Program Aims and Approach to Training
Our Aims
Our program’s aim is to prepare psychologists who are capable of and committed to providing ethical, professional, and socially-just psychological services. We seek to inculcate in emerging professionals an awareness of our common humanity and a commitment to compassion as they interact with the people we serve. We endeavor to help participants in our training program learn to recognize the interaction between their various personal and professional roles, how the context of their work influences their roles and goals as practitioners, and then use that awareness to inform their work.
More specifically we aim to:
- Facilitate the development of intern’s clinical competencies
- Promote the development of an intern’s professional and personal functioning and identity
- Foster an intern’s sensitivity to diversity and intercultural effectiveness.
- Foster skills in mental health promotion through prevention, education, and community development
Approach to Training
Our staff are passionate about learning, so we prefer to think of ourselves as a learning organization rather than a training program. The primary focus of our program is on developing skills and fostering expertise that will benefit interns throughout their careers as psychologists, while at the same time effectively supporting the mission of the Center. Interns learn by engaging in practical experiences alongside senior staff who pay attention to developmental and contextual factors as we encourage interns’ self-reflection about their work to the end of promoting their independent functioning as mental health providers. We to model solid professional practice and demonstrate sensitivity, dedication, and sincere commitment to the professional and personal growth of interns. As senior staff we approach our supervisory relationships as mentors, recognizing that we are all humans and professionals on the same journey, just a little farther along (maybe).
In our program, we attempt to individualize each intern’s experience in order to meet their particular needs and preferences. While approximately 40-50 percent of time is allocated to direct service, interns are required to participate in on-going Counseling Center programs and to develop their own programs or innovative approaches to furthering mental health in the campus community.