Criteria and procedures for approval of external practicum and internship training settings

1. General

   Applied training to acquire the clinical and professional competencies in the form of knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to become an autonomous psychologist is an integral component of the doctoral program in Clinical Psychology. Competencies are primarily acquired in required and optional courses, supplemented by focal additional learning in the context of clinical training. Consistent with the Accreditation Standards of the Canadian Psychological Association, clinical training occurs in practica at the School of Psychology’s Centre for Psychological Services and Research (CPSR) and at external sites, followed by a full-year internship.

   Practicum students and interns benefit from a broad range of clinical training opportunities, as all students undertake multiple external practica in the course of their program. In addition to the CPSR internship, which offers affiliated positions to students from the University of Ottawa clinical psychology program, trainees are encouraged to consider external internship/residency sites when preparing to apply for the required internship.  

   Objective: The objective of the present policy is to provide a clear set of criteria and procedures for determining the acceptability of a site for the training (practicum and internship) of doctoral students enrolled in the University of Ottawa Clinical Psychology program.

2. Definitions

   1. Psychologist means a person legally qualified to use this title who is in good standing with the regulatory body of psychology in the jurisdiction in which the training setting is located.
   2. Site
      1. A site is any facility or combination of facilities operated by a common administrative authority.
      2. A consortium of sites specifically established to offer an integrated training program may be reviewed and designated conjointly.

3.  Scope of the criteria and procedures

   1. All external sites must be pre-approved by the School of Psychology to be officially recognized as an approved external training site.
   2. Sites approved as part of a consortium will be re-assessed if they are no longer part of the consortium to which approval has been granted.
   3. A student may be credited with training received only in sites officially approved by the School of Psychology.

4. External sites accredited by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) or the American Psychological Association (APA)

   1. Criterion
      An external site internship/residency program already accredited by CPA or APA shall be considered prima facia to meet the criteria for approval as an affiliated external training site.
   2. Procedures
      It is the responsibility of the Coordinator of Practica & Internships (CPI) to determine the accreditation status of external sites.
   3. The CPI may approve specific practicum placements or internships of students requesting training in an accredited external site, whether as a component of the required practicum (PSY 6007, PSY 6008, PSY 6009, PSY6010), or as an internship (PSY 6022, PSY 6032).
   4. Loss of accreditation
      1. An external site which is no longer accredited by CPA or APA will be reviewed according to the criteria and procedures specified in E2 below prior to the further placement of students.
      2. Placements already underway in sites no longer accredited by CPA or APA will normally continue until the review has been completed unless the CPI determines that doing so would likely be prejudicial to the student. The Director of the Clinical Program is typically consulted and always informed of such a determination.

5. Non-accredited external settings

   1. The School of Psychology recognizes that good quality training can be provided in a wide-range of sites. It may not be possible for some sites to seek accreditation; nonetheless, such sites must meet specific criteria to become affiliated with the School of Psychology. Although this more likely occurs during practicum training, it can occur exceptionally at the internship level of training. For internship training, students are strongly encouraged to consider accredited internships. Given the bilingual nature of the Clinical Program as well as the needs for specific training where there is a dearth of accredited internships (e.g., school-based services, child protection/welfare services, forensic services), the Clinical Program recognizes that it is appropriate for some students to consider non-accredited internships. For both practicum and internship training, the Accreditation Standards and Procedures for Doctoral Programs and Internships in Professional Psychology of the Canadian Psychological Association serve as the framework for the review and approval of non-accredited sites.
   2. Criteria
      1. Official standing
         The provision of psychological services will be officially recognized within the site as confirmed by the sites’ service plan or equivalent.
      2. Professional responsibility
         1. The delivery of psychological services in the site will be the responsibility of one or more clearly designated psychologists.
         2. The training program of practicum students and/or interns will be the responsibility of a clearly designated psychologist.
      3. Staffing
         1. For practicum training, there will be at least one psychologist officially attached to the actual service unit of the site in which the practicum training will occur. The psychologist will be present frequently enough in the actual site or service unit to be an effective model for the student and to be able to monitor and evaluate the student’s activities.
         2. For external settings offering internships:
            1. There will be at least two psychologists affiliated with the external site, of whom at least one must be full-time.
            2. A psychologist will be designated as having responsibility for the internship program. 
            3. The training program is offered by an organized group of professional psychologists who collaborate and meet regularly for the purposes of (a) planning, delivering and monitoring psychological services within the host institution, and (b) monitoring professional issues and supporting staff in meeting professional standards. The organized group of professional psychologists reports to a Chief Psychologist or equivalent.
            4. There will usually be at least two internship positions available annually within the site. Sites with only one position but which are committed to graduated growth in internship positions may receive initial approval.
      4. Supervision
         1. For practicum training, 30 minutes of regularly scheduled supervision will be provided for each one hour of direct service provided by the trainee.
         2. Supervision time may be somewhat higher or lower depending on a student's prior training experiences, the complexity of the services delivered by the student, and the progress made by the student in the practicum placement.
         3. For internship training, 20 minutes of regularly scheduled supervision will be provided for each one hour of direct service provided by the trainee. A minimum of 4 hours of weekly supervision is required by the CPA Standards (Standard VIII.B).
         4. Supervision will be documented by both the trainee and supervisor.
         5. Trainees will be provided with a written training plan establishing clearly defined training objectives and clear, direct and regular feedback on their learning, performance, and progress on areas specified in the training plan as a regular part of supervision. A copy of each trainee’s training plan may be requested by the CPI.
         6. The external site will be able to provide such supplementary supervision as may be required to fulfill both training objectives and service requirements.
      5. Evaluation
         1. Regular ongoing feedback is an integral component of all supervised clinical training, as it is an integral part of the evaluation process.
            The following are the requirements for formal evaluations:
         2. All trainees will be periodically evaluated. They will receive a written summary of the evaluation(s).A copy of the evaluation must be sent to the CPI.
         3. Practicum students will be formally evaluated at the conclusion of the practicum, except where the practicum exceeds 6 consecutive months. Students will be evaluated at the end of the practicum when the duration is 6 months or less. For other practica, the trainee will be evaluated not less than every 6 months.
         4. Interns will be formally evaluated at an interval not less than the mid-point of the internship and at the conclusion of the internship.
      6. Selection of trainees
         1. Interns will be selected according to procedures which are generally in accordance with the policies and guidelines of the Association of Psychology and Postdoctoral Internships Centers and/or the Canadian Council of Professional Psychology Programs.
         2. Practicum students will be selected according to procedures established external sites and the School of Psychology. The CPI will represent the School in establishing and administering such procedures.
   3. Procedures for acquiring approval
      1. Approval as an external site of the Clinical Psychology Program will be preceded by discussions between the external site and the CPI. This will include a site visit by the CPI. Exceptionally, due to geographic location, a site visit may not be feasible. In such instances, there will be extensive real-time discussions with key persons in the external site.
      2. The psychologist designated as responsible for training in the external site will communicate in writing the site’s wish to become an approved external training site of the Clinical Psychology Program and submit required documentation.
      3. Concurrent with E3.2, enough documentation will be submitted to review the site according to the criteria set out in this document. This documentation need not have been created for the purpose of this approval procedure. However, it should be sufficiently identified and labelled in a manner that links specific documentation with specific criteria.
      4. Upon receipt of the information identified in E3.2 and E3.3, the CPI will review all material, consult with the Clinical Program Director, and make a recommendation to the School of Psychology’s Clinical Program Committee. The matter will then be placed on the meeting agenda of the Clinical Program Committee. Usually, this will be done within 60 days of receipt of the request.
      5. The Clinical Program Committee's decision is final.
   4. Term

      1. Normally, approval will be for 7 years. If, in the CPI’s judgment, a site no longer meets the criteria for approval, the CPI may initiate an earlier evaluation and report it to the Clinical Program Committee along with a recommendation regarding continuing approval.

         Procedures for re-approval

      2. Re-approval as an external clinical training site of the Clinical Psychology Program will be discussed between the external site and the CPI. This may include a site visit by the CPI. Exceptionally, due to geographic location, a site visit may not be feasible. In such instances, there will be extensive real-time discussions with key persons in the external site.
      3. The recommendation of the CPI for re-approval will be placed on the meeting agenda of the Clinical Program Committee. The Clinical Program Committee. The Clinical Program Committee's decision regarding re-approval is final.
      4. Normally, re-approval will be for 7 years.

Approved by the Clinical Program Committee on May 26, 1997

Approved by the Executive Committee on June 3, 1997

Approved by the School Council June 20, 1997

Revision approved by the Clinical Program Committee on December 10, 2015 and on March 13, 2017

Revision approved by the Management Committee on April 12, 2017

Revision approved by the School Council on May 26, 2017

Revisions approved by the Clinical Program Committee on February 10, 2020

Revisions approved by the Management Committee on May 16, 2024

Revisions approved by the School of Psychology Council on May 24, 2024