THE TRAINING PROGRAM

The following information describes the APA Accredited Predoctoral Internship Program at UC Davis - CAPS.

 

>model/goals

Educational Model and Training Goals

The overarching objective of the internship training program, an integral element of CAPS organization, is to train ethical, competent psychologists who are capable of functioning independently and will contribute both to the welfare of society and to the profession. The educational philosophy and training model of our internship program is to provide training grounded in core competencies and the scientific principles of our profession, which emphasize the area of applied practice. The training staff realizes that the most important learning occurs through providing service under the direct supervision and mentorship of a senior staff professional. Such “learning by doing” is guided, enriched and deepened through seminars, consultations and in-service staff development activities. The internship program is defined by a commitment to the following goals:

  • Commitment to Mentoring and the Scientist-Practitioner Model - The training staff believes that mentor relationships with interns are essential methods of transmitting knowledge and appropriate professional, ethical behavior. Thus, the training staff emphasizes the development of supportive, challenging collegial relationships with interns.
  • Commitment to a Broad Range of Skill Development - The internship is designed to offer supervised experiences to interns who wish to develop and enhance skills in providing the varied services offered through a university counseling center. These services include intake, assessment, individual and group counseling and psychotherapy, crisis intervention, supervision of trainees, consultation, program development, psychological testing, and research. The core of the internship is intensive supervision in short-term psychotherapy.
  • Commitment to Training in Providing Services to a Diverse Clientele - Integral to the functioning of a psychologist is the ability to understand and competently provide a breadth of psychological services to a pluralistic clientele. Training seminars, weekly supervision and the richness of a diverse client population provide opportunities for interns to examine their own reactions to differences as well as the effects of their own background on their attitudes, biases, and behaviors when providing service to clients.
    Due to the changing demographics in the state of California, and the resulting increase in the ethnic diversity of the student population, the internship emphasizes training and experiences in providing services to an ethnically diverse group of students. The goals of diversity training emphasize, but are not limited to improving ethnic and cultural sensitivity, increasing awareness of different lifestyles (e.g. sexual orientation, physical challenge, non-traditional age), and developing competence in multicultural counseling.
  • Commitment to Flexibility in Developing each Intern's Training Program - The internship program provides a series of structured activities that take into account the needs, interests and backgrounds of each individual intern. Interns select their objectives and areas of emphasis to meet their own goals. Individualized contracts are established in consultation with the Director of Training. Contracts are reviewed and revised as necessary on a quarterly basis.
  • Commitment to Facilitating Personal Growth and Professional Identity - The internship is viewed as a period of integration of academic learning and applied experiences. This is a time for each intern to transition from student to professional psychologist. Emphasis is placed on the development of professional identity and facilitating personal growth. This process incorporates gaining self-knowledge, having confidence in the ability to make sound, ethical, clinical, and personal judgments, being comfortable with multicultural settings, and experiencing a sense of responsibility to oneself, the profession, and society. As a training faculty, we facilitate this process through mentoring, supervision, consultation, modeling and professional interaction. We also recognize the developmental aspect of professional identity and as such over the course of the training year, interns experience a shift in their roles, relationships and responsibilities from that of trainee to colleague.

Self Disclosure

Given our training program's goal to train ethical, competent psychologists who are capable of functioning independently, opportunities for personal exploration and self-reflection may occur throughout the year. When appropriate, interns are encouraged to explore historical influences and personal data which may affect subsequent clinical practice. Our staff use a consultative model of supervision and supervisors may consult with one another about trainees when relevant. The internship training program functions in a manner consistent with the American Psychological Association's 2002 Ethical Standard 7.04 (Student Disclosure of Personal Information) as contained in the Revised Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (APA 2002).

UC Davis CAPS Model Training Values Statement Addressing Diversity

(Counseling Psychology Statement Revised 9/20/06 KH)

  • Background - Respect for diversity and for values different from one’s own is a central value of counseling psychology training programs. The valuing of diversity is also consistent with the profession of psychology as mandated by the APA's Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct (2002) and as discussed in the Guidelines and Principles of Programs in Professional Psychology (APA, 2005). More recently there has been a call for counseling psychologists to actively work and advocate for social justice and prevent further oppression in society.
  • UC Davis CAPS - Our practicum, internship, postdoctoral training programs exist within a multicultural community which contains people of diverse racial, ethnic, and class backgrounds; national origins; religious, spiritual and political beliefs; physical abilities; ages; genders; gender identities, sexual orientations, and physical appearance. We believe that our training community is enriched by members’ openness to learning about others who are different than them as well as acceptance of others. We recognize that no individual is completely free from all forms of bias and prejudice and acknowledge that CAPS will evidence a range of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.
  • Expectations of Trainers and Trainees - Agree to work together to create a training environment that is characterized by respect, safety, and trust and are expected to be supportive of all individuals.
  • Committed to the social values of respect for diversity, inclusion, and equity.
  • Committed to critical thinking and the process of self-examination so that prejudices or biases (and the assumptions on which they are based) may be evaluated.
  • Acquire and utilize professionally relevant knowledge and skills regardless of their beliefs, attitudes, and values.
  • Expectations Specific to Trainers
  • Engage trainees in a manner inclusive and respectful of their multiple cultural identities.
  • Examine own biases and prejudices in the course of their interactions with trainees so as to model and facilitate this process for their trainees (can include discussions about personal life experiences, attitudes, beliefs, opinions, feelings, and personal histories).
  • Assuming no one is free from biases and prejudices, trainers will remain open to appropriate challenges from trainees to their held biases and prejudices.
  • Committed to lifelong learning relative to multicultural competence.
  • Expectations Specific to Trainees
  • Engage in self-reflection and introspection of attitudes, beliefs, opinions, feelings, personal history.
  • Examine and attempt to resolve any of the above to eliminate potential negative impact on their ability to perform the functions of a psychologist, including but not limited to providing effective services to individuals from cultures and with beliefs different from their own.

Members of our training community are committed to educating each other on the existence and effects of racism, sexism, ageism, heterosexism, religious intolerance, and other forms of prejudice. Evidence of bias, stereotyped thinking, and prejudicial beliefs and attitudes will not go unchallenged, even when such behavior is rationalized as being a function of ignorance, joking, cultural differences, or substance abuse.

In summary, all members of CAPS are committed to a training process that facilitates the development of professionally relevant knowledge and skills focused on working effectively with all individuals inclusive of demographics, beliefs, attitudes, and values. Members agree to engage in a mutually supportive process that examines the effects of one’s beliefs, attitudes, and values on one’s work with all clients.

 

>components/sequence

Components and Sequence of Training Experiences

The internship training program contains the following experiences: supervision, seminars, consultation and professional interactions. Each experience has been organized to maximize the professional development of the interns over the course of the training year.

Described below are the various elements of the internship program:

  • Orientation - The first weeks of September are designed to familiarize interns with the operation of CAPS to facilitate their transition to the University of California, Davis and the Davis community. During this time, interns meet with CAPS program coordinators, training and support staff and supervisors. Additionally interns attend a variety of training seminars and learn about the policies and procedures of CAPS. Interns visit and learn about other campus agencies including the Learning Skills Center, the Internship and Career Center, the Cross Cultural Center, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center, the Women's Resources and Research Center and the Student Health Center. A service contract and schedule for each intern is developed with the Director of Training. Overall, orientation is a time for the interns and staff to get to know each other.
  • Intern Retreats - The interns go on an overnight, two-day retreat with the Training Director to a cabin near Lake Tahoe at the end of the orientation period and attend another two-day year end retreat in Bodega Bay. Interns are asked to pay for the cost of meals (approx. $50-60) during the retreats. The goals of the first retreat are team building and setting internship goals. The major goal for the end of the year retreat is to review the contributions the internship has made to each intern's personal and professional development. During March, the interns also have a one-day midyear retreat to review progress on their individual goals and to evaluate the first six months of their training experience.
  • Consultation
  • Psychological Consultation Team - CAPS clinical staff is divided into three Consult Teams. Interns attend these weekly multidisciplinary clinical case consult team meetings and are actively involved in the clinical discussions, case presentations, and administration functions. Interns are encouraged to present cases and provide feedback to each other and staff about case conceptualization, intervention and management.
  • Psychiatric Consultation - During Fall and Winter quarter, the interns meet as a group on a monthly basis with our chief psychiatrist, to discuss issues of psychiatric case management, differential diagnosis and medication.
  • Professional Interactions - One of the particular strengths of our internship is the availability of staff members for consultation. Staff members are available as needed for consultation about particularly difficult cases/crisis situations when the intern's clinical and emphasis supervisors, Clinical Director, Director of Training and Director are not available. Interns are encouraged to seek out staff members who have expertise in treating particular disorders/problems that are relevant to the interns' caseloads. The essence of staff collaboration is evident in the collegial interactions and mentorship provided by the training staff.
  • Experiences for All Interns
  • Supervision of Practicum Students - Each intern will supervise one practicum student during one half of the training year. Practicum students are doctoral students from local universities or schools of psychology. Interns participate in a year-long Supervision of Supervision seminar facilitated by a licensed staff member. The Practicum Coordinator and Director of Training, as well as the interns' individual supervisors are available for ongoing consultation about supervision issues.
  • Development of Research Project - The intern cohort is required to develop and conduct a team research project with the Director of Training, to be submitted for presentation at the APA Convention and for publication in a professional journal. Interns receive ongoing supervision providing them guidance in the development, implementation, and writing of this research project. Additionally, interns may work on a research project designed to evaluate a CAPS program, or may work on an individual project with a staff member should the intern have an interest in getting additional research experience.
  • Emphasis Areas - Interns are chosen in part, based on a training emphasis experience in which they express a desire to work. The emphasis area experience occurs throughout the training year. Emphasis areas reflect the numerous functions of a university counseling center psychologist. Specific goals for each particular emphasis area are developed at the beginning of the training period. Interns may spend anywhere from 4-6 hours per week in activities specifically related to the emphasis area. When additional time is required in a particular emphasis area, the clinical service hours are reduced an equal amount. The potential emphasis areas and descriptions of the activities that an intern working in that area would participate in are described below:
  • Multicultural Immersion Program (MIP) - Two interns are selected for this emphasis area (MIP Academic and MIP Internship), which focuses on knowledge of multicultural and social justice issues, cross-cultural communication, and intercultural dialogues. Interns' learning includes strategies of being a social change agent on campus and in the world through teaching and applied practical skills. The MIP Academic position allows a predoctoral intern to work over two quarters with undergraduate UC-Davis students who take Sociology 30A and 30B (multicultural courses). The MIP Internship position allows a second predoctoral intern to work with undergradaute UC-Davis students, who have completed either Soc 30a or Soc 30b and one other multicultural course and have applied to be MIP student interns for a year-long, paid experience. The predoctoral intern who works with these students guides them in developing and implementing workshops that address intercultural relations on campus and in the greater Davis community. For more information about MIP, visit this website: http://mip.ucdavis.edu/.
  • MIP - Academic - The intern actively participates in the first part (Academic) of the Multicultural Immersion Program (MIP). The intern participating in the MIP Academic Experience (Building the Foundation for Cross-Cultural Understanding) attends the lecture and co-facilitates a small discussion and intercultural dialogue group for the undergraduate students enrolled during fall and winter quarters. The first course provides the knowledge, context, and conceptual framework within which to understand diversity from a macro perspective. The second course focuses on a psychological perspective of diversity with an emphasis on racial and cultural identity development and current applied research on cultural competency issues. The intern assists with administrative aspects of the program during Fall and Winter and may be asked to be a guest lecturer in the course. In Spring Quarter the intern will co-teach one-on-one and group skills to undergraduate peer counselors.
  • MIP - Internship Experience - The intern educates and trains MIP “graduates” (students who have completed the two quarter academic sequence course described above) who are interested in gaining skills in workshop design and in promoting positive intercultural relations, and social justice. The intern co-teaches the year -long internship course, as well as trains and supervises the undergraduate student interns on workshop development, implementation, and facilitation in the areas of intercultural awareness and race relations.
  • Eating Disorders - This emphasis offers specialty training in individual and group therapy, consultation, and community programming in the area of eating disorders. The intern co-leads an eating disorders group, participates in the campus committee on body image and eating disorders, attends the eating disorders clinical meeting at Cowell Student Health Center, and participates in the Yolo County Eating Disorders Network. Major programming and outreach is done throughout the year and the intern provides consultation to the health educators and peers at Cowell Student Health Center.
  • Professional Training - This emphasis training area highlights the many facets and complexities of a professional training program. The intern works closely with the Practicum Coordinator by assisting with the Practicum Student Orientation, co-facilitating the Practicum Training Seminar (providing group supervision/consultation and training, assisting with disposition of clients to practicum students) participating on the Practicum Selection Committee, meeting weekly for emphasis supervision, and attending a monthly supervisors' meeting for the practicum students' supervisors. Additionally, she or he helps plan and facilitate a one-day multicultural retreat for the practicum students. The intern meets monthly with the Director of Training and participates as a member of CAPS' Intern Selection Committee to gain insight and experience in the selection process and training of future psychologists. She or he may also assist the Director of Training with the planning of CAPS' Continuing Education Units and work on other training-related projects.
  • Sport Psychology - This emphasis area provides the intern with an opportunity to work with student-athletes, coaches, and athletic department staff in the two areas of sport consultation and psychological counseling. Sport consulting with student-athletes and coaches entails (a) providing performance enhancement interventions to teams, (b) facilitating team building workshops and activities, (c) developing relationships with coaches, athletes, and athletic department staff, and (d) facilitating psycho-educational groups for athletes. The psychological counseling component includes individual counseling with student-athletes to address personal, academic, and performance related concerns. Also, the intern may have the opportunity to facilitate a therapy group specifically for athletes with clinical concerns. In addition, the intern will provide outreach presentations for the athletic department and staff. The intern meets weekly with an emphasis supervisor to discuss organizational and clinical issues in working with student-athletes.
    Click here to visit the Sport Psychology site
  • Stress & Wellness - The intern in this emphasis area has an opportunity to be involved in both the clinical and programmatic efforts of the Stress & Wellness Clinic (S&WC) (INSERT LINK HERE), which is a unique program at CAPS designed to address student needs specific to stress and anxiety. The intern sees individual clients presenting with anxiety and stress related concerns and facilitates/co-facilitates several Stress & Wellness groups throughout the year.  Current groups include: Breaking Free of Stress & Anxiety, Mindfulness Meditation, Yoga for Stress Reduction & Health, Mindfulness Therapy, Stop Worry From Stopping You, How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep,  Relaxation for Stress Reduction, Feeling Good, and Biofeedback. New groups may be developed as needed and as resources allow. The intern may also be involved in developing programming for and coordinating the Wednesday Wellness program, which is the outreach component of the Stress & Wellness Clinic. Over 20 different workshops were offered this past year including The Art of Sleeping, Guided Imagery, Reducing Stress Using Breathing & Muscle Relaxation, and  Cultivating Your Intuition. For a complete list of the programs, click on this link.  (INSERT LINK TO CURRENT PROGRAMS FOR WW). He/she  also participates in the S&WC staff meetings and may also be involved in the assessment and screening of students for the S&WC groups.
  • Multicultural Immersion Program (MIP) - During the Winter Quarter, ALL interns co-facilitate a discussion group for MIP (Academic Experience). This undergraduate course is focused on providing a psychological perspective of diversity, with an emphasis on racial and cultural identity development and current applied research on cultural competency issues. Interns' knowledge of current psychological issues in diversity will be enhanced and they will learn skills in facilitating small group discussions and intercultural dialogues. Interns have a unique opportunity to experience the growth and development of the students within the context of cultural understanding, acceptance and racial/cultural identity development. Additionally, interns' own self-knowledge, attitudes, and skills related to diversity issues are enhanced.
  • Individual Counseling and Psychotherapy - Interns primarily provide short-term, individual personal counseling and psychotherapy. They carry approximately 14 clients depending on their individual contracts (approximately 35% of their contract). Clients are typically seen up to 6 sessions, about 20% can be carried to 10 sessions and one client can be seen on a long-term basis. Each intern's clinical caseload is ethnically and culturally diverse. Interns are prepared for individual counseling and psychotherapy through seminars in orientation, seminars held throughout the year, individual and group supervision, and weekly clinical staff consultation team meetings (case conferences).
  • Group Counseling and Psychotherapy - CAPS offers a variety of psychotherapy, support , drop-in, and psychoeducational groups, including Psychotherapy Groups for Undergraduate and Graduate/Professional students and specific population/topical groups such as: Eating Disorders, First Generation College Students and Survivors of Sexual Abuse/Assault. Drop-in groups have focused on API and African American student issues. Some groups run for the entire year and interns co-lead for the life of the group, while other groups  are short-term, structured groups. Many of the psychoeducational groups are associated with the Stress & Wellness Clinic, which is a CAPS program designed to address student needs specific to stress and anxiety.  These groups are short-term, structured groups based in cognitive-behavioral, relaxation, and mindfulness-based treatments. Some examples of these groups include: Breaking Free of Stress & Anxiety, Mindfulness Meditation, Yoga for Stress Reduction & Health, Mindfulness Therapy, Stop Worry From Stopping You, How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep,  Relaxation for Stress Reduction, Feeling Good, and Biofeedback. Interns are expected to co-lead at least one psychotherapy group or structured group with a staff member or postdoc. Additional opportunities to create and facilitate groups are available, depending upon the intern’s interests and experience, as well as CAPS and student needs. Interns are prepared for and received supervision on group counseling and psychotherapy in the group psychotherapy seminar and receive individual supervision with their staff group co-facilitators.
  • Initial Assessment and Crisis Intervention - CAPS first contact systems provide interns the opportunity to perform initial assessments and crisis intervention. Interns identify client concerns, assess level of functioning, diagnose disorders, and determine the appropriateness of agency services. Interns are prepared for initial assessments and crisis intervention services early in the year through orientation and training seminars. After the initial period of training, interns provide intake and urgent care services, with staff available for back-up and consultation. Interns provide five hours per week (12.5% of training contract) of intake/urgent care.
  • Psychological Testing - Interns' skills in the administration and interpretation of psychological tests relevant to the work of a university counseling center psychologist are enhanced during the internship year. Training resources available in this area include personality inventories, intelligence tests, and measures of career interests and skills. Interns are required to administer a minimum of four psychological tests to four different individuals throughout the year. Additional testing experience can be gained through contracting with the Director of Training and the intern's Clinical Supervisor. Interns are provided a seminar during orientation and the testing seminar facilitator is available throughout the year for consultation and supervision. Additionally the individual clinical supervisors are available for consultation regarding psychological testing.
  • Consultation - CAPS staff provides professional consultation services to the University community. While serving as the urgent care counselor, interns will often consult with faculty, staff, students, and parents about psychological issues. In addition, depending on the interns' interests, he/she may develop liaison relationships with other campus units and as a result the intern would naturally become the identified staff member contacted when a consultation is needed by that particular office. Interns are prepared for consultation activities during an orientation seminar. Interns may also participate as a CAPS liaison to campus units or student affairs departments to provide consultation as needed.
  • Programming - CAPS staff provides programming and outreach services to the University community. Interns are required to do at least 10 outreach programs during the training year. There are a number of campus units that welcome training from CAPS staff. Interns may establish liaison relationships with other campus offices, depending on the intern's interests, and these liaison relationships become the foundation for outreach programs with students. Interns are prepared for programming activities during an orientation seminar. Additionally, interns may work with the Director of Consultation, Outreach, Peer, Education Services (COPE) or with other senior staff who are providing psychoeducational programs on particular topics or for specific members of the university community.
  • Supervision
  • Individual Clinical Supervision - Intense individual supervision is viewed as central to the internship experience. Interns receive two hours of clinical supervision per week and are assigned to a clinical supervisor for approximately six months. The initial clinical supervisor is assigned by the Director of Training based on the match of needs and interests of intern and supervisor. In making the match, the Director of Training considers the intern's skill level, theoretical preferences, training needs, interests and personal characteristics, as well as the supervisory style and preferences of the supervisors. Intern - clinical supervisor pairs change in March. Both interns and supervisors have input into the decisions about the new matches that begin in the Spring quarter and last until the end of the internship year. The functions of the supervisory relationship include monitoring client welfare, enhancing intern skills, promoting personal and professional growth and evaluating the intern's skills and professional development on a continuous basis.
  • Emphasis Supervision - Interns meet regularly with the staff member supervising their emphasis area experiences (refer to Section J for description of the emphasis areas). This opportunity provides in-depth training, exploration, mentoring, and development of expertise in the chosen area. Specific goals for the particular emphasis area are developed in consultation with the emphasis supervisor at the beginning of the training period. Evaluation of an intern's performance is based on the attainment of the goals developed.
  • Group Supervision -
  • Supervision of Group Therapy - When co-facilitating a group with a staff member, interns receive 1/2 hour weekly individual supervision from his or her group co-facilitator. Each intern has an opportunity for in-depth discussion and training in the elements of group therapy with their co-facilitator. In addition, interns are welcome to consult about their group experiences with their individual supervisors. Finally, interns who co-facilitate with another trainee will attend the weekly year long Group Therapy Supervision Seminar which assists them in organizing and facilitating their group experiences.
  • Supervision of Practicum Supervision - During this year long, weekly group supervision seminar, theoretical models of supervision are reviewed, interns process their own development as a supervisor and interns have an opportunity to review their practicum supervisees clinical cases. Interns are also encouraged to consult as needed with their staff co-practicum supervisor, the Practicum Coordinator and Director of Training. The intern's individual supervisors are also available for consultation about supervision issues.
  • Training Seminars (click here for detailed seminar description) - These didactic training experiences provide a forum for staff members and other professionals to present relevant topics to the interns. Although some seminars occur during the orientation period, the majority of training occurs in module formats over a period of five to ten weeks, which provide the opportunity for in-depth exploration of the topics under discussion. The following seminars are consistently offered:
  • Year Long
  • Diversity Seminar Series (see quarter for specific seminar topic)
  • Supervision of Supervision
  • Intern Team Meeting
  • Research Seminar
  • Group Supervision Seminar
  • Orientation
  • Diversity: Disability Issues
  • Diversity: Self-Awareness
  • Intake/Clinical Assessment
  • Ethics
  • Consultation and Programming
  • Career Counseling
  • Sport Psychology
  • Boundaries
  • Psychological Testing
  • Crisis Intervention
  • Fall Quarter
  • Diversity: Case Conference
  • Diversity: Brief Psychotherapy
  • Eating Disorders
  • Licensure and Job Search Seminar
  • Psychiatric Consultation
  • Substance Abuse
  • Trauma
  • Winter Quarter
  • Diversity: MIP Staff Meeting
  • Diversity: Clinical Issues with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Clients
  • Psychiatric Consultation
  • Spring Quarter
  • Diversity: Relational Cultural Theory (RCT)
  • Summer Quarter
  • Formal Case Conference
  • Intern Choice
  • Additional Experiences Interns may have an Opportunity to Participate in - Depending on an intern's areas of interest, previous experiences, training goals, and CAPS's needs, it's possible an intern may be able to have some level of involvement in the following activities and services.
  • Diversity/Population Specific Services - An intern may provide clinical and professional services to an identified population. Activities might involve doing outreach programs and consultation services and providing individual therapy and group therapy with a specific population. An intern may work closely with a staff member who has expertise with the specific population of interest and could participate as a workshop facilitator in one of the leadership retreats for specific groups of diverse students. Recent populations that interns have worked with include gay, lesbian bisexual clients, and transgender, Asian American clients, Chicano/Latino clients, African American clients, men, and international students.
  • Clinical Focus - If an intern has an interest in gaining experience working with a specific clinical issue, he/she may provide services addressing that issue. An intern could request to see clients presenting with these types of concerns, as well as co-facilitate a group focused on the issue. In addition, he/she could develop a liaison relationship with other campus units providing related services. Finally, the intern may provide consultation and outreach services on the topic. Examples of clinical issues are: depression, substance abuse, trauma, sexual assault, acculturation, and adjustment issues etc.
  • Couples Counseling - A small but significant part of the Center's total workload involves couples counseling. Interns with no or limited experience working with couples initially co-counsel with a staff member. Interns receive supervision about their couples work with their clinical supervisor and participate in the Couples and Families seminar during Spring quarter.
  • Career Counseling - An intern will likely carry a small caseload of students seeking career counseling services. In addition, online career assessments are available to facilitate career exploration. Interns may provide career programs/workshops.
  • Program Development and Consultation - An intern may be able to work closely with the Director of Consultation, Outreach, Peer, Education (COPE) and develop and conduct an additional number of programs and outreach activities, beyond the 10 required of all interns. The activities can be in the form of presentations, lectures, workshops, consultations, and/or committee work.
  • Another unit of CAPS is The House, which is a peer counseling program that provides confidential support, information and referrals regarding personal or social problems to students. An intern could assist in the training of these student volunteers. http://thehouse.ucdavis.edu
  • Trainee Special Project -

    Interns are contracted for an additional 3 hours of work per week in order to ensure that they reach their final 2000 hours by the end of the internship year. Each intern in consultation with the  Training Director can tailor these hours for his/her own professional or clinical development. Interns contract for these hours each quarter and are expected to make a brown bag presentation to the staff at the end of the year on how they used this time. Some examples of how interns allot this  time include working  on their dissertations, or creating and implementing outreach programming for a particular population or clinical topic.

>administrative activities

Administrative Activities

  • Committee and Work Groups - Interns are expected to participate on administrative or programmatic work groups. This activity provides interns with experience in the operation of a mental health organization. Center committees that interns regularly participate on are cross-cultural training (MIP), intern selection, quality assurance (QAC), and other ad hoc committees that may form during the year. Interns receive supervision of their committee activities from the committee chairperson or their emphasis supervisor.
  • Case Management - Approximately five hours each week are reserved for paperwork, reviewing videotapes, preparing for programs, and performing administrative tasks.
  • Professional Development - In addition to the ongoing training that interns receive through seminars, supervision, consultation, etc., they also participate in the Continuing Education Units (CEU's) that CAPS sponsors for the licensed professional staff. Three six-hour CEU's are presented each year on mental health topics of interest to the staff. Traditionally experts in the field are brought in to provide training. Recent issues covered have included: Legal and Ethical Issues in Psychology, Supervision Issues, Treating Anxiety Disorders, Understanding and Treating Eating Disorders Through Myth, Metaphor and Storytelling, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) in a University Counseling Center, Evidence-based Interventions for Ethnic Populations, and Providing Effective Multicultural Counseling. Interns also attend the Northern California University Counseling Center Training Conference in the Fall, which is paid for by CAPS.

 

>contract

Training Contract

In general, interns spend about 60% of their 40 hour work week providing direct service (clinical, consultative and supervisory), 20% receiving training and supervision, and 20% in case management or center management activities.

In order to ensure that our interns are eligible for licensure in any state our site has an expectation that interns accrue 2,000 hours by the completion of the internship year. As such, interns will contract to work 43 hours per week on average to meet the goal of 2,000 hours. Additionally, consistent with requirements of the Board of Psychology for the State of California, interns must keep a weekly log of their service hours. The total number of hours signed off on at the conclusion of the predoctoral internship year will come directly from the number of hours logged.

Example Intern Training Contract: Adobe (PDF)

 

>evaluation

Evaluation Procedures

Overview - Evaluation is an integral part of planning, setting objectives and organizing the training process itself. Evaluation procedures at CAPS are based on current, professional models for competency-based evaluation (Rodolfa, Bent, Eisman, Nelson, Rehm, & Ritchie, 2005: Spruill, Rozensky, Stigall, Vasquez, Bingham, Olvey, 2004). The evaluation process begins during the orientation period when interns are asked to identify their entry skill levels and to articulate objectives and individual areas of interest. Written evaluation and feedback for each intern is provided by their clinical and emphasis supervisors, at the end of the fall (initial feedback), winter (mid year) and summer quarters (end of year). This written and verbal evaluation consists of a review of the intern's objectives and goals and feedback in areas that reflect current domains of professional competence. These may include: assessment/evaluation, diagnosis, treatment planning/intervention, crisis intervention, legal mandates, professional ethics, human diversity, limitations/judgment/self-understanding, and use of supervision , consultation/outreach, relationships and interpersonal issues, research and evaluation, provision of supervision and mentorship, management and administration. At the end of the evaluation session, new goals and priorities can be set to facilitate future supervisory contacts and training. Throughout the supervision process, it is expected that feedback is continuous; thus if goals are not being met, feedback would be provided prior to the formal evaluation.

In the process of the clinical supervisor's preparation for the formal evaluation, the clinical supervisor may consult with other staff who have been involved in the intern's training to gain a broad picture of the intern's participation, involvement, interests, skill level, professionalism, etc. In addition, the intern's emphasis area supervisor provides feedback to the intern about their work in the emphasis area.
The Director of Training summarizes this evaluation material and provides this information to each intern's doctoral program Training Director. Communication with the intern's home program occurs at the end of each evaluation period.

Recognizing that evaluation is a two way street, interns evaluate their supervisory relationships at the end of the fall and winter quarters, and at the end of the training year and they complete evaluations on the internship program in general on a quarterly basis. All evaluation materials are reviewed by the Director of Training and training supervisors to assist in the development of each intern's program and in the development of the internship program overall. We seek feedback and ask for honest evaluations so that we can provide interns with a program responsive to their training needs.

References:

Rodolfa, E., Bent., R., Eisman, E., Nelson, P., Remh, L., Ritchie, P., (2005). A Cube Model for Competency Development. Implications for Psychology Educators and Regulators, Professional Psychology: Research & Practice, 36, 347-354ointment/s.

Spruill, J., Rozensky, R., Stigall, T., Vasquez, M., Bingham, R. P., Olvey, C. D., (2004)., Becoming a Competent Clinician: Basic Competencies in Intervention. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 60, 741-754.

 

>appointment/stipend/benefits

Appointment, Stipend, Benefits

Appointment - The internship begins on August 15, 2008 and concludes on August 14, 2009. This is a full time, 43 hour per week appointment.

Stipend - The stipend for 2008-2009 is $25,000. Applicable Federal and State taxes and a social security deduction are withheld.

Benefits -

  • Vacation - accrues at approximately 10 hours per month. (15 days total - 5 of these days are reserved to be taken during the last week of the internship year)
  • Sick Leave - accrues at approximately 8 hours per month. (12 days)
  • Professional Development - interns receive time and funding to attend the Northern California University Counseling Center Training Conference and attend the three in house CEU's offered by CAPS each year.
  • Medical Insurance - is provided at a reasonable cost, which varies depending on the plan selected.
  • Paid Holidays - 13 paid holidays
  • Location - The pleasure of living 75 miles from San Francisco, 20 miles from Sacramento, and 115 miles from Lake Tahoe/Reno.
  • Other - As university staff members, interns have library privileges, access to university recreational facilities and can purchase parking stickers.

 

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