UArizona Psychology Internship Consortium

The University of Arizona Psychology Internship Consortium is a collaboration of three agencies in Southern Arizona that share resources to create high-quality internship opportunities that represent the diversity and needs of the Southwest. The mission of the UArizona PIC is to prepare and retain psychologists who have developed skills, competencies, and professional identities so that they may provide high-quality psychological services in the school setting. Interns will learn from a diverse and multidisciplinary team of professionals who promote a broad developmental training approach to achieve training goals.

The UArizona PIC offers two 12-month full-time internship positions beginning in July of each year. Interns of the UArizona PIC work at training sites in Sunnyside Unified School District, and Tucson Unified School District. The College of Education Department of Disability & Psychoeducational Studies serves as an administrative, non-clinical partner site to provide expertise and support to the consortium. Each site has one intern placement.

Interns are expected to complete 2,000 hours with at least 500 hours (25%) spent in direct service delivery. Emphasis is placed on training interns in culturally competent practice across all areas including behavioral health, assessment, intervention, collaboration, and consultation. In order to best serve their clients, supervisors engage in continuing professional development in best practices reflective of culturally competent practices. Training on diversity variables is emphasized in didactic seminars and supervision. Interns are expected to be competent in the APA Standards of Accreditation nine Profession-Wide Competencies, as well as abide by the APA Code of Ethics and the policies of both UArizona PIC and the individual training sites.

  • Work with an interdisciplinary team of licensed psychologists and other related professionals, including speech-language therapists, school counselors, social workers, and occupational and physical therapists
  • Learn how to use a collaborative systems approach within a larger organization
  • Receive training and gain experience in providing supervision to beginning school psychology graduate students at school sites
  • Incorporate a variety of assessment instruments into your clinical work
  • Develop assessment skills to inform intervention services
  • Receive mentorship to develop leadership skills

Jennifer Kirkpatrick, Ph.D., Training Director

Dr. Kirkpatrick earned a B.S. in Psychology from the College of William and Mary in Virginia. She continued her education at Syracuse University, earning an M.S. in Special Education. In 2002, she earned her Ph.D. from the University of Arizona, Department of Educational Psychology, School Psychology Program. From 2001 to 2015 she worked as an Arizona Certified School Psychologist in a variety of settings including public schools, public charter schools, and Bureau of Indian Education schools.  She also served as a Part-time Assistant Clinical Professor for Northern Arizona University and is currently an Assistant Professor of Practice in the School Psychology Program at the University of Arizona and the Ed.S. Program Director, Tucson campus.

Peter Shibuya, Ph.D. Dr. Shibuya is a licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist. He received his PhD in clinical psychology (child and family tract) from Alliant University in 1994. Dr. Shibuya spent two years working on a child and adolescent psychiatric unit prior to starting his career in school psychology. He worked six years in Baltimore County Public Schools prior to starting in Tucson Unified School District in 2003. He has extensive experience in assessment, school based therapy, and working with children with disabilities (emotional, learning, intellectual, and autism). Dr. Shibuya has a strong commitment to building relationships with teachers, administrators, special education staff, students, and families for a systemic approach to school interventions. He has provided supervision to school psychologists since 2005. Dr. Shibuya enjoys bicycling and running in his free time and on weekends can often be found on “The Loop” trail that circles Tucson.

Deborah Mercier-Burmeister, Ph.D., is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist and a Licensed Psychologist (since 2019), and worked as a special education and general education teacher for eleven years prior to becoming a school psychologist.  She has received her Ph.D. (School Psychology), Ed.S. and B.A. from the University of Arizona.  Dr. Mercier-Burmeister continues to maintain teaching credentials with endorsements for Special Education - Learning Disabilities, Sheltered English Immersion, and a highly qualified classification in Language Arts/Reading.  Dr. Mercier-Burmeister has worked as a school psychologist in the Sunnyside School District for 10 years.  Dr. Mercier-Burmeister has experience working at all levels from preschool through high school.  She has extensive experience working with students demonstrating social/emotional disabilities, trauma responses, and autism spectrum disorder across the school levels.  Dr. Mercier-Burmeister has been an active member of the district's autism assessment team for the last 9 years.  She has supervised both intern and practicum students since 2015.  She is a current member of the Southern Arizona Psychological Association (SAPA) and National Association of School Psychologists (NASP).

UArizona PIC offers two doctoral internship positions. Interns are employed by the school district to which they are matched. Each site offers a package of benefits specific to the site. Interns begin and end their training year in July and the current stipdend for the 2022-2023 training year is $25,000. More detailed information is available in the UArizona PIC Handbook.

The UArizona PIC is committed to creating a safe, welcoming, and affirming environment for all. This includes students who access our services as well as all individuals who are part of our community.

The UArizona PIC strongly values cultural and individual diversity and believes in creating an equitable, welcoming, appreciative, safe, and inclusive learning environment for its interns. Diversity among interns and supervisors enhances and enriches the program. Every effort is made by the internship supervisors to create a climate in which all staff and interns feel respected and comfortable, and in which success is possible and obtainable. The UArizona PIC includes an overall goal of interns becoming competent in working with clients, colleagues, and community members from various backgrounds. We foster this competence by providing training on identity and culture, encouraging interns to consult and collaborate with multidisciplinary staff members and by challenging interns to reflect on their own personal and cultural experiences and how these affect their work with clients.

Required Materials:

  • A completed online AAPI that includes the following components:
  • Single cover letter (stating your preferred training site(s) and why you are interested in those sites.
  • Current CV
  • Three standardized reference forms two of which must come from individuals who have directly supervised your work
  • Official transcripts of all graduate coursework

Selection Process:

All application materials must be received by December 8, 2022 to be considered. All applicants will be notified of their application status by e-mail. If applicants are invited to interview, they will be notified by email on or before December 20, 2022. Interviews will be scheduled in mid-January.

The UArizona PIC bases its selection process on the entire application package noted above; however, applicants who have met the following qualifications prior to beginning internship will be given preference:

  1. APA-accredited doctoral program
  2. A minimum of 250 intervention hours
  3. A minimum of 50 assessment hours
  4. Dissertation proposed or defended
  5. Some experience or special interest in working with underserved and/or diverse populations.
  6. Practicum experience in psychological assessment and treatment of children.
  7. School psychology applicants preferred.

UArizona PIC takes into consideration the potential commitment or interest of any prospective intern to remain in Southern Arizona following the internship. Developing a strong behavioral health workforce is an important consideration for the Consortium, and an interest in remaining in Arizona to join the workforce is considered a benefit in a potential intern.

In addition to the education and training requirements and preferences specified above, UArizona PIC requires that matched interns meet additional site-level criteria, including a site application and Identity Verified Prints (IVP) fingerprint clearance card to begin their training year. If a matched intern does not meet site-level criteria, the match agreement will be terminated and the intern will not be allowed to complete their internship within UArizona PIC. To apply for an IVP fingerprint clearance card, please visit the AZ DPS and follow the instructions. If you have questions about the IVP Fingerprint Process, call (877) 614-4364.

The University of Arizona PIC is not currently accredited by the APA.  Questions 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 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
Phone: (202) 336-5979
Email: apaaccred@apa.org

Member of the APPIC

The UArizona PIC is a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC, #2522), and participates in the APPIC Match Service. The UArizona PIC 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.