Pre-Doctoral Internship
The pre-doctoral internship program offered by the Student Counseling Center at Western Washington University is designed to provide supervised experience in individual and group counseling; consultation and outreach; assessment; and crisis services.
The Counseling Center
Facilities
The Training Program
Objectives
Required Training Responsibilities
Elective Activities
Evaluation Procedures
Qualification of Candidates
Application Process
Contact the Coordinator of Clinical Training
The Counseling Center
The Student Counseling Center at Western Washington University is a unit of Counseling, Health, and Wellness Services, a department of the Division of Student Affairs and is accredited by the International Association of Counseling Services (IACS). Counseling, Health, and Wellness Services is dedicated to promoting the mental and physical wellbeing of Western Washington University students. The Counseling Center is charged with contributing to the educational mission of the University by assessing and responding to the psychological needs of students and by assisting the University community in the area of psychological concerns. The Counseling Center offers a wide range of counseling and student development services and is the primary mental health facility of the campus. The staff of the Center spends roughly 70% of its time in direct client service, client-related activities, and supervision, with the remainder devoted to outreach, administration, consultation, training, and staff development activities. Currently, the Center includes 9 full-time professionals and 5 graduate trainees, supplemented by 2 full-time support staff. Staff members practice in a variety of counseling modes and represent a number of theoretical approaches to counseling and psychotherapy. Case conferences, professional development programs, and consultation activities help each staff member share and expand individual skills.
Staff members are licensed mental health counselors or licensed psychologists. Staff members are involved in publishing research, professional writing, presenting scholarly papers, and providing leadership in professional organizations. Back To Top
Facilities
The Student Counseling Center is located in Old Main with space that has been customized to meet the needs of a university counseling center. Professional and self-help libraries and observation rooms are a part of the space in the Counseling Center. The Center also has a group/conference room. All professional staff and interns have individual desktop computing capabilities.Back To Top
Training Program
The purpose of the internship is to provide intensive experience in and supervision of the various activities practiced by a professional psychologist. The Counseling Center is committed to the achievement of excellence in the internship experience it provides. Interns are encouraged to gain a broad exposure to the variety of professional activities and service delivery systems that exist in a contemporary college or university counseling setting. The expectation is that graduate interns will profit from the experience in terms of both their professional and personal growth. The opportunity exists to individualize the program so that special needs or skills of graduate interns can be addressed or developed. At the completion of internship, individuals will hopefully view the experience as a valuable capstone to their formal graduate training in counseling and will be capable of assuming positions of responsibility within the field. Back To Top
Objectives
The objectives of the internship training program are:
- To provide a high quality training experience for individuals who have progressed through doctoral studies in the field of psychology;
- To provide interns with regular intensive supervision in those activities carried out by professional psychologists;
- To provide interns with opportunities for the refinement of the basic skills necessary to practice as a professional psychologist and to expose interns to related areas of practice;
- To provide a training experience that is flexible enough to allow individuals to meet their personal and professional needs. Back To Top
Required Training Responsibilities
Interns at the Student Counseling Center are required to participate in the following training programs.
Initial Assessment Interviews. The assessment and diagnosis of incoming clients is a critical part of the function of the Counseling Center. The intake counselor is responsible for clarifying the presenting problem, assessing the severity of the problem, judging the need for timely interventions, and discussing with the client the treatment alternatives that are available. Personality inventories and interest inventories may be assigned by the intake counselor. Prior to conducting initial assessments on their own, interns will have the opportunity to observe/conduct them with senior staff. Once trained, interns are responsible for a minimum of 1 hour of initial assessment duty per week.
Counseling. Direct counseling and psychotherapy is one of the major emphases of the internship program. The internship experience is viewed as one of the best opportunities for the developing counselor to gain a broad range of experience with clients while receiving intensive supervision. Interns will have experience with a number of different kinds of cases, requiring different interventions and lengths of treatment and will designate approximately 50% of their hours for direct service activities to clients in the Center. Washington State law requires that 25% of all internship hours be completed as face-to-face direct service.
Crisis Management. It is reasonable to assume that individuals who are involved in providing counseling services will have to develop skills in crisis intervention. Although the Center employs a designated emergency mental health professional, interns are expected to be able to respond to the crises experienced by their own clientele. Assistance is available for the intern, or any staff member, in those instances where an emergency situation may require hospitalization or other atypical measures. Interns may be called upon to participate in after-hours crisis coverage and response.
Group. Group activities are considered to be preferred modes of treatment in many situations. Interns will be encouraged to participate in at least one multiple session group as a leader, co-leader, or process observer. Group offerings vary each quarter, and interns are encouraged to meet with other staff members early in the year to identify possible options.
Clinical Supervision. Interns receive supervision in a number of different ways. Each intern will meet with senior staff members for two hours a week to receive supervision of his/her individual counseling caseload and related activities. Interns will also often work with senior staff members in a number of other areas such as teaching, paraprofessional training, group programs, etc., and will be supervised by the participating senior staff member for those activities.
Professional Development. The Center staff engages in a formal professional development program and interns participate fully in such activities. Additionally, the Center staff generally schedules two or three retreats a year to deal with matters of importance to the Center. Interns are encouraged to participate in their own personal and professional growth as an integral part of the internship.
Intern Seminar. Interns are scheduled for a weekly 2 hour seminar. In the seminar, topics are ones which are determined to have particular relevance for interns. Drug and alcohol assessment, specific applications of psychometric assessment instruments, neuropsychology, stress management, and working with eating disorders are a few examples of topics that may be addressed in the seminar.
Case Conferences. Interns participate in peer consultation group and medical consultation hours. Peer groups meet 1 hour per week to discuss cases presented by senior staff and interns. Interns also participate in the medical consultation hours with Health Center physicians. Interns are encouraged to present their cases at these meetings as appropriate.
Administration. Interns will participate in weekly staff meetings. They will have the opportunity to assume committee responsibilities and participate in the decisions which affect the policies, procedures, and personnel of the Center.
Consultation and Outreach. The Counseling Center has an active consultation and outreach program serving the university community and campus organizations. These consultations extend the skills and expertise of the staff to the larger community, broaden the Center’s contacts, increase the Center’s awareness of psychological needs, and contribute to the visibility of the Center. Interns are encouraged to participate in on-going consultation and outreach efforts and/or to initiate new ones. Outreach opportunities include training and facilitating developmental and educational activities on campus. Back To Top
Elective Activities
Interns also have the opportunity to participate in the following elective programs within their weekly schedule.
Career Development. Although the Counseling Center does not have formal responsibility for providing career development services, it is not unusual for a client’s concerns to include career-related elements. Interns are encouraged to become knowledgeable about career counseling, testing, decision-making strategies, and sources of career information. Toward that end, interns may have the opportunity to complete a rotation through the Career Services Center.
Research. Interns are especially encouraged to be working toward completion of their doctoral dissertations. Although resources are limited, the Center is committed to assisting interns with their dissertations, in a variety of ways.
Biofeedback and Stress Management Services. The Counseling Center provides specialized services in the areas of stress management and biofeedback. Interns have access to training in the delivery of services in these areas.
Committee Work. The Center has a number of standing committees and several ad hoc committees each year which deal with a broad range of issues. Interns are encouraged to participate in such activities in order to gain a greater understanding of professional issues and organizational life. Back To Top
Evaluation Procedures
At the end of each quarter, the interns are given formal feedback about their professional skills and performance. The training director solicits input from other staff members who have had professional contacts with the interns. The results of the evaluation are communicated to the intern both verbally and in written form by the primary supervisor before it is forwarded to the training director. As a part of this process, group and individual supervisors may exchange information and/or perceptions about the progress of interns. The training director provides written feedback describing the progress of an intern to his/her academic department three times a year. Evaluation and feedback are viewed as important aspects of the learning process which assist interns in maximizing their strengths, developing new competencies, and mastering the fundamental skills which will permit them to function in the multiple roles of a professional psychologist. Back To Top
Qualifications of Candidates
Candidates must be enrolled in a doctoral program in counseling or clinical psychology or a closely related area. All of the formal coursework and comprehensive examinations for the doctorate should be completed. Back To Top
Application Process
To apply for the doctoral internship, provide the following:
- A letter stating the candidate’s interest in the internship;
- A completed APPIC Application for Psychology Internship available at the APPIC Web site (www.appic.org). Completion of the two sections on Test Administration is not required. Form is to be forwarded by mail;
- A current resume
- Official transcripts of academic records of all graduate work;
- Evaluations by three (3) persons who have observed the candidate’s academic and applied performance. Back To Top
Send all materials to:
Dr. Eric L. Denson
Coordinator of Clinical Training
Counseling Center, OM-540
Western Washington University
Bellingham, WA 98225-9052
360.650.3164