Wright Institute Program Receives APA Grant for Internships

The Wright Institute Integrated Health Psychology Training Program (IHPTP) has received a $20,000 grant from the American Psychological Association (APA) to advance APA-accredited internship programs.

The APA Grants for Internship Programs is a three-year initiative to increase the number of APA-accredited internship programs and positions. IHPTP was awarded $20,000 on December 13 to assist with its goal of becoming an exclusively-affiliated accredited internship site during the 2014-15 year.

The APA has allocated up to $3 million for seed funding under a grant application process as part of this program. The dual purposes are to expand the number of accredited internship positions and to promote quality training for professional practice. This grant program is one component of multifaceted efforts across the profession and APA to address the significant imbalance in supply and demand for accredited internships.

The APA Board of Educational Affairs believes that professional psychology is best served by a workforce trained in programs that meet the standards of the profession as demonstrated through a quality assurance mechanism recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Completion of an APA-accredited internship is also a requirement for hiring by federal agencies and is increasingly required for state licensure. Moreover, unaccredited internship programs are not eligible for federal funding, such as the recent allocation of an extra $5 million by the Health Resources and Services Administration.