Philosophy & Training Goals

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.

The SD-PIC represents the collaborative efforts of the Human Services Center (HSC, South Dakota’s only state inpatient behavioral health hospital) and Lewis and Clark Behavioral Health Services, Inc. (LCBHS), a community behavioral health agency serving seven counties in south-east South Dakota. SD-PIC’s program for psychology interns focuses on providing culturally relevant and competent services in accordance and conjunction with the professional competencies outlined by the American Psychological Association (APA). SD-PIC will prepare knowledgeable, skilled, and compassionate psychologist-to-be to live and work in rural, underserved areas to assist individuals and communities to remain health, strong, and resilient. The varied cultures and challenges of rural underserved communities requires that clinicians be culturally aware, culturally sensitive, culturally humble, and knowledgeable about the strengths and limitations of available supports in the areas were the consumers work and live.

SD-PIC values the dimension and depth that diversity of training faculty, interns and individuals served bring to the intern training experience. SD-PIC values all types of diversity and welcomes diverse applicants to apply.