Pre-Doctoral Internship
The full-time pre-doctoral internship program offered by the University of Northern Colorado Counseling Center is designed to provide a broad-based professional training experience in the range of activities carried out by psychologists in a university counseling center. Our philosophy of training incorporates a generalist, developmental apprenticeship perspective with mentorship and experiential learning. We believe in using developmental models of training, such that training is sequential, cumulative and graded in complexity. We are committed to diversity and multicultural awareness in all aspects of our training program. We are dedicated to offering an internship and counseling center that encourages and conveys respect, concern, and understanding for individuals of all backgrounds.
We aim to train interns as skilled generalists equipped to work in a variety of post-internship employment settings. To accomplish this, we provide a range of didactic and experiential training activities that psychologists in a university counseling center setting or other mental health settings are likely to encounter, including: individual, couples, and group psychotherapy, clinical intake assessment, crisis intervention, outreach and consultation, and provision of supervision.
Our staff recognizes the importance of clinical practice that is informed by scholarly inquiry. Theoretical and research literature is integrated with experiential components of training. Administrative and policy decisions at our center are informed by scholarly review of both empirical and theoretical literature, as well as our center's ongoing examination of service utilization, client demographics, and client satisfaction. Results of ongoing satisfaction surveys may also inform areas in need of attention for clinical staff and trainees.
Mentorship in our training program is indicated by a genuine commitment to both individual and group supervision. Interns are considered developing professionals and are encouraged to work closely with senior staff members, who provide mentoring and serve as professional role models for our trainees. Overall, we seek to create an atmosphere of respect and trust where interns and professional staff support their own and others' growth, both personally and professionally. Staff members model ethical and professional clinical approaches and they participate in teaching through supervision, consultation, and seminars (see sample seminar schedule) devoted to the professional development of interns. Staff members utilize a variety of theoretical orientations in our clinical work, including cognitive, cognitive-behavioral, interpersonal, mindfulness-based, feminist, systems, existential, and solution-focused. Regardless of the primary orientations of each staff member, all staff believe the therapeutic relationship is the key contributor to therapy process and progress. Therefore, interns have the opportunity to gain exposure to a variety of therapeutic approaches and styles, while still refining their ability to attend to relational dynamics and use the therapeutic relationship as a primary tool or change mechanism.
We recognize that each intern brings a variety of skills, experience, and training needs to the internship and that some flexibility to tailor the training program according to the strengths, needs, and interests of each intern is necessary for optimal growth. This is accomplished in numerous ways, including providing opportunities for intern input in the planning of various center and training activities and allowing interns the opportunity to select a special interest area. Potential special interest areas could include (but are not limited to) eating disorders, trauma/sexual assault, religion/spirituality, learning differences, men's issues, substance abuse, mindfulness, supervision, etc. Our internship program attends to diversity/multicultural issues throughout various training activities including didactic training, supervision, and actual clinical experiences with a diverse client population. The staff of The Counseling Center is committed to the awareness and affirmation of diversity in all our clinical and non-clinical endeavors. Multicultural awareness and sensitivity pervade all training and service at our center.
We see the internship year as a transition period in which interns will be shifting from a trainee identity to developing/honing their clinical and professional identities. We seek to assist in this developmental process by providing interns opportunities to stretch, take risks, try out different interventions and therapy approaches, and begin to discover their own individual styles and approaches that are consistent with their sense of self, values, strengths, and interests, with greater sensitivity and respect for the multicultural world in which we exist.
This is a full-time 2000-hour internship, which requires 500 hours of direct clinical service. Direct service includes individual, group, and couple's psychotherapy; intake assessment; crisis intervention; outreach to students, faculty, and staff; and direct individual supervision of a doctoral-level practicum student. Please see the attached sample Intern Activities Time Allotment for a breakdown of all clinical and non-clinical internship activities (*please note that the hourly requirements may be subject to change). Sample Weekly Intern Schedule
Intern Stipend and Benefits
Interns are currently paid $18,000 for full‑time work, from the first Wednesday of August (August 4, 2010) to the end of the first week of the subsequent August (August 5, 2011). As a university employee, interns receive additional benefits, including health insurance, vacation time, and sick leave. Professional development time is also provided (up to 4 days per year) for attending conferences, job search interviews and/or dissertation committee meetings, contingent upon the approval of the Training Director. Interns also receive 2-3 hours per week of dissertation release time.
Interns are entitled to the full range of medical and insurance plans available to all exempt staff working on campus. This includes major medical, dental, vision, long-term disability, and optional life insurance.
Interns receive a staff I.D. card which allows them to use the UNC library and check out materials for an extended length of time. Interns are also permitted to purchase a Faculty parking sticker, which allows for parking adjacent to Cassidy Hall. Free, on-street parking is available near the Center.
The Center provides interns with private, fully furnished offices with a window. Each office is equipped with a computer with word processing, electronic mail capabilities, and the Titanium scheduling package. Web cams are installed in each trainee office to allow for digital recordings of client sessions.
TO apply:
Please note that we now only accept applications through the APPIC online system. Please follow directions for uploading your application via the APPIC website (http://appic.org), and then click on AAPI ONLINE. Please upload your APPI, all graduate transcripts, and 3 letters of reference (2 of which are from current or past clinical supervisors). Please do not send hard copies of your application or any supplemental materials. We look forward to receiving your application!
Application must be uploaded by November 16, 2009
Interview Notification Date: December 15, 2009
We welcome your inquiries and applications. Please direct your questions to Dr. Meredith Cohn Shefferman at Meredith.Shefferman@unco.edu or 970-351-2496.
We also welcome in-person visits. If you would like to arrange a visit to our center, please contact Dr. Cohn Shefferman
Please see the following links for examples of seminar schedules and training activities.
Fall 2008 Professional Development Schedule
Spring 2009 Professional Development Schedule
To learn more about the greeley community and the UNC campus, please reference the following links.
http://www.greeleycvb.com/ - Greeley Colorado Chamber of Commerce
www.unco.edu - University of Northern Colorado Web Site
"This internship site agrees to abide by the APPIC policy that no person at this training facility will solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information from any intern applicant."