Psychology Internship Doctoral Training Program
Psychology Internship Information:
Doctoral Program Internship brochure
Doctoral Program admissions, support and initial placement data
Doctoral training program goals and objectives
Linden Oaks offers doctoral internships in our two Naperville locations, at the Linden Oaks Behavioral Health Hospital on Edward Campus and at Linden Oaks Outpatient Center on Mill Street.
The overarching goal of the Doctoral Training Program at Linden Oaks (The Program) is to provide the opportunity to develop competence in the application of psychological knowledge and practice to clinical problems in a complex medical setting. Combining evidence-based didactic training and clinical supervision, interns are socialized to be entry-level professionals who employ critical thinking, self-reflection, and strategies of scholarly inquiry. The Program places particular emphasis on introducing interns to the breadth and variety of professional roles assumed by psychologists, evidence based treatment applied in individual and group psychotherapy, and application of those principles through in-vivo participation. Integral to an intern’s training is the understanding of multidisciplinary team functioning and participation as a member of the team.
A core focus of intern training is the impact of culture, race, and language and how these patient dimensions impact societal and family dynamics. As the primary setting for this internship is either an inpatient or intensive outpatient setting, emphasis is placed on clinical experiences in working with issues of adjustment for individuals facing a range of emotional and behavioral challenges.
The training involves a strong experiential component. Interns work side by side with supervisors who serve as role models in a variety of clinical and professional roles, effective consultants, and members of interdisciplinary care teams. The internship, with its emphasis on the Practitioner-Scholar Model, prepares interns for employment in a variety of settings, including but not limited to university-affiliated medical centers, free standing rehabilitation facilities and clinics, as well as schools and universities.
Psychology supervisors
Clinical supervisors in the doctoral training program are employed in various clinical and leadership positions throughout the hospital. The doctoral training supervisors consist of 8 licensed clinical psychologists who specialize in a range of treatment areas such as dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), personality disorders, chronic pain, forensic psychology, testing and assessment, addictions, trauma, anxiety and mood disorders, adolescents and families, adults, and hospital management.
Accreditation information
The psychology internship program at Linden Oaks has been training psychology students for over 10 years. Our internship training program is a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC).
Linden Oaks Behavioral Health Doctoral Training Internship was granted full Accreditation by the American Psychological Association (APA) on September 3, 2021. The program was granted 10 years of Accreditation, with the next site visit scheduled for 2031.
Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
Phone: (202)336-5979
E-mail: apaaccred@apa.org
Web: apa.org/ed/accreditation
Contact information
Jacqueline Sierzega, PsyD
Supervisor of Doctoral Training
(630) 305-5149
Jacqueline.sierzega@eehealth.org
About Linden Oaks Behavioral Health
Linden Oaks Behavioral Health Hospital and outpatient services are part of the larger Edward-Elmhurst Health system.
Diversity and inclusion
Edward-Elmhurst Health’s (EEH) mission is to advance the health of our communities. We are DRIVEN to create a culture in which all races, ethnicities, religions, sexual-orientations, physical abilities, and socio-economic backgrounds are able to meet, share, learn, and flourish in an accepting environment. By creating platforms and opportunities that allow us to come together, we can begin to know and understand each other. And through better understanding, we can effectively meet the needs of our diverse patients and deliver on our mission.
Our values
Our D.R.I.V.E.N values of Determination, Respect, Integrity, Vision, Excellence and Nurturing form the foundation of our inclusive and diverse workplace. At Edward-Elmhurst Health, we believe that in order to foster Respect, everyone should be treated with dignity. To deliver Excellence, patients must be at the center of the experience. Our patients are distinct and our work force should represent that diversity. And to focus on our Vision, we must foster a mindset that emphasizes collaboration. These values and others can only be met by encouraging a diverse and inclusive working environment for our interns. A diverse workforce will nurture an atmosphere of open discussion and diversity of thought, creating better outcomes for our patients.
It is our shared responsibility to take care of our patients and each other, to build an environment where each person is valued and can grow. To meet this goal, our approach to diversity focuses on three main objectives:
Promoting an inclusive work environment, through training, education, and creating platforms for awareness and discussions.
Utilizing real data on our employees, patients and communities to identify and address health disparities.
Increasing representation of diverse candidates in Governance and Management to reflect the communities we serve.