MISSION STATEMENT & GOALS
| Doctoral Internship in Health Service Psychology

The primary mission of LSU Health Shreveport is to teach, heal, and discover, in order to advance the well-being of the region and beyond. The aims of the LSU Health Shreveport Children's Center is to maximize the potential of children, infancy through 12 years of age, within Region 7, as designated by the State of Louisiana, by providing diagnostic assessment and treatment, supporting and educating families and service providers, and offering technical assistance and outreach to community agencies.

The Children’s Center Doctoral Internship in Health Service Psychology program's mission is to train doctoral level interns using efficient, high quality, evidence-based mental health practices in order to prepare them for dynamic roles as psychologists in the health care system. The goal of the doctoral internship program is to provide interns with training within the multidisciplinary LSU Health Shreveport system as well as the community at large. By providing robust and intensive training, we can actualize the mission of Children’s Center and that of LSU Health Shreveport.

The Children’s Center Doctoral Internship in Health Service Psychology is a significant expression of LSU’s ongoing, central commitment to training graduate students in the field of psychology. An important feature of our internship is that while service is a key part of the internship program, the program’s first commitment is to training. The following are our program aims:

Aim 1: Interns will gain the clinical knowledge and skills needed for entry-level positions as professional psychologists.

Competencies:

• Assessment: Interns will be able to conduct assessments using a variety of information sources, develop a comprehensive formulation of the client’s difficulties, and make appropriate treatment recommendations;
• Intervention: Interns will be able to maintain a treatment relationship that facilitates effective client outcomes, and to implement several types of evidence-based psychotherapy and psychological interventions, at a level consistent with beginning professional practice.
• Communication & Interpersonal Skills: Interns will demonstrate effective interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills with clients and coworkers.
• Consultation & Interprofessional/Interdisciplinary Skills: Interns will be familiar with concepts of consultation, and demonstrate beginning skills in this area;
• Supervision: Interns will be familiar with concepts of supervision, and demonstrate beginning skills.

Aim 2: Interns will demonstrate knowledge and skills for research-informed, professional, ethical, and culturally sensitive practice as psychologists.

Competencies:

• Research: Interns will demonstrate critical thinking of research and integration of science into practice.
• Professional Values, Attitudes & Behaviors: Interns will demonstrate professionalism in all aspects of their role.

Internship Admissions, Support, and Initial Placement Data

Date Program Tables were updated: June 4, 2025

Program Disclosures

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?

Response: No
If yes, provide website link (or content from brochure): N/A

Internship Program Admissions

Narrative description: This program provides three full-time internship positions and is designed for students admitted to a doctoral training program who have completed at least four years of full-time graduate study in clinical/counseling psychology. The LSU Health Shreveport Internship bases its selection process on the entire application package submitted through the APPI; however, applicants who have met the following qualifications prior to beginning internship are considered preferred:

• A minimum of 400 intervention hours
• A minimum of 100 assessment hours
• Dissertation proposal complete
• Preference for applicants who can demonstrate familiarity with child/adolescent intervention techniques
• Ample experience with childhood intellectual, adaptive, and behavioral measures

Minimum Hours at Time of Application

Requirement	Required?	Amount (hours)
Total Direct Contact Intervention Hours	Yes	400
Total Direct Contact Assessment Hours	Yes	100

Other required minimum criteria used to screen applicants: None specified.

Financial and Other Benefit Support for Upcoming Training Year*

Benefit	Details
Annual Stipend/Salary for Full-time Interns	$25,000 + benefits
Annual Stipend/Salary for Half-time Interns	Not applicable
Program provides access to medical insurance for intern?	Yes
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 (PTO and/or Vacation)	80**
Hours of Annual Paid Sick Leave	42**
Extended unpaid leave for medical/family needs beyond PTO/sick leave	Yes

*Note. Programs are not required by the Commission on Accreditation to provide all benefits listed in this table.

**Note. These hours are approximate, and additional days off may be requested and approved by the Program Director of Training. Most approved time off is related to significant medical issues (COVID-19, pregnancy/delivery) or school-related duties (defending dissertation).

Initial Post-Internship Positions

(Aggregated tally for the preceding 3 cohorts) 2023-2025

Summary	Count
Total number of interns in the 3 cohorts	4

Total number of interns who did not seek employment because they returned to their doctoral program/are completing doctoral degree: 0

Primary Position Settings

Setting	Number (PD/EP)
Academic teaching
Community mental health center
Consortium
University Counseling Center
Hospital/Medical Center	1 (EP)
Veterans Affairs Health Care System
Psychiatric facility
Correctional facility
Health maintenance organization
School district/system
Independent practice setting	2 (EP)
Other	1 (EP)

Note: “PD” = Post-doctoral residency position; “EP” = Employed position. Each individual is counted only once; if someone works in more than one setting, the primary position is reported.