Internship Program Elements

Interns receive 4 hours/week of supervision, including 2 hours of Individual Supervision and a combination of:

• Group Supervision of Assessment: Supervision of LD/ADHD assessments, personality inventories, and a variety of other assessment (e.g., Trauma Symptom Inventory-2, Eating Disorder Inventory-3, Strong Interest Inventory, etc.)
• Group Supervision of Group Psychotherapy: Supervision of general process group work and any other clinical groups.
• Group Supervision of Supervision: Through readings and discussion, interns identify a supervisory model. Interns practice their supervisory skills through peer consultation.

Interns develop a caseload of clients whose presenting concerns and demographics fit their individual training needs and experience. Interns are given priority when selecting clients, in order to facilitate maintenance of a caseload that allows for both depth and breadth of experience.

Interns co-lead or process-observe one general process group each semester during Fall and Spring. Interns may co-lead additional group(s) as part of an elective rotation in group therapy. Groups are co-led with a senior staff member during Fall and Spring Semesters. During Summer Semester, Interns may request to co-lead a general process group together. The Group Coordinator and Director of Training consider this request in the context of available summer groups, as well as Intern readiness to co-lead without a senior staff member. Interns may be allowed to co-lead a psychoeducational group together earlier in the year, dependent on readiness as assessed by supervisors and Group Coordinator.

Interns gain crisis service experience through a series of steps:

1. Observing at least two crisis appointments conducted by a senior staff member.
2. Providing a minimum of two crisis appointments under the observation of an appropriately credentialed and experienced senior staff member.
3. The Training Committee consults to determine whether the Intern is ready to independently serve as the COD. An Intern may benefit from the opportunity to provide additional observed crisis appointments before providing these services independently.
4. Serving as the COD. When providing independent COD services, Interns are still paired with an appropriately credentialed and experienced senior staff member who is available for consultation. This senior staff member will schedule their day in a flexible manner and will expect that at any point, they may be called out of an appointment to support the Intern COD or any other trainee who needs assistance.

Interns receive training and supervision in the area of clinical interviewing. All CAPS clients take the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms (CCAPS) at intake and prior to each subsequent session. Interns receive training in outcome assessment and the use of CCAPS data in treatment planning. Interns also receive training in the ongoing assessment of the therapeutic alliance using the Session Rating Scale (SRS). Interns are trained to use the SRS on a weekly basis and to incorporate SRS feedback into treatment planning.

During the internship year, Interns develop skill in the use of assessments related to a university counseling center population. Interns are expected to complete 4 total assessments over the course of the year. Out of the 4 required assessments, 2-3 must be Educational Assessments (assess for the presence of Learning Disabilities and/or ADHD). The other 1-2 assessments should be Psychological Assessments in an area of the Intern’s choice. Possible tests include personality inventories (MMPI-2, PAI), trauma inventories (TSI-2, DES) eating disorder assessments (EDI-III & Structured Interview), substance use assessments (YAAPST, SASSI-3, ASI) and inventories of career interests and skills (SDS, SII-II). 

At the beginning of internship, Interns participate in an Assessment Intensive, when each Intern’s abilities to administer, score, and interpret the WAIS-IV and Woodcock-Johnson-IV are formally assessed. Interns also participate in Group Supervision of Assessment during Fall and Spring Semesters, where they receive supervision of their assessment work as well as training in the use of various psychological tests.

Throughout the internship year, Interns are required to block a continuous 3-4 hours/week for assessment work (honing skills, testing, or report-writing), which support them in the goal of completing assessment reports in a timely manner.

Interns lead outreach presentations based on their training needs and experience. The Outreach Coordinator presents opportunities to participate in outreach throughout the internship year. Common topics include: stress management, study skills, coping with depression/anxiety. Interns independently develop at least one outreach presentation during the internship. A copy of this presentation is kept in the Intern’s portfolio. Interns are required to conduct two outreach presentations during Fall Semester and two outreach presentations during Spring Semester (tabling or quick introductions to CAPS services do not count). Interns may do additional outreach presentations as part of an elective rotation.

At the beginning of each semester, Interns, in conjunction with their supervisor and the Director of Training, develop a particular area where they would like to gain more training and experience. Interns are encouraged to develop goals for this area, and to seek out training opportunities during the semester. Examples of elective rotations include group therapy, assessment, career counseling, or collaborating with a specific office on campus. The Director of Training will provide a list of available Elective Rotations during Orientation. Interns are also invited to create their own elective rotation in consultation with the Director of Training. Interns may spend up to 4 hours per week on their elective rotation and can sometimes split these 4 hours between two elective rotations.

Interns may use up to two hours each week to work on their dissertation, research, or applications for post-docs or jobs. This time may be “banked;” for example, an Intern may elect to take one day during a month rather than two hours each week. Banked time may also be used to attend professional conferences. Interns are permitted to schedule this time on the weekends or evenings. Interns are required to present a poster or lead a breakout session at the Utah University Counseling Center Conference. All CAPS staff attend this conference and this is an opportunity for Interns to engage in presenting scholarly research in a conference setting.