Specialty Areas

In addition to the generalist emphasis of our program, interns will have the ability to develop and hone a specialization in an area of interest. These specialty areas provide an opportunity for interns to individualize their schedule according to their special interest areas. This specialization can encompass individual clinical interventions, community outreach initiatives and working collaboratively with other organizations on campus. Areas for specialization are largely designed by the intern in consultation with the training director and senior staff members who have the experience and availability to provide supervision in an area of interest. Potential specialty training areas might include Body Image/Disordered Eating Issues, Outreach, Group Therapy, Multiculturalism, Mindfulness, or Sport Psychology.

This opportunity to focus on an area of specialization will occur in the spring and summer of the internship year. This is to allow interns to acclimate to CAPS and internship, give time for interns to learn UNC and the opportunities available for specialty training, and allow the Psychology Training Committee to assess intern competency prior to engaging in opportunities. For example, availability of Sport Psychology as a possible specialty area would be dependent on prior sport psychology experience, the needs of the sport psychology program in UNC Campus Health/Athletics, and the approval of the sport psychology staff (who will provide supervision).

SPORT PSYCHOLOGY SPECIALTY AREA (FURTHER INFORMATION)

We are able to offer a potential sport psychology experience, which includes individual counseling and performance psychology services with student-athletes in the Athletic Department, co-facilitation of an Injured Athlete Group and/or Medical Retirement Group, opportunity for co-facilitation of team sport psychology services, and various outreach opportunities. There is also opportunity for consultation with athletic department staff and potential involvement on multidisciplinary teams. The clinical work with sport psychology would be 3-4 hours/week; outreach and group experience would be after-hours. This experience is only available to an individual who has appropriate training and experience in working with athletes through their graduate program. The sport psychology experience would be supervised by a licensed psychologist and Certified Mental Performance Consultant within the Athletic Department. If you have questions about the sport psychology experience at UNC, please email Jeni Shannon, PhD, CMPC, at jenishannon@unc.edu.