The internship provides extensive training in each of the areas of competency required of the interns.
Requirements of the training program and the associated training experiences are designed to support the interns’ learning by providing the experience necessary to achieve learning, with clear messages about expectations for trainee performance.
Psychological Assessment
Philosophical understanding of assessment. The assessment component of our training program is influenced by Stephen Finn’s model of Therapeutic Assessment, which emphasizes the use of testing to create a positive and therapeutic experience for the client. Assessment is seen as the broad method by which psychologists determine the nature of the problems afflicting clients and arrive at a sound treatment plan. Interns receive experience in assessment through three basic components: clinical interviews (initial triage and intake), integration of testing with the intern’s own clients, and if chosen by the intern, the occasional administration of multitest batteries.
At the USDCC, efficient, accurate, and thorough assessment and referral/disposition of all new clients in need is a priority, reflecting our value of service to the university community. Consequently, all clinical staff members participate on a regular basis in some form of assessment.
Initial assessment and clinical interviewing skills are obtained by participating in the USDCC’s initial intake assessment system. Interns are expected to allocate about four hours per week for initial assessments during the semesters. They are provided didactic and experiential training for this activity during orientation. Consistent with the developmental nature of our training, interns begin assuming initial intake duties with a designated backup supervisor available at all times. Typically, interns will begin by observing several intake appointments, then perform several intakes under supervision, and then conduct intakes with the designated supervisor available for consultation. Once the intern has more comfort in this activity, the intern and supervisors will decide that there will no longer be a designated backup supervisor assigned. However, as with any emergency situation or ethical dilemma, interns are expected to seek immediate consultation when needed.
In addition to clinical interviewing, depending on the needs of any given client, different methods may be used in collecting the data needed for sound evaluation. While for the majority of our clients, intake interviewing supplemented by client information forms, the AUDIT, CUDIT, and CCAPS is adequate, some clients benefit from additional testing efforts. Consistent with the practitioner-scholar model, psychological testing supported by research may be incorporated into clinical work. Some clients benefit from an occasional integration of testing data into ongoing clinical work. The occasional use of such data is role-modeled by many staff psychologists.
Psychological testing and testing requirements. Our program aims to expose interns to the use of psychological testing as one method of assessing clients. To ensure that a basic level of exposure is achieved, a minimum amount of testing is required. This standard is designed to be flexible, allowing for interns with different training goals to meet the standard in different ways while still covering the broad range of client concerns typically seen at a Counseling Center.
Clinical
Psychotherapy-Individual counseling and psychotherapy. Interns spend the bulk of their time in direct contact with clients. On average, interns have between 12-18 client contact hours per week, in addition to intakes. Most client work will be short-term in nature. Interns may elect to take on one or two long-term clients and are encouraged to keep in mind their training goals as well as the USDCC’s policies regarding length of treatment. Doctoral interns use webcams to record sessions, with the permission of clients, for the purposes of clinical supervision.
Crisis management and training. When a crisis situation emerges with a client, interns should exercise clinical judgment as to whether they should involve a supervisor while the client is still in session, or whether they should wait until completing the session and debrief immediately afterward. However, interns must do one or the other: seek immediate consultation or debrief after a session. For such supervision, interns should first seek their primary supervisor. If that person is unavailable, interns should go to any available staff member. If no staff members are available, staff may be interrupted in the following order: first staff involved in administrative work, then staff involved in meetings, then staff involved in supervision, then staff involved in clinical work.
Formal crisis training is achieved with didactic training each year coupled with experience in providing triage support. Interns manage one triage rotation weekly. Consistent with the developmental approach to training, interns will begin the year observing triage appointments, then be observed by staff for support, and then have a designated staff member available for consultation during each triage rotation. Once it is collaboratively determined that interns feel ready to manage triage independently, interns are still expected to consult regularly as needed with the supervisor/staff.
Group counseling and psychotherapy. Interns are required to co-facilitate a therapy group each semester. Groups will be co-facilitated and supervised by a staff member. Supervision will be provided for this activity, often provided in half-hour increments (half-hour pre-group preparation, and half-hour debriefing).
Academic probation clients. All staff members at the USDCC see clients referred to the Counseling Center who have been placed on academic probation. These services are usually time-limited and focused on helping the client develop a more successful academic strategy; however, some of these clients have underlying psychological issues that cause or contribute to the academic problem.
Outreach
Outreach is viewed as an integral part of a psychologist’s efforts in the university counseling center setting. Philosophically, we see outreach as meeting several needs for our population: providing prevention efforts and identifying students who would benefit from services in critical topical areas (e.g., eating disorders, substance abuse), recruiting and providing nontraditional services to underrepresented client populations, reaching beyond the Counseling Center to introduce students to the Counseling Center staff, destigmatize counseling services, and providing creative services in an efficient way to a larger body of students.
Interns’ training in outreach, similar to other areas, is sequential. Outreach trainings are offered throughout the year to prepare interns for their outreach training experience. As part of this, interns will assess their current level of outreach skills, as well as any individualized training needs they might have in this area. During orientation, interns may observe staff members conducting training programs for student leaders. This gives interns exposure to varying presentation styles and become familiar with the outreach process. Interns’ training in outreach will be individualized depending on the amount of skill and experience they have in this area. Some interns may be encouraged to present several times with more experienced staff, while others may be encouraged to present on their own earlier. In either case, interns’ outreach work will be attended by another staff at least twice to provide interns with support and feedback as they continue to develop their outreach skills. Ongoing consultation with the supervisor is also given on both a formal and informal basis to allow interns to develop outreach skills and to solidify confidence in their ability to provide psychological services within this modality.
Interns may also experience the opportunity to gain consultation experience by participating in university committees and/or consulting with campus agencies. These opportunities vary each year depending on interns’ interests and campus needs. Supervision of such activities is provided by a designated staff member.
Interns are required to participate in a minimum of eight outreach programs each year. Most interns present more frequently than this. Interns are encouraged to develop a well-rounded experience which may include participating in a variety of different forms of outreach including psychoeducational workshops, introductions to counseling center services, orientation week, or other activities. Although some interns may experience anxiety about the outreach training component, we have also found that skill and confidence quickly improve when interns volunteer early and actively in the year. To reach an optimal audience, some of our outreach workshops occur after hours.
Summer Project
During the summer, when intern caseloads are low, interns are asked to take on at least one “summer project”, which typically involves assisting one or more USD Wellness Area staff members with an administrative project. Past projects have included assistance with the Center for Health and Wellness website or social media, assisting with aspects of the USDCC self-study, assisting in compiling end-of-the-year Counseling Center statistics, compiling a list of assessment resources for eating disorders, creating a practicum policies and procedures manual for the Counseling Center’s practicum program, updating the community provider referral database, researching mindfulness and strength-based resources, providing assistance in building the group program, creating a curriculum for the DLDRC “Social Smarts” group for ASD-spectrum students, providing assistance to the Coordinator of Training in improving the Training Manual and designing the orientation schedule, and assisting with the development of large-scale outreach projects. These projects may involve administrative, outreach, or clinical planning tasks, and vary each year. Interns are also welcome to suggest summer projects they believe would be a contribution.
Provision of Supervision
Experiences in the provision of supervision can be provided in the supervision of a practicum student's individual caseload or group work. Practicum students are from an APA-accredited program in clinical psychology. To prepare interns for the supervision experience, they are provided with a supervision seminar and supervision of supervision that includes a review of supervision session recordings and training on clinical supervision models and practice. Additional supervision is provided as needed.
In addition to the training requirements described previously, interns will have 2 clinical focus opportunities in a designated area of interest. Interns will complete one clinical focus area per semester. The clinical focus area may include experiential activities, supervision or consultation, and/or didactic training. Clinical focus area availability can change due to staffing. Below are some options that may be available:
- Alcohol and Other Drugs
- Male Identified Clients and Masculinity
- DBT Skills
- Trauma Treatment
- Positive Psychology
- LGBTQ+
Interns will identify a clinical focus area, at the start of each semester in collaboration with their primary supervisor and coordinator of training.
Individual Supervision is provided to enhance interns' clinical skills. Given that individual psychotherapy is interns' primary clinical duty at the USDCC, supervision is viewed as an integral part of the training experience. In order to provide exposure to varying theoretical styles and approaches of the supervisor, supervision rotates midyear.
Consultation Group is designed to allow interns to receive and provide case consultation in a setting that includes several staff members, interns, and at times a practicum student. In this setting, new intakes are presented and ongoing cases are discussed. Interns receive exposure to the clinical work of different staff and have the opportunity to receive feedback from staff not currently supervising them. Interns are also encouraged to give feedback to staff presenting cases to support interns to begin to view themselves as colleagues as well as trainees.
Supervision of Group Therapy is provided for each group the intern facilitates. This experience supports the intern's development of effective group therapy skills.
Supervision with the Coordinator of Training. This group supervision session is held with the Coordinator of Training and the three interns. Within this group, emerging issues in the internship are processed, professional development issues discussed, didactic training may be included, and clinical consultation provided.
Diversity Supervision is facilitated by a staff member(s) and held weekly. These meetings provide interns with an opportunity to develop a greater sense of self and cultural awareness, and how this impacts their capacity to integrate issues of diversity into their work and their professional identities as psychologists.
Supervision of Supervision occurs with a licensed psychologist in a group setting with the interns' cohort. This supervision focuses on the development of supervision skills and allows interns to process their supervision experiences. This is also an opportunity to review session recordings of supervision with the practicum students.
Outreach Supervision provides ongoing consultation and mentoring in outreach for intern activities.
Additional supervision and consultation are available for all staff as needed.