The Department of Mental Health offers a one-year Clinical Psychology Internship Program to prepare students for entry level practice in professional psychology. Training is provided at the State hospitals and psychiatric facilities in a variety of settings, in the areas of forensic psychology and/or in the treatment of patients with severe mental disorders. Although each hospital/facility provides specific training unique to its own hospital population, the primary objectives of the internship program are to provide interns with entry levels of competence in the following areas: individual and group psychotherapy, theories and methods of psychological assessment and treatment, working with patients of diverse backgrounds, and the role and function of an inpatient psychologist.

This Clinical Psychology Internship Program accepts applicants who are either enrolled in and have completed at least one year of postgraduate work in a clinical psychology program at a recognized university or professional school or who possess a Doctoral Degree in psychology (with sufficient graduate coursework for clinical specialization) from a recognized university department of psychology.

Psychiatric Fellowship Program for Child

Psychiatry: Metropolitan State Hospital has an affiliation with the University of California School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Los Angles/ Harbor to provide clinical & didactic training to Psychiatric Fellows on rotation at Metropolitan Psychiatric Residents. Under this agreement Metropolitan has a contract with the University to support a public service psychiatric fellowship training program. Administrative and financial status are determined by a contract which is renewed annually, reflecting changes whenever indicated. The fellows receive supervision from both hospital and University staff and joint appointments are encouraged. The fellowship affiliation at the hospital is under the joint monitoring of the UCLA/Harbor Child Psychiatry Director of Training and the Metropolitan Chief of Professional Education.

F.M.G. (Foreign Medical Graduates):

This is a special program offered to Foreign Medical Graduates, who need to correct their deficiency in psychiatry as mandated by the California Medical Board, to be qualified for Medical licensing. Participation in this program requires approval from the California Medical Board on individual basis. This FMG program consists of the same components of the Medical students clerkship program but of shorter duration, 4 weeks instead of 6.

Medical Student Clerkship Rotation:

MSH has an agreement with the American University of the Caribbean, School of Medicine, and with Ross University, School of Medicine. Under these agreements MSH provides a six week clerkship in Psychiatry to medical students approved by the universities for said clerkship. In addition to this 6 weeks of core training, the Medical students may be granted additional elective clerkship in psychiatry not exceeding the total duration of 6 months. The medical students are on voluntary status during their six week tenure at Metropolitan State Hospital, and the university reimburses MSH $100.00 per week per student for these services. The program is directed by the Chief of Professional Education and the students receive supervision from a designated unit attending physicians. Participation in this program requires recommendation from the students medical school and approval from the California Medical Board on an individual basis.

Psychology Services

Psychology Services is a Continuing Education Provider that has been approved by the Board of Psychology. The hospital conducts a predoctoral internship program in clinical psychology. The internship program is a member of the Association of Professional Psychology Internship Centers and selects interns from schools and universities nationwide. Each intern is assigned to one treatment unit per rotation and is under the supervision of a licensed Psychologist.

The Psychology Department

The Psychology Department has 5 full-time pre-doctoral interns each of whom provide comprehensive patient care under the supervision of a seasoned clinical supervisor. Psychology Interns are engaged in conducting individual and group psychotherapy, psychological assessments and evaluations, staff consultation, and attend unit interdisciplinary team meetings. Interns participate in case conferences, classes and other training/education activities. Interns spend five hours per week in a combination of didactic training classes and supervision sessions. Interns spend the rest of their time on their assigned unit and work closely with the supervising psychologist.


The Department of Pharmacy

The Department of Pharmacy serves as a teaching site for fourth level pharmacy students from the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy. During their 6 week inpatient psychopharmacy clerkship, students observe and participate in the care of patients with various types and stages of psychiatric illness. The goal of the rotation is to make the student a contributory member of the interdisciplinary team that cares for the patient. Heavy emphasis is placed on the development of clinical skills including interviewing techniques, medication groups, written allergy assessments, interpretation of laboratory data and drug monitoring.

Click here For more information about when and how to apply for the internship program:Internships / Training