Predoctoral Internship Program
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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
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).
CAPS is in the process of applying for APA accreditation for our Predoctoral Internship Training Program. We have been authorized for a site visit scheduled for June 11 & 12, 2008. Please Note: This does not guarantee that we will be granted accreditation.
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) 336-5500 or (202) 336-6123 TDD
Website: http://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation/
Email: apaaccre@apa.org
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 attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, 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 20 hours of clinical work per week. This includes weekly intakes and assessment, one to two, 8 hour shift of on-call coverage that includes 1-2 hours of on-call emergency appointments, consultations, referrals, short-term individual, couples, or group psychotherapy, and two long-term fee-paying students. In the summer, interns do two full 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 attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
On-call
All interns provide one to two days a week 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 the assessment and management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Weekly, Interns meet in small groups with their supervisor to discuss assigned cases in these specialty areas for one and a half hours. Secondary supervision rotates quarterly.
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
- Brief and Short-Term Therapy
- Fee Setting: Psychological Dynamics and Logistics
- Assessment and Treatment of Substance Abuse
- Psychopharmacology
- Crisis Counseling
- Anxiety and Depression in University Students
- Assessment and Management of Eating Disorders
- Couples Therapy
- Termination
- Multicultural and Diversity Issues
Case Conference
Each week, iInterns attend one hour of case consultation. CAPS staff who represent a variety of theoretical orientations facilitate this group peer supervision. Group Supervisors rotate quarterly to provide interns with different opportunities and perspectives in seeking case consultation.
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, iInterns 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 | 20 |
20 | 20 | 20 |
*Group therapy (optional-will count asTwo (2) clinical hrs.) | (2) | (2) | (2) | (2) |
On call emergency coverage (8 hrs) plus 2 clinical on call | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 week (24 hrs) |
Training Activities |
|
|
|
|
Individual supervision primary | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2.0 |
Secondary / Specialty supervision | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.0 |
Case Conference (with co-interns) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Intern's Meeting | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Administrative Activities |
|
|
|
|
Staff meeting | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
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, please send us the following materials by November 15, 2008:
- A brief cover letter indicating your interest and goals for your internship year
- The APPIC Application for Psychology Internship (AAPI) which can be accessed through the APPIC website at: http://www.appic.org (You do not need to include the child and adolescent testing forms.)
- A current vita reflecting all practicum work, clinical training and related coursework
- Official transcripts of all graduate coursework
- Three letters of reference (at least 2 from former clinical supervisors)
Please note that our application deadline is November 15, 2008. In order for your application to be considered, all of your materials, including letters of recommendation, must be received in our office by this date.
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, 2008.
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 1166.
Submit completed applications to:
Mary Mendoza-Newman, Ph.D., Assistant Director for Training
Counseling and Psychological Services
Vaden Health Center
Stanford University
866 Campus Drive
Stanford, California 94305-8580
Appointments and Benefits
CAPS offers three full-time (40 hours per week), twelve-month predoctoral internship appointments, beginning September 1, 2009 and ending August 31, 2010. 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.