General Information
The Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Anschutz offers 8 externship training programs in Adult Clinical Psychology. Each externship track provides clinical training experiences, optional didactic seminars, clinical supervision from a licensed provider. Please see program descriptions below for more specifics.
Number of Positions: 13
Time Commitment: About 20 hours per week
For more specific workdays, please refer to the externship training program description below.
Dates: August 2, 2027 - May 30, 2028
General Requirements:
- be enrolled in at least 3rd or 4th year at the time of application. Please note that this is different for each extern training program.
- have completed coursework in clinical assessment and treatment
- have experience with clinical assessment and treatment
- have proof of malpractice coverage: must be provided by the extern’s training institution or by the extern prior to the start date
- be available to start the externship in August 2027, and will need to be available on Monday, August 2, 2027 for in person orientation.
- demonstrated knowledge and value working with teammates and clients from diverse backgrounds
For more information on each program and program track, please take look at our Application Packet.
Application Timeline
All application materials to be submitted by January 24, 2027 at 5pm MST through the following link: https://redcap.link/1dgzj9sk
| January 24, 2027 @ 5pm: | Application deadline (early submissions encouraged) |
| January - February 2027 | Interviews are scheduled and positions are offered on a rolling basis. Prompt confirmation of acceptance/declination is requested. |
| February 26, 2027 | Recruitment ends |
Supervisor: Michelle West, PhD
Email: [email protected]
This position provides a unique opportunity to join a thriving program unified by its mission to further our understanding of effective interventions for early psychosis. The Program for Early Assessment, Care, and Study (PEACS) is a clinical program that provides intensive assessment and treatment of individuals approximately ages 12-30, who are showing signs of clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR-p). It is one of few specialty CHR programs in the US, and the only such program in Colorado. The primary objective of this training program is to develop expertise in the early identification, assessment, and treatment of young people showing signs of psychosis spectrum diagnoses (which has at times been called the “prodrome”). Our unique center integrates specialized clinical care, innovative research, and education, as part of the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Our client population is complex, seeing young people with comorbid concerns (e.g., mood, anxiety, trauma, substance use, personality, ASD). PEACS offers a range of treatments, including specialized evaluation/feedback, individual and family therapy, psychiatry, care coordination, and school/work “coaching.” This externship provides a unique opportunity to work with a multidisciplinary team to collaboratively conceptualize, plan, and provide treatment for young people with complex and evolving diagnostic presentations, as well as develop the ability to provide consultation to other providers in the community, including schools, other clinicians and psychiatrists, and families. Externs become an integral part of our multidisciplinary team (psychiatry, psychology, referral / care coordinator, and undergraduate volunteers).
Unique qualifications: Applicants who have the following experience are preferred for this program: 1) CBT experience 2) psychosis assessment and/or treatment experience, 3) experience with treating children/adolescents, 4) fluency in a language other than English, 4) at least 3rd year doctoral students.
Unique schedule requirements: We request availability for 16-24 hours per week to train with our team, and we require Tuesday afternoons (1-2:30, virtual team meeting) and Friday early afternoon (12-1 virtual didactic seminar). Additionally, we will have preference for applicants who are willing to work some later hours (e.g., 3pm-6pm range), to permit our clinic to better serve our school-aged clients.
Unique roles: Training, supervision, and practice with the following activities:
- Specialized early psychosis consultation and assessment: Structured Interview for Psychosis Risk Syndromes (SIPS), consideration of differential diagnosis for young people who present to the clinic for an assessment of possible CHR-p, reviewing diagnostic feedback with clients/families/providers
- Psychosocial treatment: Carry a caseload of individual and family therapy clients with varying symptom presentations. The supervisors work primarily from CBT/CBTp, DBT, and ACT perspectives, although they are open to conceptualizing patients from other therapeutic orientations (e.g., interpersonal, psychodynamic). Some clients are seen for time-limited treatment, and some are longer-term clients that trainees may carry for the duration of their training. Family therapy: PEACS emphasizes family treatment, so learning to work with families is an important focus of this externship. Externs work with families of individual clients and may also carry separate family therapy cases. The supervisor has experience with evidence-based family treatment for early psychosis (e.g., family-focused treatment; FFT)
- Rich opportunities for working with youth and families that are richly diverse in ethnicity/ culture, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, and clinical presentation
- School support/care coordination: Many clients are experiencing declines in school and/or work functioning, and benefit from supports that may range from writing letters to school, speaking to school staff about options and recommendations for supporting the client, attending IEP meetings, and providing documentation supporting taking a medical leave. Trainees may also be involved in other aspects of clinical care for their clients, including referral to partial hospital programs, involvement in hospitalization, and referral to other services for clients who leave the clinic
For more information, please visit the PEACS Education & Training page.
Supervisor: Amelia Emher, PsyD
Email: [email protected]
Externs will be asked to commit to a 12-month placement beginning in July 2026. Schedules will consist of 8 - 16 hours per week.
UCHealth offers a psychology externship training program in the PROMISE Clinic in the Department of Ob/Gyn. The PROMISE Clinic supports pregnant and postpartum women who are patients of UCH’s five obstetric and midwifery practices and are currently experiencing mental health symptoms. Combined, the obstetric and midwifery practices deliver approximately 3,000 babies annually and it is estimated that 10%-20% of these mothers have mental health symptoms. Patients are referred by their provider due to a wide range of medical and mental health diagnoses such as gestational diabetes, hyperemesis gravidarum, miscarriage/fetal loss, preterm labor/delivery, adjustment to pregnancy, mood disorders, anxiety, OCD, and PTSD. Patients are also identified for integrated behavioral health consultation by the PROMISE team based on a variety of risk factors (adolescent pregnancy, history of fetal loss, mental health history, high risk pregnancy, psychosocial stressors). PROMISE offers integrated behavioral health services, co-located psychotherapy and psychiatry, and pregnancy and postpartum support groups. PROMISE utilizes a multidisciplinary approach and is staffed by providers from psychology, psychiatry, obstetrics, midwifery, and nursing.
Unique qualifications: Psychology doctoral students who are in their 3rd or 4th year of training who have completed coursework in adult assessment and treatment and have an interest in perinatal mental health. Trainees from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
Unique schedule requirements: 8 - 16 hours per week on site.
Unique roles:
- Increase knowledge and competence in treatment of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders
- Learn to effectively communicate and coordinate patient care on a multidisciplinary team within busy obstetric and midwifery practices
- Provide brief mental health consultation to perinatal women within the context of obstetric visits.
- Co-facilitate virtual support groups, therapy intake and return visits, and mental health consultation (Supervising psychologists will be on site in clinic with patient for the duration of patient's time in the rotation).
- Attend weekly staff meetings in which case presentation and article discussions will occur.
- Collaborate with nurses, MAs, OBGYNs, midwives, medical residents and fellows, and psychiatrists, psychiatry residents and fellows in vivo.
For more information, please visit the PROMISE Clinic Page.
Supervisor: Dominique Chao, PsyD
Email: [email protected]
The Department of Psychiatry (DoP) at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (CU Anschutz) is a full-time 12-month externship with a focus on training in neuropsychological evaluation and inpatient/rehabilitation psychology.
- A full-time trainee will split time between an acute inpatient rehabilitation unit and outpatient neuropsychology clinic.
Settings:
Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit (ARU)*: is a 12-bed unit interdisciplinary unit that offers comprehensive rehabilitation (physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, recreational therapy etc.) for individuals who have experienced major injury or illness. The primary focus is to restore maximum individual function in a holistic and caring manner. As a rehabilitation neuropsychologist on the unit, your role will be to assess and support cognitive, behavioral, and mental health-related concerns. This includes psychodiagnostics evaluations, cognitive screening, individual psychotherapy, family/patient/team psychoeducation, and consistent collaboration with providers.
Executive Functions Clinic (EF Clinic): is an outpatient clinic through which you will be completing neuropsychological evaluations. The core experience gained in this clinic is neuropsychological test administration. Patients will be referred to this clinic from multiple departments in the hospital including the ARU. Patients referred from the ARU provides the unique opportunity to work with the same individual across the full spectrum of care.
Patient Population: The patient’s served most often have experienced some form of physical and/or neurological illness or injury. These include stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, central nervous system cancers, post-amputation care, post-transplant, and other complex medical conditions. As a public academic medical center, the patient’s served are diverse in their bio-psycho-social-cultural presentations making an individualized approach to care essential and emphasized.
Unique qualifications: The ideal candidate will be a trainee with experience administering and scoring a wide variety of cognitive, emotional, and personality measures. The trainee must have experience administering the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS version IV or V). The trainee would benefit from flexibility and adaptability (given highly dynamic settings), being a team player, and some familiarity with medical conditions and their possible psychiatric sequelae. These are vital traits and foundations for meaningful growth and enjoyment of this externship.
Unique schedule requirements: 20-24 hours per week; time varies depending on individual interests. Must be available full-day Thursday and an additional 1-2 days (on either a Monday, Wednesday, and/or Friday.
Thursday (EF Clinic):
| Thursday | |
| 8am-9am | Individual Supervision |
| 9am-10am | Patient Feedback |
| 10am-12pm | Test administration |
| 12pm-1pm | Lunch |
| 1pm-3pm | Test Administration |
| 3pm-5pm | Scoring |
Other days (ARU):
| 8am-9am | Individual Supervision |
| 9am-10am | Patient Intake |
| 10am-12pm | Patient follow-up/note writing |
| 12pm-1:00pm | Team Meeting |
| 1:00-2:00pm | Lunch |
| 1pm-3pm | Patient follow-up/2nd intake |
| 3pm-5pm | Team collaboration/family meeting/note writing |
Primary Supervisor Information: The primary supervisor for this externship identifies as a minority cisgender female and rehabilitation neuropsychologist. She completed a combination specialty fellowship in rehabilitation psychology and neuropsychology at the University of Michigan.
Compensation: While a grant was previously offered and will continue to be advocated for (with the hope it can be secured for this year’s extern later), budget cuts are such that compensation cannot be offered.
Application Requirements: Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, C.V., assessment-report sample, and a list of cognitive measures you are comfortable administering/scoring.
Please email Questions to:
Dominique Chao, PsyD
Rehabilitation Neuropsychologist
Department of Psychiatry
1890 N Revere Ct.
Anschutz Health Sciences Bldg, Suite 5240,
Aurora, CO 80045
Supervisor: Kelly Glaze, PsyD
Email: [email protected]
The Colorado Center for Women’s Behavioral Health and Wellness (WBHW) Perinatal Track is seeking 2 psychology externs to join our service for the 2026–2027 academic year. The externs will function as a member of our multidisciplinary teams in outpatient or integrated medical settings. Externs will participate in individual supervision, attend grand rounds and other training when possible, and contribute to clinical team meetings.
The WBHW externship provides supervised opportunities to work with individuals across the life span in the following track:
2 externs for the Perinatal Track: Healthy Expectations & PIPER IOP
WBHW offers a continuum of patient-centered and evidence-based care for pregnant and postpartum individuals and their families. Externs will have the opportunity to join our multidisciplinary teams in two programs: the Healthy Expectations Perinatal Mental Health Program and the Parent Infant Program for Emotional Resilience (PIPER) IOP.
Healthy Expectations provides medication management, individual, and group therapy with a specific focus on dyadic, two generational interventions. Healthy Expectations has been helping families in Colorado for more than 15 years and is recognized as the Rocky Mountain leader in perinatal mood disorder treatment for pregnant and postpartum caregivers.
The PIPER IOP is Colorado’s first and only comprehensive mental health care program designed specifically for the perinatal period. It offers structured, multidisciplinary, and evidence-based care for individuals who need more frequent and sustained support than traditional outpatient therapy throughout pregnancy and the first postpartum year. Curriculum integrates Mother-Infant Therapy, ACT, DBT, and Circle of Security–Parenting and services are offered Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:00–12:00.
Unique Qualifications: We are seeking psychology doctoral students who are in their 3rd or 4th year of training, have completed coursework in adult assessment and treatment, and possess a strong interest in perinatal mental health and/or specialty women’s health integrated services. The Department of Psychiatry, CUSOM has a strong commitment to recruiting applicants of diverse backgrounds and identities. Trainees from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
Unique Scheduling Requirements: 16–20 hours per week on site (dependent on track). For the perinatal track, externs must be available two mornings a week to participate in IOP (Mondays, Wednesdays, or Fridays).
Supervisor: Kait Ross, PhD
Email: [email protected]
The Colorado Center for Women’s Behavioral Health and Wellness (WBHW) Integrated Care and PCOS Track is seeking 1 psychology externs to join our service for the 2026–2027 academic year. The externs will function as a member of our multidisciplinary teams in outpatient or integrated medical settings. Externs will participate in individual supervision, attend grand rounds and other training when possible, and contribute to clinical team meetings.
The WBHW externship provides supervised opportunities to work with individuals across the life span in the following track:
1 extern for the Integrated Track: Specialty Integrated Women’s Behavioral Healthcare and PCOS Multidisciplinary Program
Specialty Integrated Women’s Behavioral Healthcare Services offers consultation and brief evaluation and treatment across several UCH and CU Medicine women’s healthcare settings. Our integrated multidisciplinary team works collaboratively with physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, and care coordinators to provide trauma-informed care for individuals with a range of specialty women’s health concerns, including preconception counseling, pregnancy loss, infertility, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, PCOS, persistent pelvic pain, sexual health, endometriosis, perimenopause, and other chronic gynecologic conditions. Externs will have the opportunity to work with all of these specialty populations providing individual therapy, as well as the Multidisciplinary PCOS Program.
The Multidisciplinary PCOS Program is a unique partnership between the Division of Academic Specialties in OBGYN and WBHW. The multidisciplinary team of OBGYN medical providers, clinical health psychologists, registered dietitian, nurse navigator, and reproductive psychiatrist collaborate to provide comprehensive, whole-person care to adults with PCOS. The Multidisciplinary PCOS Program is Colorado’s only comprehensive program, collaborating closely with the Colorado Children’s Hospital PCOS Program to facilitate a lifespan approach to PCOS care. Externs will receive training in individual and group care for PCOS.
Unique Qualifications: We are seeking psychology doctoral students who are in their 3rd or 4th year of training, have completed coursework in adult assessment and treatment, and possess a strong interest in perinatal mental health and/or specialty women’s health integrated services. The Department of Psychiatry, CUSOM has a strong commitment to recruiting applicants of diverse backgrounds and identities. Trainees from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
Unique Schedule Requirements: 16–20 hours per week on site.
Supervisor: Stephanie Lehto, PsyD
Email: [email protected]
This position provides a unique opportunity to join the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Clinic, and work with our clinic to increase accurate OCD diagnosis and evidenced based treatment for OCD. The OCD Clinic offers outpatient individual and group therapy, medication management, and an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP). The OCD Clinic works with individuals who are 13 years and older who have OCD and OC-spectrum disorders, often with comorbid concerns including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, trauma, substance use, and trauma. Our clinic aims to increase access to evidenced based treatment for individuals with OCD through educational events/trainings and decreasing financial barriers for treatment through insurance billing for appointments. This externship offers the opportunity to work with a multidisciplinary team of: Medical Doctors, a Physician Assistant, Licensed Masters Level Clinicians, Social Work trainees, and a Psychologist. This clinic has a weekly group supervision, to help increase collaboration and consultation across disciplines.
Unique qualifications: Applicants who have the following experience are preferred for this clinic:
- CBT, 2) knowledge of Exposure and Response Prevention; 3) treatment with adolescents, 4) at least 3rd year doctoral students
Unique schedule requirements: 16-24 hours per week, Fridays and attending of weekly group supervision on Wednesdays required. One evening preferred.
Unique roles: Training, supervision, and practice with the following activities:
- Specialized OCD assessment: Semi-structured interview, Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS), and consideration of differential diagnoses throughout treatment
- Psychosocial treatment: Carry a caseload of individual clients with a variety of OCD themes, and use of ERP in sessions. The supervisor works primarily from CBT/ERP, DBT, and ACT perspectives, and is open to conceptualizing patients from other therapeutic orientations. The OCD Clinic offers opportunities to address accommodation of OCD by family and supports, however, family therapy is not a specific modality offered in the clinic
- Opportunities for working with patients that are diverse in ethnicity/ culture, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, and clinical presentation
- School support/care coordination: Many clients are experiencing symptoms that may impact their school and work functioning, and the extern may need to complete accommodation letters and leave of absence/medical leave requests. Trainees may also be involved in other aspects of clinical care for their clients, including referral to partial hospital programs, involvement in hospitalization, and referral
- Optional roles/opportunities: Research, grant writing, and fundraising events
Supervisor: Aimee Sullivan, PhD
Email: [email protected]
We are an integrated, multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, psychologists, licensed therapists, and researchers collaborating to offer comprehensive diagnostic assessments and early intervention for individuals on the bipolar spectrum. The CU STEADY Program provides standardized evaluations, research opportunities, and evidence-based treatment for individuals 6 – 30 years of age with bipolar disorder, and those who are at elevated risk for developing bipolar disorder.
We are excited to offer a 12-month externship placement, including approximately 16-20 hours per week, beginning in July 2026 will play an integral role in both clinical (i.e., diagnostic assessment, intervention) and research (i.e., outcome assessor, interventionist) programming. In addition to participating in weekly team meetings, externs will have an opportunity to attend regular meetings of the Child Bipolar Network (CBN: CU, UCLA, University of Pittsburgh, University of Cincinnati). Specific responsibilities for this position are detailed below.
Training Goals:
- Develop expertise in using the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (KSADS), a semi structured, standardized diagnostic interview for youth and young adults.
- Gain experience with navigating the challenges of symptom assessment in young patients, including general diagnostic considerations, pertinent differentials, effective report writing, and generation of comprehensive treatment plans.
- Work effectively with families who are seeking support for a child’s bipolar illness and/or elevated risk of future bipolar illness. This goal will be primarily supported through training in Family-Focused Therapy for bipolar disorder (FFT). You can learn more about FFT here.
- Provide evidence-based individual therapy (e.g., psychoeducation, IPSRT) to young adults who may not wish to attend psychotherapy with their family members.
- Collaborate with a dynamic, multidisciplinary team within a fast-paced hospital environment. Team meetings include discussion of recent evaluations, case conferences for challenging patients, and treatment planning as patients are exiting our program.
- Engage with multi-site research projects, including an observational study of medications for youth with bipolar disorder, and a novel feasibility study of a ketogenic diet. While not an expectation of this position, interested externs would be welcome to pursue shared or independent analyses of collected data.
Unique Qualifications: Applicants with the following qualifications will be particularly well-suited for this position-
- Advanced doctoral student (i.e., starting at least third year in July 2026)
- Clinical experience with:
- Children and/or adolescents
- Severe mental illness and/or suicidality
- Structured clinical interviews
- Evidence-based psychotherapies, such as CBT or DBT
- Interest in learning Family-Focused Therapy (FFT) within a co-therapist model (i.e., extern is one of two therapists in the room with the family)
- Interest in preventative care and/or early intervention
- Ability to drive to Anschutz Medical Campus two days a week
Unique Schedule Requirements: 16 – 20 hours/week, to include:
- Monday afternoons (2pm – 5pm; on campus)
- Wednesdays (10am – 5pm; on campus)
Updates coming soon.
Psychiatry
CU Anschutz
Anschutz Health Sciences Building
1890 N Revere Ct
Suite 4003
Mail Stop F546
Aurora, CO 80045
303-724-4940
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