Program Mission

The mission of the South Dakota Psychology Internship Consortium (SD-PIC) is to prepare and retain psychologists who will provide culturally competent public mental health care for the diverse population of adults, adolescents, and children residing in rural and underserved communities.

Program Aim

The aim of the South Dakota Psychology Internship Consortium is to produce and retain high quality psychologist to deliver culturally competent and collaborative public mental health care for the diverse population of children, adolescents, and adults residing in rural and underserved communities.

General Information

The South Dakota Psychology Internship Consortium is comprised of two behavioral health training sites in Yankton, South Dakota. The consortium represents the collaborative efforts of Human Services Center and Lewis and Clark Behavioral Health Services, Inc., to share their resources and faculty to provide a quality educational program for psychology doctoral interns. The consortium focuses on providing culturally competent and responsive treatment to residents of all ages. The SD-PIC training program is a year-long, full-time, 2,000-hour doctoral training experience with three positions for the upcoming 2023 training year.

Please note that SD-PIC is a psychology doctoral internship program and not a practicum training site.

Accreditation

SD-PIC is not accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA).

Questions specifically related to the program’s accreditation status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation

American Psychological Association

750 1^st Street NE, Washington, DC 20002

Phone: (202) 336-5979

Email: apaaccred@apa.org

SD-PIC is applying for provisional membership of the Association of Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC). Once SD-PIC receives provisional membership credentials, APPIC Member Numbers for each consortium site will be updated here. Questions about APPIC or accreditation can be directed to Dr. Karly Dickinson (kdickinson@wiche.edu).

Contacting South Dakota PIC

Questions regarding our internship program or the application and interview processes may be directed to our Program Training Directors, Dr. Joel Merkwan (Joel.Merkwan@state.sd.us) and Dr. David Dracy (David.Dracy@lcbhs.net)