Pre-doctoral Psychology Internship Program Overview

The pre-doctoral internship in clinical psychology was designed to train future psychologists to work in health-care settings that emphasize multi-disciplinary collaboration and treatment. The program follows the scholar practitioner model of clinical training, incorporates 2,000 hours of supervised clinical experiences, meets licensing requirements for one year of pre-doctoral supervised clinical training, and meets Houston Conference Guidelines for interns interested in neuropsychology. Ongoing research activities are not a primary focus of the clinical internship.

The Behavioral Medicine and Neuropsychology Department at the Lancaster General Hospital was established in 1987 to provide both inpatient and outpatient psychological and neuropsychological assessment and therapy services to patients with a variety of medical problems. Since the department’s inception, it has grown in the breadth of services provided, but continues to specialize in neuropsychological and behavioral medicine services. The LG Health Physicians Neuropsychology practice is part of the Division of Neuroscience in the Department of Medicine.

Currently, the department consists of five psychologists, two psychometricians, two pre-doctoral interns, and support staff. Most years, we also have one or two doctoral level practicum students from area universities. Two psychologists are board certified in clinical neuropsychology. Two pre-doctoral interns will participate in a 12-month training program each year. The training faculty consists of five licensed, full-time psychologists, all of whom are directly involved in either administrative oversight or direct supervision of interns.

Together, the program leadership shares collective responsibility for the success of the training program. A clear chain of managerial responsibility has been established. Dr. Bentz, manager of LG Health Physicians Neuropsychology, provides administrative support to Dr. Purzycki, the director of training, who ensures the overall quality of the internship program itself. All psychologists are involved in the individual and group supervision experience of interns on both inpatient and outpatient bases.