Internship Activities | Counseling and Psychological Services

Most of the direct service activities required of interns mirror the typical direct service schedules of the full-time professional staff at Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). In addition, interns participate in weekly supervision, educational, and support meetings. The activities which constitute the internship experience at CAPS are described below. Interns typically spend 20 to 22 hours per week in direct service activities during the course of the internship year.

A. Direct Service

Initial Evaluation: Interns receive extensive training during orientation on gathering information and practicing for an initial evaluation so that they are prepared for seeing a client within CAPS. All interns are required to successfully complete an Initial Evaluation assessment. The purpose of CAPS initial evaluation is to: (a) provide a brief risk assessment, (b) gather key presenting information and (c) determine disposition the client for the services that best meets the client’s needs. Key areas of information gathered are: (a) presenting problem(s), (b) identifying information, (c) brief review of psychosocial history (noting any medical history, psychiatric history, and substance use history shared on data forms), and (d) brief mental status exam assessment.

Furthermore, the interns are expected to utilize the DSM-5-TR for obtaining a diagnosis and determine a collaborative treatment plan with their client. During the year, interns typically have four initial evaluations slots per week.

Individual/Couples Counseling: The provision of counseling is a core activity of CAPS. Most clients seek individual counseling though there are some opportunities to work with clients who are presenting for couples/relationship counseling. Although CAPS does not have a firm session limit, we espouse a short-term service delivery model. Consequently, most clients are seen in 4-8 sessions. CAPS has consistently seen a high volume of clients each fiscal year. Interns can expect to carry a steady caseload of clients, seeing approximately 16-17 counseling appointments per week.

Crisis Care Counseling: Training in crisis/urgent counseling begins during orientation. Interns receive training on risk assessment and crisis intervention prior to seeing clients. The intern will want to see who is available after or during their session so they can have a “go-to” staff professional to consult with. In order of priority, the intern should reach out to the Care Manager after the session to obtain additional support if/when available that day. If the Care Manager is not available, the intern can reach out to their Primary Supervisor or a member of the Leadership Team. Interns can expect to see 1-2 crisis appointments per week. Interns work closely with their primary supervisor and the care manager on all crisis appointments.

In addition, interns will receive experience in case management. This typically includes opportunities to:

Contact students who request a follow up call after they’ve utilized the on-call counselor (ProtoCall Services)
Assisting in referrals to community providers
Support the Care Manager on post-hospitalization sessions
Postvention and Community Response Services
Site visits of area clinics.

In general, interns are always encouraged to seek consultation during a crisis appointment if/when needed. It is the expectation that interns discuss each crisis case and high-risk client (e.g., high SI subscale on CCAPS) during supervision with their primary supervisor even when consultation has already occurred. If suicidal or homicidal risk is high, it is expected that the intern also inform the CAPS Training Director and Director.

Group Counseling: Each intern is encouraged to be involved in the CAPS group program during their internship year if this is part of their training goal. This can be through either co-leading a process group, psychoeducation workshop, or support groups during the internship year. If an intern chooses to co-facilitate a processing group, it is expected that the intern selects one group opportunity that matches their training needs during the internship year. Interns involved in therapy groups are trained to provide group screenings.

The presenting needs of CAPS’ clients determine the number and types of group offerings provided each year. Types of groups that are offered include interpersonal process groups, support groups, and psychoeducational groups/workshops.

Interns receive supervision with their co-facilitator for all process groups.

Outreach and Consultation: Interns provide consultation with faculty, staff, and family members of students as needed. Outreach consists of topical presentations and general overview of CAPS services to various campus groups. Interns will be provided with training on suicide prevention so that they can assist in providing this essential prevention programming to our campus community. Interns are required to complete 6 topical presentations and/or suicide prevention trainings during the internship year. Therefore, interns are strongly encouraged to be involved in the fall so that this expectation is met.

Assessment: During orientation, the intern receives training on initial evaluations, risk assessments, and clinical diagnosis. In addition, interns receive training on the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms (CCAPS) as well as other general screening instruments used during the course of therapy (e.g., BDI, BAI, CLICC).

Interns are expected to initially utilize their primary supervisor when discussing assessment needs/concerns, results of screeners (e.g., CCAPS), and discussing feedback of assessments (e.g., a risk assessment, CCAPS). Primary supervisors will also guide interns on writing these results/findings into their progress notes. As the year progresses, the interns are expected to become more independent with assessments and consult as needed.

Interns will be given the opportunity to provide some ADHD assessments through the Counseling and School Psychology Clinic (CSPC) per our agreement with the Educational Psychology Department. Interns need to know how to administer the WAIS-IV in order to be involved. Experience with the Woodcock Johnson Achievement Test is helpful but not required. Interns will typically spend 4 to 6 hours on the clinical interview, administration of the battery, and the feedback session. Interns will typically spend an additional 2-4 hours scoring, interpretating, and writing an assessment report. Supervision is provided by a licensed psychologist in the Ed Psych Department. The supervision is in a group format for 1 hour per week. You would only attend during the weeks you are doing an active assessment process. This would add an additional hour of supervision to the four hours of supervision provided by CAPS.

Interns will be testing UNL students or clients who are of college age. Due to the intensity of these administrations, interns will need to coordinate with the CAPS Training Director on times when these assessments can be administered. Typically, these are done during down times in the CAPS office (e.g., during fall break, between Fall and Spring semesters, spring break, and during the summer).

Provision of Supervision: Interns will provide individual supervision to advanced counseling psychology practicum students within the Counseling Psychology Department during the Spring Semester. Based on the number of counseling psychology students in the course, interns may supervise up to 2 students. CAPS strongly believes that training in the provision of supervision is central to the professional identity of a psychologist.

Interns are expected to provide at least one hour of one-to-one supervision to each supervisee on a weekly basis. In addition, interns will observe their supervisee’s live behind a two-way mirror (or via Zoom) for the student’s first intake and first termination session. Then, interns are expected to watch at least 3 additional full clinical sessions of their supervisee over the course of each semester.

The supervision of supervision supervisor is the licensed psychologist of record. This supervisor will be the final signature on all case notes, letters, and clinical documentation. Consultations with the supervision of supervision supervisor are expected when interns need additional support outside of supervision of supervision group meetings. Interns are to use their primary supervision time for their own clinical cases.

A. Supervision/Training

Primary Supervision: A licensed psychologist provides the primary supervision of an intern during the internship year. For two hours each week, the intern meets with their supervisor to focus on case conceptualization, risk assessment, dispositional decision-making, case management, diagnosis, CCAPS assessment, treatment planning, and provision of supervision. Ethical decision-making is also a focus of primary supervision. Clinical case discussion is the core focus of primary supervision. Professional development goals and needs are typically discussed during meetings with the Training Director. However, training goals and needs are also tracked and discussed with the primary supervisor. As the internship year moves into mid-Spring semester, professional development goals are naturally discussed in primary supervision session.

Supervision of Group Work: Interns receive supervision of group services with their group co-facilitator who is a licensed CAPS clinician. Group Supervision is an opportunity for interns to discuss group dynamics and seek consultation with their co-facilitator. A half-hour of supervision is typically provided each week the group is held. This supervision usually occurs either 30 minutes before or after group.

Supervision of Supervision: Interns meet as a group for 1.5 hours each week for supervision of supervision of counseling psychology practicum students. Interns are given one hour of supervision preparation time to review notes and digital recordings each week for each supervisee. Interns should use 1 hour of their paperwork time to prep for Supervision of Supervision during the spring semester. During each supervision of supervision group meeting, interns are expected to show clip of their supervision session and have questions ready for a helpful and rich discussion with their peers and the supervision of supervision supervisor.

Intern Case Conference: The Intern Case Conference meets for one hour each week. The Intern Case Conference focuses on case conceptualization, treatment planning, and intervention skills. Each week, interns present digital recordings of counseling sessions and discuss their cases in collaborative manner. Interns rotate in a regular schedule taking the lead in presenting a client.

In addition, interns will also prepare for a job talk presentation on one of their clinical cases. These presentations are provided to the CAPS team between the following time frame  finals week of Fall Semester through end of January. Interns will be given a guide for presenting their case.

Depending on clinic flow and supervisor availability, the CAPS Training Director will determine the spring semester supervisor. It is important to note that a different licensed CAPS staff member may serve as the supervisor for intern case conference during the Spring Semester. The exposure of supervision by various staff members is intended to complement the intern’s primary supervision experience as well as to expose interns to a variety of theoretical orientations.

Intern Case Conference is an opportunity for interns to utilize and discuss empirically supported treatments, develop skills in providing professional feedback, and consulting with peers about one’s clinical work. Interns typically join the CAPS’ staff case conference in the summer.

Intern Professional Development Supervision: Interns receive one hour of supervision per week as a group with the Training Director from August through May. Interns openly discuss all aspects of the internship such as daily administrative questions, case management concerns, staff/intern relationships, supervision (given/received), and professional development issues and identity as a burgeoning psychologist. The Training Director serves as an advocate for intern growth and development.

Supervision of Outreach: Interns will always keep their primary supervisors aware of their outreach services. The Outreach Coordinator will also meet with the interns for consultation and supervision needs as needed. Interns are expected to reflect on their outreach presentations and share their experience (before and after an outreach presentation) with their primary supervisor and the Outreach Coordinator.

Interns are encouraged to consult with the outreach coordinator and care manager in collaboration with their primary supervisors regarding their outreach and crisis service goals. Working as a team helps interns successfully learn skills in crisis intervention and outreach programming during the internship year.

Supervision of Crisis: Interns will always keep their primary supervisors aware of their crisis clients. In addition, interns are to meet with the Care Manager according to need for supervision/consultation. Interns are encouraged to consult with the care manager in collaboration with their primary supervisors regarding their goals for crisis counseling. Working as a team helps interns successfully learn skills in crisis during the internship year.

Supervision of Assessment: Interns will utilize their primary supervision to discuss risk assessments, CCAPS, and other screeners used with their clients. Provision of feedback to clients is also reviewed during this supervisory meeting. Interns may also utilize the Care Manager for consultation on risk assessment. ADHD assessment supervision is provided by a Licensed Psychologist.

Intern Seminars/Didactics: Interns will receive didactic seminar training during orientation at CAPS. This is to help interns: acclimate to CAPS services, gain knowledge and skills in the essential clinical services at CAPS, and address any questions that occur during the orientation. Additional didactic trainings are provided by the NICPP at the monthly consortium seminars.

B. Meetings/Additional Training

Diversity Retreats: Interns will meet during orientation and in the summer session to experience diversity retreats. During the diversity retreats, interns will have the opportunity to hear the diverse life stories of the facilitators. These stories are used as a model of self-disclosure. Interns are then invited to share their own stories of personal diversity. Interns will also experience a variety of experiential activities to enhance knowledge, awareness and skills in the area of individual and cultural diversity.

Staff Meeting: Interns will attend CAPS Staff meetings as needed. During these meetings, interns will be exposed to informational meetings where departmental policies, CAPS clinical demands, and professional development issues are discussed.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Meetings: Interns will attend CAPS DEI meetings. These meeting are typically held once a month or every other month. Trainings are organized by the Committee on Inclusive Excellence (CIE). The focus of these meetings are on a variety of topics related to diversity, inclusivity, humility, as well as current national/regional/local issues.

Committee on Inclusive Excellence: The Committee on Inclusive Excellence (CIE) meets to plan the CAPS DEI meetings for the year. The CIE Committee works to educate and support our staff on cultural humility, diversity awareness, and inclusivity. Interns are part of CIE as part of their diversity concentration.

Staff Case Conference: Interns typically attend the CAPS case conference during the summer session. These meetings provide an open forum for interns and professional staff members to discuss current counseling cases and professional development issues.

C. Administrative Time

Paperwork: Interns are allotted a total of ten hours for paperwork each week. This time is used for documentation of their clinical work, letter writing, and other administrative tasks. The following are examples of ways paperwork time can be utilized.

Note Completion: Interns typically spend 30-40 minutes completing IEs and 10-15 minutes on Progress Notes after a few months at CAPS. Crisis notes are expected to be completed by end of business day. Progress notes are to be completed within one business day. Initial Evaluations are to be completed in 5 business days.
Supervision Preparation: Interns should allot at least one to two hours per week to prepare for their supervision with their primary supervisor. Interns are expected to review clips of their sessions and prep for their upcoming supervision meeting with their primary supervisor during these time slots.
Client Preparation Time: Interns use their paperwork time to manage their clinical caseload and write letters for their clients. Interns are encouraged to use the time given during paperwork to prepare for their client sessions in order to provide the best clinical services. It is also during this time that interns consult about a client or follow up with family, faculty, and other university staff when necessary.
Crisis: As noted, interns are given 10 hours of paperwork each week. Two hours of that paperwork are flexible spots that will be used for crisis appointments in an interns schedule if/when needed.
Supervision Provision Preparation:Interns should allot one hour of their paperwork per week to prepare for supervision with each trainee in the spring semester. Interns should also allot one hour per week for their supervision of supervision per week in the spring semester. During these times, interns are expected to review case documentation of their supervisee, review supervisee clips as well as their provision of supervision clips, and prepare for their upcoming supervision session with their supervisee. Interns are also encouraged to research relevant empirically supported treatments to assist their supervisee’s clinical cases as needed.
Readings and Research: notes are completed, interns are encouraged to use their paperwork time for readings and research on evidence-based interventions for their client’s presenting concerns.
CAPS Summer Administrative Project: The interns will be involved in working with the CAPS team on a summer project that corresponds to the agency’s need. During the summer, all CAPS professional staff members and interns are involved in summer project committees.