Pre-doctoral Training Activities

University of San Francisco
Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS)

Training Activities: 

Our program provides advanced training opportunities to strengthen clinical skills required for the practice of psychology.  Interns participate in several weekly structured training activities that support the training goals.  Interns receive specialized training in and provide: individual and group psychotherapy, intake evaluation and crisis intervention, psychoeducational outreach, consultation and liaison, and utilization of community resources.

Direct Service

• Brief Individual Counseling/Brief Psychotherapy – Focus on brief therapy with a maximum of 10 sessions per academic year per client. 
• Group Counseling/Psychotherapy – Both structured-thematic and process-oriented groups may be offered each term. Pre-doctoral interns are encouraged to serve as co-therapists in ongoing groups, or to initiate their own group if they have sufficient expertise and interest. No limit on group sessions and students can also simultaneously be receiving individual/couples sessions.
• Couples Counseling/Psychotherapy – Opportunities to work with couples are limited as both the student and their significant other must be enrolled at USF. 
  
• Assessment Skills – Intake interviewing, interview-based evaluation of presenting problem and differential diagnosis, evaluation of motivation for treatment and fit of client problems with a brief therapy model, crisis intervention, and referral.
• Psychological Testing – Routine administration of the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms (CCAPS-62) at intake and termination. Interns are trained to interpret the eight subscales related to psychological symptoms in college students. The CCAPS-34, a more abbreviated form of the instrument, is administered at specific intervals during the course of therapy. The program provides training in utilization of various screening instruments including the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), and the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26). Interns are trained to administer, interpret, and incorporate the findings of all assessment measures in their clinical work.

• Training and Outreach – Provides training to resident advisors, student athletes, and other student leaders; educational/outreach programs to students in residence halls or classrooms; serving as a sponsor or affiliate of a student organization such as culturally focused student clubs, those involving GLBTQ students, etc. All interns are expected to develop and present a minimum of two training/outreach presentations.
• Committee Work – Participation on committees such as the First-year experience discussion group, Allies committee, and Gender & Sexuality Center (GSC) task force.
• Special Projects – Overseeing projects such as Alcohol Awareness Week, Body Image Awareness Week, Depression Screening Day, or some special interest initiated by the intern or Director. All interns are expected to participate in a minimum of one special project.

• Supervision – Interns receive two hours of individual supervision on a weekly basis. One hour is provided with their primary supervisor who monitors their overall clinical and professional development and individual caseload throughout the training year. Specific goals are developed collaboratively by the primary supervisor and intern to supplement the general goals of the internship for an individualized learning experience. An additional hour of individual supervision is provided by their delegated supervisor, a licensed psychologist on staff. Interns submit video recordings to the primary supervisor each semester, and additional recordings to the delegated supervisor. In addition to video recordings, supervision may include review of case notes or observation, depending on the preferred approach of the supervisor and the needs of the intern. There are opportunities to change delegated supervisors during the spring and summer semesters to broaden the training experience. Pre-doctoral interns participate in one hour of weekly group supervision with the training director where cases are presented on a rotating basis for consultation and discussion. Opportunities for discussion of issues related to the internship experience and professional development are provided during this time. Additional supervision is provided for any group counseling experiences, usually by the licensed staff psychologist functioning as the co-therapist.
• Case Conference – A weekly meeting where interns and staff members present cases for group feedback and discussion. For interns, case conference is considered as one hour of their two hours of group supervision.
• In-service Seminar – A weekly two hour seminar where CAPS licensed staff psychologists and guest speakers from the community present topics relevant to the acquisition of assessment and psychotherapy skills in a university setting grounded in legal and ethical guidelines of practice. Interns are expected to research and present an in-service that enhances their knowledge and skill set during the final period of the training year.
  
• Intercultural Seminar – A weekly, 90 minute seminar with a licensed staff member, where interns are provided with a forum to explore a variety of intercultural issues relevant to the practice of psychology. This seminar may utilize a variety of training modalities including: staff/guest speaker presentations, readings, films, and group discussion of case material. The purpose of this seminar is to integrate intercultural issues in an ongoing fashion throughout the training year, while continuously striving for competence in assessment, case formulation, and the delivery of psychotherapy services to a diverse college campus.
• Educational Staff Meeting - A weekly one hour meeting with the entire clinical staff to address clinical issues, center procedures and policies, and increase effective response to needs of clients and the university at large.