Individual and Group Psychotherapy
The primary foci of psychology interns’ time at CAPS will be individual and group clinical work. Each intern schedules approximately 12-16 weekly client hours, co-leads one to two groups during any given quarter, and conducts two intakes per week. Beginning in Fall quarter, client caseloads gradually build up through intakes and referrals from other CAPS staff. After Fall or Winter quarter, interns may have the opportunity to develop and lead groups of their own.
Clinical services are offered to all undergraduate and graduate students. Common presenting issues are relationship problems, depression, and anxiety, and range from general developmental concerns to more severe psychopathology. Short-term modalities are emphasized and clients are typically seen for 4 – 10 sessions per year for individual therapy. Interns may carry two clients over a longer period of time for professional or training purposes. There are also numerous opportunities for collaborating with the psychiatric and social work staff of the Student Health Service on clinical cases, as well as for collaborating with other campus organizations.
Brief Assessment/Crisis Intervention
Starting in Fall quarter and once trained and deemed ready by both the interns themselves and the training staff, interns participate on a half-day triage team. These brief 15-30 min. assessments range from relatively benign situations to full-blown psychological crises, possibly involving immediate psychiatric intervention or the initiation of hospitalization procedures. Whatever the situation, interns are fully supported by the staff and are never expected to manage any type of crisis situation on their own. The goal of the brief assessment model is to allow students to access our services easily and quickly in order to determine what their needs are and how they will be best served. The outcome of a brief assessment might be a referral to the community for long-term therapy, a full intake at CAPS, or immediate crisis intervention.
Single Session Therapy (Optional, Starting Winter Quarter)
This is an optional training activity in which interns have the opportunity to practice in this innovative and increasingly popular modality. Often, students find that one therapy session is just what they need to address their concerns. Single session therapy is a highly structured, solution focused/goal-oriented therapy session intended to provide students with effective strategies to help improve a particular situation or reach a goal. Single session services at CAPS treat each session as a whole therapy experience, focusing on client-centered theory of change.
Supervision
A significant part of the training experience is to be the primary supervisor of a doctoral psychology practicum student for the academic year, October through June. Weekly Supervision of Supervision seminar meetings provide opportunities to discuss supervision theory, view recorded counseling or supervision sessions, and discuss the supervision process. Interns read the Integrated Developmental Model for Supervising Counselors and Therapists by Stoltenberg and McNeill, and and Jane Campbell’s Becoming an Effective Supervisor: A Workbook for Counselors and Psychotherapists. Interns are provided with a wide range of supervision literature in addition to these books. In conjunction with the IDM model, the work is primarily developmentally focused for the supervisee and supervisor.
Consultation/Outreach
Another area in which psychology interns receive formal training is consultation and outreach. In collaboration with the consultation supervisor, interns set goals for what they would like to accomplish. Interns can be involved with staff in response to outreach requests received from departments and residence halls, and they will also choose an area of focus for the year. The consultation supervisor supervises the interns’ overall consultation activities, but interns also work with other staff as needed. Interns participate in consultation seminar, which is for training and discussion of outreach and consultation activities. Consultation and outreach services typically involve workshops, presentations, and trainings for staff and students. Interns may also have the opportunity to participate in debriefings following crisis incidents on campus. Liaisons or informal contacts are maintained with a number of campus departments and organizations. Depending on their areas of interest, interns may choose to become involved in existing liaison relationships or develop their own. Existing liaisons/contacts include (but are not limited to): Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), Residential Life, Women’s Center, Disabled Students Program (DSP), Resource Center for Sexual & Gender Diversity (RCSGD), Student Health Service, and Re-Entry Students.
Psychological Assessment
Interns also receive training in formal psychological assessment, with an emphasis on assessment as a therapeutic intervention. We encourage interns to utilize testing to clarify diagnoses, inform treatment planning, and further the psychotherapy process. Interns have the opportunity to administer and/or interpret a wide range of assessment instruments, including self-report measures, personality inventories, ADHD assessments, eating disorders evaluations, and career/interest inventories. Case-specific individual supervision, group supervision, and didactic seminar training are provided.