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Internship

Program Goals and Objectives

The overarching goal of the Training Program is to prepare interns to be clinically astute as solid generalists, and to assist them in identifying specialty interest areas for pursuit at the subsequent post-doctoral level and beyond.

 

Goal 1: To prepare interns to conduct individual, couples' and group therapy through brief or short-term modalities for a variety of clinical settings including those influenced by managed care demands


Objectives:

  • Development and refinement of micro counseling skills, diagnostic formulations, empathic attunement, and treatment plans

  • Familiarization with empirically-supported treatments and related research for effective therapeutic interventions

  • Familiarization with psychotropic medications for organic syndromes through frequent in-service collaboration with our psychiatrists

Competencies:

  • Interns will become proficient with counseling techniques, diagnostic formulations, and developing treatment plans.

  • Interns will become familiar with empirically-validated treatments.

  • Interns will become knowledgeable about cases that should be referred for psychotropic medications and will collaborate with psychiatrists in the treatment process for related cases.

 

 

Goal 2: To prepare interns to handle a variety of emergencies and crises


Objectives:

  • Provision of a crisis intervention seminar that addresses different models and approaches for critical incident stress debriefing

  • Encouragement of collaboration and consultation for complex dilemmas and life-threatening situations

  • Provision of opportunity for hands-on training in safety and risk management cases and issues

Competencies:

  • Interns will demonstrate an understanding of different models for crisis intervention.

  • Interns will be familiar with the process for critical incident stress debriefing.

  • Interns will demonstrate an understanding of the need to consult in complex cases and dilemmas.

  • Interns will effectively manage high-risk cases.

 

 

Goal 3: To foster and promote awareness and appreciation of diversity in all professional undertakings

 

Objectives:

  • Participation in monthly diversity training for all Center staff

  • Discussion of cultural factors that impact clients' functioning in supervisory sessions

  • Participation in Center's frequent diversity initiatives such as staff training and diversity workshops

  • Participation in college-wide diversity functions

  • Processing of sociocultural factors that impact decision-making and programming, and that helps to clarify and respect individual and cultural differences

Competencies:

  • Interns will demonstrate competence in being sensitive to and aware of cultural factors that are impacting the therapeutic process as well as other aspects of their roles as psychologists' in training.

  • Interns will become proficient in conceptualizing cases from a cross-cultural perspective when culture appears to be a salient factor.

  • Interns will actively participate in diversity-related events that will reflect their understanding of the importance of respect for individual and group differences.

 

 

Goal 4: To encourage professional growth and development as psychologists; integration of professional and personal self


Objectives:

  • Participation/presentations at workshops and conferences

  • Completion of relevant professional readings to enhance case conceptualizations

  • Obtaining memberships in professional associations such as APA and Colorado Psychological Association

  • Maintaining adherence to professional ethics and legal standards in the field Interdisciplinary case consultation and in-services

Competencies:

  • Interns will participate in workshops and conferences which will attest to their interest in professional growth and development.

  • They will demonstrate clinical astuteness through articulation of relevant and up to date professional literature.

  • They will obtain memberships in professional associations.

  • They will demonstrate competence through adherence to the ethics of our profession.

 

 

Goal 5: To prepare interns for a variety of outreach experiences in order to meet the needs of traditional and non-traditional students through collaborative work with other departments and student organizations


Objectives:

  • Assign or have interns initiate presentations in the classroom on mental health topics

  • Assign or have interns initiate liaison relationships with student services organizations and student clubs and organizations

  • Participation in Center's Awareness Days' Events such as National Depression Screening, National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week, and Eating Disorders' Prevention and Awareness

  • Attend divisional meetings that facilitate relationships with other human service providers on campus

Competencies:

  • Interns will demonstrate competence in providing consultation and outreach for a number of different mental health issues such as Eating Disorders, Depression, and Anxiety.

  • They will become proficient at collaborating with relevant academic and student services departments on mental health topics.

  • They will develop awareness and skills in handling college student's mental health needs through informal needs assessment and sensitivity to students' observed behaviors

 

 

Goal 6: Train interns for a variety of consultation and outreach experiences 

 

Objectives

  • Meet the needs of traditional and non-traditional students through collaborative work within the Center and with other departments and student organizations.

Competencies

  • Interns will collaborate and/or initiate outreach presentations on mental health topics; interns will collaborate and/or create presentations as needed.

  • Interns will identify and initiate liaison relationships, and design presentations for, up to two student services organizations, student clubs and or other campus organizations.

  • Interns will participate through collaboration in the design and implementation of the Center’s Awareness Events, such as National Depression Screening, National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week, and Eating Disorder Prevention and Awareness.  As interns are assigned or choose leadership for aspects of such events, interns will independently apply creativity, knowledge and skills in the implementation of such events.

  • Interns will attend, with senior staff members, division meetings that facilitate relationships with other student service providers on campus.  Interns will independently seek out and network with their liaison offices.

  • Interns will apply knowledge, awareness and skills in handling college student’s mental health needs through informal needs assessment and sensitivity to student’s observed behavior, including development of rapport, inclusion of diversity, and presenting programs that are well-organized, are appropriate to the audience, and consider goals and the participants’ needs.