CAPS Internship Aims 

The overarching aim of SUU’s doctoral psychology Internship Program is to prepare Interns for competent, generalist entry-level psychological practice. Upon completion of the internship, many SUU Interns pursue positions in university counseling centers. The Internship Program at CAPS also prepares Interns well for a variety of positions, especially in outpatient mental health settings.

The Internship Program focuses on preparation in terms of the following aims. These aims align with the profession-wide competencies as outlined by the Standards of Accreditation in Health Service Psychology (SoA).

Aim 1: Conceptualization & Intervention

Interns will acquire intermediate to advanced skills in case conceptualization and clinical interventions, and demonstrate the use of these skills with clients with a variety of presenting concerns in a variety of modalities (e.g., individual and group therapy, crisis intervention)

  • Case Conceptualization – the ability to accurately conceptualize the multiple dimensions of the case, incorporating theory and case material.
  • Intervention – the ability to use interventions designed to alleviate suffering and to promote health and well-being in a variety of modalities.
  • Scientific Thinking – the ability to use and understand scientific methods in applied practice. The ability to understand the scientific foundations of Evidence Based Practices and their limitations.

Aim 2: Ethical, Professional, & Reflective Practice

Interns will cultivate the attitudes, knowledge, skills, and self-awareness needed for ethical, professional, and reflective practice as a psychologist.

  • Ethical and Legal Standards – the possession of knowledge of ethical and legal standards of the profession and the ability to engage in ethical decision-making and behavior.
  • Professionalism - the ability to behave consistently with professional values and ethics, including integrity, responsibility, and concern for the welfare of others. The ability to behave professionally across various settings and to maintain a professional identity as a psychologist.
  • Reflective Practice – the ability to self-assess competence, to seek out and learn from feedback, to practice self-care, and to commit to one’s professional development.
  • Relationships – the ability to develop and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of clients, colleagues, organizations, and communities.  
  • Interdisciplinary Systems – the possession of knowledge of the shared and distinctive contributions of other professions and the ability to effectively function in interdisciplinary settings.

Aim 3: Individual-Cultural Diversity

Interns will cultivate the awareness, sensitivity, and skill needed to provide competent professional psychological services to individuals, groups, and communities representing various dimensions of diversity, broadly defined. This includes the ability to acquire cultural knowledge of oneself and to understand complex dimensions of culture in others and to use that knowledge effectively in psychological work.

Aim 4: Assessment

Interns will acquire intermediate to advanced skills in a variety of assessment types, with an emphasis on educational assessment (i.e. Learning Disability, ADHD) and outcome assessment.

  • Assessment & Diagnosis – the ability to assess and diagnose problems, capabilities, and issues. The ability to assess using a variety of methods and to communicate findings clearly and constructively.
  • Outcome Evaluation - the ability to evaluate the progress of one’s own activities and to use this information to improve one’s own clinical effectiveness.

Aim 5: Outreach & Consultation

Interns will acquire the knowledge and skill needed to perform consultation and outreach functions in a university setting.  This includes the ability to disseminate knowledge in professional psychology using a variety of strategies and methods and to provide expert guidance or professional assistance in response to a client’s needs/goals, to a colleague, or within an organization or community.

Aim 6: Supervision

Interns will develop a beginning to intermediate knowledge regarding the provision of clinical supervision, including developing a personal philosophy or model of supervision that is informed by relevant theory and literature. This includes the ability to understand the complexity of the supervisor role and knowledge of the procedures and practices of supervision. Interns will practice their supervisory skills through the provision of supervision to Practicum Students.