Training Strategies
Orientation
The first three weeks of the internship are dedicated to orientation, which introduces the interns to the organization and training program. Orientation provides an overview of services offered by CAPS and the skills required to perform these services. Some aspects of the orientation are for the interns only and are designed to help them become more aware of themselves as they make the transition into the intern role and a new phase of training. The experiences, goals and training strategies of the internship program are discussed and interns also define their own personal goals. Other activities are designed to help the interns get to know the agency and the staff and to become part of the CAPS organization; these sessions involve interactions with other staff, trainees and key campus agencies and colleagues.
Important training strategies and activities are: individual supervision, supervision of Triage and Crisis Counseling, Multicultural Mentoring, Supervision of Supervision, Professional Development Supervision/Training Coordinator Meetings, Supervision of Group Therapy, Group Case Conference, CAPS Didactic Seminar, Staff Professional Development Activities, and Research/Presentation.
Supervision
Supervision at CAPS is based on a developmental model. Interns participate in developmentally targeted experiences with supervision that is designed to facilitate interns functioning at increasingly higher levels of competence, sophistication, autonomy, responsibility, and complexity over the internship year. Supervision assists interns to identify their strengths and growth edges and supports and encourages them in the process of moving from areas of comfort to maximal growth. Interns are provided quality supervision in a number of different formats including:
Individual Supervision
Each intern receives two hours of individual supervision per week from two different licensed senior psychologists. Individual supervisors are initially assigned by the training director with the input of the training committee and the interns. Video and audio recordings are used as a tool in supervision.
Supervision of Triage and Crisis Counseling
Interns participate on a triage team with increasing levels of responsibility, autonomy and independence throughout the year and as their competence and confidence develops. Interns are on a triage team with three staff, who will provide immediate consultation assistance and supervision, as needed. In addition, interns (as a group) will participate in an hour per week of additional supervision of triage and crisis counseling with two staff members.
Multicultural Mentoring
Throughout the year, interns meet weekly as a group with two staff psychologists for multicultural mentoring and supervision. The purpose of these meetings is to assist interns to look more closely at their own attitudes, awareness, sensitivity and issues related to multicultural competency and the ability to work with diverse populations. These sessions provide a format for interns to acquire familiarity with models of diverse identity development, process other prior multicultural training experiences, receive supervision on how multicultural factors are impacting their clinical work and receive feedback on their multicultural projects. Interns each present several cases over the course of the year in Multicultural Mentoring.
Supervision of Supervision
During the entire internship year, interns meet weekly as a group with two staff members for one hour of supervision of their work supervising psychology practicum students. These sessions provide a theoretical and conceptual framework for supervision, a format to receive feedback and increase awareness of their own supervision styles and an opportunity to develop supervisory skills and techniques. Video recordings of interns’ supervision with practicum students are viewed and discussed as part of supervision.
Professional Development Supervision/Assistant Director for Psychology Training Meetings
Interns meet as a group with the Assistant Director for Psychology Training for one hour every other week. The purpose of these meetings is to facilitate interns in processing their training experiences as a whole. There will be particular focus on encouraging interns to identify the changes that they are undergoing as they move from the graduate student to intern role and then again as they anticipate completing the internship and moving forward into the role of a professional psychologist. Early in the year, sessions will focus on assisting interns in actively setting goals for their internship year; later sessions will focus more on professional identity development, job search, terminating from internship and entering the professional role. These meetings will also provide oversight of the training experience and will serve to help interns monitor their schedules, identify resources and opportunities and make sure that the internship experience is meeting intern and program goals and requirements. Sessions will also assist interns in trouble shooting any problems, if necessary. Interns are also always welcome to schedule additional individual meetings with the Assistant Director for Psychology Training, as need dictates.
Supervision of Group Therapy
Interns receive .5 hours per week of supervision from their staff member group co-facilitator. When interns co-lead groups with other interns or trainees, typically during the summer months at the end of their internship year, additional group supervision is assigned.
Group Case Conference
Interns participate in weekly group case conference, which will include staff and interns who are leading groups or who are interested in issues pertaining to group therapy.
CAPS Didactic Seminar
Interns meet weekly for one hour with various staff members, who have expertise on the designated topic. Within the seminar are modules addressing multicultural competence, ethics, assessment, brief therapy, different treatment models, and issues prevalent in a college population and professional identity development.
Staff Professional Development Activities
Interns have the opportunity to participate in continuing education activities designed for our staff. Examples of such trainings offered in the past have included: day long workshops addressing suicide assessment and prevention, workshops on academic retention and the needs of students who are veterans or in the military; a half day workshop on Ethics; as well as presentations by other psychologists from the community on their areas of expertise.
Other Intern Activities
Intern Process Group
Interns meet weekly as a group to discuss cohort dynamics and other aspects of their development over the internship year.
Research Time/Presentation
Interns are allowed two hours per week to work on their dissertations or other research interests. They will each have the opportunity to present their work to CAPS staff.
