COUNSELING CENTER
Predoctoral Internship in Professional Psychology
Content of Program
Because the
Counseling Center functions on a contract system, an individual
contract is established with each intern to reflect training
expectations. We believe this system enables the intern to
learn about and seek a balance between the various roles and
functions of the developing psychologist, maintain a sense of
priority regarding professional/personal demands and allow
individualization of emphasis. The activities are divided into
core components and electives. Examples of particular
categories are listed below. Percentages given should be taken
as targets, to allow for the elective nature in determining
one's own contract.
I. Core
Components
1.
Clinical Services
(a)
Individual Counseling and Therapy - Individual counseling
and therapy services are offered to members of the Towson
University community requiring assistance in the personal/social
and vocational/career areas. The intern can expect to carry a
case load of ten to twelve clients per week, on average. The
actual number seen in any given week varies, depending on the
time of the semester. However, overall clinical services
comprise about 25% of one’s contract. Interns are encouraged to
discuss their clinical training needs with their primary
clinical supervisor and to tailor their caseloads to ensure that
they meet their training needs. The program is flexible to
accommodate varying needs. For example, if an intern wants to
gain experience working with a client dealing with a particular
clinical issue, they may request a referral from anyone on the
staff who might see such a client on intake. If an intern adds
a client to their caseload in this way, they may then close one
of their own intake slots for that week.
(b)
Intake
- Each intern is expected to provide approximately four intake
slots per week for new clients. During this time, the intern is
responsible for clarifying the presenting problem, assessing the
need for intervention, evaluating the appropriateness of
various service options, and making the proper referral.
(c)
Emergency
Duty - The Counseling Center provides immediate assistance
for emergencies/crises that arise. Both staff members and
interns have designated times during the week when they are
expected to be available. Each intern is scheduled to be on
emergency coverage for one half-day per week during regular
working hours. No formal time is contracted for emergency
coverage, and interns are encouraged to structure their
particular shift with activities and work that can be flexible.
In addition,
interns are expected to carry a pager for weekend emergency
coverage approximately four weekends each semester. Interns are
paired with a senior staff member in providing this coverage.
(d)
Groups - Process-oriented general therapy groups are
offered by the Counseling Center throughout the year.
Every effort is made to
provide the intern with the opportunity to co-lead one of these
groups each semester with a supervising staff member. Interns
may choose to co-lead a process-oriented substance abuse
treatment group instead of a general therapy group. Additionally, interns may develop a theme-oriented process or
structured group to offer if they want. These groups may be
co-led by a staff member or another trainee with a staff member
serving as a supervisor. Group programming requires approximately 2 ½ hours
per week per group (representing approximately 5-15% of contract
time). Individual supervision is conducted with the
co-facilitator of each program, or with a designated staff
member. Group supervision meetings with all group co-leaders
are held for one hour each week.
(e)
Alcohol
and Drug Abuse Services - The Counseling Center offers
specialized services for the alcohol and drug abusing client
with minimal waiting time. Both individual and group counseling
is offered. The program is certified by the Maryland Department
of Health and Mental Hygiene. Interns participate in a full-day
seminar during orientation on assessment and treatment of
substance abuse problems. They also receive supervision for
treating substance abuse issues. Additional training in
treating substance abuse issues is available as an elective
activity. (see below). The number of hours involved in training
on substance abuse issues is varied.
3.
Outreach and Consultation Programming
(a)
Programming - These areas are an integral component of
Counseling Center's developmental/preventive activities, and may
comprise between 2-4 hours per week (5-10% of contract time).
In consultation with the Assistant Director for Outreach and
Consultation, interns develop personal outreach and consultation
goals to pursue over the course of the year. Interns are
expected to spend a minimum of 80 hours involved with outreach
and consultation activities over the year.
Outreach
programs are designed, implemented and evaluated in conjunction
with staff as well as other interns. Consultation activities
and relationships may be established with various components of
the University community. Examples of such programs include
faculty/student development workshops, orientation workshops,
Women's Center workshops, outreach workshops of various themes,
liaison with residence halls and Minority Affairs and training
undergraduate helpers on campus. Supervision of outreach and
consultation programs is typically provided by the
co-facilitator or area coordinator.
(b)
Outreach and Consultation Team - Interns serve on the
Outreach and Consultation Team for the entire year and are
involved in examining issues germane to these areas of
programming.
4.
Research and Evaluation
It is anticipated that interns will conduct
research and evaluation activities. Approximately one half day
per week is allotted for dissertation research (3 hours,
approximately 10% of contract time), and each intern is expected
and encouraged to use this time accordingly. Interns who have
completed their dissertation prior to internship must use at
least one hour per week on average, for an alternate research
project or scholarly activity. Center support is available to
conduct and carry out research. The Research Seminar program
provides a forum to examine research issues, including the
development and implementation of a program evaluation system
and other topics related to the operation of the agency. In
addition, interns have the opportunity to hold dissertation
support meetings to assist one another in the dissertation
writing process. Interns will each present their research
projects (dissertation or otherwise) to the staff at some point
during the year.
5.
Professional Training and Development
The internship
offers intensive individual supervision for personal/social and
vocational/career counseling (minimum of two hours per week).
Supervision is provided by Maryland-licensed doctoral level
staff. Time is allocated to review tapes and write pertinent
notes, as well as engage in professional development. A weekly
intern seminar (two hours per week) provides the opportunity for
the interns to meet as a group with supervisory staff for case
conferences, in-service training in particular areas and peer
supervision. A weekly general staff meeting consists of
in-service training, presentations, staff development, peer
supervision, and administration (2 -3 hours per week).
Supervision and in-service training constitutes approximately
25% of the intern's time.
Because of our
location, a wide variety of workshops and academic training
opportunities exist in the greater Baltimore/Washington area.
We make every effort to facilitate the interns' desire for
continued professional development.
(a)
Supervision Received
(1) Individual Supervision
of Individual Caseload - Supervision of interns is held on a
regularly scheduled basis with professional psychology staff who
are licensed as psychologists in the state of Maryland. Each
intern will have two primary supervisors over the course of the
year, with rotations changing at the half-year mark. Assignment
of supervisor and intern is made after careful matching of
needs, consultation with the training staff, and intern input. A
minimum of two hours per week is devoted to individual
supervision for therapy cases, although informal supervision is
often sought and received over and above the minimum allotted.
Supervision is process-oriented, and self-exploration is often
encouraged in the context of one’s growth as a therapist.
(2)
Peer Supervision of Individual Caseload - Interns meet
as a group for one hour each week for peer supervision of their
individual therapy work. Staff members join this meeting on a
rotating basis so that interns have the opportunity to talk
about clinical work with as many staff members as possible.
(3)
Supervision of Group Work - Supervision is provided for
each counseling and/or therapy group offered by the intern.
When co-leading a group with a staff member, supervision is
provided by that staff person. If an intern has chosen to
co-lead a substance abuse treatment group, supervision is
provided by the Coordinator of Substance Treatment Programs. If and when two interns
co-facilitate a group, appropriate supervision with a staff
member is arranged. Additionally, all group co-leaders meet as
a large group for peer supervision on a weekly basis for one
hour.
(4)
Supervision of Supervision: Externship Program - Interns
have the opportunity, for one semester, to supervise students
from local doctoral programs in counseling and clinical
psychology and pastoral counseling. They conduct individual
supervision with an assigned psychology extern for two hours per
week. Interns receive supervision of their supervision during a
weekly two-hour group supervisory seminar.
(5)
Supervision of Outreach and Consultation
– Interns meet individually with the Assistant Director for
Outreach and Consultation on a regular basis to discuss their
goals related to providing outreach and consultation and
progress toward those goals.
(b)
Supervision Given
Supervision of Psychology Extern - Interns supervising
an extern meet with that student individually face-to-face for
two hours per week to discuss case management, assessment and
treatment of clients, and general issues pertaining to their
caseload and placement at the Center.
(c)
Training
(1)
Intern Seminar - Interns receive in-service training on
a weekly basis through the Intern Seminar. These seminars, each
lasting two hours, are designed to provide the interns with
theoretical and practical information relevant to various areas
of intervention, as well as the opportunity to discuss special
topics of interest to them in their professional development.
The majority of the Center staff is involved in designing and
coordinating this seminar, with different staff members, in
consultation with the training director, coordinating and
presenting different modules. The modules are: Assessment and
Diagnosis, Multicultural Issues, Professional Issues / Professional Identity, Therapy
Approaches (including empirically supported treatments), and Special
Topics (e.g. career development; psychotropic medications;
treating survivors of sexual abuse; etc.). Also included within
the Special Topics module are two series of seminars, one
addressing supervision and one addressing substance abuse
treatment.
(2)
Psychiatric Mental Health Consultation The
psychiatrists on staff are available for consultation, back-up,
and in-service training opportunities. Interns may refer
clients to these individuals for evaluation hospitalization,
medication and mental status, recommendation for treatment and
referral to community agencies. There is the opportunity for
collaboration regarding case management and disposition, as well
as the opportunity to work in a multi-disciplinary treatment
manner with other mental health professionals.
(3)
Counseling Center Staff Meetings/Staff Development -
Weekly staff meetings are held, usually covering a 2-3 hour
period. The purposes of staff meetings are to convey
information from the Division of Student Affairs to Counseling
Center staff, make announcements of relevance to the operation
of the Counseling Center, discuss administrative issues germane
to Center programming, and provide staff development
opportunities. Interns are expected to participate as
colleagues.
The staff
development component is seen as an opportunity for in-service
training. Issues of particular interest to staff are identified
and either consultants are brought in to present on particular
topics, or staff members and interns may present on areas
specific to their interest and expertise.
The Counseling
Center is in full support of the continued development of
interns above and beyond that offered through Center involvement
and programming. Interns are encouraged to develop their
identity as professional psychologists by membership in relevant
organizations, attendance at outside workshops, and local,
regional, and national conventions. Professional leave as well
as limited financial support has been made available for these
activities.
To further
facilitate professional development, each staff member and
intern has a computer and printer in her/his office.
(4) Case
Management - Recognizing the need for effective case
management and time to process and reflect upon on-going
clients, approximately two hours per week is provided for
listening to tapes, writing case and process notes, and
preparing for supervision.
(5)
Intern Support - Every week, interns have an hour-long
meeting designed to provide them with support time. Interns may
alternate between meeting on their own and meeting with the
Training Director. Interns decide how to best utilize this time
together. They may discuss reactions to the internship, process
experiences they have had, and address various issues that arise
during the course of the week. The training director may seek
feedback and provide information regarding meaningfulness of
activities, staff interaction difficulties, unmet needs,
mentoring, administration and program development. Development
of supportive group cohesiveness among interns is encouraged.
II.
Elective Activities
Interns have
between one and four hours per week to participate in elective
activities. (The three hours per week allocated to dissertation
activity may be used for electives once the dissertation is
finished, thus providing four hours per week for electives,
though interns are expected to be involved with research at some
level even after their dissertations are finished). The
following list provides examples of potential elective
activities, but is in no way exhaustive. Interns may, in
consultation with the training director, create whatever unique
training activity that they wish, utilizing any campus resources
that are available. Depending upon how much time is available,
interns may participate in more than one elective. Elective
activities are supervised. Arrangements for supervision are made
as appropriate for the particular activity.
1.
Specialized Experience and Supervision in Substance Abuse
Counseling
In addition to
the core experiences related to providing treatment for
substance abuse problems, interns may pursue more intensive
training by electing to co-lead one of our substance abuse
treatment groups and receive supervision from our Coordinator of
Substance Treatment Programs. As explained above, interns may
co-lead one of these groups as a core experience (instead of
co-leading a general therapy group). Alternatively, they may
co-lead one of these groups as an elective experience (which
would mean they do this in addition to the general
therapy group.) Additionally, interns may work with the assistant director for
outreach and consultation preparing and delivering a lecture
series and other outreach related to substance abuse.
2.
Administrative Opportunities
Interns may work
closely with the director of training, the clinical services
director, or the coordinator of groups, assisting with any
special projects that are active during the course of the year.
3.
Research and Evaluation
Interns who are
still working on their dissertations may elect to put additional
time toward research by embarking on a research project of their
own choosing, utilizing the research seminar for support. They
may use counseling center data or collect their own. They also
may elect to assist with counseling center data collection and
management, or another ongoing counseling center research
project. If interns have completed their dissertations, it is
expected that they will use at least one hour per week, on
average, of their elective time to be involved with some type of
research. They may elect to do research beyond this basic
requirement if they so choose.
4.
Liaison with Other Campus Departments
Interns may
cultivate relationships with other members of the campus
community (e.g. Athletics, Women’s Center, Office of Diversity,
Office for Students with Disabilities) and serve as a Counseling
Center liaison to those groups, providing consultation and
clinical services as appropriate.
5. Peer
Education Programming
Interns may get
involved in a supervisory or training capacity with the
Counseling Center’s Substance Abuse or Sexual Assault Peer
Education program.
6.
Training Team
The training
team consists of a group of senior staff members (including the
training director) and one intern who represents the intern
group. The team oversees the training program by meeting
monthly to discuss current training issues, evaluate all aspects
of the training program in light of current interns, Counseling
Center developments, and developments in the profession of
psychology, and proposing and implementing changes as
appropriate.
7. Intern
Selection Committee
The intern
selection committee consists of two senior staff members
(including the training director) and one intern who represents
the intern group. The committee reads all applications, decides
whom to interview, and, following all interviews and review of
feedback, decides who and in what order applicants will be
offered positions.
8.
Diversity Committee
This committee
consists of four senior staff members and one intern and meets
on a monthly basis. The committee's purpose is to plan and
implement in-service trainings and other activities to continue
ongoing awareness of and sensitivity to multicultural issues
within the Counseling Center.
9.
Career Services / Teaching
The Career
Center offers a two-credit academic course in career and life
planning called Personal Life and Career Planning.
Interns
who are interested in teaching this class may do so as an
elective activity during the fall semester.
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