Wright Institute students compete very well in obtaining internships both nationally and locally. The diverse setting of the San Francisco Bay Area allows Wright Institute students to choose among a wide array of valuable training opportunities at public and private agencies. Training clinicians for service to underprivileged and underserved populations is central to the mission of the Wright Institute, and many of our students seek internship placements that are consistent with this mission. To ensure that all doctoral psychology students in California have access to high quality training opportunities, the Wright Institute has played a leadership role in founding and supporting the California Psychology Internship Council (CAPIC). CAPIC has established training criteria and has been approving internships for almost 20 years. CAPIC has taken an active role in developing and monitoring the quality of CAPIC-approved internship sites throughout the state, and these internships have been recognized by the California Board of Psychology as meeting the requirements of licensure as a Psychologist in California.

Many Wright Institute students plan to complete their training and undertake professional careers in California. Many also have family and other responsibilities that make it impossible for them to relocate for a year in order to complete an APA accredited internship in another state. Consequently, Wright Institute students may choose to meet their degree requirements, and the licensure requirements of the California Board of Psychology, through a CAPIC member internship. As a result of funding issues in California, and the Bay Area in particular, there is a limited supply of APA and APPIC internships. The particular financial situation and funding priorities of the state and local governments in California leave many local agencies without the funding to offer competitive internship stipends. Equitable stipends are a requirement for both APA internship accreditation and APPIC membership, and because of these funding shortages many local internships are not eligible for APA accreditation or membership in APPIC. About 80% of Wright Institute students who choose to apply nationally to APA accredited internships obtain an internship of their choice on the first attempt. Wright Institute students are overwhelmingly successful in obtaining CAPIC internships, and are highly sought after for these positions. At the Wright Institute, students have a number of options in completing their internship which include full-time or two year half-time positions in APA, APPIC or CAPIC internships. Over the past seven years Wright Institute students have sought and obtained internships in the following manner: