APA Doctoral Internship Program

Doctoral Internship in Health Service Psychology - APA Accredited

The Utah State University Counseling and Prevention Services' (CAPS) Doctoral Internship has been in existence since 1996 and is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). Information on accreditation is available at the Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation, American Psychological Association, 750 First Street NE, Washington, D.C. 20002-4242, by phone at (202) 336-5979, by email: apaacred@apa.org, or Web: https://accreditation.apa.org/.

CAPS and Utah State University

A department in the division of Student Affairs, CAPS is committed to helping enhance the university experience for students and promote a healthy environment for everyone. We embrace a holistic and developmental approach to student success and retention. Treatment is individualized to fit each student’s unique needs to remove psychological, emotional and behavioral barriers to learning and success.

CAPS Members: The center has 9 full-time psychologists, one LCSW/case manager, one CMHC, and one CSW on Logan campus. Additionally, we have one psychologist and one CSW on statewide campuses. Center staff hold individual memberships in a variety of professional organizations including: American Psychological Association, Association for Counseling Center Training Agencies, American Group Psychotherapy Association, American College Counseling Association, and Utah Psychological Association. Six staff psychologists are eligible to supervise interns and all clinical staff are involved in internship training as members of the training committee. In addition, there are four levels of trainees: three full-time doctoral interns, one or two half-time doctoral graduate assistants, three to five advanced practicum students (from an APA-accredited doctoral psychology program), and 8-9 undergraduate REACH Peers. There are also two full-time support staff who take care of scheduling and other administrative tasks.

Center Culture and Values: We respect the dignity, diversity, and individuality of all. This drives our effort to develop an inclusive multicultural community in which differences are respected and valued. As a staff, we value clear, respectful, and compassionate communication. Warm collegial relationships exist on a strong foundation of respect and openness. We appreciate individual differences and opportunities to learn from each other. Life-long learning, self-reflection, and openness to feedback are some of the shared values. Changes are embraced and everyone’s input matters. With an open-door policy, we often consult with each other or just talk for fun between sessions. We work hard; at the same time, work-life balance is very important to all of us.

Services Provided: Clinical staff at CAPS provide a range of services including: clinical consultation; intake and crisis management; individual and group therapy; psychoeducational and personality assessment; campus and community outreach/consultation; psychoeducational presentations and workshops; training and supervision. Center staff attend to a wide range of student concerns, including adjustment issues related to stress, attending college, and individuation from family; relationship problems; issues of diversity or sexual orientation; a variety of clinical problems, including mood and anxiety disorders, eating disorders, both acute and chronic post-traumatic stress syndromes,  suicidality, and characterological and psychotic symptoms. Both short-term and long-term models of intervention are utilized to maximize resources for those in the greatest need. Most individual therapy clients are provided 8 sessions followed by either termination or referral to a higher level of care.

The center staff work closely with a number of entities across campus, including but not limited to: Disability Resource Center, Athletics, Housing and Residence Life, Student Health and Wellness Center, Sexual Assault & Anti-Violence Information (SAAVI) Office, Office of Academic Belonging and Learning Excellence, Utah State University Student Association, Office of Global Engagement, Exploratory Advising, Campus Recreation, Financial Aid Office, Student Orientation and Transition Services, Department of Psychology, Department of Family, Consumer and Human Development, and the Masters in Social Work program.

Client Diversity: Racial diversity of clients matches fairly closely to the university population: Hispanic (5.5%), Asian/Asian-American (2%), Black (1%), American Indian (1%), Pacific Islander (<1%), Multi-racial (3%), and White (86%). Three percent of our clients are international students. (While racial and ethnic diversity may be limited at USU, interns often choose to build their caseload with greater diversity by having case assignment priority). First generation college students comprise 18% of our clients. • Students with documented disabilities comprise 13% of our clients. One percent are military veterans. LGBQIA+ students are 27% of our clients. Five percent of our students are transgender, gender fluid, or non-binary. Five percent of our clients are parents. Forty-seven percent of clients identify as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS). Overall, religion is “important” or “very important” to 50% of clients. (These data are from 2023-24).

Common Presenting Problems: Most individual therapy clients receive up to 8 sessions. CAPS provides services for a range of clinical concerns. The most common presenting problems are major depressive disorder (30%), generalized anxiety (48%), adjustment disorder (47%), self-esteem/confidence issues (55%), diversity/identity concerns (30%), partner relationship issues (33%). Concerns about academics are reported by 30% of clients; (These data are from 2023-2024).

Accreditation: The center is accredited by the International Association of Counseling Services, has membership in the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers, the Association of University and College Counseling Center Directors, the Association of Counseling Center Training Agencies, and the Association of College Counseling Center Clinical Services. The Center's Doctoral Internship is accredited by the American Psychological Association. Information on the internship APA accreditation is available at the Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation, American Psychological Association, 750 First Street NE, Washington, D.C. 20002-4242, by phone at (202) 336-5979, by email: apaacred@apa.org, or Web: https://accreditation.apa.org/.

Utah State University: Since its founding in 1888, Utah State University has evolved from a small, agricultural college to one that is nationally and internationally recognized for its intellectual and technological leadership in land, water, space, and life enhancement. USU was ranked the #5 public university in the nation in National Universities Rankings 2017 by Washington Monthly. As Utah's land-grant and space-grant institution, the university is led by President Betsy Cantwell.  The total enrollment for Fall 2023 was 28,063, undergraduate and graduate students, including 5784 students on statewide campuses. usu.edu/about

Logan, Utah: Utah State University is located in northern Utah, in the city of Logan, which is the county seat of Cache County. The county population is 137,417. Surrounded by the Wasatch Range of the Rocky Mountains, Cache Valley provides a spectacular setting for education, culture and recreation. Within easy access of the University is excellent recreation amidst magnificent scenery, including skiing, snowmobiling, boating, hunting, fishing, hiking, camping and sight-seeing. Quality cultural opportunities abound in the community and at the University. Utah's capital, Salt Lake City, just 80 miles south of Logan, provides additional cultural and recreational opportunities. For more information visit: Logan City, Cache Valley Visitors Bureau, Cache Arts and/or the Cache Chamber of Commerce.

Internship Program

Training Model and Goals

Our training program is based on the practitioner-scholar training model, which emphasizes experiential learning and the use of critical thinking and current research in the provision of services. We provide training opportunities in various clinical and professional activities to help interns become well-rounded psychologists. Their clinical work is supervised by using audio-visual recordings of their sessions. For training of group therapy, interns are able to receive in-vivo supervision by a co-leading senior therapist. As supervisors, we value creating an environment in which interns feel safe and supported enough to take risks without fearing judgments. In addition, supervisors frequently share research and professional literature relevant to their clinical work and professional development. The integration of practice and scholarly inquiry is also promoted through the training seminars, reading assignments from scientific journals and books, support for the interns' completion of their dissertation or other research project, and support of intern attendance at conferences and other professional meetings. Our training program is also influenced by our values for collaboration, life-long learning, and respect for individual differences. We make considerable effort to attract well-qualified, diverse trainees who will bring their varied personalities, backgrounds, knowledge and skill sets. This infusion of intellect and talent from other perspectives contributes in significant ways to the functioning and growth of CAPS. We take a developmental approach to supervision and training. At the beginning of the internship, we assess strengths, growth areas, and areas of interest of each intern and of the intern group as a whole. Training is adjusted based on this assessment. As interns develop, they take on greater responsibility and autonomy, commensurate with their progress. The overall goal of our internship is to provide a learning environment that is professional, respectful, and supportive and to provide interns with quality training focused on basic areas of psychological practice needed for careers in university counseling centers or similar settings:

1. Clients are referred to the treatment modality (e.g. individual, group, or case management).

To facilitate continued development and refinement of their clinical skills, interns at CAPS participate in a variety of training activities and supervised experiences. On a weekly basis, interns conduct initial consultations, write intake reports, and present cases during clinical case staffing meetings. These experiences help interns refine their case disposition and referral skills. Clients are referred to the treatment modality (e.g., individual, group, or couple therapy) based on judgments of the intern (and sometimes the staff as a whole.) The orientation process, staffing meetings, and supervision sessions provide avenues to help familiarize interns with options and resources available within the University and in the outside community. Interns are expected to carry an individual therapy caseload of approximately twelve hours per week (depending on other activities and commitments). This includes opportunities to work with both short-term cases and a lesser number of longer term clients. Interns also typically spend 4 to 5 hours weekly in activities such as co-facilitating groups, conducting intake interviews, and seeing crisis and/or clinical consultation clients.

2. The establishment of entry level group therapy skills.

Our group therapy program adheres to the practice and ethical standards described by the American Group Psychotherapy Association, Division 49 of the American Psychological Association, and the Association for Specialists in Group Work (ASGW). Among many group modalities, process-oriented groups and psychoeducational/structured groups are the focus of our group training. For process-oriented groups, our approach is integrative with a strong emphasis on the interpersonal model. Our training generally allows interns to earn sufficient hours to meet requirements for core competencies in general group work and specialization in group counseling/group psychotherapy, as described by the ASGW. Based on the developmental model of supervision we have our interns initially co-lead with senior staff who supervise their group work, and most interns develop enough competencies to co-lead with another intern during their final semester. Interns also attend seminars on group therapy and participate in case conferences on group therapy throughout the year. Interns are expected to co-lead at least one process-oriented group (e.g., Understanding Self and Others, Women's, Graduate Student) per semester and a minimum of three process-oriented groups during the year. Interns are also expected to lead a minimum of one psychoeducational groups (e.g., Skills Training, Stress Management) or workshop series (e.g. Effective Coping) during the year. List of common groups held at CAPS.

3. Interns will be expected to complete a minimum of 10 full battery assessments (and their accompanying reports) over the course of the year.

Psychoeducational and psychological testing services are provided by CAPS, with the bulk of testing being psychoeducational in nature. Testing is requested by the Disability Resource Center, Rehabilitation Services and the Student Health Center. Students are primarily assessed for learning disabilities, ADHD, and ASD, but periodic evaluations are requested due to head injuries, personality dysfunction, or relationship difficulties. Interns have the opportunity to sharpen testing skills including assessment of cognitive abilities, academic achievement, language abilities and memory. Personality inventories, mood inventories and projective devices are also used, though less frequently. Interns will be expected to complete approximately 2 evaluations (and their accompanying reports) per month. Interns will also be supervised in the art of assessment consultation, including the opportunity to meet with members of the Disability Resource Center staff. In addition, interns may at times consult with instructors and/or professors, as well as vocational rehabilitation counselors and academic advisors.

4. The ability to effectively provide outreach and consultation services.

To facilitate interns' development of outreach and consultation skills, interns are expected to participate in consultation projects, workshops, and outreach presentations for students, faculty, staff and the community. Frequently requested topics include: stress, anxiety, depression, eating issues/body image, and relationship issues. In addition to outreach presentations, interns are also given the opportunity to develop a specialty area by engaging in a formal outreach consultation project for 2 semesters. Interns are expected to devote three hours per week to the project. Examples of projects are described below:

• Sexual Assault and Antiviolence Intervention (SAAVI): Program development and outreach around relationship and sexual violence
• Housing and Residence Life: Providing consultation for resident assistants and directors in on-campus housing units
• Disability Resource Center: Providing support groups and consultation for students with disabilities.
• Career Design: Providing career counseling and/or vocational assessment services. Possibly co-teaching the Career Development Course offered through the Psychology Department
• Athletics Department: Providing focused assessement, outreach, group to student athletes, or working on performance with individual teams.
• Student Involvement and Leadership: Outreach and programming with student clubs, especially clubs that support traditionally underrepresented and marginalized students such as LGBQIA, Transgender and Non-binary, racial minorities, neurodiverse students, students with disabilities, and non-traditional students.

5. The establishment of entry level clinical supervision capability.

To facilitate the development of entry level competence in providing clinical supervision, interns participate in a number of training activities and experiences. Interns will supervise an undergraduate REACH Peer during both Fall and Spring Semesters. Interns also have the opportunity to supervise 1-2 practicum students or graduate assistant for the spring semester. Interns receive supervision of supervision by their secondary supervisor, which includes video reviews of their supervision sessions. In the spring, interns also participate in biweekly group supervision of supervision. A series of training seminars focused on issues related to providing supervision are scheduled at several points during the training year.

The REACH Peer program was designed to provide support for the campus community through psychoeducational events and individual skills training. These students are undergraduates in Psychology, Social Work, or Family, Consumer, and Human Development, and are generally in their junior or senior year and preparing to pursue graduate training. REACH Peers assist students in building skills such as relaxation, communication and social skills. They also plan and coordinate campus wide outreach events (e.g., Finals Stress Bust, Healthy Relationships) with help of their supervisors and the program instructors.

Psychology Practicum students are completing an advanced practicum at CAPS after having successfully completed a practicum experience within their academic training program. We receive students from the APA accredited Combined Clinical/Counseling/School Psychology Ph.D. program. They are typically at the center for 12-15 hours per week during Fall and Spring semesters. Graduate assistants are advanced psychology trainees who typically have completed CAPS practicum. They work 20 hours per week, and share some training opportunities with interns.

Interns may have the opportunity to either co-teach (along with a professional staff member) the weekly practicum class or the weekly REACH Peer training meetings for one or two semesters. Teaching the practicum class involves some didactic presentations, with the majority of class time being spent in group supervision of practicum students' cases. Training the REACH Peers will involve teaching basic counseling skills and providing group supervision of REACH Peers work with clients and their outreach activities.

6. The ability to be aware of and responsive to issues of human diversity throughout the intern's professional work and activities.

Consistent with accreditation standards from the American Psychological Association, CAPS is committed to providing training opportunities that underscore the importance and value of multiculturalism and diversity in mental health and psychological practice. Center staff have adopted the Counseling Psychology Model Training Values Statement Addressing Diversity, as we believe trainees and others should be made aware of our values and expectations in this area. As a training site for doctoral interns, we ascribe to a multicultural competency model that seeks to facilitate: 1) counselor awareness of multicultural values and 2) counselor awareness of clients’ world views. Imbedded in these two areas of awareness are three significant goals: 1) attitude and belief exploration, 2) knowledge, education, and understanding, and 3) skills acquisition and culturally appropriate intervention strategies.

Interns will participate in biweekly diversity seminars in Fall and Spring that provide specific training opportunities to help interns learn about various diversity related topics, reflect on their own cultural identity, and discuss diversity issues relating to our work as psychologists. Within diversity seminar, interns participate in assigned reading discussions, culture shares with one another and staff, case discussions, experiential activities, and discussions around current events. Within this bi-weekly seminar, interns have many opportunities to learn about their own reactions to various issues as well as about the cultural experiences of their peers. Interns will also attend weekly Professional Issues seminars that frequently cover topics related to diversity, including: microaggressions in therapy and supervision; transgender mental health practices; LGBTQ clients and Utah culture; crisis of faith/faith challenges; racial identity development; white privilege; learning disabilities; neurodiversity; psychoeducational assessment in the college setting; Utah religious culture; and intersecting identities. All of these trainings stem from a value for individual differences and a desire to support the mission of the university to provide an inclusive campus atmosphere where all students can experience a sense of belonging.

The theme of diversity is also often explored during individual supervision, case staffing, and assessment training. Diversity training in the area of religion is a unique training opportunity available at CAPS. Interns are also encouraged to provide outreach and consultation to organizations on campus that provide service to various groups of minority students. Additionally, interns have the opportunity to create their own caseload, allowing them to create a caseload of clients that represent a highly diverse range of cultural and clinical backgrounds. Although Utah State University's student body is not characterized by a tremendous amount of ethnic diversity, the training staff helps interns build a client caseload characterized by as much diversity (racial/ethnic background, sexual orientation, gender, religion, age and disability) as possible.

7. Appropriate professional behavior and decision making based on the ethical principles pertinent to the practice of psychology.

Early in the internship year, a two-hour seminar on ethical issues and situations common to practice in university counseling centers is provided by the Center's Director. A follow-up seminar on child abuse reporting laws in Utah is also held during Fall Semester. Additional training seminars addressing ethical concerns are held during the year. Interns also observe senior staff members dealing with and discussing ethical and legal issues during individual supervision, case conferences and clinical staff meetings, and are encouraged to consult concerning their own cases in those settings. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of interns' individual supervisors to help them deal appropriately with ethical or legal issues which may arise in the cases of the interns they supervise. It is also expected that senior staff members will function as models of appropriate and responsible professional behavior, including providing instruction and feedback when necessary.

8. Continued professional identity development, self-awareness and self-knowledge.

Interns are given the opportunity to individualize their training experiences in a manner congruent with their interests and career goals. They are also encouraged to further their professional development by fully utilizing their various supervision experiences and other resources available at CAPS, as well as professional development resources and opportunities available at the local, state, and/or national levels. Interns are given leave time and financial support ($200) in order to facilitate their attendance at professional conferences or workshops outside of the CAPS. Interns also attend three conferences per year free of charge: the Annual USU CAPS Conference, which brings a nationally known presenter to USU each spring; the Utah Universities and Colleges Counseling Centers Conference; and the Annual Convention of American Indian Psychologists and Graduate Students. In addition, interns are required to give a formal presentation on an area of professional interest and/or expertise during professional issues seminar. Interns are also given three hours per week to work on a professional development project.

In selecting their professional development projects, interns are encouraged to develop their own interests and ideas or select from some of the following: Conduct or assist research projects (e.g., competing dissertation, participating in CAPS data collection and ongoing research projects, utilizing CAPS existing data sets and designing own research project); Assist in the coordination of the Practicum program and co-teach the Practicum class at CAPS; Assist in the recruitment and training of the REACH Peers; Assist in the development of the center web page and efforts to effectively utilize technology in services provision; Assist in evaluation, interviews and selection of doctoral interns.

Interns are also given four hours a week during the months of May, June and July to work on a summer project. Past projects have included: Continuing with on-campus outreach (instead of ending it at the end of Spring semester); Conducting a research project; Engaging in a combination of individual projects (e.g., turning dissertation into an article for publication, developing clinical forms and/or outreach handouts, working on a book chapter, developing a training handbook, etc.)

Self-reflection is encouraged and interns are free to disclose personal information that they feel is relevant in supervision, training seminars, and at other times during the internship year. Staff often model transparency in self-reflection and appropriate self-disclosure, and the general atmosphere at the Center is one of non-defensiveness. Many interns choose to volunteer personal information during training and explore how their experiences may be having an impact on their clinical work and professional development. Consistent with code 7.04; however, interns are not required to divulge personal information, such as sexual history, history of abuse and neglect, psychological treatment, and relationships with parents, peers, and spouses or significant others, and the staff is careful to be respectful of such boundaries.

Center staff members also believe appropriate self-care, personal growth and development are of critical importance to the practice of psychology, particularly in the case of therapists and supervisors. In addition to a yearly training seminar on avoiding burnout, senior staff are committed to advocating and modeling attitudes and behaviors congruent with this belief. Interns are also encouraged and expected to address, in a healthy and appropriate manner, issues and situations in their personal lives that are relevant to their psychosocial health and professional activities and roles.

Training Activities

Supervision Received

Interns receive two hours of individual supervision each week by two licensed staff psychologists. Clinical caseloads are the focus of primary supervision.  Secondary supervision examines outreach, consultation, provision of supervision, dissertation progress and professional development, as well as focused clinical topics of the intern's choice.

Three hours of additional supervision (i.e. group supervision) is provided each week. Interns meet every other week with the Internship Coordinator to review concerns, progress, issues and development. Interns receive weekly supervision in Case Conference Seminar on rotating topics (see below). Interns also receive additional weekly supervision by their group co-leaders and able to consult with the assessment coordinator for testing supervision, as needed. During weekly case staffing, interns and staff present on new cases and participate in the case assignment process. Periodical case consultations also allow staff and interns to discuss difficult cases.

Case Conference

The goal of this weekly meeting is to further strengthen the intern's conceptualization and intervention skills. Throughout the year, this seminar provides interns with an opportunity to receive group supervision of their individual, group, and assessment clients. Interns will make formal case presentations for their peers and senior staff members.

Intern Process Meeting

During this biweekly meeting, interns are encouraged to share their impressions, concerns, and questions regarding their internship experience with the Internship Coordinator. This is an all-purpose meeting designed to serve as a peer support group, to facilitate communication and integrate experience, to discuss progress toward internship goals, to discuss professional development issues (e.g., job search), and to express feelings and offer feedback to the Internship Coordinator. This meeting intends to attend to holistic needs of interns, so that their overall experience of internship can be rewarding and aligns with each of their individual needs.

Diversity Seminar

Diversity seminars are held every other week during the Fall and Spring semesters. They provide didactic and experiential training in diversity issues. Of course, diversity discussions take place throughout all aspects of the training program (e.g. during supervision, case seminar, staff meeting, assessment training, etc.), but this seminar gives interns a specific opportunity to learn more about issues related to religion, sexual orientation, and ethnicity; to discuss how diversity affects identity development and the therapeutic process; and to explore how one's own world view affects both the personal and professional self. The goal of this seminar is to increase the intern's competence in working effectively with diverse clients and improve their own understanding of their social location and intersecting identities.

Supervision of Supervision

This biweekly meeting during the Spring semester provides interns with group supervision regarding their clinical supervision of graduate trainees. The seminar incorporates didactic information, modeling, discussions of assigned readings, and review of videos of supervision sessions between interns and their supervisees. Topics include models of supervision, assessment of supervisees, supervision strategies and techniques, diversity issues in supervision, ethics, and relationship issues. This seminar balances knowledge with experience to develop the basic philosophy, skills, and confidence necessary for creating a productive supervisory relationship.

Professional Issues Seminar

This is a weekly seminar covering a wide range of topics based on the intern group's needs and interests. CAPS staff members often present on subjects within their expertise, and distinguished guest clinicians and professors are invited to come and share their experiences as well. Interns will also have the opportunity to develop and present a seminar on a topic of their choice to the center staff. Some past presentations and workshops include:

Intern's Weekly Schedule

Workload at university counseling centers varies with the ebb and flow of university’s academic schedule. Within this framework of periodic shifts, interns are expected to work an average of 40 hours a week. (This generally translates to 43-45 hours/week during high demand time to balance university break periods.) Approximately half of interns’ time is spent providing direct clinical services to students. This includes initial consultations and walk-in crisis time, 9 to 12 individual clients, co-leading two or more therapy groups, presenting workshops, and five hours of assessment related activities. During the academic year, interns spend three hours a week on their outreach consultation project in addition to other outreach activities. You are provided at least seven hours each week of supervision and other training experience. This includes at least two hours per week of individual supervision and three hours a week of group supervision. You will also typically spend one to two hours per week depending on the semester, providing supervision (which includes providing individual supervision to doctoral practicum students and/or undergraduate REACH Peers.) You also receive three hours a week to work on your dissertation or other professional development project. For interns with interest in program development and administration, time could be allocated for such activities, perhaps as a professional development project. Although the time spent in various activities varies from semester to semester, and even from week to week, a typical training schedule might appear as follows:

(An example of intern schedule – the actual schedule and time spent will vary based on cancellations and no-shows (which can often be used as additional paperwork time.)

Counseling and Prevention Services Staff

Current Interns

• Kylen Kaminski, Chicago School of Professional Psychology (Clinical Psychology
• Jana Kukla, Biola University (Clinical Psychology)
• Leslie Weber, Oklahoma State University (Counseling Psychology)

Former Interns

Of our 77 past intern graduates, 37 came from Counseling Psychology, 35 from Clinical Psychology, and 5 from Combined programs (Clinical/Counseling, Clinical/Counseling/School, Counseling/School) programs. After completing their internships they found positions as follows: 22 in university counseling centers, 9 in community mental health, 15 in private agencies; 19 accepted Postdoctoral fellowship positions, 9 accepted faculty positions and 7 accepted positions in other areas.

Recent Past Interns

2023 – 2024

• Kyle Brasil, University of South Alabama (Combined Clinical-Counseling Psychology)
• Alexander Calder, University of Miami (Counseling Psychology)
• Greyson Holliday, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Counseling Psychology)

2022– 2023

• Christopher Anders, University of Iowa (Counseling Psychology)
• Jessica Bartman, Pacific University (Clinical Psychology)
• Jacob Cameron, Palo Alto University (Clinical Psychology)

2021– 2022

• Brianne Freeman, Nova Southeastern University (Clinical Psychology)
• Elizabeth Schipman, Chicago School of Professional Psychology (Clinical Psychology)
• Marguerite Yoder, University of Indianapolis (Clinical Psychology)

2020 – 2021

• Robert Byrom, University of Nebraska, Lincoln (Counseling Psychology)
• Melissa Leilani Devencenzi, Springfield College (Counseling Psychology)
• Daphne Jones, University of Georgia (Counseling Psychology)

2019 – 2020

• Julia Cawthra, Indiana University Bloomington
• Daryl Holloway, Minnesota School of Professional Psychology
• Rheanna Kaley, Tennessee State University

2017 – 2018

• Jonathan Huston, SUNY University at Buffalo
• Kayte LaBore, M.A., University of North Dakota
• Michael Pauldine, M.A., Wichita State University
• Alberto Varela, M.S, University of Utah

2016 – 2017

• Lyneia Hawkins, Howard University
• Zhen Li, Brigham Young University
• Dayne Arvin Menardo, Alliant International University
• Lisa Whitfield, Regent University

2015 – 2016

• Dayna Charbonneau, University of Indianapolis
• Chelsey Ritner, Pacific University
• Lindsey Swanson, University of Memphis
• Kayla Zeal, University of South Dakota

2014 – 2015

• John Dehlin, Utah State University
• Brittany Melvin Joslyn, Florida State University
• Chelsi Klenz Davis, University of Nebraska Lincoln

Internship Application Procedure

IIf you have any questions about our program or the application process, please feel free to contact the Training Director, Dr. Amy Kleiner at amy.kleiner@usu.edu or (435) 797-1012.

APPIC Program Code: 1592

Eligibility:

Interested student must have:

• A minimum of 450 AAPI Intervention hours including 150 AAPI individual therapy hours with adults, earned by the application deadline. (We will consider applicants that are still accumulating these hours at the time of application.)
• Comprehensive Exams passed by the application deadline.
• All course work and a minimum of 3 years of graduate training in an APA or CPA accredited counseling or clinical psychology doctoral program completed before starting internship
• Dissertation proposal passed by the start of internship.
• An ability to pass a criminal background check: Utah State University requires a background check on all new employees. This background check reviews criminal records within past 7 years. The policy 386 can be found policy can be found here in its entirety. You may contact the Human Resource department for questions (435-797-0216).

Stipend:$42,599

Fringe Benefits:

Interns are eligible for the USU employee benefits (https://hr.usu.edu/index):

• Health and dental insurance
• Life and disability insurance
• Retirement
• Tuition reduction
• 13 University Holidays (paid) http://www.usu.edu/calendar/holidays.cfm
• 22 Annual leave days and 12 paid Sick Leave, accrued over a 12-month period

Additional benefits include:

• Professional development time (including dissertation release time)
• $200 Professional development allowance
• Access to Campus Recreation
• Access to free public transportation
• Access to campus facilities such as recreation and libraries
• Access to free bike rental from the university Aggie Blue Bikes)

APPIC Match Policies:

USU CAPS adheres to the procedures established by the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) for the recruitment and selection of doctoral interns. 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.

CAPS is committed to increasing diversity among its staff and interns. Applicants who may offer diversity of background and/or perspective are encouraged to apply. Utah State University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, disability or veteran status.

Application Deadline: November 15 (Friday), 2024

Application Materials

We request applicants complete the AAPI Online with the following elements attached:

• The AAPI application form
• A curriculum vitae
• All graduate transcripts
• A cover letter describing how you would be a good fit for our program
• Three letters of recommendation (APPIC requires the use of the Standardized Reference Form). A minimum of 2 of these letters should be from direct clinical supervisors.

Interview Process

The internship selection committee is chaired by the current Training Director (TD), and includes staff psychologists, and current or former interns. The committee meets in November to discuss interview procedures and expectations. The TD reviews the applications and selects candidates to invite for interviews. Top applicants are contacted to schedule an interview. Those not selected for interview are notified by email by November 27th. Interviews will be conducted between January 3-14, 2025. Our interviews are conducted over Zoom. Each interview is 50 minutes in length and conducted by 2-3 members of the committee (The TD and 1 or 2 other members of our staff). Each applicant also has an opportunity to talk informally with one of our current or recent interns at a later time. After all interviews are completed, a rank list is created by the internship selection committee for the computer match. Applicant visits to CAPS are welcomed, but not required or expected, and will not increase the chance of being ranked by our program.

Internship Start Date: Friday August 1, 2025

(Last updated on 9/19/2024)