Behavioral Health
Psychology Externship
General Information: Outpatient Externships & Application Process:
Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital (MWPH) is a specialty rehabilitation hospital, co-owned and co-operated by the University of Maryland Medical System and Johns Hopkins Medicine. The Outpatient Psychology and Neuropsychology externships are a 12-month placement. All placements require a minimum of a 2 days per week commitment.
- We have externship programs for masters level graduate students and doctorate level graduate students.
Application Materials for all Programs and Tracks
Please email your CV, 2 letters of recommendation as well as a cover letter. Please indicate your tracks of interest (in order) in your cover letter and if you are applying to more than one track.
Masters Psychology/Neuropsychology Tracks
Will begin to accept applications in October 2025; with interviews in October and November
A. Comprehensive Clinical Child Track
a. To apply, email materials to Elizabeth Getzoff Testa, Ph.D. at [email protected] and cc' Erica Lee, Psy.D., at [email protected]
B. Neuropsychology Track
a. To apply, email materials to Kalina Hurley, Ph.D. at [email protected] and cc' Erica Lee, Psy.D., at [email protected]
Doctoral Psychology Externship Tracks
Please note the application deadline for all doctoral tracks is February 6, 2026.
1. Comprehensive Clinical Child Track
a. To apply email materials to Elizabeth Getzoff Testa, Ph.D. at [email protected] and cc’ Erica Lee, Psy.D., at [email protected]
2. Trauma and Healing Program
a. To apply email materials to email Lindsay Gavin, Ph.D. at [email protected] and cc' Erica Lee, Psy.D. at [email protected].
3. Integrated Diabetes Clinic and Integrated Primary Care Clinic
a. To apply email materials to email Bradley Schwimmer, Psy.D. at [email protected] and cc’ Erica Lee, Psy.D., at [email protected]
4. Neuropsychology Track
a. To apply email materials to the Neuropsychology track, email Kalina Hurley, Ph.D. at [email protected] and cc’ Erica Lee, Psy.D., at [email protected]
Program Descriptions Externship Tracks
Comprehensive Clinical Child Track- Doctoral and Masters students may apply
The Comprehensive Clinical Child Track externship program is a training experience in clinical and pediatric psychology. The externship includes two major aspects 1.) outpatient therapy and consultation and 2.) psychological testing. Externs carry a caseload consisting of children and adolescents, with a variety of ages, presenting problems and social issues. Weekly individual and group supervision as well as didactics are provided.
- Doctoral Externs will need to be available on Friday (required), as well as a second day that will be determined based on student and supervisor availability.
- For masters level students, your externship will not include psychological assessment. But students are welcome to observe testing and attend any didactics related to testing if interested.
In addition to their standard caseload, externs may also request specialized training within the populations listed below. This allows students to get exposure to more specialized populations and supervision in a specific topic area of interest.
- Internalizing & Externalizing Disorders (i.e. anxiety, depression, mood, ADHD)
- Behavioral Pain and Functional Neurological Disorder
- Gender Health
- Autism
Trauma and Healing Program- Doctoral students may apply
The Trauma and Healing externship is for students who have a strong interest in working with children and families impacted by trauma and have had a full year of child therapy and assessment experience. Primary presentations include children and adolescents with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Developmental Trauma, Complex Trauma and other comorbid mental health conditions including anxiety, depression, disruptive/oppositional disorders, self-harm, suicidality and more.
The extern will be expected to conduct initial intakes/consultations and trauma-informed evaluations (minimum of 1 to 2 cases per month). During the year, students in the trauma externship program will gain exposure to several evidence-based treatments for traumatic stress, including Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT); Attachment, Regulation and Self-Competency (ARC); Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) and more. Externs will have the opportunity to complete the initial 2-3 day formal training in TF-CBT, which is needed for certification in TF-CBT, and will receive supervision in implementation of TF-CBT throughout the year.
Students will also participate in monthly didactics with topics focused on trauma and child maltreatment. The externship position is unique and in addition to clinical work, will also involve community engagement and outreach (e.g., presentations/education to various community groups on topics related to childhood trauma). Experience/training/strong interest in working with children and families exposed to trauma is preferred.
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Integrated Diabetes Clinic and Integrated Primary Care Clinic - Doctoral students may apply
The Integrated Diabetes Clinic is an interdisciplinary clinic where psychology works collaboratively with physicians, medical residents and fellows, dietitians, social workers, and nurses to improve/treat medication compliance, medical phobias, and psychosocial issues stemming from adjustment to chronic illness.
The extern will be fully integrated in the interdisciplinary clinic as a resource for patients and physicians. In addition to treating patients in clinic, the extern will take on individual therapy patients struggling with diabetes compliance and related issues. The Integrated Primary Care Clinic (Pediatric Integrated Care for Complex Kids [PICCK]) provides behavioral and primary care for children with complicated medical needs along with their siblings. Many of the children we care for have genetic conditions, orthopedic conditions, developmental delays, behavioral health problems, feeding issues, and/or other chronic medical conditions.
In addition, the clinic treats infants born with complex medical conditions with the emphasis on achievement of developmental milestones. The goal is to keep patients healthy and minimize the need for emergency care and hospitalization. The program aims to enhance and streamline healthcare and improve each child and family’s quality of life. The extern in this position will be housed within the interdisciplinary PICCK Clinic and work closely with physicians, nurses, medical residents, psychiatry, social work, and parent advocates. The extern may take on patients with chronic and acute medical conditions for individual therapy.
Weekly supervision will be provided as well as group supervision and didactics. The extern is also expected to conduct psychological assessments once a month and occasionally conduct psychological intakes. The externship program at MWPH is a 20 hour per week commitment. You are expected to be on site for 16 hours per week. The additional 4 hours can be spent at your discretion to complete paperwork and can be completed off-site. Wednesday and Friday are required days.
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Neuropsychology Program- Doctoral and Masters students may apply
The Neuropsychology Externship provides training in the assessment of children and adolescents with a wide range of medical and neurological conditions that impact development, cognition, and behavior. Externs conduct neuropsychological evaluations approximately every other week and are involved in all aspects of the assessment process, including test administration, scoring, interpretation, report writing, and feedback. In addition, externs participate in intakes and initial consultations, with opportunities for more advanced experiences in the Concussion Clinic and inpatient assessment depending on interest and availability.
Weekly individual and group supervision is provided, along with didactics, case presentations, and participation in Brain Cuttings at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Common referral questions involve children with prematurity, in-utero substance exposure, traumatic brain injury, stroke, epilepsy, genetic and metabolic disorders, and brain tumors. Externs gain experience in integrating medical history, school records, and clinical data to guide treatment recommendations.
The externship is a 12-month placement beginning in June or July, with a commitment of two days per week. Applicants should have prior training in child assessment and a strong interest in pediatric neuropsychology.
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