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Psychology Doctoral Internships

Doctoral Psychology Internship Program

We are committed to the recruitment of culturally and ethnically diverse interns. We encourage inquiries and applications from all qualified individuals.
Jefferson Center offers a 12-month, 2,000-hour generalist psychology doctoral internship training program and has two full-time intern positions which start in mid-August. Jefferson Center’s internship is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), and our program is also a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC).

Internship Admin, Support, & Initial Placement Data

Training Brochure 2024-25

Intern Manual 2023 – 24


Overview of Jefferson Center

Jefferson Center is a private 501(c) (3) not-for-profit community mental health center serving Jefferson, Clear Creek and Gilpin counties for more than 60 years. Jefferson Center’s programs and services are designed to foster recovery and resilience for individuals of all ages who have mental health problems. As a private non-profit, Jefferson Center served more than 27,000 people in 2022. Our services are provided through numerous clinical locations in our three-county service area, in addition to schools, nursing homes, senior centers, and other partner locations throughout our community.

Training Philosophy

The Jefferson Center Psychology Doctoral Internship Program seeks to train interns to become clinical psychologists with a firm foundation in health services psychology. Our philosophy is three-fold: (1) that training in health services psychology is a continual developmental process, (2) that providing a broad range of training opportunities is optimum for the growth of developing clinical skills, and (3) that clinical health services psychology is a science-based discipline, and it is important to apply research to inform practice.

Accreditation Disclosure Statement

Jefferson Center for is accredited by the Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation American Psychological Association and participates in the APPIC Internship Matching Program. Applicants must complete the APPIC online APPI. This internship site agrees to abide by the APPIC policy that no person at this training facility will solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information from an intern applicant.
Questions related to Jefferson Center Internship program accreditation status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
Phone: 202-336-5979
Email: apaaccred@apa.org
accreditation.apa.org

All other questions about the internship program may be directed to:

Kathy Baur, PhD, LP
she/her/hers
Psychology Doctoral Internship Training Director
Jefferson Center
4851 Independence St.
Wheat Ridge, CO 80033
Email: KathyB@jcmh.org

Get To Know Us
Kathy Baur, PhD

Kathy Baur, PhD

Kathy Baur, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist who has been with Jefferson Center since 1998. She received her doctorate from the University of Wyoming and completed her internship and a fellowship in behavioral medicine. In addition to being the Psychology Doctoral Internship Training Director, she provides clinical services to our clients through Crisis and Adult Outpatient Services. Her areas of interest are clinical supervision, program development, training, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and anxiety disorders.

Beth Chandler, PsyD

Beth Chandler, PsyD

Beth Chandler, PsyD is a licensed clinical psychologist who works for Jefferson Center as a co-located clinician in a primary care setting. She attended University of Denver’s Professional School of Psychology, completing her internship at Denver General Hospital (Denver Health). She specializes in the treatment of older adults and behavioral health integration.  Beth supervises the Integrated Care rotation.

Amanda M. Daniel, MA, LPC

Amanda M. Daniel, MA, LPC

Amanda M. Daniel, MA, LPC has worked in the mental health field for over 20 years in various settings and positions, always with a bilingual and bicultural lens. Amanda is a Licensed Professional Counselor, with a BA in Psychology and Spanish and a MA in Counseling and Guidance from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, NM. For the past 15 years, she has lived and worked in Southwest Denver as a bilingual therapist and then program manager. For over 8 years she has been a clinical supervisor to immigrant and Spanish-speaking children, adolescents, adults, and their families, dealing with issues from Adjustment Disorders to Schizophrenia. In her previous position, she served on various committees and workgroups with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion in community mental health and the workplace.
Amanda M. Daniel, MA, LPC

Abigail Donate-Peralta, PsyD

Abigail Donate-Peralta, PsyD is a licensed psychologist who has been with Jefferson Center since 2022. Abi graduated in 2019 from the University of Colorado Denver with a degree in School Psychology. She has worked in a public-school setting providing mental health, behavioral, crisis, consultation and assessment services to school aged-children and their families. Abi received a bilingual certificate through UC Denver and is biliterate/bilingual in English and Spanish. With JCMH, Abi provides a variety of clinical assessment services in English and Spanish.  Abi supervises the Centro Dones rotation and Spanish language psychological assessments.

Amanda M. Daniel, MA, LPC

Emily Grados, PsyD

Emily Grados, PsyD is a licensed clinical psychologist who works for Jefferson Center as manager of Crisis Services, overseeing operations of the 24/7 walk-in crisis center and mobile crisis response. Emily received her Doctorate from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology in Los Angeles, and completed her internship at Glendale Adventist Hospital. She specializes in trauma-informed community crisis intervention.

Kirsten Kloock, PsyD

Kirsten Kloock, PsyD

Kirsten Kloock, PsyD, a licensed clinical psychologist, is the manager of the Psychological Assessment team, a member of the training committee, and provides didactics for the interns. She has been with Jefferson Center since 2016. Kirsten received her doctorate from the California School of Professional Psychology with an emphasis in multicultural awareness and completed her postdoctoral residency specializing in psychological assessment. Kirsten also provides forensic, pre-surgical, neuropsychological, ADHD, ASD, and social-emotional testing for our clients.

Jodi Lovejoy, DBH

Jodi Lovejoy, DBH

Jodi Lovejoy, DBH earned her Doctor of Behavioral Health (Arizona State University) and MSW (University of Utah). She completed post-doctoral hours with the United States Air Force (Colorado) and pre-doctoral hours at Mayo Clinic/City of Hope (Arizona). A licensed clinical social worker since 1994, Jodi managed addiction programs for indigenous women, regional EAP programs, and providers.
Adam Maher, PsyD

Adam Maher, PsyD

Adam Maher, PsyD, is a graduate of California School of Professional Psychology, San Francisco, and completed his doctoral internship and post-doctorate fellowship at Regina Caeli Clinical Services. He is a licensed clinical psychologist at the Jefferson Center and provides both individual psychotherapy and pre-surgical psychological assessments. Adam provides supervision for the Family Services rotation as well as providing didactic seminars.
Priya McLennan, PhD

Priya McLennan, PhD

Priya McLennan, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in child psychology and community mental health. In addition to her clinical training and experience, Priya has a background in innovation and dissemination, and implementation research. Combining her expertise, Priya is currently a clinical innovation consultant for the Jefferson Center and the supervisor for the doctoral intern innovation/research rotation. Priya received her doctorate from the University of Hawaii at Manoā and completed her psychology internship and postdoctoral fellowship at the Jefferson Center.
Priya McLennan, PhD

Lori Perkins, LPC

Lori Perkins, LPC is a Regis University graduate and a licensed professional counselor. She is a seasoned crisis clinician with over a decade of crisis experience and who has been with Jefferson Center for 26 years.  Lori is the supervisor for the Crisis rotation.

Tiffany Shelton, PhD

Tiffany Shelton, PhD

Tiffany Shelton, PhD completed her postdoctoral assessment fellowship with Jefferson Center. Tiffany received her doctorate from the California School of Professional Psychology specializing in neuropsychology, and completed her postdoctoral residency at Sharp Healthcare in San Diego. Tiffany supervises the Psychological Assessment rotation for the internship.  She also provides the yearlong Leadership Seminar for interns to develop their emerging leadership skills as an early career psychologist. In addition to her work as the Psychological Assessment Coordinator, Tiffany is the published author of 5 Minute Focus and Self-Compassion and Mindfulness.

Amelia Spiegel, BS

Amelia Spiegel, BS

Amelia Spiegel, BS joined Jefferson Center as an Innovation Analyst in September 2020. In her role, Amelia employs the agile mindset and human-centered design principles to understand the needs of staff and people served in order to create solutions that satisfy all stakeholders and enhance community mental health and well-being. Amelia works with interns on the Innovation/Research minor rotation.
Sharon Stremel, PsyD

Sharon Stremel, PsyD

Sharon Stremel, PsyD earned her doctorate from the Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology in 2002, and her Master’s in Counseling from the University of Phoenix in 1996. She is a Licensed Psychologist and a Level III Certified Addictions Counselor. She has been working at Jefferson Center for Mental Health since 2002, in several positions including a crisis/intake clinician, Director of Quality Improvement, OBRA/PASRR Coordinator, School-Based Clinician, and currently as a Senior Services Clinician. In addition to supervising interns for the Senior Services and Adult Outpatient teams, she coordinates the Professional Development Seminar for the Internship.
Brandon Ward, PsyD

Brandon Ward, PsyD

Brandon Ward, PsyD is a licensed psychologist and the current Chief Innovation Office and VP of Information Systems at Jefferson Center. He has been with Jefferson Center since the beginning of 2020 and joined the doctoral internship training program shortly after. Dr. Ward interacts with interns on the Innovation/Research rotation and the Professional Development Seminar. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Ward has led a focused career in the areas of technology and practice innovation.

Brandon Ward, PsyD

Esther Weiner, PsyD

Esther Weiner, PsyD is a licensed clinical psychologist who has been at Jefferson Center for her internship and post-doctorate training. Esther provides clinical supervision of supervision for the interns. She received her doctorate from Loyola University Maryland and has a myriad of clinical interests ranging from therapy, supervision, and program development. Esther also approaches her roles from a multicultural framework, and has a specific research interests in white racial identity and antiracism.

Joy Wishtun, LPC

Joy Wishtun, LPC

Joy Wishtun, LPC, is a licensed professional counselor serving as the Program Manager and Clinical Supervisor for the Early Childhood and Family Services team at Jefferson Center. As an infant and early childhood mental health specialist, Joy has provided clinical services to children and families and consultation services to education providers in a school-based setting, with an emphasis on child development, social-emotional growth, parenting and caregiving support, attachment, and the impact of trauma and toxic stress. Joy is passionate about supporting families and caregivers through the strengthening of and connection to community providers. Joy provides culturally focused supervision for the interns.

Maria Kraemer, PsyD

Maria Kraemer, PsyD. is a pre-licensed clinical psychologist who has been at Jefferson Center for her internship and post-doctorate training. She received her doctorate from Biola University and her research interests include trauma & resiliency, gender roles, and the integration of religion & spirituality with mental health. Maria completed a language training program for mental health professionals in 2019 and is bilingual in English and Spanish. She is currently part of the Jefferson Center assessment team and has also enjoyed her rotations in adolescent and adult therapy, as well as innovation and research.

What Past Interns Have Said About Their Experience
  • “The supervisors created a supportive and understanding environment. Throughout the year, I felt my training was continually emphasized and adjustments were made to meet the changing demands.”
  • “One of the most beneficial experiences was having the opportunity to conduct psychological assessments for a wide array of populations while utilizing cultural context as a means of interpreting assessment results.”
  • “Absolutely loved being able to supervise the externs & my supervisor was amazing at helping me through the experience. “
  • “I think the opportunities to supervise and be involved with the Center have really allowed me to grow and discover new interests.”
  • “The variety of experiences that my internship at Jefferson Center provided helped me to become a well-rounded early career psychologist. I especially enjoyed work with outpatient adults and work at Crisis doing evaluations.”
  • “My internship provided me with a very in-depth experience and well-rounded training. I really liked working at Jefferson Center.”
  • “The supervision was outstanding. I enjoyed getting to learn from multiple professional psychologists in the field who have different styles and different jobs. The assessment piece of the internship really helped me to develop and hone my assessment skills, particularly with writing cohesive and succinct reports.”
  • “I found that doing presentations for staff and the community helped me to gain confidence in my education and training.”
    Non-discrimination Statement
    Jefferson Center is committed to a policy of providing educational opportunities to all qualified students regardless of economic or social status, and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, marital status, beliefs, age, national origin, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability or any other legally protected category. Jefferson Center is a Drug-Free and Tobacco Free Workplace.
    COVID-19 Vaccination Policy
    All employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by 10/30/2021. All persons offered a position will be required to provide valid proof of vaccination, or be approved for exemption prior to starting employment.
    COVID-19 Training Response
    Possible Changes to the Training Program for subsequent training years due to COVID resurgences

    Jefferson Center has adopted a hybrid mode ongoing and interns will do a combination of remote and in person work.  The impact on the training program will follow the same modifications that were present for the 2021.2022 Training year.

    1. Individual and group therapy will be done using a combination of in person and remote video platform. In person sessions will be done virtually following CDC guidelines.
    2. All supervisions will be done in a combination of in person and virtual.
    3. Didactics and other trainings will be done both in person and remotely with webinars added to augment training
    4. Psychological assessments will continue in person for cognitive and neuropsychological referrals following CDC guidelines for in person testing. Social emotional testing, clinical interviews, and feedback sessions will be done remotely.
    5. Crisis Services are considered essential services and in person sessions are conducted following CDC guidelines.
    Response to COVID-19 by Jefferson Center Internship Training Program for 2019-2020

    Jefferson Center Psychology Doctoral Internship follows the guidelines adopted by APPIC as a part of CCTC.

    Guiding principles:

    Safety. The safety of HSP service recipients, trainees, trainers, and our communities is of utmost importance.

    Equity. It is vital to make the HSP recruitment and selection process as accessible and fair as possible for diverse applicants and programs.

    Ethics. Reliance on an ethical framework for decision making to guard against bias and lapses during a stressful time when systems and the people in them are taxed.

    Science. Use of science, evidence-based findings, and the recommendations of public health experts to inform our process and recommended procedures.

    Modifications in training program due to COVID-19 in the 2019.2020 Training Year

    Service Delivery Changes:

    By mid-March all therapy was being conducted via telephone or zoom and by April all clinicians were converted to Zoom for individual therapy.  Group therapy was converted to virtual sessions by May with DBT program starting up again for virtual sessions mid-June.

    All supervision was completed remotely.  All didactics were completed remotely with some in person trainings converted to webinar trainings to address immediate skills for telehealth.

    Rotation Changes:

    Integrated Care rotation: Due to the UCH/Infectious Disease/HIV clinic going fully remote in mid-March, the Integrated care rotation was modified.  The intern assigned to that rotation was reassigned to a newly developed rotation on the Innovation team and was an integral part of the conversion of services to a video platform.  The intern also participated in a virtual group for newly diagnosed patients with HIV with the other intern who had done the integrated care rotation in the fall.

    Adult Outpatient (AOP):  The intern assigned to the AOP rotation was assigned individual clients, but was unable to do intakes.  The DBT group experience was delayed until June 17 rather than beginning in March.

    Psychological Assessment:  All cognitive assessments were cancelled until mid-June. The required battery of 6 assessments was lowered to 4 and the interns were able to complete social emotional test batteries remotely.

    Crisis rotation. This is considered an essential service at the Center. Intern participation on this rotation was delayed until full safety procedure at the Crisis Center was in place.

    Changes to the Training Program for the 2020-21 Training Year due to COVID-19

    On-boarding / Orientation: A hybrid of both in-person and remote orientation processes was used. Opportunities to engage in team-building activities with the internship class, supervisors, and assigned team were present throughout the fall/winter in a combination of in-person and remote events.

    Supervision – All supervision was done remotely until June 2021 with both in-person and remote supervision offered. 

    Didactics/Training: Didactics occurred remotely with webinars augmenting regular training.

    Rotation Changes:

    Integrated Care rotation: The return to in-person services at the Infectious Disease clinic at either full-time or part-time was delayed in the fall with restricted clinic days due to IDC protocol. The neuropsychological testing requirement was reduced and test administration was done onsite with the clinical interview and feedback sessions occurring remotely. Individual therapy cases remained remote. Interns participated in minor specialty rotations on the Innovative team to augment hours and carried cases from Jefferson Center’s Adult Outpatient team where services were delivered remotely. 

    Adult Outpatient (AOP):  The intern assigned to the AOP rotation had the same training opportunities, however, services were delivered remotely. Mid-June services will be provided both remotely and in person. 

    Psychological Assessment:  Following Center protocols and CDC guidelines, in-person testing for cognitive testing referrals continued. Social emotional testing, clinical interviews, and feedback sessions occurred remotely. Interns were required to complete 6 psychological assessments over the training year.

    Crisis rotation: This is considered an essential service at the Center. Based on interns’ preference, another training opportunity was provided in the fall and full return to Crisis training was available by January 2021. 

    Changes to the Training Program for the 2021-22 Training Year due COVID-19

    Jefferson Center has adopted a hybrid mode and interns will do a combination of remote and in-person work. The impact on the training program will be as below and follow the same modifications that were in place for the 2020.2021 Training year. 

    1. Individual and group therapy will be done using a combination of in-person and remote video platforms. In-person sessions will be done following CDC guidelines.
    2. All supervision will be done in a combination of in-person and virtual.
    3. Didactics and other training will be done both in person and remotely with webinars added to augment training
    4. Psychological assessments will continue in person for cognitive and neuropsychological referrals following CDC guidelines for in-person testing. Social emotional testing, clinical interviews, and feedback sessions will be done remotely.
    5. Crisis Services are considered essential services and in-person sessions are conducted following CDC guidelines.
    Possible Changes to the Training Program for subsequent training years due to COVID resurgences

    Jefferson Center has adopted a hybrid mode ongoing and interns will do a combination of remote and in-person work. Impact on the training program will follow the same modifications that were present for the 2021-2022 Training year.

    1. Individual and group therapy will be done using a combination of in-person and remote video platforms. In-person sessions will be done virtually following CDC guidelines.
    2. All supervision will be done in a combination of in-person and virtual.
    3. Didactics and other training will be done both in-person and remotely with webinars added to augment training.
    4. Psychological assessments will continue in person for cognitive and neuropsychological referrals following CDC guidelines for in-person testing. Social emotional testing, clinical interviews, and feedback sessions will be done remotely.
    5. Crisis Services are considered essential services and in-person sessions are conducted following CDC guidelines.

    Contact Us

    Reach out and connect with Jefferson Center today. 

      Getting Started
      Jefferson Center provides client-centered services designed to meet your individual mental health, substance use, and wellness needs. We’re dedicated to meeting you where you are in your journey and working together to help you live a satisfying and hopeful life.

      Emergency & Crisis Services
      • Hotline
      • Walk-in crisis centers
      • Mobile crisis services throughout the state