Predoctoral Internship in Professional Psychology

Training Program: Experiential Training

The internship at the MU Counseling Center focuses on interns' involvement in intensive training experiences that require them to provide a variety of psychological services.

This experiential learning is enhanced by the mentoring interns receive from the training faculty through interactions in seminars and supervision, and at times, in the clinical activity itself.

Experiential education lies at the philosophical core of our training approach and the implementation of our training philosophy. The sequence of learning activities is structured in a manner that encourages interns to assume increasing responsibility and autonomy as the year progresses. For example, we know that while most incoming interns have experience conducting an initial clinical assessment, we also know there are myriad ways this interview is formatted and conducted.

As such, we first provide training on the purpose, goals and necessary components of our initial clinical assessment. Following this, interns observe their supervisors conduct an assessment interview, then they are observed as they conduct their first assessment interview, and then they begin conducting the interviews on their own. Moreover, learning activities are graded in complexity. For example, over time, interns work with increasingly complex clinical cases.

1. Individual Counseling/Psychotherapy

   Direct one-to-one work with clients has always been considered an essential part of the training program. Our basic philosophy is to provide the best possible care to the client within a brief therapy context that allows for up to 12 individual sessions per year.

   While the majority of our individual clients are seen within this limit, interns are encouraged to maintain 25% of their caseloads in long-term cases in order to gain experience with both short-term and long-term client treatment. Interns are expected to carry an individual (and/or couples) caseload of 10-12 clients per week during the academic year.

   Because university students come to the Center seeking help for a broad range of presenting problems, interns have opportunities for experience with almost all types of client problems. The counseling and psychotherapy work done by interns is individually supervised by primary supervisors who are licensed psychologists. Additional case supervisors who have expertise with a particular theoretical orientation, presenting issue, and/or treatment modality supervise an individual case.

2. Group Counseling/Psychotherapy

   A unique and central component of the internship is the focus on obtaining experience leading and co-leading groups. Given this, we strongly prefer that interns have previous experience and didactic training in group work. The Center offers a number of group options that range from short-term structured groups focused on particular topics to long-term process groups focused on interpersonal growth or related to specific client issues. Please refer to our group section for current group listings.

   For the full year, interns participate as co-leaders in the mutiple co-leader groun. The multiple co-leader group is run according to a unique, live supervision format in which interns and senior staff members comprise the co-leading team. The co-leadership dyad in the therapy room changes each week, and the other co-therapists observe and discuss the process from behind a one-way mirror. The observing co-therapists are encouraged to make additional group interventions as they see fit. During the half hour following the 90 minute group session, group members have the opportunity to observe the full team of co-therapists as they debrief the session. The group of co-therapists meets privately for an hour of supervision each week.

   Interns also have a secondary group experience for one-two semesters. The format for the second group is based on a combination of intern training needs/interests and Center service demand. Typically, it is a more traditional style therapy group or a psycho-educational or support group. Interns receive one hour of supervision per week for this group experience.

   There are additional opportunities for group work associated with some focus areas.

3. Supervision of Counselors-in-Training

   Supervision is considered to be an important area for intern skill development, and our program has a national reputation for providing interns with intensive experience and training in supervision. We strongly prefer that interns have previous experience and/or didactic training in providing supervision. All interns are assigned one supervisee per semester.

   Supervisees are graduate students from MU's mental health programs including APA-Accredited academic program in Counseling Psychology, School of Social Work, etc. Supervision generally requires one hour per week of face-to-face supervision with the assigned trainee. Interns, in turn, receive one and a half hours of supervision weekly in a group format, Supervision of Supervision. Interns are expected to develop, articulate, and use a personal model of supervision that both informs and is informed by their supervision practice.

4. Psychological Assessment

   Interns conduct two-three initial clinical assessments per week and write an assessment report from each interview for presentation to their clinical team. In addition, interns have the opportunity to conduct clinically appropriate assessment batteries as part of their ongoing clinical work. Opportunities for formal testing are dependent on previous knowledge of psychological testing and clinical demand.

5. Crisis Intervention

   Interns are expected to gain knowledge in handling client crises and assessing and managing difficult or problematic cases. All interns are assigned to a clinical team that provides all clinical coverage for one full day per week; interns and senior staff members share responsibility for responding to crisis situations on their clinical team day.

   In addition, interns and senior staff rotate providing crisis coverage on Fridays. Interns also have opportunities to consult with University physicians and other local health service personnel.

6. Focus Area

   Additional clinical, consultation, supervision, and/or administrative experience is provided through assignment to one of a variety of focus areas. Focus Areas chosen by our current interns include: Social Justice, Eating Issues, The Women's Center/Body Image, and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Resource Center. Previously offered focus areas include: Rape Education Office and the Employee Assistance Program. These placements involve a five-hour per week commitment and afford the interns valuable experience in working with specialized populations, settings, and/or modalities of service.

7. Programming and Consultation

   Each year, the Counseling Center responds to requests from the University community for various presentations, training, and consultation. During the intensive training at the beginning of the internship and through seminars during the year, interns learn about the theory and practice of programming and outreach as it applies to university counseling centers.

   Initially, interns observe at least one campus program facilitated by a senior staff member. Following this observation, interns then facilitate a program on their own and this is observed by the Coordinator of Programming, Consultation and Communication. Interns are expected to provide at least four programs per semester which includes a combination of program delivery, support role at a campus event or CC representation at a table/booth event. The nature of the programs provided will be determined in collaboration with the Coordinator of Programming, Consultation and Communications.

   Additionally, interns will be expected to consult to members of the campus community (faculty, staff, students, and parents) who solicit help from the Counseling Center in dealing with student issues.