Program Aims
Our internship program is focused on building training opportunities to enhance career pathways into the correctional profession.
We offer a training program that is informed by the profession-wide core competencies necessary to be a competent professional psychologist with a broad generalist foundation, while also having the specialized skills and ability to effectively apply those competencies within a correctional environment.
- Development of a Professional Identity: The internship year serves as a transition from student to practitioner while becoming an entry-level professional colleague in psychology. By emphasizing the development of attitudes and values consistent with entry into the profession, the program faculty and supervisors not only help develop the professional identities of the interns, but also build the foundation for the continued development of competency consistent with the APA Code of Ethics.
- Integration of Science and Practice (Practitioner-Scholar): Interns enter the internship year with an extensive foundation in the empirical and theoretical bases of applied psychological methods, but in the correctional setting, psychologists are often called to account for the methods and procedures they employ. In this context, training faculty, supervisors, and other clinical staff model the value of remaining current in best practices and the empirical literature within this setting. Interns also practice the integration of empirical, theoretical, and scientific knowledge during case discussions, individual and group supervision, formal case and didactic presentations, and on-going self-study.
- Working with Diverse and Underserved Populations: Given the extraordinary range of individual circumstances our population demonstrates, psychologists and interns in this setting provide services to groups that are traditionally underserved. The incarcerated population in the United States disproportionately affects disenfranchised groups. Based on 2025 NCDAC data, NC's incarcerated population includes 3.6% youthful/young adult, 3.2% immigrant status, 51% Black/African-American, and 8% other racial groups.
Developing Knowledge and Skills in Correctional Psychology: Our internship program strives to develop a foundational knowledge base in the law, public policy, and social factors related to the practice of psychology in a correctional environment. The development of specific expertise as a correctional psychologist during the internship year can serve as a foundation for specialization in this unique practice area.
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For complete details, click the link below to view/download the NCDAC Behavioral Health Services Doctoral Psychology Internship Program - 2026-2027 Brochure.
NCDAC Behavioral Health Services Doctoral Psychology Internship Program - 2026-2027 Brochure