Beginning in 2011, the Hogg Foundation initiated two grant programs to support the development and accreditation of doctoral psychology internship programs in Texas.

The first program, the Texas Psychology Internships (TPI) initiative, was focused on the development and accreditation of new internship programs. To date, all four TPI grantees have been awarded American Psychological Association (APA) accreditation. The second program, the Texas Psychology Internships Accreditation (UPI) initiative, was launched in 2012 and was designed to support the accreditation processes of existing non-accredited psychology internship programs. To date, the four UPI grantees have been awarded APA accreditation.

In 2016, the Hogg Foundation awarded the University of Texas Rio Grand Valley (UTRGV) an additional grant under this initiative. The goal of the grant program was to support a planning process led by UTRGV to create a new pre-doctoral psychology internship program and subsequently pursue accreditation from the APA.

In total, the Hogg Foundation has committed more than $3 million to strengthening psychology internships in Texas.

Background

While completion of a doctoral internship is required for students training to become licensed psychologists, shortages in available internship positions delay licensure and impede the expansion and retention of the behavioral health workforce. In an effort to narrow that gap by increasing the number of internships accredited by the American Psychological Association in the state, and diversify existing opportunities, the Hogg Foundation funded the development and accreditation of eight internship programs across Texas. Texas-based nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations, academic institutions and governmental entities were eligible to apply. Most institutions received grant funds to create a new program, while others pursued accreditation of an existing program.

The primary goal of this initiative was to attract doctoral students in psychology to careers as mental health providers in Texas. Expanding the number of high-quality internship programs enables these students to proceed with the education and training required for state licensure and professional practice. A secondary goal was to increase the availability of psychological services in Texas communities that are underserved with respect to mental health services. As of 2017, all eight programs are accredited, increasing the number of APA accredited internships in Texas from 23 (as of 2012) to 31.

Questions: Contact Rick Ybarra, Program Officer