Overall training goal
The overall objective of the doctoral internship at the Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC) is to prepare interns to successfully transition from graduate students to early-career professionals in psychology. We do this by providing supervised training in competencies that are consistent with the role of delivering outpatient services, particularly in university and college counseling centers.
APA Accreditation
CMHC has a long and distinguished history of providing doctoral internship training in health service psychology. As the first university counseling center-based internship program to be accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), we have enjoyed continuous accreditation for more than 50 years. This reflects CMHC's commitment to training as part of our overall mission.
Educating and training psychology graduate students has always had high importance, because we believe in contributing to the advancement of our profession. Additionally, we believe that the internship program aids in the continuing education and workplace morale of our professional staff by involving them in challenging and stimulating training activities.
In 2016, our internship program successfully completed the standard re-accreditation process required of all programs by the APA Commission on Accreditation. We were subsequently awarded re-accreditation through 2023.
Profession-Wide Competencies Training Model Interns provide individual counseling, group interventions, crisis counseling, supervision of practicum students and prevention and outreach activities. Training activities consist of weekly individual and group supervision, membership on clinical teams, weekly seminars and preceptorships/apprenticeships.
The elements of the self-and-system model include the following: The model also articulates the values we hold as a training program.
Training Experiences Professional Role Intersection with Social Work Interns CMHC psychology and social work interns begin training at the same time and complete much of the August Orientation together, though separate activities address the unique developmental needs of each group. Some seminars are attended jointly (e.g., Diversity Seminar, Specialty Area Seminar), while some are divided by discipline as needed to account for specific needs of the interns (e.g., Individual Seminar/Group Supervision, Professional Issues Seminar, Supervision Seminar). Diversity Engaging in discussions about diversity-related topics is a rewarding and often challenging experience. The complex intersection of perspectives, personal and professional identities and the unique values and life experiences that individuals bring to such discussions adds to the richness of the process and can, at times, evoke discomfort. We endeavor to approach these interactions with respect and openness. APA’s statement on "Preparing Professional Psychologists to Serve a Diverse Public" provides guidance in this area. We strive to follow the principles set forth in this document so we can engage these topics in a thoughtful and respectful manner to enhance personal and professional development.
Use of Self Our internship program is based largely on a relational, use-of-self training model. We believe that optimal professional development occurs within the context of self-reflection and personal exploration. Therefore, our training activities will, at times, ask interns to disclose personal information. Training staff takes very seriously its responsibility to foster and maintain a safe, trusting and supportive environment to allow such disclosures to occur in accordance with the goals and objectives of our training model.
(This section is intended to satisfy Section 7.04 of the APA Ethics Code regarding our responsibility to notify applicants of the requirement for self-disclosure of personal information.)
CMHC’s psychology internship program provides experiences to expand interns’ proficiency in the nine competency areas identified by APA, which are;
Training programs are built on the premise that successful preparation of mental health professionals is dependent on the on-going development of professional competencies. Interns bring many strengths, expand their skill sets and clinical knowledge base and learn to respond to the evolving mental health needs of today’s university students. Our training model focuses on profession-specific skills developed through providing direct services and participating in targeted training activities, an emphasis on diversity in its broadest sense and our “self-and-systems” approach, which stresses professional self-reflection and growth.
Emphasis is placed on experiential learning under close supervision, along with peer group and trainer role modeling as learning tools. Interactive, skill-building seminars and individual and small group tutorials are used as supplementary learning methods. Interns receive on-the-job training in the full range of university psychological services including individual counseling, group interventions, crisis intervention, clinical supervision of practicum-level trainees and prevention and outreach services. Opportunities to initiate or continue the development of one or more practice specialties are also provided.
Since the internship is typically the capstone training experience, we believe it is particularly important for interns to possess an appreciation of the professional role they will undertake when the year is completed. This includes an understanding of ethical principles and practices, an awareness of significant challenges and trends within the field, the development and implementation of life-long professional development and learning activities, a continual examination of personal world views and their impact on professional functioning and a sense of responsibility to contribute to the welfare of the profession and society. Training staff and interns are expected to approach their work in a scholarly manner by keeping informed about latest theory, research and practice, especially as they apply to psychological training and services in a university setting.
Psychology interns work and train with people from various health and mental health training backgrounds. Learning through cross-disciplinary interactions is a highly valued aspect of our training approach. In accordance with this model, psychology interns have a number of training experiences with CMHC's social work interns throughout the year. Social work interns are completing their master’s program at UT-Austin and are entering their second year of training.
CMHC is strongly committed to addressing the needs of a diverse student population, and our internship program strives to incorporate and highlight issues of difference as a fundamental part of the training experience. Ethnic minority and international students represent nearly 50% of our student body. We believe that our clients are a microcosm of cultural differences found in the university community.
A primary thread that runs through all training activities is "use of self" and its variants. This means helping the intern explore and understand the qualities and dynamics they bring to each interpersonal encounter and how these facilitate or hinder effective interactions. We encourage the intern to become more attuned to their own thoughts and feelings in working with clients and recognize how this self-awareness can be used to better understand client dynamics and develop effective treatment strategies. Because we believe in the working alliance as an indispensable ingredient in any helping relationship, we encourage interns to recognize, improve and employ those personal qualities that will assist in forming effective working relationships with clients, peers, staff and others in the university community.
