Reprinted with permission of Dr. Keilin:
Each year, the APPIC Board receives feedback about the increasing number of enterprising individuals who have established businesses that focus on assisting applicants in obtaining an internship. Furthermore, the APPIC Board has heard comments and complaints about the claims that some of these individuals are making, the ways in which certain individuals are advertising their businesses and recruiting students, and the rates being charged to students (e.g., $100 or more per hour) for these services.
While there may in fact be some legitimate and helpful services that are being offered, the Board remains very concerned about the potential for exploitation — i.e., that some of these businesses may be taking advantage of the imbalance between applicants and positions by exploiting students’ fears and worries about not getting matched.
We encourage students to be cautious and informed consumers when it comes to decisions about using any of these services. Please know that there are a number of no-cost and low-cost ways of obtaining advice and information about the internship application process, such as the workbook published by APAGS (as well as books written by other authors), the free information available on the APPIC and NMS web sites, discussion lists sponsored by APPIC, APAGS, and others, and the support and advice provided by the faculty of many doctoral programs.
Jason Williams, Psy.D.
Chair, APPIC Board of Directors
Greg Keilin, Ph.D.
APPIC Match Coordinator
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To add to what Dr. Keilin and Dr. Williams have to say, WKPIC wants you, our prospective applicants, to know that you are enough, in and of yourself, for our application process. Services such as these are absolutely not necessary for you to be competitive in applying for our site. We are interested in the quality of your educational and clinical experiences, and in you, the person and potential intern. “Glossy” applications or photos–not needed. We look forward to the chance to meet you, and for you to meet us.
As you will hear from us many times over, the issues in our system’s current Match system relate to many variables, but though these issues affect you, they are not because of you, or deficiencies in your application or interviewing. There are simply not enough slots to meet your needs, and APA, training programs, and internship sites are working hard to correct this problem. Feel free to read through some of our Match posts, where interns have shared their experiences in surviving this stressful period. If you have a story of your own, email it to me, and we’ll talk about posting it here. We support you, and your fellow interns, current and past, support you, too.
Susan R. Vaught, Ph.D.
WKPIC Training Director