training programs at Access Institute
Our nationally recognized clinical training program for post-grads, doctoral interns, and psychiatric nurse practitioners provides small-group instruction from contemporary thinkers in psychoanalytic practice, along with a supportive community of peers and professional supervision, to strengthen each trainee’s growth and education.
DOCTORAL INTERNSHIP
Access Institute’s Doctoral Internship Program is accredited by the American Psychological Association’s Commission on Accreditation.* Our next review period is 2026.
Click the button below to learn more:
Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation, American Psychological Association, 750 First Street NE. Washington, DC 20002-4242.
Telephone: 202-336-5979.
Access Institute & Our Doctoral Internship Program
Access Institute provides high-quality, depth-oriented psychological care to individuals of all ages who often fall through the cracks of the existing mental health system. We serve people in the “gap”—those who are marginalized or underserved due to social, economic, or systemic barriers. At the same time, we train the next generation of mental health professionals through a model that honors human complexity, centers socially conscious practice, and promotes long-term personal growth.
Our psychoanalytically-oriented approach to mental health care recognizes that symptoms are just one part of the story. We explore the deeper, often unconscious roots of emotional suffering while helping individuals build more meaningful, connected, and fulfilling lives. We strongly reject the notion that financial limitations should prevent access to this kind of care. Our model deeply integrates the social context of each individual’s experience as an essential part of therapeutic work.
Doctoral Internship Program
Access Institute’s APA-accredited doctoral internship is a full-time, 12-month program that offers intensive training in contemporary psychoanalytic psychology. We train four doctoral interns each year, providing a rich, intellectually rigorous, and emotionally immersive experience. Interns receive close mentorship and supervision from some of the Bay Area’s most respected clinicians—contemporary thinkers who are actively evolving the field of psychoanalytic practice.
Interns provide individual and couples psychotherapy and conduct comprehensive psychological assessments at our Hayes Valley clinic in San Francisco. The clinical workload is approximately 17 hours per week. Additional training and supervision include:
- 3 hours of individual supervision
- 1.5 hours of group supervision
- 7.5 hours of training weekly (including didactics, case conferences, and community/cohort meetings). The remainder of the time is spent on clinical documentation and administrative responsibilities.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we adapted our training and clinical services to include telehealth and remote work. Our electronic health record system supports remote documentation, and interns have access to the clinic for in-person sessions or as a workspace. New classes and supervision content have also been added to address the challenges and opportunities of working virtually.
At Access Institute, we are committed to developing thoughtful, reflective, and socially attuned clinicians who are prepared to meet the complexities of real-world practice.
Applicants must register for the Match using the online registration system on the NMS Match System website at www.natmatch.com/psychint
Please include with your online application the following supporting documents:
- Current curriculum vitae
- Cover letter
- Three letters of recommendation from those familiar with your clinical work
- Official transcripts from graduate school(s)
- De-identified psychological assessment report
You can find our doctoral internship training program listing on the following site: https://membership.appic.org/directory/display/475
You can download a copy of the Doctoral Internship Brochure here.
POSTGRADUATE FELLOWSHIP
The Access Institute fellowship is a full-time, in-person, psychoanalytic postgraduate training program.
We accept postmasters and postdoc trainees seeking to accrue hours towards one of the following degrees: MFT, LCSW, LCPP, PsyD, and PhD.
Access Institute & Our Postgraduate Fellowship
The fellows dedicate 50% of their clinical hours to working at the outpatient clinic in Hayes Valley, where they see individual adults, couples, and children.
Additionally, the fellows choose one of two community-based specialties: the School-based program or the Elder program. The other 50% of clinical work is done at the community site, SFUSD elementary school, or the Adult Day Health Center at BayvieHunter’s’s Point.
Elder Program: Bringing culturally sensitive, psychoanalytically informed psychotherapy to marginalized communities is the hallmark of this program. Elder Program fellows complement their clinic hours with work at senior service agencies in Bayview-Hunters Point, where they provide individual, group, and milieu therapy to primarily African-American seniors. This population is marginalized not only by virtue of race and socioeconomic status, but also by being old in a culture that devalues and disavows aging. Fellows examine how this ethos affects their clients and their own work.
Fellows participate in an elder-focused clinical case conference and receive group supervision and didactics on psychodynamic/person-centered elder care, as well as training in consultation and collaboration with agency staff (nurses, social workers, physical therapists, etc.). Fellows can expect to wrestle with how to maintain an internal frame while modifying traditional therapy features to meet theiclients’s’ needs. Trainees interested in cultivating an internal psychodynamic frame alongside creative and agile techniques tailored to complex factors (culture, non-traditional settings, a wide range of functional levels and capacities) are encouraged to apply to the Elder Program.
School-Based Program: Fellows in the In-School Program become integrated members of the school community. They walk the halls, visit classrooms and cafeterias, consult with teachers, social workers, and principals, and interact with students’ peers–gaining a fuller understanding of each client’s world beyond the therapy room. This model expands thclinician’s’s impact beyond the clinical hour and requires a thoughtful, flexible approach to the multiple roles they occupy.
Training focuses on developing an internal frame that supports reflective clinical thinking amid the real-world dynamics of school life. Fellows receive specialized instruction in psychodynamic play therapy, consultation, and collaborative systems work, equipping them to respond with nuance and depth in a fast-paced, multifaceted environment.
To apply for the Postgraduate Fellowship, please submit the following materials:
- Cover Letter (1 page) – Describe your interest in psychoanalytic training and your preferred community specialty (School-Based or Elder Care)
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Autobiographical Essay (2 pages)
- Theoretical Orientation Essay (2 pages)
- Two Letters of Recommendation – From former supervisors, instructors, or dissertation chairs
Send your application by email to Dr. Halleli Toder, Director of Fellowship Training at postgraduatetraining@accessinst.org
Or by mail to:
Dr. Halleli Toder, Psy.D.
Access Institute for Psychological Services
110 Gough Street, Suite 301
San Francisco, CA 94102
Application Deadline for 2026-27 Cohort: February 2, 2026.
For questions, please email postgraduatetraining@accessinst.org
For more details, visit our listing in the APPIC Directory:
We look forward to learning more about you and your interest in joining our community of reflective, socially engaged clinicians.
PSYCHIATRIC NURSE PRACTITIONER TRAINING PROGRAM
Access Institute partners with the UCSF Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Programs to offer a year-long clinical internship for Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners seeking training in psychiatric care and psychotherapy from a psychoanalytic perspective.
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Training Program, Training Future Leaders in Community Mental Health
Access Institute provides high-quality, depth-oriented psychological care to individuals of all ages who are underserved by traditional systems—while also training the next generation of mental health professionals through a model grounded in human complexity, social awareness, and long-term growth. In addition to our Doctoral Psychology Internship and Postgraduate Fellowship programs, we offer a specialized Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Training Program for nurse practitioners who are passionate about providing thoughtful, relationship-based mental health care.
Our training model is rooted in a psychoanalytically-oriented, community-based approach that prioritizes understanding each person within their broader social, cultural, and developmental context. We work to both alleviate symptoms and support deeper psychological growth, ensuring that financial or systemic barriers never stand in the way of high-quality care.
Program Overview
Nurse Practitioner trainees work as part of a vibrant, interdisciplinary clinical team. The training year runs from September to August, with a total weekly commitment of 16 hours. Trainees split their time between providing psychotherapy (4 hours/week) and medication evaluation and management services (4 hours/week).
Trainees also participate in a robust clinical training curriculum, including:
- Weekly individual supervision with a licensed clinician
- Weekly psychiatric consultation with Access Institute’s staff psychiatrist
- Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Didactic Seminar (year-long)
- Grand Rounds
- Socio-Cultural Processes Seminar
- Weekly community meetings and opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration with doctoral interns and postdoctoral fellows.
Required availability includes Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Sample Weekly Schedule (16 hours/week):
- Medication management: 4 hours
- Psychotherapy: 4 hours
- Psychoanalytic seminar: 1.5 hours
- Documentation: 2 hours
- Collateral and communication: 1 hour
- Individual supervision: 1 hour
- Psychiatric consultation: 0.5 hour
- Community meeting: 1 hour
- Grand Rounds: 1 hour
Apply to the Program: To express your interest or learn more, please email:
Prof. Shauna King Hollis, PMHNP at shauna.kinghollis@ucsf.edu
Join us in redefining access to mental health care–one patient, one provider, and one community at a time.
