on differential diagnosis, but very few opportunities for formal testing or traditional psychological assessment are available. Students interested in more formal testing experience may not find this aspect of the position sufficient for their professional development goals.

Successful interns will need to be able to work in fast-paced environments with a focus on immediate interventions and solution focus interventions with clearly defined treatment end points with patients.

Interns need experience in short-term term outpatient focused treatment setting, where brief time limited treatments are required to have the highest chance of gaining an interview. A large number of clinical hours without this experience will not result in an interview. We strongly encourage each applicant to carefully review their own experience and ensure this is a good match before applying.

For students applying to any position in the Kaiser Oakland Psychology Internship, please do the following:

* We will only offer interviews for people who indicate an interest in a specific track

* We will not use an expressed interest in multiple tracks in any ranking decisions

* Make sure that in the APPI you mark all positions you are interested in working in

* Ensure that your cover letter clearly and specifically lays out why you are interested in a specific training experience AND your background that makes you a good fit for the position as well as why you are interested in working in an integrated health care and HMO model environment rather than a private practice or other environment

* We are using a virtual interview process format for the 2027/2028 training year

*The program is in a large medical center and requires all interns to meet vaccine requirements and well as being able to work on site at any time at the sole discretion of the program and leadership.

ADHD assessment in this position involves a structured clinical interview and rating scales. This is a high-volume program with an intensive focus on differential diagnosis, but very few opportunities for formal testing or traditional psychological assessment are available. Students interested in more extensive, traditional neuropsychology formal testing experience may not find this aspect of the position sufficient for their professional development goals.

The first step of the process will be a clinical interview along with other clinically relevant information. If needed, the intern may bring the patient in for office testing. Finally, the intern provides a feedback session where the intern provides the feedback to patient along with the diagnosis and recommendations for the next step in treatment.

Close supervision is used initially with more distant supervision as the year goes along. The goal by the end of the year is for the intern to be able to assess any adult for ADHD and recognize the full range of presentations and know when a patient has, and does not have the condition, and to be able to provide feedback competently and compassionately in all cases.

For students applying to any position in the Kaiser Oakland Psychology Internship, please do the following:

* We will only offer interviews for people who indicate an interest in a specific track

* We will not use an expressed interest in multiple tracks in any ranking decisions

* Make sure that in the APPI you mark all positions you are interested in working in

* Ensure that your cover letter clearly and specifically lays out why you are interested in a specific training experience AND your background that makes you a good fit for the position as well as why you are interested in working in an integrated health care and HMO model environment rather than a private practice or other environment

* We are using a virtual interview process format for the 2027/2028 training year

*The program is in a large medical center and requires all interns to meet vaccine requirements and well as being able to work on site at any time at the sole discretion of the program and leadership.

One intern will be placed with the “The Multi-Specialty Transitions (MST) Department” at Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center which is a regional hub for gender-affirming medical care in Northern CA. The clinic’s mental health model is rooted in self-determination and informed consent, and providers on this team support patients holistically as they pursue gender affirming medical care. The mental health service in the clinic also closely collaborates with medical providers to offer a range of services that support patients’ emotional and psychological well-being. These services are affirmative, sex-positive, respectful and culturally sensitive.

The clinic team consists of mental health providers as well as clinicians from surgery, internal medicine, gynecology, social work, and nursing, who work together to provide comprehensive healthcare for Kaiser Permanente members needing gender-affirming health care services.

A mental health clinician in this role has the opportunity to provide the following services:

• Conduct informing sessions for gender affirming medical care including hormones and surgeries

• Provide ongoing support for patients as they prepare for and recover from gender affirming surgeries

• Facilitate support groups

• Short term psychotherapy

• Present mental health and wellness material at surgical education classes

• Provide support for youth and families navigating decisions related to medical and social transition

• Coordinate care across an interdisciplinary team of providers

• Develop patient education material and resources

An ideal candidate for this position has a working knowledge of transgender and non-binary identities, is rooted in social justice frameworks, and understands the historical gatekeeping role that mental health providers have played in trans health and are willing to interrogate their own subjectivities in clinical encounters with patients.

Interns do one half day per week in the ADHD clinic working with patients with ADHD.

ADHD assessment in this position involves a structured clinical interview and rating scales.  Students interested in more formal testing experience may not find this aspect of the position sufficient for their professional development goals.

For students applying to any position in the Kaiser Oakland Psychology Internship, please do the following:

* We will only offer interviews for people who indicate an interest in a specific track

* We will not use an expressed interest in multiple tracks in any ranking decisions

* Make sure that in the APPI you mark all positions you are interested in working in

* Ensure that your cover letter clearly and specifically lays out why you are interested in a specific training experience AND your background that makes you a good fit for the position as well as why you are interested in working in an integrated health care and HMO model environment rather than a private practice or other environment

* We are using a virtual interview process format for the 2027/2028 training year

*The program is in a large medical center and requires all interns to meet vaccine requirements and well as being able to work on site at any time at the sole discretion of the program and leadership.

The intern in this position will be assigned to the Oakland Psychiatry Child Team and will be working with a general youth service caseload. Interns in this position will conduct multiple groups over the course of the training year, provide brief individual and family therapy, and will participate in the ADHD assessment program throughout the year. The intern in this position will need to be comfortable working with both young children and adolescents and feel comfortable working with parents from multicultural and diverse economic backgrounds. Depending on experience, skills, and interest, limited opportunities may be available at the discretion of the program and leadership for exposure to specialty programs such as Intensive Outpatient, Crisis Stabilization, Gender Care, ASD, OCD or emergency department evaluations with the Crisis Response Team.

ADHD testing in this position uses a clinical interview format as well as collection and review of rating forms. In some cases administration of computerized testing is utilized. Opportunities for other testing and assessment experience may be provided at the discretion of the program and leadership based on availability and the skills of each intern in these positions.

For students applying to any position in the Kaiser Oakland Psychology Internship, please do the following:

* We will only offer interviews for people who indicate an interest in a specific track

* We will not use an expressed interest in multiple tracks in any ranking decisions

* Make sure that in the APPI you mark all positions you are interested in working in

* Ensure that your cover letter clearly and specifically lays out why you are interested in a specific training experience AND your background that makes you a good fit for the position as well as why you are interested in working in an integrated health care and HMO model environment rather than a private practice or other environment

* We are using a virtual interview process format for the 2027/2028 training year

*The program is in a large medical center and requires all interns to meet vaccine requirements and well as being able to work on site at any time at the sole discretion of the program and leadership.

The intern in this placement serves in the child crisis service (with exposure to the child units in the tertiary medical care hospital), and 1 shift per week in the ADHD testing services for adult patients in the clinic. Successful applicants should have interest and abilities to see both children and adults. Limited exposure to patients in the emergency department may be provided. Please note that interns in this placement are required to work with medically compromised and physically ill patients and must always work on site.

ADHD assessment in this position involves a structured clinical interview and rating scales and may occasionally in-office follow ups with tests like the CPT. This is a high-volume program with an intensive focus on differential diagnosis, but very few opportunities for formal testing or traditional psychological assessment are available. Students interested in more formal testing experience may not find this aspect of the position sufficient for their professional development goals.

Successful interns will need to be able to work in fast paced environments with a focus on immediate interventions and not long-term work with patients.

For students applying to any position in the Kaiser Oakland Psychology Internship, please do the following:

* We will only offer interviews for people who indicate an interest in a specific track

* We will not use an expressed interest in multiple tracks in any ranking decisions

* Make sure that in the APPI you mark all positions you are interested in working in

* Ensure that your cover letter clearly and specifically lays out why you are interested in a specific training experience AND your background that makes you a good fit for the position as well as why you are interested in working in an integrated health care and HMO model environment rather than a private practice or other environment

* We are using a virtual interview process format for the 2027/2028 training year

*The program is in a large medical center and requires all interns to meet vaccine requirements and well as being able to work on site at any time at the sole discretion of the program and leadership.

Kaiser Permanente Oakland Addiction Medicine and Recovery Services (AMRS) is an outpatient treatment program providing recovery services for adults and adolescents with substance use disorders and co-occurring psychiatric disorders. We work closely with the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) team as well as Kaiser Permanente’s nearby hospital emergency department and medical offices. Services include:

Adult Programming

• Day Treatment (a highly structured intensive outpatient treatment providing patients with 20 hours per week of recovery-based treatment for 3 weeks)

• Assessment and Referral to Residential Recovery Services

• Psychoeducation and Relapse Prevention

• Continuing and Long-Term Recovery

• Harm Reduction and Controlled Use Support

• Dual Diagnosis

Adolescent Programming

• Abstinence-based programs

• Family Therapy and Psychoeducation

Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT

• Detoxification and Withdrawal

• Anti-craving (Naltrexone, Campral, Antabuse, Buprenorphine)

• General Psychiatric Medication Support

AMRS doctoral interns receive training, supervision, and clinical experience in assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of substance use and co-occurring disorders. Professionally, in addition to supervision, trainees are involved in clinical consultation meetings to round on patients in the entire department, can participate in work groups aimed at coordinating and improving programs currently running, and curriculum development. Trainees also attend staff meetings as part of the general professional community here at Oakland AMRS.

For students applying to any position in the Kaiser Oakland Psychology Internship, please do the following:

* We will only offer interviews for people who indicate an interest in a specific track

* We will not use an expressed interest in multiple tracks in any ranking decisions

* Make sure that in the APPI you mark all positions you are interested in working in

* * Ensure that your cover letter clearly and specifically lays out why you are interested in a specific training experience AND your background that makes you a good fit for the position as well as why you are interested in working in an integrated health care and HMO model environment rather than a private practice or other environment

*The program is in a large medical center and requires all interns to meet vaccine requirements and well as being able to work on site at any time at the sole discretion of the program and leadership. ADHD assessment in this position involves a structured clinical interview and rating scales. This is a high-volume program with an intensive focus on differential diagnosis, but very few opportunities for formal testing or traditional psychological assessment are available. Students interested in more formal testing experience may not find this aspect of the position sufficient for their professional development goals.

* We are using a virtual interview process format for the 2027/2028 training year

*The program is in a large medical center and requires all interns to meet vaccine requirements and well as being able to work on site at any time at the sole discretion of the program and leadership.

The intern in this position will be assigned to the Richmond Psychiatry Child Team and will be working with a general youth service caseload. Interns in this position will conduct multiple groups over the course of the training year, provide brief individual and family therapy, and will conduct ADHD assessments throughout the year. The intern in this position will need to be comfortable working with both young children and adolescents and feel comfortable working with parents. Depending on experience, skills, and interest, limited opportunities may be available at the discretion of the program and leadership for exposure to specialty programs such as Intensive Outpatient, Crisis Stabilization, Gender Care, ASD, or emergency department evaluations with the Crisis Response Team.

ADHD testing in this position uses a clinical interview format as well as collection and review of rating forms. In some cases, administration of computerized testing is utilized. Opportunities for other testing and assessment experience may be provided at the discretion of the program and leadership based on availability and the skills of each intern in these positions.

For students applying to any position in the Kaiser Oakland Psychology Internship, please do the following:

* We will only offer interviews for people who indicate an interest in a specific track

* We will not use an expressed interest in multiple tracks in any ranking decisions

* Make sure that in the APPI you mark all positions you are interested in working in

* * Ensure that your cover letter clearly and specifically lays out why you are interested in a specific training experience AND your background that makes you a good fit for the position as well as why you are interested in working in an integrated health care and HMO model environment rather than a private practice or other environment

* We are using a virtual interview process format for the 2027/2028 training year

*The program is in a large medical center and requires all interns to meet vaccine requirements and well as being able to work on site at any time at the sole discretion of the program and leadership