American Psychological Association Division 50
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News Date: Wednesday, October 15, 2025 - 14:30
The Richard J. Donovan (RJD) Correctional Facility Health Service Psychology Internship Program is a well-established APA accredited internship program in a high intensity forensic/corrections setting that adheres to the practitioner-scholar model and aims to develop interns into well-rounded psychologists. RJD has an incredibly diverse population of patients that allows interns to gain experience with an array of patients, uniquely holding several missions.
The Richard J. Donovan (RJD) Correctional Facility Health Service Psychology Internship Program is a well-established program in a high intensity forensic setting that adheres to the practitioner-scholar model and aims to develop interns into well-rounded psychologists. RJD has an incredibly diverse population of patients that allows interns to gain experience with an array of patients.
Our proximity to the San Diego / Tijuana border has left RJD as particularly vulnerable to illicit drugs, and two years ago we had the unfortunate distinction of representing 90% of CDCR accidental fentanyl overdose deaths in the entirety of CDCR, 93,000 souls. The diversity of population and challenges are ripe for substance use treatment and presents a fertile ground for learning and honing clinical skills.
RJD is also a high-risk medical facility and houses a population of patients with high risk medical diagnoses and conditions, has an end of life program, a behavioral health unit and specialty rotation for interns, and inpatient medical unit, and one of the only onsite dialysis clinics in the state. RJD is also a hub for developmentally disabled offenders and offers assessments, treatment, support, and a specialty rotation for interns to a population of patients who have developmental disabilities or cognitive impairments developed in prison. Lastly, RJD houses patients from many different ethnic and racial backgrounds, from different countries and cultures, those that speak languages other than English, and those who are hearing impaired and need sign language interpretation.
Within this environment we provide two six month rotations to provide a well-rounded and tailored clinical experience to meet your needs.
Attached you will find the RJDCF HSP Internship Program handbook and recruitment flyer. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have. I hope you consider applying to our internship program for the 2026 internship year.
Application Process RJDCF HSP internship program is currently an APPIC member and is participating in the National Matching Services program. This internship site agrees to abide by the APPIC policy that no person at this training facility will solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information from any intern applicant and agrees to follow all regulations set forth by APPIC. Applications must be submitted using the AAPI Online application service. RJD program code: 245611.
Resources are available for those struggling with addiction and numerous effective treatments exist. Whether you are looking for help for yourself or a loved one, we encourage you to seek out help.
