Minimum requirements for internship hours are set by the American Psychological Association (APA), the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC), and by state licensure laws. APA requires that full-time internships be completed in no less than 12 months and does not set a specific number of hours for internship completion. Minimum hours required for internship completion are set by APPIC and by the states, which vary from about 1500 to 2000 hours (though some states have no minimum hours requirement). APPIC and the WA State Department of Health require the internship to be completed with a minimum of 1,500 total hours of supervised experience. APPIC further requires internship sites to meet state licensure requirements in the state where the internship is housed. In terms of direct service, APPIC requires that at least 25% of trainees’ time is spent in “face-to-face psychological services to patients/clients”1 and WA similarly requires that at least 25% of the internship experience be “in direct client contact providing assessment and intervention services.”



The PAWS internship as a whole, inclusive of all eligible holidays and leave time for the year, totals over 2,000 hours. PAWS does not deduct eligible leave time from the total number of internship hours, as that time is considered part of the position’s benefits package. The Training Director will consider this internship to be completed with a minimum of 2,000 total hours, of which a minimum of 500 (25%) must be direct service, over a period of 12 months. The Certificate of Completion will not be awarded prior to the completion of internship.



Demand for service can fluctuate throughout the year, with the lightest client load typically occurring during summer quarter. Thus, it is recommended that interns complete 450-475 hours of direct service by the end of spring quarter, leaving 25-50 for summer quarter. To enable interns to acquire enough direct service hours for state licensing boards, it is recommended that interns carefully plan their annual leave to be taken during quarter breaks or other “down times” at the center. The Training Director helps interns track their hours each quarter and advises interns and their supervisors regarding progress toward the direct service requirement.