Department of Psychology

The Lakowitz Clinical Psychology Prize & Queens College Psychological Center Undergraduate Internship

(Download application form HERE)

(Application period for the 23-24 academic year will be August 25, 2023- September 10, 2023)

About Lakowitz Clinical Psychology Prize

The Lakowitz Clinical Psychology Prize is awarded yearly to two outstanding Queens College undergraduate psychology majors, who identify as individuals from underrepresented backgrounds (broadly including age, race/ethnicity/nationality, socioeconomic status, member of historically oppressed group, interests, and perspectives), and who aspire to pursue graduate studies to become a clinical psychologist.

Lakowitz Prize awardees will participate in an internship position for the fall and spring semester (3 hours per week) at the Queens College Psychological Center (QCPC). They will also receive a monetary award of $500 and will be recognized during spring graduation with a plaque. QCPC will award a $100 stipend to each as well. Internship activities are expected to allow undergraduate students who are interested in clinical psychology to experience a behavioral health environment, gain a greater understanding of clinical work, engage in mentorship and meaningfully contribute to the community

• Responsibilities: Lakowitz-QCPC Interns will participate in community mental wellness outreach projects and psychoeducational programs, develop and implement  community awareness/ mental health destigmatization efforts, help  patients fill out forms and measures, create patient educational handouts, assist with identifying resources for patients, engage pediatric patients in creative activities and play while they await appointments, assist doctoral students and faculty, and help with other daily operational tasks in the clinic (e.g. answering patient’s calls for information, entering data).

• Opportunities: There will be many opportunities for experiential learning and mentorship. Lakowitz-QCPC Interns will receive training and have the opportunity to observe clinical meetings (e.g., case conferences, didactics), engage in mental health/psychology related activities, receive mentorship from current clinical psychology doctoral students and faculty, and as appropriate observe clinicians in their everyday clinical work.

Rationale: The QC Department of Psychology and the Clinical Doctoral Program are deeply committed to creating a more diverse profession and discipline to serve a diverse public. The Lakowitz-QCPC Internship looks to support QC psychology undergraduates from diverse backgrounds who have demonstrated resilience, and who aspire to careers as doctoral level Clinical Psychologists.  Doctoral programs in clinical psychology are highly competitive, and require extensive preparation and experience (such as volunteer work in clinical settings with diverse populations, and clinical research in laboratories). Often, this valued credential of “experience” is not remunerated, rendering such participation a hardship for many students. This award looks to provide some renumeration and mentorship support for promising students who seek relevant, mental health related, experiences with community populations and formal and informal mentorship interactions. The Lakowitz-QCPC Internship is expected to enhance their applications for admission to doctoral programs in the future.

Queens College Psychological Center (QCPC) is a community mental health service, as well as an academic center operated by the Queens College Department of Psychology and the Clinical Psychology at Queens College Ph.D. Program, City University of New York. QCPC offers compassionate, high quality, evidence-based, psychological services for children, adolescents, and adults.  Consistent with Queen’s College’s commitment to being an engaged institution and a valuable resource for Queens and New York City, all services are made available to the community regardless of their ability to pay. QCPC encourages families and individuals who have historically been denied opportunities to apply for their services.

Application Instructions

Eligible applicants must:

• Be a matriculated undergraduate psychology major (current juniors or seniors will be prioritized.) Matriculation is required for the duration of the award year.
• Identify as an individual from an underrepresented background (broadly including age, race/ethnicity/nationality, socioeconomic status, member of historically oppressed group, interests, and perspectives)
• Aspire to pursue a doctoral degree in clinical psychology
• Submit:
  1. A completed QCPC-Lakowitz application (can be downloaded here) which includes a personal statement addressing how their diverse life experiences have influenced their aspiration to become a clinical psychologist.
  2. A letter of recommendation that addresses their potential for a career in clinical psychology.
  3. Submit their application via email to Yvette Caro, Ph.D. at caro@qc.cuny.edu Please note on the subject line “Lakowitz Clinical Psychology Prize”. (Student’s may submit their application before their letter of recommendation is available.)
  4. Please submit application no later than the Tuesday after Labor Day.

Selection Process:

• Applications will be reviewed by a panel and five finalists will be selected to participate in a brief interview in September.
• After the interviews, two students will be awarded the Lakowitz Clinical Psychology Prize (and will start their internship shortly thereafter (mid-September).
• Students who are not selected for the Lakowitz Prize may choose to be considered for the regular QCPC undergraduate volunteer program and should indicate this on their application.

If you have any questions, please contact Yvette Caro Ph.D. at yvette.caro@qc.cuny.edu