Texas Psychology Internships Accreditation

<< Back to RFP: Texas Psychology Internships Accreditation Initiative

How many grants will the Hogg Foundation award?

The foundation anticipates awarding four to six grants for this initiative. The actual number of grants made will depend on the number of strong proposals submitted and the total amount of funds requested in these proposals.

Is there a maximum amount of funding that can be requested?

There is no maximum amount of funding that can be requested; however, applicants should carefully consider what resources are needed to obtain accreditation by the American Psychological Association. Section C. Program Description in the request for proposals (RFP) describes the expected activities of the grant program and Section E.4. Project Budget describes how funds may be used.

Are we eligible to apply if we are an APPIC member unaccredited psychology internship situated in a private practice?
Texas-based nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations, governmental entities, and institutions of higher education are eligible to apply. See Section D.1. in the RFP for examples of eligible organizations. Private practices are not eligible to apply. Please send questions about eligibility by email to grants management staff at Hogg-Grants@austin.utexas.edu.

What are some characteristics of a strong application?
A strong application will describe an internship program that has a reasonable expectation of being able to meet the APA requirements for accreditation in the timeframe proposed in the RFP. While all elements of the proposal may not be equally strong, it is expected that many of the following factors will be present: a clearly specified philosophy of training, compatible with the mission of the organization and appropriate to the practice of professional psychology; education and training objectives that are consistent with the stated philosophy of training and the organization’s area of practice; evidence of institutional support indicating promise for sustainability of the internship and accreditation; and evidence that cultural and linguistic competency will be addressed throughout the training. The preparedness of onsite staff to provide high-quality supervision also is an important factor, including sufficient psychologists to support activities of interns, psychologists who have been through APA-accredited programs and internships, and psychologists trained in supervision.

Does our internship program have to meet all the preferences (listed in Section D2) to be selected?

The foundation may show preference for internship sites that currently meet one or more of the following criteria: serve communities where psychologists are underrepresented, serve communities where there is a scarcity of APA-accredited internships, serve communities or populations that are underserved in the area of mental health, or include recipients of mental health services and their families in designing, planning and implementing programs, policies and services. While it is possible that a strong proposal could be selected without meeting any of these criteria, these factors will be weighed in the event that equally strong proposals are being considered.

What are “underserved communities”?
Underserved communities are those that receive inadequate mental health services. Communities may be underserved for a variety of reasons, including the location of services in relation to the community (i.e. not being easily accessible), lack of health insurance or mental health coverage under one’s insurance plan, absence of linguistically appropriate or culturally relevant services, mental health workforce shortages, inadequate funding of community mental health centers, and stigma or attitudes about mental illness that affect people’s willingness to seek treatment.

What is meant by programs that “include recipients of mental health services and their families in the planning and implementation of services and policy at their sites”?
Some recipients of mental health services prefer to be referred to as “consumers.” The Hogg Foundation values the involvement of consumers, their families and consumer advocates in the design, planning and implementation of programs, policies and services. Ways in which consumers may be involved include, but are not limited to, serving as members on boards, participating in focus groups to address needed improvements in service delivery, and being employed as peer support specialists to assist their fellow consumers in their efforts to achieve recovery and wellness.

Does the Hogg Foundation require matching funds for this grant? If so, how much, and are in-kind contributions an allowable form of matching funds?

The foundation does not require matching funds for this grant program. If your organization plans to make in-kind contributions, you may describe those in the project narrative. However, because most components of the internship program have been in place for some time, it is understood that your organization or other funding sources are covering those costs.

What is the on-going cost of APA accreditation?

Once APA accreditation is obtained, the annual accreditation fee will be $2,250 (effective June 1, 2013). For accredited internship programs, a period ranging from 3 to 7 years between site visits may be designated depending upon the program’s stage of development and the stability of program outcomes. The fee for site visits is $3,400.

Will the foundation accept a proposed budget that includes a line item for administrative support for the self-study?

Given the complexity of the self-study process, an administrative support person may not be able to make a significant contribution to the preparation of the document. Typically, the self-study is completed by the training director, although some training directors may include their more experienced staff members in the process. However, if there are ways that an organization believes that administrative support would be helpful to the process, then such a line item (e.g. for a graduate assistant or administrative assistant) may be proposed. Please enter the position under “Personnel” and fill in the “percentage of time x the annual salary” formula in the budget template. Organizations should justify why this type of assistance is needed, including what type of tasks that person would complete to support the training director in preparing the self-study.