Psychology Pathways Initiative (PPI) Summer Externship Program

• Applicants must be in good standing at a doctoral psychology graduate program in Clinical, Counseling, or School Psychology accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). Students must have approval from their program’s Director of Clinical Training to participate in the program. 
• Doctoral students who are early in their training (completed 1st or 2nd year of graduate school) are encouraged to apply. Advanced students will be considered but opportunities for independent intervention may be limited given the scope of training opportunities for the 10-week program. 
• International students are encouraged to apply but are strongly recommended to seek approval from their doctoral training program or university’s International Student Affairs Office before applying to the program.

The following materials must be submitted online using the application link below:

• Signed DCT Statement of support
• One recommendation letter (preferably from a clinical supervisor or professor/instructor)
• Unofficial graduate school transcript 
• Two 500-word essays
  • Essay 1: What type of clinical experiences and/or mentorship/supervision opportunities are you hoping to find through the PPI summer externship program that may not be available or accessible in your area?
  • Essay 2:  Describe how you have demonstrated leadership ability in your degree program and/or your community.

Please Note: Applications are due by January 9, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.

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Virtual interviews via Zoom will be scheduled with program faculty in February 2026, with notification of acceptance by March 2026.

• PPI externs will receive an hourly wage of $20.50, biweekly, to offset travel and living expenses. The first paycheck is 2 weeks after starting the program.
• Housing provided free of charge by Nationwide Children's Hospital (at no cost to doctoral student). Housing is located within walking distance to Nationwide Children's main campus.

The Intellectual and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (IND) rotation provides training focused on children and adolescents either with or suspected of having a neurodevelopmental disability. This is primarily an assessment rotation and is housed at the Child Development Center – Livingston Ambulatory Center (CDC – LAC) and Main Campus. Access to a car is recommended for this clinical experience but not required.

• Neurodevelopmental Assessment: The PPI extern will have the opportunity to observe and possibly participate in evaluations for children and adolescents suspected of having autism or other neurodevelopmental disabilities. Measures typically used include ASD specific assessments (e.g., ADOS, CARS), developmental measures (e.g., Bayley, Mullen), general child cognitive/academic assessment (e.g. Wechsler scales, WJ), and rating scales. Other assessment measures may be utilized depending on specific concern. Patients typically range in age from 2 to 18 years old. The extern will likely have the opportunity to observe working with an interpreter at some point. Patients may have other behavioral health diagnoses or known medical/genetic conditions. Depending on supervisor schedules, these assessments may be completed as psychology only appointments or may also occur within medical clinics and as part of inpatient consultations. Services typically include some combination of in-person and telepsychology.
• Brief Treatment & Consultations: The PPI extern may have the opportunity to observe and participate in brief targeted treatment with parents and consultation appointments (often conducted via telehealth) that are typically focused on behavioral difficulties or differential diagnoses of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. These opportunities will be dependent on supervisor schedules.
• Feeding Clinic: The interdisciplinary feeding evaluation clinic is our new patient clinic where five team members (medical provider, dietician, speech or occupational therapist, psychologist, and social worker) meet with patients and families in a 90 min appointment. Patients seen for the PPI CDC rotation typically have been diagnosed with developmental delays. The team takes an in-depth medical and feeding history, assesses current feeding development and challenges, and provides initial recommendations to families. Follow up appointments and referrals are made to begin establishing feeding treatment and for medical specialty care. Psychologists offer behavioral recommendations to improve patient motivation to engage in treatment plans and provide education to assist families in understanding the development of feeding disorders over time. (Nationwide Children's Hospital shuttle travel possible)
• Supervision: The PPI extern will have the opportunity to attend offered didactics and group supervision (typically taking place on Wednesday afternoons) with interns and fellows.

The Neuropsychology rotation provides opportunities for the extern to provide neuropsychologically-informed care for children with medical conditions involving the central nervous system. The extern will have opportunity to shadow the psychologist in multiple roles for neuropsychologists, including outpatient assessment and consultation in interdisciplinary clinics. Opportunities for training are based at Nationwide Children's Main Campus.

• Neuropsychology Clinic Consultation: The PPI extern will have the opportunity to shadow a psychologist in the interdisciplinary craniofacial and 22q clinic. Patients presenting to this clinic including youth with a history of cleft lip/palate, craniosynostosis, 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, and other craniofacial conditions. Common concerns including attention issues, learning and speech issues, behavioral issues, anxiety, teasing/bullying, and anxiety/distress around medical procedures. The psychologist provides anticipatory guidance/psychoeducation about these common issues, brief behavioral intervention around anxiety or behavior, and referrals to other specialty care (e.g., pediatric psychology, neuropsychology, child life, outpatient behavioral health treatment). The psychologists in this clinic work closely with speech/language pathologists, social workers, plastic surgeons, dentists/orthodontists, nursing staff, and other medical specialties (ENT, audiology).
• Neurocognitive screening in Neuroimmune Clinic: Opportunity to shadow different areas of care in this interdisciplinary clinic include screening of neurocognitive functioning, transition of medical care education, coping and adjustment to diagnosis. Common patient population seen in this clinic include multiple sclerosis, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), optic neuritis, autoimmune encephalitis, and central nervous system vasculitis. The PPI extern will have opportunity to shadow brief neurocognitive assessment and feedback provided to patients and families during this clinic. The psychologist in this clinic work closely in this multidisciplinary clinic that includes neurology, rheumatology, pediatric psychology, psychiatry, and pharmacy. (Main campus)
• Outpatient Neuropsychological Evaluations: The PPI extern will have the opportunity to shadow a neuropsychologist completing neuropsychological evaluations one to two days per week. Neuropsychology at Nationwide Children's sees patients 2-25 years of age with a history of medical or neurologic conditions. Common referrals include determining the cognitive/behavioral impact of epilepsy/seizures, craniofacial or genetic conditions, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, spina bifida/myelomeningocele, neuroimmune conditions, brain/nervous system tumors or cancer, and other medical conditions. Depending on level of training, the extern may have opportunities to learn to administer neuropsychological tests and assist with intakes and feedbacks with patient and families. (Main campus)
• Neuropsychology Seminar: The PPI extern will have the opportunity to participate in specialty seminar topics related to Neuropsychology. These one hour didactics cover theoretical models of neuropsychology, medical populations commonly seen by Neuropsychology.

Nationwide Children's Hospital Pediatric Psychology offers a variety of clinical experiences in multiple outpatient multidisciplinary medical clinics located at or near Nationwide Children's main campus. The PPI extern will have opportunity to shadow pediatric psychologists in multiple outpatient medical clinics, including fatty liver, intensive pain rehabilitation center and our feeding clinic. Opportunities for training are based at Nationwide Children's Main Campus, Livingston Ambulatory Center (LAC), and offsite medical clinics close to Main Campus.

• Comprehensive Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing Program (CPFSP): Patients enter CPFSP through an interdisciplinary evaluation with a full team of 5 disciplines: medical provider, dietician, feeding therapist (OT or Speech), psychologist, and social worker. We have 3 evaluation clinics held throughout the week. Much of our outpatient clinical services use a team-based approach. We have joint medical/dietician/psychology visits and psychology/feeding therapy visits, in addition to psychology-only outpatient sessions. Finally, we have a day treatment program serving medically and developmentally complex patients ranging from 10 months to 18 years old with Pediatric Feeding Disorder (PFD) and/or Avoidant and Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). Patients in the day treatment program have made minimal or slow progress in outpatient feeding therapy. Patients spend 6-8 weeks in the program, completing 3 meals per day in the program, 5 days per week. The PPI extern would have the opportunity to shadow and participate in one or more of these service delivery models, depending on the extern’s scheduled time to be in the clinic. (Nationwide Children's shuttle travel possible)
• Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) Clinic: The MASLD clinic is an interdisciplinary clinic located in Gastroenterology (GI) including medical providers and psychology where trainees have opportunities to learn quick assessment skills as well as engage in goal setting related to eating behavior and physical activity. This clinic opportunity helps trainees to better understand the multifactorial nature of obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).  Opportunities to participate in research projects available, if trainee is interested. (Main campus)
• Intensive Pain Rehabilitation Clinic: The Intensive Pain Rehabilitation and Education Program (iPREP) at Nationwide Children's Hospital is a multidisciplinary day-treatment program designed for children 10-18 years of age who have functional impairments from a variety of different chronic pain conditions, are medically stable, and who have had an inadequate response to previous pain treatments. The program serves four patients at a time through both individual and group interventions utilizing a biopsychosocial approach to treat pain by improving physical, emotional, and social functioning. The PPI intern would have the opportunity to shadow individual and group therapies (physical therapy, occupational therapy, psychology and more), interdisciplinary program intakes and program follow-ups, and would be exposed to program development efforts within this program. (LAC)
• Burn Clinic: The NCH Burn Clinic is an interdisciplinary clinic located on the 6^th floor of the Outpatient Care Center (OCC). Burn Clinic consists of medical doctors, nurses, PT/OT, and psychology; social work is also available by page/message. Patients in this clinic can range from birth to young adulthood and typically present with burn injuries obtained from a variety of mechanisms. Patients may be presenting with injuries across a range of healing (e.g., new injuries, scar checks on past injuries). PPI externs in this clinic will gain exposure to how psychologists integrate services into an outpatient medical clinic setting and will observe targeted and brief, evidence-based intervention approaches. Trainees may also have the opportunity to engage in program development or quality improvement initiatives, if interested and available. If a medical clinic is not occurring on a scheduled day where a trainee is present, trainees will have the option of shadowing the psychologist in the inpatient burn/trauma/critical care setting (if interested) or an alternative clinic shadowing opportunity may be offered.
• Didactic Seminars and Education: The PPI extern will have opportunity to participate in specialty seminar topics in pediatric psychology.

The Child Clinical rotation offers opportunities for intervention and assessment of children and adolescents presenting with a wide variety of behavioral health concerns. The extern will have opportunity to shadow evidence-based individual and group therapy. Opportunities to observe and participate in supervision of ongoing cases are available. The Child Clinical rotation is based at the Behavioral Health Pavilion (BHP), close to Nationwide Children's Hospital Main Campus.

• Outpatient Psychotherapy: Observe and possibly co-facilitate in-person and telehealth therapy sessions. Patients range in age from 3 to 18 years old and present with a variety of behavioral health concerns, including but not limited to ADHD, disruptive behavior disorders, anxiety, depression, OCD, mild trauma, tics, and other mental health concerns. Patients treated come from a multitude of geographic regions, backgrounds, and identities.
• Outpatient Psychological Testing: Observe and possibly assist in outpatient psychological testing. Activities could include determining testing battery, administering testing measures, interpreting data, write psychological reports, and co-facilitating feedback to patients and families. Patients present with or without behavioral health diagnoses, come from various geographic regions, backgrounds, and identities, and are typically between the ages of 5-17.
• Supervision: Observe various psychology supervisors providing live, weekly in-person supervision to psychology interns and fellows. Provides externs an opportunity to follow cases seen by interns and fellows for multiple weeks to see treatment progression, as well as observe and ask questions to interns/fellows/supervisors about case conceptualization and treatment.
• Group Therapy: Observe telehealth group therapy sessions. Group offerings will vary depending on availability of groups running during the externship period.

The PPI extern will have the opportunity to shadow psychologists one day per week in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Inpatient Units. Common presenting concerns include suicidal ideation and attempts, non-suicidal self-injury, severe depression and anxiety, aggression, mania, and psychosis. The inpatient pediatric acute treatment PPI extern will be based out of the Nationwide Children's Hospital Behavioral Health Pavilion, close to Nationwide Children's Main campus.

• Inpatient Group Therapy: The PPI extern will shadow therapeutic groups, including teaching of DBT skills, CBT content, and emotion identification and scaling. Depending on level of training, opportunities are available for active co-facilitating and planning of groups.
• Didactic Seminars and Education: The PPI extern will be able to participate in didactic seminars and meetings with the acute psychology team to discuss research and interventions on severe mental illness and suicidality in youth.
• Individual Sessions: Individual sessions (crisis-focused psychotherapy and targeted psychological assessments) may be available to shadow on a case-by-case basis.
• Consultation and Supervision: Psychologists in this area work closely with psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, and psychiatry trainees; master’s-level clinicians; frontline nursing staff; and other specialties (education, occupational therapy, therapeutic recreation). The PPI extern will participate in multidisciplinary treatment team rounds and observe the psychologists consulting with members of other disciplines on conceptualization and treatment decisions.

The Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders (CASD) rotation provides exposure to a range of behavioral intervention services focused on supporting autistic youth and their caregivers.  Additionally, opportunities to observe psychological assessment services that provide updated diagnostic and developmental testing are also offered. CASD is a multi-disciplinary center that includes Psychologists, Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), mental health professionals (LSWs, LPCs), and registered behavior technicians (RBTs). CASD serves a diverse population and opportunities to observe the inclusion of interpreter services is likely. Care is provided within the outpatient office located in Westerville, OH as well as in family homes and other community locations. Both in-person and telepsychology services are offered.  Experiences may differ depending on the extern’s ability to travel. Access to a car is required for this clinical experience.

• Autism Caregiver Coaching: The PPI extern will have the opportunity to observe and possibly participate in sessions with caregivers that are focused on providing support, information, and skill-building to allow them to better meet the needs of their child. Weekly individual sessions are tailored to family and child needs and priorities and focus on behavior plan development and skill building strategies.
• Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention: Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) team services are provided to improve skills of young children, including language, social and adaptive functioning to help them transition to a school setting more successfully. These services are provided in a client’s home and other community settings between 20 and 35 hours per week. The PPI extern would have the opportunity to observe and possibly participate in 1:1 therapy sessions as well as the weekly treatment team planning meeting. 
• Summer Camp Services: CASD offers two summer camp experiences.  Summer Buddy Camp is for 3–10-year-old children with and without ASD. Camp RISE is for 10–15-year-old youth with ASD and other developmental needs.  Camp services are focused on maintaining much needed structure for individuals during the summer break from school as well as building social and emotional regulation skills, group participation, and recreation and leisure skills. Camp services are conducted within various community locations to allow for more naturalistic contexts and community inclusion. 
• Psychological Assessment: The PPI extern will have the opportunity to observe and possibly participate in evaluations that provide an updated assessment of client diagnostic and developmental profiles. Assessments include the measure of developmental/cognitive, language, academic, adaptive, and behavioral functioning.  Administration of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule – Second Edition (ADOS-2) is often included to assess current symptom profiles.
• Supervision and Didactics: The PPI extern will be included in group supervision and didactic opportunities along with CASD’s interns and fellows. Additional didactic opportunities are also available as a part of our multi-disciplinary clinical team meetings.