APA Accredited Internship In Professional Psychology
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Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Predoctoral Psychology Internship Program provides comprehensive training in college mental health including experience with intakes, assessments, on-call coverage, crisis intervention, suicide assessment and management, brief counseling, individual and couples counseling, group psychotherapy, consultation, case management, and working with a diverse and gifted student population. Predoctoral interns work as part of a multidisciplinary staff.
Accreditation
The Psychology Internship Program at CAPS is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association.
For further information, you may contact the APA Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation.
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
Phone: (202) 336-5979 or (202) 336-6123 TDD
Website: http://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation/
Email: apaaccre@apa.org
CAPS is fully accredited by The International Association of Counseling Services (IACS). The Predoctoral Psychology Internship Training Program is a member of Association of Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC).
Philosophy and Goals
The Predoctoral Psychology Internship Training Program at Counseling and Psychological Services at Vaden Health Center, Stanford University is based upon a Scholar-Practitioner training model that incorporates current psychological theory and science with experiential learning. It is intended to help Interns grow and develop as generalist psychologists. At CAPS, Interns gain extensive clinical experience with a diverse range of students and presenting problems.
Throughout the training year, experiential learning is informed by the theory and science of psychology in supervision and didactic training seminars. The internship follows a sequential, developmental training process, building upon the knowledge and skills that each Intern already possesses and offering opportunities for developing and refining additional clinical skills. The goal for our Interns is to facilitate their professional development from graduate student to skilled psychologist.
Upon arrival, Interns begin to assess their professional goals for their training year with guidance from the Training Director and Clinical Supervisors. Interns have the opportunity to identify clinical interests and theoretical models as training foci and are given training and supervision opportunities in identified areas. The training year provides ample opportunities for Interns to apply theory to practice. Supervision is regarded as a supportive, mentoring relationship to enable Interns to develop professional autonomy and competence. The evaluation process thus plays an essential role in the professional development of Interns throughout the year. In addition, Interns are able to broaden their knowledge and skill base by exposure to the variety of theoretical perspectives and intervention approaches that our multidisciplinary staff brings to the program. Lastly, CAPS offers opportunities for Interns to gain experience with a diverse range of students within a multicultural and diverse organization.
By the end of the training year, Interns will have developed competence with: intake interviewing, clinical assessment, crisis intervention, on-call services, brief and long-term therapy, individual psychotherapy, couples counseling, group psychotherapy, assessment, case management, brief treatment of eating disorders, substance abuse, and working with LGBTQ student community, structured workshops and outreach programming, consultation, professional ethics, and counseling a diverse and gifted student population.
Consistent with our training program's goal to train ethical, competent, and professional psychologists, there are opportunities during the year for personal exploration and self-reflection. Interns are encouraged to appropriately explore historical and personal data that may influence their clinical practice and to continue to reflective, introspective skills that aid in their development as professional psychologists. We strive to create an atomsphere in which interns feel safe to explore such issues in training groups and in supervision. Supervisors provide mentorship and consultation to trainees to support their exploration and professional development. Supervisors may consult with one another about trainees when appropriate. CAPS internship program functions in a manner consitent with American Psychological Association (APA) Ethical Standards (7.04 Student Disclosure of Personal Information).
Intern Training Goals
Goal 1:
To develop competence in ethics and legal matters.
- Interns will demonstrate knowledge of APA ethical principles.
- Interns will demonstrate knowledge of the laws and regulations related to the practice of professional psychology.
Goal 2:
Interns will develop clinical skills required for professional practice in psychology.
- Interns will demonstrate the ability to conduct initial assessments, develop case conceptualizations and treatment plans, and make appropriate case dispositions.
- Interns will demonstrate the ability to work within a range of therapeutic modalities.
- Interns will demonstrate the integration of theory and research into clinical practice.
Goal 3:
Interns will develop the skills to effectively respond to crisis situations.
- Interns will demonstrate the consultation, collaboration, and documentation skills necessary to effectively assess all safety and risk factors.
- Interns will demonstrate the ability to manage on-call duties effectively including consultation with other staff members and university representatives.
- Interns will demonstrate the ability to effectively handle disposition and follow-up with crisis situations.
Goal 4:
Interns will demonstrate the ability to consult and collaborate with an interdisciplinary staff, the campus community, and off-campus community.
- Interns will demonstrate the ability to consult and collaborate with peers, supervisors, and administrative professional staff.
- Interns will demonstrate the ability to consult and collaborate with faculty, administrators, student support staff, other student affairs professionals, and the Stanford Medical Center.
- Interns will demonstrate the ability to consult and collaborate with other mental health professionals, agencies outside of the university, and families when appropriate.
Goal 5:
Interns will develop skills for working with individual and cultural diversity.
- Interns will demonstrate the ability to examine their own attitudes, assumptions, behaviors, and values in working with individual and cultural diversity issues.
- Interns will demonstrate the ability to provide services sensitive to individual and cultural differences.
- Interns will demonstrate the ability to seek consultation and to pursue further learning regarding diversity issues.
Goal 6:
Interns will develop a professional identity as a psychologist.
- Interns will demonstrate the ability to interact professionally with peers, supervisors, administrative and professional staff.
- Interns will demonstrate professional responsibility with case management, documentation, and time management.
- Interns will demonstrate professional maturity.
Goal 7:
Interns will demonstrate the ability to provide consultation, education, outreach, and liaison.
- Interns will demonstrate the ability to support the work of others in the university and provide professional guidance to others.
- Interns will demonstrate competence in facilitation and presentation skills.
- Interns will demonstrate the ability to participate in community activities and establish relationships with other university colleagues.
Educational Activities
Weekly Clinical Activities
Interns manage 16-20 hours of clinical work per week. This includes weekly intakes and assessment, one 8 hour shift of on-call coverage that includes emergency appointments, consultations, referrals, short-term individual, couples, or group psychotherapy, and two long-term fee-paying students. In the summer, interns do up to two weeks of 24-hour on-call service.
Direct Service
Interns provide initial assessments and brief therapy (ten sessions or less) for registered Stanford University undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students. Interns also have the opportunity to provide longer-term therapy for a full year with two students. In addition, Interns gain experience with couples, groups, and referring students for medication or to outside therapists for ongoing therapy. Interns interface with other staff on and off campus regarding student mental health care. Interns also discuss their treatment plan in ongoing supervision and gain greater experience and competence in their clinical interventions.
Initial Assessments
Interns establish a therapeutic relationship and assess the appropriateness of the student’s presenting problem to a brief treatment model versus longer term therapy. Interns also develop skills conducting assessments for a range of presenting issues, providing crisis intervention, providing differential diagnosis, referring for medication evaluation, and engaging in collaboration with other sources. Interns also rotate through a series of specialty tracks where they gain assessment skills with eating disorders, substance abuse, and working with the LGBTQ student community.
On-call
All interns provide one 8 hour shift of on-call crisis service to the student population. During on-call, Interns meet with students, professors, Resident Advisors, Resident Fellows or Resident Deans to consult, triage, or assess for safety issues. In addition, Interns may take phone calls and provide referrals and triage over the phone. In the case of a crisis involving potential harm to self or others, Interns consult with a senior staff back-up. Interns gain experience with crisis assessment, management, and hospitalizations. During the summer, each intern is responsible for up to two weeks of 24 hour on-call service with senior staff back-up.
Crisis intervention
Interns have a range of opportunities to mange crises in the course of their ongoing therapy with students. Interns consult with staff if a student presents as a danger to self or others or is gravely disabled. In addition, Interns may join staff in speaking to various academic departments or resident halls when critical incidents arise.
Outreach
Interns participate in various types of outreach to the Stanford community during their Internship year. Outreach encompasses both preventative work and may include responding to an event on-campus. Interns present to student groups on particular topics (e.g. depression, anxiety, substance abuse, or date rape) or they may go and speak to an on-campus group to help students to deal with the effects of a suicide, a sexual assault, or a national disaster.
Consultation
Interns provide consultation to faculty, staff, Resident/Graduate Deans, or students. This consultation may occur over the phone or in person. Interns also participate in community activities and establish relationships with other university colleagues.
Primary Supervision
Interns attend two hours of Primary Supervision weekly. In individual supervision, Interns are encouraged to develop reflective, introspective clinical and case conceptualization skills that aid in their development as professional psychologists. Interns are given an opportunity prior to the beginning of the Intership to request their supervision preferences and needs. An attempt is made to match Interns to supervisors based upon these preferences. The primary supervisor carries responsibility for case management, acquainting the Intern with the operations of the agency, training requirements, mentoring, and moral support. The primary supervisor evaluates the Intern's clinical work at mid-year and again at the end of the year. The Intern also evaluates supervisors. Each Intern remains with the primary supervisor throughout the training experience.
Secondary Specialty Supervision
Secondary specialty supervision is designed to provide Interns with specialized supervision for the assessment and management of eating disorders, the assessment and management of substance abuse, and working with student who identify as members of the LGBTQ community. Weekly, Interns meet with their supervisor in these specialty areas for two hours. Secondary supervision rotates quarterly.
Group Supervision Seminar
Interns may co-facilitate a group with a staff member and receive 1/2 hour weekly individual supervision from his or her group co-facilitator. In addition, Interns attend a seminar on group supervision for in-depth discussion and training in the elements and process of group therapy. The seminar meets weekly in the fall quarter, bimonthly in winter quarter, and monthly in spring quarter.
Didactic Seminars
Didactic seminars meet weekly for two hours. The seminars focus on topics that are particularly relevant to the practice of counseling and psychotherapy in a university setting. Individual seminars are organized around clinical, cultural, pharmacological and treatment model themes. Seminar topics may include:
- Orientation to Mental Health in a University Setting
- Crisis Intervention and Counseling
- Brief and Short-Term Therapy
- Fee Setting: Psychological Dynamics and Logistics
- Psychopharmacology
- Anxiety and Depression in University Students
- Couples Therapy
- Termination
- Multicultural and Diversity Issues
Diversity Seminar
Interns work as part of a multicultural organization and gain experience with a diverse student population. Interns meet bimonthly during winter quarter to explore how their own cultural beliefs and values may impact interactions with one another and their clients.
Professional Development Seminar
This seminar meets weekly and is facilitated by the Training Director. Both Predoctoral Interns and Postdoctoral Fellows attend this meeting. This meeting is intended to provide a weekly check-in with the Training Director and a venue for trainees to support and learn from each other. Trainees may seek support for applications, review each others’ CVs, do mock interviews, process challenges, and provide each other feedback to support each other’s professional development.
Case Conference
Each week, Interns attend a one hour of case consultation factilitated by a CAPS staff member. This seminar provides Interns with an opportunity in peer consultation and supervision.
CELO Seminar
Consultation, Education, Liaison, and Outreach Seminar. Interns provide professional consultation services to the University community. While on-call, interns will often consult with faculty, staff, students, and parents about psychological issues. In addition, Interns provide programming and outreach services to the University community. Interns are required to do at least 3 outreach program per quarter during the training year. There are a number of campus units that welcome training and liaison relationships from CAPS staff. This seminar meets weekly to provide support and supervision for consultation activities.
Professional Development Seminar
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Professional Development Seminar
Intern Group Meeting
The Intern's Group Meeting is run by the interns themselves. It provides opportunities for interns to form bonds with each other, to set their own agenda for the meetings, to process their training experience, and to provide mutual support. Each academic quarter, the group of interns selects a member to represent them at the regular administrative staff meetings, who then reports back to the group.
Friday Staff Meeting
Each week, Interns attend a ninety-minute staff meeting in which staff are alerted to clinical emergencies and hospitalizations. In addition, interns use this staff meeting during the year to present a case to staff. During these case presentations, interns invite a case Discussant to lead a discussion about their case presentation. These meetings allow interns the opportunity to consult more broadly and to share their clinical work. Staff meetings also include didactic presentations on clinical research and theory and the opportunity for clinical case consultations in small multidisciplinary teams.
SAMPLE SCHEDULE |
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Direct Services Activites |
Fall | Winter | Spring | Summer |
Individual therapy / Initial Assessment | 18 |
18 | 18 | 18 |
*Group therapy (optional-will count asTwo (2) clinical hrs.) | (2) | (2) | (2) | (2) |
| Outreach | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
On call emergency coverage (8 hrs) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 week (24 hrs) |
Training Activities |
|
|
|
|
Individual supervision primary | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Secondary / Specialty supervision | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Case Conference (with co-interns) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Intern's Meeting | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Professional Development Seminar | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Group Supervision | .5 | .5 | .5 | .5 |
| Didactic Seminar | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| CELO Seminar | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Administrative Activities |
|
|
|
|
Staff meeting | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Administrative Time | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
Average Estimated Total Hours Per week | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 |
*interns who co-facilitate therapy groups
have a reduced individual client caseload
|
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Applying to the Internship Program
Qualifications
Applicants must be advanced doctoral students who have completed appropriate coursework. All formal coursework, supervised practicum experiences (minimum of 500 hours) and comprehensive examinations for the doctorate in counseling or clinical psychology must be completed prior to beginning the intership. We prefer applicants who have completed their dissertation proposals prior to the beginning of the internship year.
Application Procedures
To apply for our Predoctoral Internship, we require that you apply via the AAPI Online site which may be accessed at http://www.appic.org Once on the site, please click on "AAPI Online." Your online application must include the following:
- Completed APPIC Application for Psychology Internship (AAPI) form. The AAPI may be downloaded from http://www.appic.org.
- Similar to a "cover letter" or "letter of interest," write a brief essay (up to 500 words) to describe your qualifications and professional experience which you believe make you a good match with our site. Please also elaborate your specific goals for internship.
- Current vita.
- In the "cover letter" and/or vita, clearly identify experience conducting intake assesments and crisis assessment and intervention (e.g. walk-in/on-call, triage, emergency room assessments, crisis hotline , etc.)
- Offical transcripts of all graduate work.
- Three letters of recommendation, at least two from supervisors who are familiar with your more recent clinical work.
Please do not send additional supplemental information with your application.
Please note that we cannot receive printed applications and all materials must be submitted online.
Deadline for Applications
To be considered for the internship of the academic year 2010-2011, all application materials must be uploaded on to the AAPI Online by 5:00p.m. (CST) on Sunday, November 15, 2009.
Your application will be reviewed by the Selection Committee. After initial review, selected applicants will be contacted for interviews. We will make every effort to notify all applicants of their status by December 15, 2009.
As an APPIC member, we follow all APPIC policies and procedures regarding selection and notification. This internship site agrees to abide by the APPIC policy that no person at this training facility will solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information from any intern applicant. These policies are available on the APPIC website.
We will be participating in the APPIC match process coordinated by National Matching Services, Inc. In order to participate and be considered by our site, you must register with National Matching services by requesting a packet of materials. This can be done by phone at (416) 977-3431 or online at www.natmatch.com/psychint. Our program code number is 116612.
Appointments and Benefits
CAPS offers three full-time (40 hours per week), twelve-month predoctoral internship appointments, beginning August 16, 2010 and ending August 12, 2011. The stipend for the internship is $23,000 for the year. This includes 4 weeks of vacation and a $250.00 educational allowance, library privileges and access to university recreation facilities.