CSUN : Division of Student Affairs : University Counseling Services : Training : Pre-Doctoral Training Program

The Graduate Training Program at University Counseling Services (UCS) has been in operation since the Fall of 1968. In 2000, the Graduate Training Program was CAPIC (California Psychology Internship Council)-Approved to provide a half-time pre-doctoral internship (24 hours per week) for graduate students in counseling and clinical psychology programs from doctoral granting institutions. In 2009, the Training Program gained CAPIC-Approval to provide a full-time (40 hours per week) pre-doctoral internship. UCS recently submitted an application in the Fall 2009 cycle for APPIC (Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers) membership. As required by APPIC, UCS will be participating as a non-APPIC member in the APPIC Match for the recruitment of 2010-2011 pre-doctoral interns.

The University

California State University, Northridge (CSUN), is a member of the 23-campus California State University system. During the 2008-09 academic year, CSUN celebrated its 50th anniversary and "50 years of life-changing opportunity." It is the third-largest public university in Los Angeles County, after UCLA and Cal State Long Beach, with a campus that covers 356 acres in the San Fernando Valley. CSUN ranks first among public universities in California in preparing students to obtain teaching credentials and offers 28 teaching credential programs. In 2007, the U.S. News and World Report ranked CSUN's College of Engineering and Computer Science among the nation's best undergraduate engineering programs. Cal State Northridge is among the top 10 universities in the country for conferring both bachelor's and master's degrees to Hispanic students. CSUN has the second largest deaf and hard of hearing population in the country.

CSUN is a very diverse urban campus with Fall semester 2008 enrollment of 36,208 students and more than 4000 faculty and staff. The student body is comprised of approximately 8% African-American, 8% Asian-American, 4% Filipino, 17% Mexican-American, 12% Other Latino, 31% Euro-American, .5% Native American Indian, .5% Pacific Islander, 6% International, and 13% Other. Approximately one-third of CSUN's entering freshman class are first-generation college students. The average age of CSUN undergraduate students is 23.1 and the average age of graduate students is 32.7.

The Staff, Setting, and Facilities

University Counseling Services (UCS) is a Department within the Division of Student Affairs at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). UCS serves as the community mental health center for the 36,000+ students at CSUN. The staff at UCS is multidisciplinary with psychologists, social workers, counselors, psychiatrists, psychiatric residents, pre-doctoral psychology interns, and graduate assistants working in a team setting (for more specific information about our staff, please see "Our Staff" within the "About Us" section on the UCS website). Services offered at UCS include intake/clinical assessment, individual therapy, couples therapy, group therapy and workshops, psychiatric consultation, urgent care assistance, outreach, and consultation.

UCS is an active participant in implementing CSUN's overall philosophy of being a learning-centered university. As such, our mission is to support student learning, development, and success, through the delivery of high quality psychological services, academic counseling, psychiatric services, outreach and consultation, and training. UCS provides services to a diverse and complex population of students, both residential and commuter. Students seeking our services present with a wide range of presenting concerns ranging from normative developmental issues (e.g., transitional struggles, individuation, relationships, identity development and cultural adjustment) to more serious or longstanding issues (e.g., depression, anxiety, eating disorders, trauma, family history issues). UCS is the primary campus resource for short-term individual and group therapy for enrolled students. UCS is also an important campus resource providing quality psychoeducational outreach/prevention programming and consultation to students, faculty, and staff.

At UCS interns function as professionals in training and are considered an integral part of our staff. Interns provide the same types of clinical and outreach services offered by our professional staff at UCS including intake/clinical assessment, individual and couples therapy, group therapy, crisis intervention and management, outreach and consultation, and referrals. Short-term individual therapy and group therapy are the primary means of service delivery at UCS. As such, interns have significant training and experience working in short-term treatment models and group therapy. Interns also have the opportunity to work with two clients in longer-term individual therapy over the course of the training year. Interns are expected to participate in various consultation and outreach activities that UCS provides to the University community.

Training occurs within the University Counseling Services (UCS) at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). All of UCS staff and faculty are housed in one location on the CSUN campus in 520 Bayramian Hall. UCS has two group rooms, a conference room, and a relaxation room that are utilized for meetings, training activities, and group therapy. Each intern has a private office which they may personally decorate to reflect a professional atmosphere. Each intern office is equipped with a phone and voicemail, audio tape equipment, a webcam for videotaping, and a computer linked to the University network.

Training Model and Goals

The pre-doctoral internship year is viewed as an opportunity for professional growth and integration. The primary goal of the internship at UCS is to provide an optimum learning environment that allows interns to develop the clinical competence, multicultural competence, and professional identity necessary to transition from graduate psychology students into entry-level psychologists. Our internship subscribes to an Apprenticeship Model in which interns "learn by doing," in which interns learn through engaging in the variety of duties of a staff psychologist. Professional staff members provide experiential learning, conduct supervision and training, serve as role models and mentors, and offer support and guidance.

We recognize that interns enter our Training Program with a foundation of clinical knowledge and skills from their academic programs and practica experiences, and progress developmentally over the course of the training year. The training program provides interns with an opportunity to build on existing knowledge and strengths, develop and implement new clinical competencies, and utilize and expand these skills in varied and creative ways. Furthermore, training in a university environment affords the intern a unique opportunity to learn and work within a broader community. At UCS, interns collaborate within a multidisciplinary setting which includes psychologists, social workers, counselors, psychiatrists, psychiatric residents, pre-doctoral interns, and graduate assistants. This provides our interns with rich opportunities to learn from our staff from a variety of disciplines, theoretical orientations, professional interests and specializations, and backgrounds. It also provides interns the opportunity to develop the skills to work effectively within a team and to collaborate with other mental health professionals as a means to optimize client care.

We expect interns to develop competencies by the end of the internship year as outlined in the following goals and objectives:

Goal #1:

To develop interns' clinical competencies in preparation for entry-level psychologist positions while instilling a philosophy of life-long professional growth and development

Goal #2:

To develop interns' professional identity with regards to knowledge, self- awareness, and competency for sound and ethical practice as a psychologist

Orientation

Beginning an internship can be a stressful event, with adjustment to a new environment, and this process may be different for each intern. The UCS Orientation has a number of distinctive features that address and help facilitate this transition. The Orientation is a structured four week program that begins when interns arrive at UCS at the beginning of August. Orientation is intended to provide interns with an extensive introduction to UCS and the university. Interns meet staff and faculty, acclimate to a new environment, and begin to develop relationships within the intern cohort. Interns are provided with a copy of the Pre-Doctoral Internship Training Manual to help acquaint interns with their roles and responsibilities during internship as well as policies and procedures of UCS.

Orientation includes a variety of meetings, team building exercises, trainings, tours, experiential multicultural seminars, and social events. Meetings, trainings, and tours provide interns with information about general policies and procedures, campus resources, relevant documents and forms, and UCS technology. Orientation activities also familiarize interns with some of the realities of working in a university counseling center and within a large and complex educational institution and campus community. The training seminars included in Orientation serve as an introduction to the goals and objectives of our training program. Social events during Orientation include a welcoming event and lunch at UCS and informal brown-bag lunches.

During Orientation, interns participate in a supervision matching process that is aimed at matching supervisors and interns in terms of interest, orientation, and compatibility. Interns also complete an initial Self-Assessment of their skills on a variety of domains. The Self-Assessment is reviewed with their supervisors and used to identify initial intern training goals. The Orientation is followed throughout the training year by a developmental progression of didactic and clinical activities with increased challenge and complexity throughout the internship year.

Sample meetings and training seminars offered during Orientation are listed below (and subject to change each year):

Description of Internship Activities

In the Training Program, interns are exposed to and participate in the many functions and service delivery areas common to university counseling center settings. CSUN's diverse student population provides interns with the opportunity to work with a wide variety of clients with diverse DSM diagnoses. Interns work closely throughout the internship year with their supervisors and the Coordinator of Training to develop a balanced clinical caseload (e.g., clinical interests, training needs, diversity) and achieve intern training goals.

The training curriculum is designed to provide a planned, programmed sequence of training that is developmental in nature with increased challenge and complexity throughout the internship year. There are informal and formal evaluations to assess interns' varying developmental levels and to accommodate their changing needs over the course of the training year. UCS attempts to foster an optimal learning environment, providing support and challenge, which allows interns to develop competencies congruent with the goals and objectives of the Training Program.

Service

Intake/Clinical Assessment

UCS considers assessment and diagnosis of incoming clients to be a key part of the first stage of treatment with clients. Interns are trained to conduct comprehensive intakes through which they develop an initial assessment of a client that clarifies the client's presenting problem(s), assesses the severity of the problem(s), determines the need for timely interventions, leads to the development of a DSM-IV-TR multi-axial diagnosis, and provides a discussion of disposition and treatment options. Interns are generally scheduled to provide 3 intakes per week. Intake sessions are scheduled by appointment only.

Individual/Couples Therapy

Short-term therapy is the primary means of service delivery at UCS and CSUN students are eligible for up to 8 sessions per academic year. Interns primarily work with individuals, however they may also have opportunities to conduct couples therapy. Interns have approximately 13-15 client contact hours per week but tend to carry a caseload of more than 20 active clients at a given time as some clients are seen on a biweekly basis. Interns are expected to see two clients for longer-term therapy.

Group Therapy and Workshops

Groups are another primary means of service at UCS. Each semester many different types of therapy groups are offered as well as psychoeducational workshops designed to improve students' personal growth, interpersonal relationships, and learning and/or academic success. Interns are required to participate as co-facilitators with a professional staff member in at least one therapy group per semester. Interns can also choose to co-facilitate a psychoeducational group and/or workshop with a professional staff member each semester.

Walk-In Emergency/Triage

Interns work with students in crisis in multiple ways at UCS. These include any crises presented during an initial intake/clinical assessment or with ongoing clients. Interns also provide walk-in emergency/triage assistance, responding to clinically urgent and/or complex client situations (e.g., suicidal or homicidal risk, trauma, psychotic episodes, etc.). Supervisory backup and consultation is available to interns, and at times required, when hospitalization or other atypical measures may need to be taken.

Outreach and Consultation

UCS offers a variety of educational presentations on academic, mental health, interpersonal, and wellness topics, as well as general information about the services provided to students. Faculty, staff, student organizations, residence hall staff, and members of the CSUN community may request a presentation or workshop. Interns are required to participate in the department's outreach efforts throughout the year. In addition to presentations and workshops, UCS is often involved in larger campus-wide events providing table displays, brochures and handouts, and interacting with students.

Training

Professional Seminars

The Professional Seminar meets weekly for two hours and is a didactic seminar providing lecture, discussion, and experiential activities. Seminars are provided on a variety of topics, including core component areas of our program, serving diverse populations and specific multicultural topics (e.g., First Generation College Students, African Americans and Mental Health, Working with LGBTQ Students, etc.), issues of professional development (e.g., Professionalism and Self-Care, Career Directions in Psychology, Women in Psychology, etc.), and other topics of interest (e.g., issues of counter-transference, eating disorders, survivors of sexual abuse, etc.). See examples of recent Professional Seminar schedules. During the summer, each intern is required to present one (1) Professional Seminar on a special clinical practice topic of their choice.

Multicultural Competence Seminars

The Multicultural Competence Seminars are a specialty series of Professional Seminars offered through the internship year. They are a 6-part, 18-hour series of didactic and experiential trainings focused on developing multicultural counseling competencies. Lectures and interactive-experiential exercises are focused on increasing trainees' awareness of values and attitudes, skills for assessment and intervention, and knowledge of multiple intersecting cultural identities. Topics include, but are not limited to: race/ethnicity and racism; class/socioeconomic status and classism; gender and sexism; sexual identity and heterosexism; spirituality and religion and religious oppression; abilities and ableism; age and ageism.

Training Modules

The Training Modules consist of five rotating topics that are offered one hour per week. The topics include Psychiatry Issues, Crisis Intervention and Management, Short-Term Therapy, Outreach and Consultation, and ExCEL (Academic Counseling).

Professional Development

Interns attend all Professional Development programs sponsored by UCS. Recent programs have included Deaf Culture, Career Counseling, Working with LGBTQ Students, Substance Abuse, and Group Therapy. Interns also attend events featuring Student Affairs invited speakers and attend the Southern California Training Director and Intern Conference with the Coordinator of Training.

Intake/Case Disposition Meeting

Interns attend our weekly Intake/Case Disposition meeting. This meeting offers an opportunity for interns to consult and collaborate with professional staff members regarding intakes, treatment plans, crisis cases, ongoing cases, cultural considerations, ethical/legal concerns, and referrals.

Case Conference

The Case Conference is a monthly one hour meeting with the entire professional staff during which interns observe professional staff members providing formal case presentations. During the Spring semester each intern provides one formal case presentation to the entire staff.

Special Training Opportunities

During the summer, interns may have the opportunity to participate in an outreach/ consultation rotation with other departments on campus (e.g., Career Center, Disability Resources and Educational Services, Klotz Student Health Center) and/or to complete a specialty project that is considered relevant to the intern and to UCS.

Administrative

Staff Meeting

Interns participate in weekly staff meetings, which address the administrative business of UCS.

Preparation Time/Documentation/Research

Interns are provided with administrative time each week for client documentation, preparation for supervision, and research (scholarly activities such as work on dissertation or doctoral project and/or reading professional materials).

Professional Identity Development

The Training Program considers the development of an interns' professional identity necessary for the transition from graduate psychology student into an entry-level psychologist. Professional identity includes elements such as ethics, knowledge, self-awareness, professional judgment, collegial and collaborative professional relationships, ability to balance multiple professional roles and responsibilities, multicultural competency, competency for sound and ethical practice as a psychologist, as well as personal maturity and emotional stability. We assist interns' professional identity development through role modeling, mentoring relationships, supervision, co-facilitation and co-presentation opportunities, and didactic, observational, and experiential training. Interns are encouraged to engage in reflective practice and gain experience in self-assessment throughout the year. They are expected to demonstrate the ability to monitor internal states and behaviors, reflect on their strengths and areas of growth, and attend to self-care as needed. The structure of the Training program encourages increasing levels of autonomy, allowing interns to work more independently as their capabilities expand, over the course of the internship.

Supervision

Individual Supervision

Interns receive three hours per week of one-to-one supervision, which includes two hours from their Primary supervisor, a California licensed psychologist, and one hour from their Secondary supervisor.

Supervision of Group Therapy

Interns receive one half hour per week of supervision from the professional staff member(s) with whom they are co-facilitating each group(s).

Video Group/Group Supervision

Interns receive two hours per week of Video Group/Group Supervision. This supervision group is facilitated by the Coordinator of Training and offers an opportunity for interns to share their clinical work and view the work of others, in a supportive and non-evaluative atmosphere. Interns are required to present at least one case per semester from a non-majority population (e.g., ethnic, international, disabled, GLBT, deaf or hard of hearing, etc.). Video of intern's sessions are presented on a rotating basis and discussed with the intention of providing constructive and useful feedback. Interns also provide a formal written case presentation to the group.

Supervision of Outreach and Consultation

Interns are provided with various outreach and consultation opportunities throughout the training year. Interns are required to obtain supervision for all outreach programs and/or consultation from either their supervisors or another professional staff member who oversees the activity.

Evaluation

Evaluation of Interns

The Training Program is responsible to formally and informally assess the progress of each intern throughout the training year. The primary purpose of the evaluation of interns is to facilitate their professional and personal growth and assess their competencies in the goals and objectives identified by our Training Program. The Training Program expects interns to make developmental changes over the course of the training year. We make every effort to provide supervision, didactic activities, and an environment to promote this developmental change/growth, accompanied by appropriate support, guidance, and challenge. UCS understands that in any supervisory relationship trust and safety have to be developed and nurtured over time. The cultivation of a safe and supportive environment makes the evaluative process meaningful and growth producing.

Evaluation is intended to be a collaborative process and the feedback provided is intended to be timely, objective, constructive, comprehensive, and ongoing. Evaluations include assessment of intern's strengths and demonstrated competencies, areas of further growth/development, and areas of concern. Intern competencies are measured in multiple ways (e.g., direct observation of their work, co-therapy with senior staff, review of written reports and progress notes, formal case presentations, collaborative efforts in outreach and consultation, collegial relationships, etc.). Evaluations of interns include:

Evaluation of the Graduate Training Program

The Training Program endeavors to provide an optimal learning environment to promote interns' developmental changes and growth over the course of the training year. While we regularly and formally assess the progress of our interns, we also regularly and formally assess the components of, and the comprehensive nature of, our Training Program. We attempt to elicit information and feedback from interns that allows us to adequately assess our Training Program and ensure that we are providing the necessary opportunities to develop the clinical competency, multicultural competency, and professional identity necessary to transition from graduate psychology students into entry level psychologists. Evaluations include:

Sample Schedule: Service, Training, and Administrative Activities

Although the exact time spent in each category may vary, a sample schedule and a range of time committed to each area based on a 40-hour per week schedule is provided below:

Stipend and Benefits

Currently, the stipend for this full-time, 12-month, internship is $21,500. Interns are eligible for Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits, and accrue Vacation and Sick Leave benefits. Interns also receive University holidays and library privileges.

Licensure Hours

The Graduate Training Program at UCS is a full-time (40 hours per week), 12-month internship, from August 1, 2010, to July 31, 2011, for a total of 2000 hours.

Application and Selection Process

Direct Service
1	Intake/Clinical Assessment	3 Hours
2	Individual & Couples Therapy	13-15 Hours
3	Group Therapy	1.5-3 Hours
4	Walk-in Emergency/Triage Sessions (Spring Semester)	1 Hour
5	Outreach & Consultation	1 Hour
Total	21-23 Hours
Training (Supervision & Didactic Activities)
1	Individual Supervision
1.a	Primary Supervision	2 Hours
1.b	Secondary Supervision	1 Hour
2	Supervision of Group Therapy (per group)	0.5-1 Hour
3	Supervision of Outreach & Consultation	As Needed
4	Video Group/Group Supervision	2 Hours
5	Professional Seminar Series	2 Hour
6	Training Modules	1 hour
6.a	Crisis Intervention and Management
6.b	Short-Term Therapy
6.c	Outreach & Consultation
6.d	ExCEL (Academic Counseling)
6.e	Psychiatry Issues
7	Intake/Case Disposition Meeting	1 Hour
8	Case Conference (monthly)	1 hour
Total	9.5-10 Hours
Administrative
1	Staff Meeting	1 Hour
2	Prep Time/Documentation/Research	7 Hours
Total	8 Hours
Grand Total (Weekly)	40 Hours

*Please note that the UCS full-time pre-doctoral internship is currently CAPIC (California Psychology Internship Council)-Approved. We submitted an application for the Fall 2009 cycle for APPIC (Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers) membership. UCS is required to inform you that there is no guarantee that our program will ultimately be successful in attaining APPIC membership. However, UCS will be participating, as required, as a non-APPIC member in the APPIC Match for the recruitment of 2010-2011 pre-doctoral interns. Information about the APPIC National Matching Process can be found at www.natmatch.com/psychint.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants for our Pre-Doctoral Internship must meet the following minimum requirements:

Application Instructions

For selection of the 2010-2011 training class, UCS will be utilizing the uniform psychology internship application (AAPI Online) developed by The Association of Postdoctoral and Psychology Internship Centers (APPIC). We will only be accepting applications that are submitted electronically via the APPIC AAPI Online. Please access the AAPI Online through the APPIC website. UCS' Program Code #: 212911

A complete application for our internship program includes the following materials (please note that the AAPI Online includes all of these materials):

Deadline

Our application deadline is November 30, 2009. Your AAPIC Online application must be complete and electronically submitted to us by that date.

APPIC Guidelines

Our intern selection process follows all guidelines of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC). We agree to abide by the APPIC policy that no person at this training facility will solicit, accept or use any ranking-related information from any intern applicant.

Selection Process

For more information please contact:

Julie L. Pearce, Psy.D.
Assistant Director/Coordinator of Training

University Counseling Services
California State University, Northridge
18111 Nordhoff St., Bayramian Hall, Room 520
Northridge, CA 91330-8217

818.677.4073 TEL
818.677.7834 TDD
818.677.2371 FAX
julie.pearce@csun.edu

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UCS Pre-Doctoral Psychology Internship

Graduate Training Program

The University

The Staff, Setting, and Facilities

Training Model and Goals

Goal #1:

Goal #2:

Orientation

Description of Internship Activities

Service

Intake/Clinical Assessment

Individual/Couples Therapy

Group Therapy and Workshops

Walk-In Emergency/Triage

Outreach and Consultation

Training

Professional Seminars

Multicultural Competence Seminars

Training Modules

Professional Development

Intake/Case Disposition Meeting

Case Conference

Special Training Opportunities

Administrative

Staff Meeting

Preparation Time/Documentation/Research

Professional Identity Development

Supervision

Individual Supervision

Supervision of Group Therapy

Video Group/Group Supervision

Supervision of Outreach and Consultation

Evaluation

Evaluation of Interns

Evaluation of the Graduate Training Program

Sample Schedule: Service, Training, and Administrative Activities

Stipend and Benefits

Licensure Hours

Application and Selection Process

Eligibility Criteria

Application Instructions

Deadline

APPIC Guidelines

Selection Process

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