As of Friday, March 7, 2025, we still have available positions in the Child and Family, Emergency Services, and Wellness Center tracks for the 2025-26 training year. Please see the descriptions of the tracks below. Interviews and offers will be made on a rolling basis.
Application Requirements:
• For Child and Family Behavioral Health Services (CFBHS):
• Two letters of recommendation (one must be from a therapy supervisor)
• A de-identified comprehensive report of a youth
• Cover letter
• CV
For Emergency Services (ES) and Wellness Center (WC):
• One letter of recommendation
• Cover letter
• CV
Submission Instructions:
• For CFBHS: Send your application to Dr. Juana Osorio at juana.osorioramirez@alexandriava.gov
• For ES: Send your application to Dr. Allison Guernsey at allison.guernsey@alexandriava.gov
• For WC: Send your application to Dr. Nichole Rohrer at nichole.rohrer@alexandriava.gov
Position Descriptions:
General Info
The Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) offers psychology training in community mental health. We serve a highly diverse community, and the available tracks provide opportunities to focus on, learn, and develop skills in unique areas while serving this diverse population.
There are five pre-doctoral clinical psychology externship positions available for current Ph.D./Psy.D. students as part of their training prior to internship. These include two positions in Child and Family Behavioral Health Services (CFBHS), one position in Emergency Services, and two positions at the West End Wellness Center. See the links below for more information.
The externship runs from August through May, with the option to extend through the summer, subject to consideration. Seminars, group supervision, and team meetings are held on Thursdays. Prerequisite training includes at least one therapy practicum experience prior to the start date.
Externship activities will involve varying levels of in-person contact with clients and staff, depending on need. While telehealth is utilized, most clinical work will be conducted in person.
Seminars:
We hold weekly seminars on Thursdays in which students from all tracks, along with their supervisors, come together. Supervisors and other DCHS staff present on various areas of expertise or work they do with the community. These seminars are a great opportunity to enhance clinical competencies and cultural awareness, as students are exposed to diverse topics. Additionally, students have at least one case presentation per semester.
This year, we are excited to offer a monthly seminar in Spanish for Spanish-speaking students. This will be offered as long as we have at least two bilingual students across tracks. The goal is to provide additional support to Spanish-speaking students by helping them build vocabulary and confidence as bilingual mental health professionals. This seminar will be led by a bilingual and bicultural licensed psychologist.
Contact Information
Juana Osorio-Ramirez, Psy.D. (she, her, ella)
Director of Psychology Externship Program
Bilingual Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS)
4850 Mark Center Dr., Alexandria VA 22311
Work mobile: 703.966.5112
juana.osorioramirez@alexandriava.gov