Psychology Practicum Program for Doctoral Level Students - Maryland

About the Psychology Practicum Program

The Employee Assistance Services (EAS) is the psychological treatment division of the National Security Agency (NSA). It offers clinical services to all Agency employees and their spouses. EAS is an ideal setting for practicum students to gain relevant experience working with a wide variety of presenting concerns and a broad range of diagnoses. The 9-12 month practicum placement is designed for three doctoral students in psychology who are interested in developing their clinical skills and building their knowledge base. The practical application of this knowledge is in the treatment of a professionally and clinically diverse workforce within the federal government's Intelligence Community.

The 9-12 month practicum placement requires approximately 16-20 hours per week, dependent on the practicum students' interests and the requirements of their respective graduate program (this includes administrative responsibilities and supervision preparation). Practicum students are responsible for ensuring that their hours meet criteria for their respective programs. The following is a tentative outline of weekly activities.

1. Individual Therapy (7-8 hours per week). Clients will generally be seen once a week with a ten-session limit. Some cases may be more appropriate for biweekly counseling, which can be arranged. Practicum students will be provided with a private office at EAS in which they will see clients. Practicum students will carry 7-10 individual therapy clients at a time.

2. Group Therapy. Practicum students will be provided with the opportunity to participate in co-facilitation of group therapy with a licensed EAS staff clinician. The types and dates of groups offered at EAS at any given time vary and are dependent on the EAS staff clinician offering the group.

3. Individual and Group Supervision (1-2 hours per week). Each practicum student will have one or two direct clinical supervisors for all client cases, at least one of which will be a licensed clinical psychologist. Additionally, a multi-disciplinary consultation team will be made available to the practicum student in formal and informal ways in order to provide an opportunity for the practicum student to be exposed to various treatment modalities and theoretical orientations.

4. Intake evaluation. Learning to evaluate the client and the client's situation so as to help the client make the most of their counseling is essential to the work at EAS. Practicum students will conduct an intake evaluation with clients prior to starting individual therapy. This evaluation will be conducted with a supervisor available at all times during the intake for consultation as needed, and will allow for the practicum student and supervisor to determine whether or not a particular client is appropriate for the practicum student to manage in individual therapy. At least once per semester, direct observation of an intake evaluation will occur in which the student and the supervisor will both be present in the room.

5. Clinical Meeting (1.5 hours per week; Wednesdays 12:00PM - 1:30PM). Practicum students meet with the clinical staff to present cases and to discuss particular problems or issues related to their work with clients. At least once per semester, they will be asked to give a formal case presentation to the clinical staff on a client which poses a particular challenge.

6. Workplace Consultations/Corporate Outreach. Each practicum student will participate in at least one workplace consultation/outreach activity for the workforce. Practicum students are encouraged to complete this in the fall semester.

7. Seminar (1.5 hours per week; Wednesdays 10:30AM ' 12:00PM). Practicum students are required to attend the 'Selected Topics & Clinical Application Seminar.' This seminar (conducted by staff members and visiting clinicians) focuses on a number of clinical areas in depth including: theories; application of theory; and other clinical topics (e.g., workplace consultations, substance use, collaboration within a work environment, work-life issues). Readings for the seminars are generally assigned in advance of class (all reading materials provided by EAS). During the course of the practicum placement, the practicum students will be asked to present a journal article.

8. Evaluation and Feedback. Feedback on progress will be provided in individual supervision as well as more formally throughout each semester. Practicum students are evaluated based on their ability to establish rapport with clients, integrate theory and practice, and intervene with clients.

Application Deadline Applications for the 2027-2028 program are accepted 19 September 2026 - 31 October 2026.- Must be a U.S. citizen

• Must be eligible to be granted a security clearance
• Must be within the third year or higher of an APA-accredited counseling or clinical psychology doctoral degree program
• Must be available for the entire 9-12 month program
• Must be available for an operational interview and other applicable processing between November 2026 and April 2027

Clearance/Security Requirements Applicants will be processed for a security clearance, and will be required to pass a psychological exam, lifestyle and counterintelligence polygraph, drug screening test, and complete a comprehensive history form that documents foreign travel, education background and employment history, among other areas.The NSA's Psychology Practicum Program offers a paid position. Students will earn a competitive salary commensurate with their education level.

Benefits

Practicum students will receive the following benefits:

• Annual leave, sick leave and paid federal holidays
• Participation in agency-wide extracurricular programs

Students are hired on a temporary appointment, and are not eligible for health insurance, life insurance, or Thrift Savings Plan benefits.

We recognize that practicum students will be enrolled in their graduate programs and continue to take courses/meet program demands at their home school while training here. As such, practicum students will not be expected to relocate and will not be provided with funding for travel or housing.