Psychology Doctoral Internships

A member of the University of Denver Internship Consortium
Website: psychology.du.edu/training/internship-consortium
APPIC Number: 1176

Overview of Jefferson Center

Mission: To inspire hope, improve lives and strengthen our community by providing mental health and related solutions for individuals and families.

Vision: A community where mental health matters and care is accessible to all.

Jefferson Center is a private 501(c) (3) not-for-profit community mental health center serving Jefferson, Clear Creek and Gilpin counties for more than 60 years. Jefferson Center’s programs and services are designed to foster recovery and resilience for individuals of all ages who have mental health problems. As a private non-profit, Jefferson Center served more than 27,000 people in 2023. Our services are provided through numerous clinical locations in our three-county service area, in addition to schools, nursing homes, senior centers, and other partner locations throughout our community.

Jefferson Center recognizes that physical and mental health are linked. Research indicates that better integration of behavioral health and physical health care can have a positive impact on quality, costs and outcomes while also reducing health disparities. Since 1995, Jefferson Center has provided integrated health care to benefit clients through our successful partnerships with health care entities and organizations such as substance abuse providers, school-based health clinics, and community primary care practices. Our wellness prevention program offers individualized coaching and classes.

Jefferson Center’s clinical programs are grounded in the values of resiliency and recovery, and the entire organization strives toward being trauma-informed in view of the high prevalence of trauma among the populations we serve. Jefferson Center services are person-centered and promote hope through care that supports achievable positive outcomes.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement

At Jefferson Center, it is our policy and our mission to be inclusive and mindful of the diversity of everyone who comes through our doors. We are passionate about building a community where mental health matters and equitable care is accessible to all races, ethnicities, abilities, socioeconomic statuses, ages, sexual orientations, gender expressions, religions, cultures, and languages.

Outlined below are the principles which guide our commitment to developing a vibrant, sustainable, and resilient mental health care community.

We believe in the dignity of all people and creating a culture where diversity is valued.

We respect and affirm the unique identity of each member of our community.

We aim to inspire hope, improve lives, and strengthen our community by providing quality mental health and related solutions to everyone who comes through our doors.

We advocate at the local, state, and federal levels to promote equitable access to mental health care resources and improve the lives of community members.

We strive to dismantle systems and policies that create inequity, oppression, and disparity while promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in all that we do.

We pursue an organizational mindset that values cultural humility, recognition, and accountability in order to improve our ability to offer individualized care.

We encourage all to share their cultural experiences and identities to enrich our community.

We are committed to placing diversity, equity, and inclusion practices at the center of our daily work to create a brighter future for everyone.

Training Philosophy

The Jefferson Center Psychology Doctoral Internship Program seeks to train interns to become clinical psychologists with a firm foundation in health services psychology. Our philosophy is three-fold: (1) that training in health services psychology is a continual developmental process, (2) that providing a broad range of training opportunities is optimum for the growth of developing clinical skills, and (3) that clinical health services psychology is a science-based discipline, and it is important to apply research to inform practice.

First, our philosophy emphasizes the continual professional development of our interns. Jefferson Center seeks to build on the skills developed during the doctoral education and practicum placements through systematic assessment and training. As interns progress through the internship rotations, they are given more and more complex cases in therapy and assessment. By the end of the internship year, interns should graduate as competent entry-level clinical psychologists who can function in a variety of settings and continue to develop professionally throughout their careers. Thus, our developmental approach ensures that training for practice in clinical psychology is sequential, cumulative, and graded in complexity.

Second, our philosophy provides a broad range of training opportunities for optimum development of clinical skills. Jefferson Center offers a broad range of training sites that cover the entire developmental spectrum. Through two major and four minor rotations, interns practice in a variety of settings that gives them a diverse set of clinical experiences and prepares them for work in a variety of professional positions.

Finally, our philosophy is that health services psychology must be a science-based discipline. We seek to further develop the appreciation of science as the foundation for the practice of clinical psychology throughout our training program. Research informs the practice of psychology at Jefferson Center from our use of the evidence-based Partnership in Change Outcome Management System, to our use of evidence based treatment practices (EBPs) throughout our programming, and ongoing research in our Innovation department. Our internship program exposes interns to ongoing use of research to inform treatment across all rotations and gives them experience in participating in research focused on the delivery of effective services.

Training Program and Rotations

Our internship program provides comprehensive training that is broad and general, developmental, and anchored in the practitioner-scientist model. Our training focuses on profession-wide competency areas derived through a multi-step process that is expected for entry-level practice. Ongoing evaluation of intern functioning in specific competency areas allows us to track progress and address areas that may require further training. Interns are evaluated on their demonstration of appropriate knowledge, skills, and attitudes in the key competency areas.

Intern training is enhanced by early identification of individual training needs and interests. During the first month of training, all interns complete a self-assessment that provides information to develop an individualized training plan to address not only individual differences in prior training, but also clinical interests and career goals. Various training approaches are utilized across settings, including direct supervision by experienced clinical supervisor psychologists, direct observation (either live or video/electronic) of the intern, participation in co-therapy, utilization of role-play and enactment, observational learning, formal didactic training, and promotion of reflective practice through self-reflection and self-evaluation to facilitate continuous improvement of professional performance.

By incorporating a mentoring model coupled with experiential training under close supervision, our program is designed to nurture interns toward success. Training is sequential, cumulative, and increasing in complexity over the course of the internship. Interns are expected to move toward professional independence as they progress through the training year. This ensures that interns will be able to demonstrate the levels of competency that are necessary for entry-level practice or post-doctoral training at the end of their training.

The program’s training model promotes appreciation and understanding of diversity by ensuring nondiscrimination in all training approaches, by addressing diversity as a focus of training, and by creating an environment that nurtures success for all interns.

Training Schedule

The internship training year starts the beginning of August and concludes the end of July the following year (52 weeks, excluding Personal Annual Leave and holidays). Interns are expected to work 45 – 50 hours per week (approximately 25 – 50% of time is spent in face-to-face contact depending on the intern’s rotation). Interns must reach competency across goals and complete 2000 hours for successful completion of the internship program. The schedule below provides an approximation of the number of hours interns will spend each week in the following activities:

Major Clinical Rotations
Each intern will participate in one 16 – 24 hour/week Major Clinical Rotation each six-month period. Time for team meetings, group supervision, documentation and other paperwork is built into the rotation. The Internship Program will attempt to match the interns with their major rotation of choice during each six-month rotation.  In the event of competing interests, the desired rotations can be alternated at the end of the first six-month period, allowing interns to be matched with their area/s of interest. 

Minor Rotations
Each intern will participate in 3 minor rotations to provide experience in several key competencies of health services psychologists.

Didactic Training Series

Interns at Jefferson Center participate in the Friday didactic training series offered by the University of Denver Internship Consortium. These sessions are held weekly on the campus of the University of Denver, about a 25-minute drive from Jefferson Center.

The Consortium seminar series covers topics on Diversity, Assessment, and Research. Further details can be found on the Consortium website.

Admissions and Applications

Intern Recruitment and Selection Criteria
The University of Denver Internship Consortium and Jefferson Center only accept applications from individuals enrolled in Clinical or Counseling Psychology doctoral programs that are accredited by the American Psychological Association. Our internship strictly adheres to the admission processes outlined by the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) and all applicants must apply through the APPI online application system. 

Complete information about the Consortium application and admission process can be found here.

Apply to University of Denver Consortium

THE DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION CONSIDERATION IS: Monday, November 4, 2024 at 11:59 p.m.

We especially encourage applications from people with diverse backgrounds.

To apply, please download: Internship Training Handbook 

Complete applications require the following documents:

Completion of the APPIC Application for Psychology Internship (AAPI)
A copy of one de-identified psychological assessment report
Three (3) letters of recommendation

Application Review Process
Applications are reviewed by members of the Training Committee. Our selection criteria are based on our practitioner-scientist model, and we look for applicants whose training goals match the training that we offer. The program looks not only at the total number of practicum hours but the quality of those hours in terms of the type of setting as well as experience with empirically supported treatments. If you have no Rorschach experience or limited Rorschach experience your application will still be considered as we look at your total assessment experience.

Based on the quality of the application and the match between the applicant’s training goals and the Jefferson Center’s training program, approximately thirty applicants are invited for an interview. Interviews are conducted in January and all interviews will be conducted remotely via zoom.

Interviews are conducted with individual applicants by a panel of no less than three psychology internship supervisors in a group format. Standardized questions are asked and scored for all candidates interviewed.

Following the completion of the interviews, Jefferson Center Training Committee meets to rank order applicants, which is based on both the submitted application and the interview. The final ranking order is determined by consensus of the Jefferson Center Training Committee. This internship site agrees to abide by the APPIC policy that no person at this training facility will solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information from any intern applicant.

Required Prior Experience

Application Process and Selection Criteria for 2024-2025 Training year

Direct Hour Requirements

Jefferson Center and its Psychology Doctoral Internship Program are committed to the recruitment of culturally and ethnically diverse interns. We encourage inquiries and applications from all qualified individuals.

Completed applications are expected to meet the following requirements:

Doctoral student in an APA-accredited Clinical or Counseling Psychology program
Approval for internship status by graduate program Training Director
Academic coursework completed by the end of the academic year preceding the start of internship
Cumulative GPA of 3.5 or greater
Completion of 4 integrated psychological reports (50 direct contact hours), including projective, objective and cognitive assessments:
- minimum of 1 child/adolescent administered
- minimum of 1 adult battery administered
- minimum of 1 WISC or WAIS administered
preferred applicants with have a minimum of 2 Rorschach’s administered, preferably to both an adult and child/adolescent (Exner or RPAS)
Completion of at least 400 practicum intervention hours by the start of the internship including:
- adults/older adults
- children/adolescents
- evidence based practices
Approval of dissertation proposal by application deadline
A de-identified psychological assessment report is required with the application

Important Note Regarding Applicant Exclusions

Results of the APPIC Match constitute a binding agreement between the matched applicants and the program. However final appointment of applicants to the internship at Jefferson Center is contingent on applicants passing a criminal background check. A pre-employment background check is completed on all matched applicants. Felony assault convictions will be considered a failed background check.  Federal misdemeanors and misdemeanors are handled on a case-by-case basis.

If not a US Citizen, you will be required to provide documentation to verify eligibility following match and before employment.

Jefferson Center for Mental Health is committed to a safe, healthy, and productive work environment for all employees free from the effects of substance abuse. Abuse of alcohol, drugs, and controlled substances impairs employee judgment, resulting in increased safety risks, injuries, and faulty decision-making. Jefferson Center for Mental Health follows Federal Law regarding cannabis and other drugs.  We do not do a pre-employment drug test but all employees may be asked to submit a random urine drug screen should there be indications that substances may be affecting job performance. A positive drug screen including THC will result in a termination of the internship.

Vaccine Requirement
In partnership with Behavioral Health Entity (BHE), Jefferson Center is complying with a Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) standard requiring facilities track and report flu vaccine immunization rates for staff and direct contractors and ensure that ninety percent (90%) have received the influenza vaccine during a given influenza season. All employees and new employees hired during the flu season (November 1 through March 31) shall provide Human Resources with proof of immunization, or a medical exemption within 30 days of hire. New employees who do not have proof of immunization are required to wear a surgical or procedure mask when in direct contact with clients and in common areas during influenza season.

COVID 19 vaccinations are no longer required.

Thank you for your interest in our internship consortium site. Please feel free to contact Dr. Kathy Baur at KathyB@jcmh.org with any questions about the Jefferson Center program.

Get To Know Us

Kathy Baur, PhD

Kathy Baur, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist who has been with Jefferson Center since 1998. She received her doctorate from the University of Wyoming and completed her internship and a fellowship in behavioral medicine. In addition to being the Psychology Doctoral Internship Training Director, she provides clinical services to our clients through Crisis and Adult Outpatient Services. Her areas of interest are clinical supervision, program development, training, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and anxiety disorders.

Beth Chandler, PsyD

Beth Chandler, PsyD is a licensed clinical psychologist who works for Jefferson Center as a co-located clinician in a primary care setting. She attended University of Denver’s Professional School of Psychology, completing her internship at Denver General Hospital (Denver Health). She specializes in the treatment of older adults and behavioral health integration. Beth supervises the Integrated Care rotation.

Amanda M. Daniel, MA, LPC

Amanda M. Daniel, MA, LPC has worked in the mental health field for over 20 years in various settings and positions, always with a bilingual and bicultural lens. Amanda is a Licensed Professional Counselor, with a BA in Psychology and Spanish and a MA in Counseling and Guidance from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, NM. For the past 15 years, she has lived and worked in Southwest Denver as a bilingual therapist and then program manager. For over 8 years she has been a clinical supervisor to immigrant and Spanish-speaking children, adolescents, adults, and their families, dealing with issues from Adjustment Disorders to Schizophrenia. In her previous position, she served on various committees and workgroups with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion in community mental health and the workplace.

Abigail Donate-Peralta, PsyD

Abigail Donate-Peralta, PsyD is a licensed psychologist who has been with Jefferson Center since 2022. Abi graduated in 2019 from the University of Colorado Denver with a degree in School Psychology. She has worked in a public-school setting providing mental health, behavioral, crisis, consultation and assessment services to school aged-children and their families. Abi received a bilingual certificate through UC Denver and is biliterate/bilingual in English and Spanish. With JCMH, Abi provides a variety of clinical assessment services in English and Spanish. Abi supervises the Centro Dones rotation and Spanish language psychological assessments.

Emily Grados, PsyD

Emily Grados, PsyD is a licensed clinical psychologist who works for Jefferson Center as manager of Crisis Services, overseeing operations of the 24/7 walk-in crisis center and mobile crisis response. Emily received her Doctorate from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology in Los Angeles, and completed her internship at Glendale Adventist Hospital. She specializes in trauma-informed community crisis intervention.

Kirsten Kloock, PsyD

Kirsten Kloock, PsyD, a licensed clinical psychologist, is the manager of the Psychological Assessment team, a member of the training committee, and provides didactics for the interns. She has been with Jefferson Center since 2016. Kirsten received her doctorate from the California School of Professional Psychology with an emphasis in multicultural awareness and completed her postdoctoral residency specializing in psychological assessment. Kirsten also provides forensic, pre-surgical, neuropsychological, ADHD, ASD, and social-emotional testing for our clients.

Jodi Lovejoy, DBH

Jodi Lovejoy, DBH earned her Doctor of Behavioral Health (Arizona State University) and MSW (University of Utah). She completed post-doctoral hours with the United States Air Force (Colorado) and pre-doctoral hours at Mayo Clinic/City of Hope (Arizona). A licensed clinical social worker since 1994, Jodi managed addiction programs for indigenous women, regional EAP programs, and providers.

Adam Maher, PsyD

Adam Maher, PsyD, is a graduate of California School of Professional Psychology, San Francisco, and completed his doctoral internship and post-doctorate fellowship at Regina Caeli Clinical Services. He is a licensed clinical psychologist at the Jefferson Center and provides both individual psychotherapy and pre-surgical psychological assessments. Adam provides supervision for the Family Services rotation as well as providing didactic seminars.

Priya McLennan, PhD

Priya McLennan, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in child psychology and community mental health. In addition to her clinical training and experience, Priya has a background in innovation and dissemination, and implementation research. Combining her expertise, Priya is currently a clinical innovation consultant for the Jefferson Center and the supervisor for the doctoral intern innovation/research rotation. Priya received her doctorate from the University of Hawaii at Manoā and completed her psychology internship and postdoctoral fellowship at the Jefferson Center.

Lori Perkins, LPC

Lori Perkins, LPC is a Regis University graduate and a licensed professional counselor. She is a seasoned crisis clinician with over a decade of crisis experience and who has been with Jefferson Center for 26 years. Lori is the supervisor for the Crisis rotation.

Tiffany Shelton, PhD

Tiffany Shelton, PhD completed her postdoctoral assessment fellowship with Jefferson Center. Tiffany received her doctorate from the California School of Professional Psychology specializing in neuropsychology, and completed her postdoctoral residency at Sharp Healthcare in San Diego. Tiffany supervises the Psychological Assessment rotation for the internship. She also provides the yearlong Leadership Seminar for interns to develop their emerging leadership skills as an early career psychologist. In addition to her work as the Psychological Assessment Coordinator, Tiffany is the published author of 5 Minute Focus and Self-Compassion and Mindfulness.

Amelia Spiegel, BS

Amelia Spiegel, BS joined Jefferson Center as an Innovation Analyst in September 2020. In her role, Amelia employs the agile mindset and human-centered design principles to understand the needs of staff and people served in order to create solutions that satisfy all stakeholders and enhance community mental health and well-being. Amelia works with interns on the Innovation/Research minor rotation.

Sharon Stremel, PsyD

Sharon Stremel, PsyD earned her doctorate from the Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology in 2002, and her Master’s in Counseling from the University of Phoenix in 1996. She is a Licensed Psychologist and a Level III Certified Addictions Counselor. She has been working at Jefferson Center for Mental Health since 2002, in several positions including a crisis/intake clinician, Director of Quality Improvement, OBRA/PASRR Coordinator, School-Based Clinician, and currently as a Senior Services Clinician. In addition to supervising interns for the Senior Services and Adult Outpatient teams, she coordinates the Professional Development Seminar for the Internship.

Brandon Ward, PsyD

Brandon Ward, PsyD is a licensed psychologist and the current Chief Innovation Office and VP of Information Systems at Jefferson Center. He has been with Jefferson Center since the beginning of 2020 and joined the doctoral internship training program shortly after. Dr. Ward interacts with interns on the Innovation/Research rotation and the Professional Development Seminar. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Ward has led a focused career in the areas of technology and practice innovation.

Esther Weiner, PsyD

Esther Weiner, PsyD is a licensed clinical psychologist who has been at Jefferson Center for her internship and post-doctorate training. Esther provides clinical supervision of supervision for the interns. She received her doctorate from Loyola University Maryland and has a myriad of clinical interests ranging from therapy, supervision, and program development. Esther also approaches her roles from a multicultural framework, and has a specific research interests in white racial identity and antiracism.

Joy Wishtun, LPC

Joy Wishtun, LPC, is a licensed professional counselor serving as the Program Manager and Clinical Supervisor for the Early Childhood and Family Services team at Jefferson Center. As an infant and early childhood mental health specialist, Joy has provided clinical services to children and families and consultation services to education providers in a school-based setting, with an emphasis on child development, social-emotional growth, parenting and caregiving support, attachment, and the impact of trauma and toxic stress. Joy is passionate about supporting families and caregivers through the strengthening of and connection to community providers. Joy provides culturally focused supervision for the interns.

Maria Kraemer, PsyD

Maria Kraemer, PsyD. is a pre-licensed clinical psychologist who has been at Jefferson Center for her internship and post-doctorate training. She received her doctorate from Biola University and her research interests include trauma & resiliency, gender roles, and the integration of religion & spirituality with mental health. Maria completed a language training program for mental health professionals in 2019 and is bilingual in English and Spanish. She is currently part of the Jefferson Center assessment team and has also enjoyed her rotations in adolescent and adult therapy, as well as innovation and research.

What Past Interns Have Said About Their Experience

“The supervisors created a supportive and understanding environment. Throughout the year, I felt my training was continually emphasized and adjustments were made to meet the changing demands.”

“One of the most beneficial experiences was having the opportunity to conduct psychological assessments for a wide array of populations while utilizing cultural context as a means of interpreting assessment results.”

“Absolutely loved being able to supervise the externs & my supervisor was amazing at helping me through the experience. “

“I think the opportunities to supervise and be involved with the Center have really allowed me to grow and discover new interests.”

“The variety of experiences that my internship at Jefferson Center provided helped me to become a well-rounded early career psychologist. I especially enjoyed work with outpatient adults and work at Crisis doing evaluations.”

“My internship provided me with a very in-depth experience and well-rounded training. I really liked working at Jefferson Center.”

“The supervision was outstanding. I enjoyed getting to learn from multiple professional psychologists in the field who have different styles and different jobs. The assessment piece of the internship really helped me to develop and hone my assessment skills, particularly with writing cohesive and succinct reports.”

“I found that doing presentations for staff and the community helped me to gain confidence in my education and training.”

Non-discrimination Statement

Jefferson Center is committed to a policy of providing educational opportunities to all qualified students regardless of economic or social status, and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, marital status, beliefs, age, national origin, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability or any other legally protected category. Jefferson Center is a Drug-Free and Tobacco Free Workplace.