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Interns and Participants

Rebecca Walters with the 2002 interns: Gil, Sung and Toni

Thank you for your interest in our psychodrama internship program at Four Winds Hospital, a private psychiatric hospital in Westchester, New York. Internships are available one day a week on the child/adolescent service with Rebecca Walters, MS LCAT LMHC TEP. We hope the following will explain everything you need to know, but please don't hesitate to call with questions.

Internships

First Year Internship: Interns act as trained auxiliary egos, co-leaders and directors in psychodrama groups at Four Winds Hospital. Interns earn up to hours of credit towards psychodrama certification and must commit themselves to one day a week for a minimum of twelve months . Interns may lead a weekly action-oriented group on their own when both the intern and supervisor mutually agree the intern is ready (see supervision for interns for more information on this) Supervision must be arranged.

Interns will be responsible for covering a predetermined number of groups for psychodramatists who are on vacation or ill (covering up to six days per year).

Interns must currently be in training with a certified psychodramatist (unless they have already completed five hundred hours) Students in training at the Hudson Valley Psychodrama Institute will be given preference.

Internships usually begin either September or February.

Supervision for First Year Interns: Because of time restraints on the psychodrama staff at the hospital, we can offer only ten-fifteen minutes of post-group processing per group. Interns must make private arrangements for one hour of supervision for every two hours of groups they lead on their own when covering for absent psychodramatists. If interns desire to run a weekly group on their own, they most arrange for supervision with Rebecca privately. Currently Rebecca Walters, MS TEP offers internships on adolescents' and children's units one day a week.

Intern Requirements: The ideal psychodrama intern has an advanced degree in the field of mental health or human services and a minimum of four hundred and fifty hours of psychodrama training with a psychodramatist certified as a Trainer, Educator and Practitioner by the American Board of Examiners in Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama OR at least two hundred hours of drama therapy training and two hundred and fifty hours do psychodrama training. Exceptions to these standards will be made for interns without an advanced degree but who have over five hundred and fifty psychodrama hours.

It is strongly recommended that a minimum of thirty-six hours of training be from the Hudson Valley Psychodrama Institute so that we may get to know one another and see if our styles will work well together.
The ideal intern has a high level of spontaneity as is evidenced by their ability to be effective doubles, auxiliaries and group members. The ideal intern will already have significant group leading and/or directing experience. References will be needed to attest to these skills.

It is also expected that an applicant for our internship will have attended one or more of the HVPI winter or summer psychodrama intensives so that we may get to know one another and see if our styles will work well together.

Second Year Internships

Second year interships are available for interns interested in working with children and adolescents and who have successfully completed a first year internship with these populations at Four Winds Hospital. It is expected that second year interns will be finished or be close to finishing their training hours. The second year internship will involve running one or two groups independently and one or two groups with Rebecca Walters who will meet with the intern(s) one hour per month to process the groups. Supervision must be arranged privately.

Year long interns needing financial support during the time of their internship may be considered for positions as mental health workers within the hospital if openings are available.

Participants

Participants will attend groups with Rebecca Walters, MS TEP one day a week for four to sixteen weeks. They will act as auxiliaries and doubles but take no responsibilities for the groups on their own at any time. They may accrue up to 48 hours of psychodrama training. The ideal participant must have 150 hours of psychodrama training and be in training at the Hudson Valley Psychodrama Institute. Exceptions may be made by those who are currently students at another institute, but have accrued 36 hours of training at HVPI. The participant needs to have demonstrated a high level of spontaneity as an auxiliary and double.

For more information please contact Rebecca Walters at
(845) 255-7502

To apply please send resume to:

Rebecca Walters
Hudson Valley Psychodrama Institute
68 DuBois Road
New Paltz, NY 12561

In addition, we must receive two confidential letters of reference directly from the referents, one of whom must be your primary trainer.