Supervision & Trainings
Team Day Meeting: Psychology interns will attend a 30-minute group meeting weekly, led by the team leader, to support psychology intern's ethical provision of intake and crisis counseling services. This space will be an opportunity for consultation and to discuss triage and disposition decisions; review of crisis counseling and emergency crisis intervention including safety planning and referral to the hospital for consideration of psychiatric hospitalization; campus referral resources; and any ethical concerns.
Individual Supervision: Each psychology intern receives primary supervision by a psychologist licensed to practice in the state of Iowa two hours weekly. Primary supervisors support each psychology intern in presenting a formal case presentation of their clinical work in preparation for anticipated job interviews occurring during winter session of the academic year. Psychology interns are provided with feedback from clinical staff members about their formal case presentation.
Individual Supervision of Group Therapy: During the Fall and Spring semesters, psychology interns co-facilitate two groups per semester with a psychologist licensed to practice in the state of Iowa or with a clinical therapist licensed to practice in the state of Iowa. Psychology interns will receive supervision by the licensed staff member concerning their facilitation. During the Summer semester, psychology interns co-facilitate an USO group with a peer psychology intern.
Clinical Case Conference (Group Supervision): During the summer semester, psychology interns meet in a group supervisory/case conference format which focuses on their clinical work in individual counseling. Clinical case conference is an opportunity for psychology interns to discuss clinical cases and to process their reactions in a supportive group climate. Psychology interns are expected to openly share authentic internal reactions that impact professional work.
Supervision of Supervision (Group Supervision): During the fall and spring semesters for one hour weekly, psychology interns participate in group supervision of supervision, sharing recorded supervisory sessions with their supervisee and discussing the provision of supervision with the group supervisor and peer interns.
Eating Disorder Didactic Seminar: The Interim Eating Disorder Coordinator provides didactic training in a weekly group format of a psychology intern's eating disorder diagnostic assessment, psychosocial assessment, and intervention strategies. Interns will attend didactic training in a group setting focusing on eating disorder-related topics and discussion/experiential formats.
Supervision of Supervision Didactic Seminar: During the fall and spring semesters for one hour weekly, the psychology interns are provided Supervision of Supervision Didactic Seminar to further develop supervision skills. The seminar consists of didactic instruction and discussion on the provision of supervision, supervision theory, research, and practice. Selected book chapters and journal article readings are designed to supplement the experiential nature of the supervision training. The seminar provides an opportunity for psychology interns to develop a supervision approach grounded in a theoretical perspective.
Group Therapy Didactic Seminar: For one hour every other week (two hours monthly), psychology interns meet for didactic training supported by SCS’s Group Coordinator. This didactic seminar is an exploration of group therapy intended as a resource for psychology interns preparing to function independently as group leaders and to transition into new professionals. The topics will be covered in didactic and discussion/experiential formats, allowing participants to integrate their own group counseling experiences and style into the seminar.
Didactic Seminar: For one hour every other week (two hours monthly), psychology interns will meet for didactic seminar to monitor their growth as psychologists, engage in didactic training on various topics, and discuss professional development issues. Didactic seminars address nine profession-wide competencies, including 1) Research; 2) Ethical and legal standards; 3) Individual and cultural diversity; 4) Professional values, attitudes, and behaviors; 5) Communication and interpersonal skills; 6) Assessment; 7) Intervention; 8) Supervision; and 9) Consultation and interprofessional/ interdisciplinary skills.
Case Management & Meetings
Case Management/Computer Work: Psychology interns are given time each week for administrative responsibilities. Each psychology intern office has a computer, which ties into the agency network. Memos and other types of correspondence are regularly relayed to staff members through an email system. Case notes and clinical information are entered into a computer database. Daily schedules of duties are available through the database scheduling program of the agency.
Multidisciplinary Staff Meeting: Psychology interns, along with other staff members, attend a weekly staff meeting from 8am-10am on Fridays. During staff meetings, there will be clinic announcements and visits from campus partners to discuss their services. Staff meetings are devoted to the "business" of the agency and professional development activities. Once per month during staff meeting, the senior staff will meet from 9am-10am and the psychology interns will have that hour to work on other tasks or connect as peers for intern socialization and well-being time. Once per month, multicultural presentations and discussions will be held during the last 1.5 hours of the staff meeting (see more detail below). Once per month, professional development presentations and discussions will be held during the last 1.5 hours of the staff meeting.
Other Opportunities
Special Emphasis Areas: Four hours per week each semester is set aside for psychology interns to individualize their training experience in the form of Special Emphasis Areas (SEA). SEA’s provide level-appropriate training and level-appropriate expectations and are sequential, cumulative, and graded in complexity differentiating the experiences of psychology interns. At a minimum, the psychology intern will meet individually with the area supervisor for one hour on a bi-weekly basis to discuss issues related to the SEA. Each semester, a psychology intern will choose a content area from the established list, or they can create their own unique area based on individual interests with the approval of the Training Director. If a psychology intern has an interest in gaining more extensive experience in a particular content area, that area can be chosen for two semesters.