CAPS Intern Performance Expectations

Internship Completion

In order to successfully complete the internship, interns are required to:

Receive satisfactory ratings on all items of “Evaluation of Intern” by the end of the internship year.

Complete at least 2000 total hours.

Complete at least 500 direct, face-to-face psychological service hours.  Direct service includes:

  • Intakes
  • Individual Therapy
  • Couples Therapy
  • Group Therapy
  • Group Orientations
  • Crisis
  • Assessment & Testing
  • Elective Rotation hours with a clinical focus (e.g. Career Counseling, Biofeedback, etc...)

Complete the following:  

  • Groups: Co-lead or process-observe 1 USO (general process) group each semester (Fall, Spring, Summer), totaling 3 per year.
  • Couples: 1-2 per year
  • Crisis Appointments:
    • Observe 2 senior staff crisis appointments
    • Complete at least 2 observed crisis appointments
  • Psychological Assessment/Testing
    • 2-3 educational assessments per year
    • 1-2 assessments/psychological evaluations of choice per year
  • Outreach: 3 outreach presentations per semester (Fall, Spring), 6 presentations per year
  • Individual Supervision with a licensed psychologist: 2 hours per week, 100 hours per year
  • Case Conference:  2-3 clinical case presentations per year, 2-3 assessment presentations per year
  • Professional Development: 2 professional development presentations per year
  • Submit required evaluations of Orientation, Training Seminars, Supervision, the Director of Training, and the Internship Program.
  • Satisfactory attendance and participation in weekly meetings for Case Conference, Clinical Meeting, Training Seminar, Professional Development, group supervision, and specialty area supervision.  Satisfactory attendance and participation in monthly and bimonthly meetings for Diversity Seminar, Assessment Seminar, and Supervision Seminar.

With regard to behavior and performance, interns are generally expected to:

  1. To behave within the bounds of ethical principles and guidelines including:
    • APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct
    • APA Guidelines for Practitioners
    • Other relevant and applicable codes, standards, or guidelines
  2. To behave within the bounds of the laws and regulations of the State of Utah Board of Licensure for Psychologists.
  3. To behave in a manner that conforms to the professional standards of Counseling & Psychological Services and Southern Utah University 
  4. To integrate relevant professional and ethical standards into one’s repertoire of behaviors.
  5. To demonstrate interpersonal and professional competence; self-awareness, self-reflection, self-evaluation; and openness to processes of supervision.  To resolve issues or problems that interfere with professional development or functioning in a satisfactory manner.
  6. To read, understand, and seek clarification (if needed) of the Internship Manual and the Due Process Procedures, by the end of the orientation period.
  7. To meet training expectations responsibly by developing competencies in the skill areas outlined in Internship Goals, as well as in the specific behaviors outlined in the Evaluation of Intern form.
  8. To conduct oneself in a professionally appropriate manner.
  9. To actively participate in training, service, administrative meetings, and other activities at Counseling & Psychological Services.
  10. To make appropriate use of supervision and other training activities through behaviors such as arriving on time, arriving prepared, maintaining openness to learning, and accepting and using constructive feedback effectively.
  11. To provide professional feedback to peers and staff regarding their work, as well as the impact of their behavior.  To provide the internship program feedback regarding training activities and the impact of the training experience.
  12. To manage personal stress, which includes tending to personal needs and seeking personal and/or professional help if necessary.
  13. To participate in the creation of a multiculturally sensitive workplace, which includes respecting and working to understand others’ worldviews. 

Interns receive ongoing informal feedback from their supervisors and group therapy co-leaders with respect to their strengths and areas for continued growth and development.  Interns are expected to be thoughtful about their knowledge, skills, and competencies at the beginning of each semester in order to facilitate setting semester training goals.

Formal evaluations are completed in terms of the goals and competencies that contribute to the overall internship goal of preparing interns for competent entry-level psychological practice.  An informal evaluation is conducted in October, at which time interns receive feedback from their primary supervisor about their performance in each of the foundational and functional competencies.  Formal evaluations are held twice each year. During formal evaluations, the Comprehensive Evaluation of Intern form is completed by the primary supervisor in collaboration with the Training Committee. The primary supervisor reviews the Comprehensive Evaluation of Intern form with the intern in individual supervision and the intern has an opportunity to respond to the feedback before signing the form. Formal evaluations are sent to the intern's graduate program.

Interns are also evaluated and provided with both evaluative and narrative feedback on their Case Conference presentations.