Goals, Objectives, Competencies, Activities, and Assessments 

The overall goal of the Student Health Service (SHS) Psychology Internship Program is to prepare each Doctoral Intern to be a competent and ethical licensed professional psychologist. This goal is met as the intern completes the specific goals, objectives, and competencies of the Internship Program.

GOAL I

Produce interns who have the knowledge, skills, values, and aptitudes necessary for entry into the practice of professional psychology leading to licensure.

Objective I-A: Professional Identity and Development

Intern will advance in professional identity and development.

Competency I-A-1: Intern will assess own theoretical orientation, philosophy of change, strengths, skills, interests, and needed growth areas. Intern will be exposed to other theoretical orientations, concepts, and assumptions.

Activity I-A-1(a): Intern will write a theory of change paper that illuminates their theoretical leanings and philosophy of change.

Activity I-A-1(b): Intern will turn in completed training contracts outlining expected hours for desired and required duties and training.

Activity I-A-1(c): Issues related to licensure as a psychologist are discussed in didactic training seminars. Licensure requirements for various states are also made available to interns with the strong expectation that all interns will go on to become licensed.

Activity I-A-1(d): Interns will participate in a self-assessment of psychological competencies using the Intern Evaluation Form at the start and at the end of the internship training year.

Assessment:

  1. Training Committee approval
  2. Training Director approval
  3. Review of post-internship professional activities

Objective I-B: Ethical and Professional Standards

Intern will practice psychology in an ethical manner.

Competency I-B-1: Intern will be familiar with and comply with the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct of the American Psychological Association in providing services of a psychologist. Intern will seek continued education in this area.

Activity I-B-1(a): Intern will participate in discussions of ethical principles and issues in didactic training. At least four hours of didactic training are devoted to ethical principles and issues. An ethical decision-making model is considered in the seminar.

Activity I-B-1(b): Intern will present a case study (oral and written) in the training seminar involving an ethical dilemma or issue encountered in their practice during the training year. Attention will be given to the ethical issues involved, the nature of the decision made by the intern, and the process used to arrive at the decision.

Activity I-B-1(c): Interns will discuss ethical principles and issues related to their work, as needed, in supervision and will demonstrate adherence to ethical principles and professional values.

Assessment:
  1. Seminar leader approval of the intern’s understanding of ethical principles
  2. Supervisor ratings of intern’s adherence to ethical standards
  3. Post internship professional activities related to ethical practices
  4. Training Committee review of ethical case
  5. Senior staff evaluation of intern’s adherence to ethical standards

Objective I-C: Multicultural Competency

Intern will practice in a manner that respects and takes into account individual and group differences.

Competency I-C-1: Intern will be prepared to work as a professional psychologist in a multicultural, pluralistic society and effectively provide psychological services to individuals and groups representing diverse populations.

Activity I-C-1(a): Intern will participate in discussions of multicultural issues and cases in didactic seminar. At least 3 hours of multicultural training will be provided in seminars, and an additional 2 hours will be provided by interns in presentation format during didactic training.

Activity I-C-1(b): Interns will attend a bi-weekly Diversity Seminar In which they will engage in open dialogue about diversity related topics. The goals of these trainings will be to increase cultural awareness and sensitivity, develop competency in working with diverse clients, and advocate for social justice.

Activity I-C-1(c): Intern will provide psychological services to at least 10 clients in the UVU community who represent diverse populations.

Activity I-C-1(d): Intern completes the Multicultural Counseling Competencies survey and discusses it with supervisors during the first semester of training. The survey is based on Arredondo, P. et al. (1996). Operationalizations of the Multicultural Counseling Competencies. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 24, 42-78.

Activity I-C-1(e): Intern writes and presents a case in didactic seminar involving a client from a diverse population. The paper addresses the diversity issues encountered in the case, and how they were resolved using the Cultural Formulation Interview Outline in DSM-5-TR.

Activity I-C-1(f): Interns are expected to design and implement a Diversity Initiative. The parameters for Diversity Initiative projects are open-ended to accommodate the interests of the Intern and needs of an underserved student population.

Assessment:

  1. Seminar leader approval of the intern’s work with multicultural clients
  2. Review of Intern Report on Diversity Training
  3. Supervisors’ ratings on Intern Evaluation Form at end of year
  4. Training Committee review of Multicultural Case Summary
  5. Supervisor review of Multicultural Counseling Competencies survey

Objective I-D: Supervision

Intern will understand the process of supervision in psychology, make good use of time spent in supervision, and prepare to offer supervision to others.

Competency I-D-1: The intern will make effective use of supervision from a variety of clinical staff in SHS in order to grow professionally as a psychologist.

Competency I-D-2: The intern will become proficient in providing supervision to a trainee in SHS and will receive additional supervision in this area.

Activity I-D-1(a): Supervision principles and supervision practices in SHS are discussed in the intern orientation at the beginning of the training year.

Activity I-D-1(b): Intern will receive supervision from a primary and secondary supervisor, an assessment supervisor, a group supervisor(s), and other rotation supervisors throughout the training year. Supervision adds up to at least two hours of individual supervision and two hours of group supervision per week.

Activity I-D-2(a): Intern will participate in discussion of supervision methods and theory in didactic training. At least two hours of didactic training are devoted to supervision methods and theory.

Activity I-D-2(b): Intern will provide supervision to a practicum student or extern during internship year if practicum students or externs are available. It is expected that 1 hour of supervision per week is to be provided to the practicum student or extern throughout the semester.

Activity I-D-2(c): Group supervision of intern’s provision of supervision is provided on a weekly basis by the Training Director and other licensed professionals. Theories and approaches to supervision, as well as requirements of supervisors, are discussed in the weekly supervision of supervision meeting.

Assessment:

  1. Supervisor evaluation of intern’s use of supervision
  2. Supervisor evaluation of the intern’s understanding of methods and theories of supervision
  3. Director of Training approval of intern’s participation in supervision of supervision
  4. Intern supervisors receive feedback from their supervisees regarding their supervision practices.

Objective I-E: Spiritual Beliefs and Values in Counseling

Intern will understand and appropriately involve clients' spiritual beliefs and values in counseling and other psychological services. Intern will recognize how their own values influence their practice of psychology.

Competency I-E-1: Intern will provide psychological services in a manner that respects and appropriately integrates clients' spiritual beliefs, values, and practices into the counseling/psychotherapy process according to clients' wishes.

Activity I-E-1(a): Interns discuss with their supervisors cases that involve spiritual issues as they arise in counseling. The students at UVU are, for the most part, devoutly religious and often choose to bring up their religious beliefs, values, and practices in counseling.

Activity I-E-1(b): Interns are assigned counseling and assessment cases throughout the year in which the clients are usually active in their religion and have a worldview that is strongly influenced by their religion.

Activity I-E-1(c): Interns will participate in discussions of values-based issues and cases in didactic training. At least 1 hour of didactic training will be devoted to addressing values and spirituality in counseling.

Activity I-E-1(d): Interns write a summary of a case involving spiritual issues and present the case in a didactic training seminar. The intern should discuss the manner in which spiritual issues were involved and how they were worked with and resolved in counseling.

Assessment:

  1. Approval of seminar leader of the intern’s sensitivity to and respect for clients’ spiritual beliefs, values, and practices
  2. Approval of supervisors and senior staff of the intern’s sensitivity to and respect for clients’ spiritual beliefs, values, and practices
  3. Seminar leader and Training Committee evaluation of the case presentation on spiritual issues in counseling

GOAL II

Produce interns who can provide a range of services in a university counseling center or similar environment.

Objective II-A: Working In a University Counseling Center

Intern will understand the needs and the development of older adolescents, young adults, and adults and the role of psychological services in a university counseling center or similar agency.

Competency II-A-1: Intern will demonstrate an understanding of the mission of a university counseling center and the roles served by psychologists and other mental health and academic professionals. Intern will participate in offering the services of a comprehensive counseling center.

Competency II-A-2: Intern will acquire an understanding of college student developmental theory and be able to apply this theory to providing counseling and other services to college students. Intern will also be able to help college students understand and appreciate their own development.

Activity II-A-1(a): Interns are given an overview of the services of a comprehensive university counseling center during the orientation to the internship. Throughout the year, interns will be involved in training activities, which further involve them in the services of SHS, such as career counseling, emergency services, teaching, and other university student services such as Women’s Success Center and Office of Accessibilities Services.

Activity II-A-1(b): Interns are required to participate in the weekly SHS staff meetings where planning and evaluation of services are carried out. Interns also participate in monthly SHS in-service training, which covers a variety of topics.

Activity II-A-1(c): Didactic training provides interns with an opportunity to discuss clientele and issues that are frequently treated in a counseling center.

Activity II-A-1(d): Interns write and present a curriculum vita entry at the end of the year, which represents the range of services and training activities of the internship.

Activity II-A-2(a): Interns are given an introduction to college student development during orientation. In subsequent intern seminars, interns are given readings in college student development and are given opportunity to discuss the developmental theories and their applications to counseling and other services provided to college students.

Activity II-A-2(b): Interns are required to write and present case descriptions that involve developmental issues in the college student. The case description should identify developmental issues using relevant theory and describe how the counseling in the case was informed by developmental theory.

Assessment:

  1. Approval of seminar leader
  2. Director of Training review of vita entry
  3. Review of post-internship employment
  4. Training Committee review of intern’s developmental case presentation

Objective II-B: Psychotherapy

Intern is an effective psychotherapist.

Competency II-B-1: Intern provides effective counseling and psychotherapy to individuals, groups, and couples using accepted theoretical approaches and appropriate case management techniques. Intern will demonstrate use of empirically supported treatment during the training year.

Activity II-B-1(a): Intern will complete a minimum of 300 hours of individual counseling/psychotherapy. A rating of at least “4” by the end of the year on the Intern Evaluation Form for this area is required for completion.

Activity II-B-1(b): Intern will participate in the delivery of group therapy, as available. Intern will also co-teach Group Psychotherapy classes, as available. Intern will complete 40 hours of group therapy. A rating of at least “4” by the end of the year on the Intern Evaluation Form is required for completion.

Activity II-B-1(c): Intern will complete 10 hours of couples counseling. A rating of at least “4” by the end of the year on the Intern Evaluation Form is required for completion.

Activity II-B-1(d): Intern will write and present a therapy case three times a year to senior staff. The case clearly reflects effectiveness and a theoretical orientation. At least one session of the case is video recorded and reviewed by senior staff. Choosing a theoretical orientation is discussed in didactic seminar sessions during the fall semester.

Activity II-B-1(e): Intern will write and report in didactic seminar a case in which an empirically supported treatment (EST) has been implemented. ESTs are discussed in didactic seminars throughout the year. SHS psychologists who can supervise interns in using ESTs are provided to interns in fall semester.

Assessment:

  1. Supervisor rating on individual, couples, and group therapy on the Intern Evaluation Form. Primary supervisor reviews and signs off on intern case notes and counseling cases.
  2. Seminar leader’s approval of counseling case presentation
  3. Training Committee approval of written case
  4. Supervisor evaluation of use of an EST

Objective II-C: Psychological Assessment and Diagnosis

Intern is effective in diagnosis and psychological assessment.

Competency II-C-1: Intern demonstrates the ability to effectively select, administer, score, interpret, and report psychological assessments in order to accurately diagnose and respond to referral question.

Activity II-C-1(a): Interns participate in at least 6 hours of Diagnosis and Assessment seminars covering administration, diagnosis issues and interpretation.

Activity II-C-1(b): Supervision in assessment is provided by a SHS psychologist with extensive assessment experience. Assessment approaches are discussed as part of individual and group supervision and may include case presentations.

Activity II-C-1(c): Intern will conduct at least 6 psychological assessments, including written report, during the training year. A rating of at least “4” by the end of the year on the Intern Evaluation Form is required for completion of the assessment competency.

Activity II-C-1(d): Intern will submit one written report for review by the Training Committee. Report should be submitted by the 8th month of the internship. Training Committee will provide feedback to the intern.

Assessment:

  1. Supervisor evaluation of intern’s performance of assessments and written reports. The assessment supervisor reviews and signs off on all intern assessment reports.
  2. Review of intern’s final number of completed assessments and written reports.
  3. Approval by Training Committee of intern’s submitted assessment report.

Objective II-D: Crisis Intervention

Intern is able to respond effectively to crisis situations.

Competency II-D-1: Intern understands the need for crisis intervention in a counseling center and is able to effectively assist clients who present to SHS.

Activity II-D-1(a): Interns are given instruction in the SHS crisis management model during the internship orientation and during fall semester in didactic training.

Activity II-D-1(b): Interns are an integral part of the tree hierarchy SHS utilizes to manage crisis services. Interns are required to participate in at least 5 crisis cases during the training year.

Activity II-D-1(c): Crisis cases are discussed weekly during all staff meetings and reviewed by the Director of Mental Health Services, and feedback is given to interns. A rating of at least "4" by the end of the year is required.

Assessment:

  1. Supervisor rating on the Intern Evaluation Form
  2. Training Committee approval of crisis intervention skills

Objective II-E: Outreach, Consultation, and Program Assessment

Intern will be able to provide outreach as well as gain an understanding of the theories and methods of consultation.

Competency II-E-1: Intern will provide outreach in a professional manner that meets the needs of the client.

Competency II-E-2: Intern will gain an understanding of consultation.

Activity II-E-1(a): Intern will plan, prepare, and present an outreach activity. Didactic training will be provided on the topic of outreach.

Activity II-E-1(b): Intern will participate in 12 outreach activities during the year.

Activity II-E-2: Intern will be given 2-4 articles or book chapters on theories and methods of consultation prior to a didactic training which will then later be discussed in a didactic training.

Assessment:

  1. Approval of SHS Training Director
  2. Supervisor ratings on the Intern Evaluation Form of understanding of consultation as well as performance of program outreach
  3. Training Committee approval of outreach program skills

GOAL III

Produce interns who are skilled in the integration of science, theory, and practice of psychology.

Objective III-A: Integration of Science, Theory, and Practice of Psychology

Intern will be an informed consumer of research, theory, and other scholarly works and use these to inform their practice of psychology. Interns will avail themselves of the scientific research to guide them in intervening in assessment and therapy cases.

Competency III-A-1: Intern will evaluate research and scholarly works for their clinical relevance and will use research, theory and scholarly works to inform and evaluate the practice of psychology.

Competency III-A-2: Intern will understand the role of and approaches to learning from practice as a means of continued professional development and of generating research questions.

Activity III-A-1(a): Interns evaluate research literature and other scholarly works as part of the didactic training seminars, supervision, the SHS in-service series, professional development activities and professional conferences they attend.

Activity III-A-1(b): Interns apply research knowledge to their practice of psychology as part of their didactic training and supervision.

Activity III-A-1(c): Interns are given 0-2 hours per week to work on research. Dissertation research is emphasized in order to help the intern move toward completion of the doctoral degree.

Activity III-A-2-(a): Didactic training provides interns with the perspective of integration of research into practice as an additional means of informing practice, generating research questions, and continuing professional development. Interns will share at least two scholarly articles or other sources that were a direct result of generating answers to assessment or therapy cases.

Activity III-A-2(b): Interns are required to reflect upon their practice experiences throughout the training year and to write a paper on what they have learned from their practice during the internship year. They will also write a separate summary of the research and evaluation projects they have been involved in during the internship year. Dissertation work, paper presentations, or articles submitted and/or accepted for publication will be included.

Assessment:

  1. Supervisors’ evaluations of intern’s ability to make use of relevant research, theory, and other scholarly works to inform their practice of psychology
  2. Training Committee approval of intern’s written report on involvement in research and other scholarly activities during the training year
  3. Training Committee approval of intern written report on what they have learned from practice during the internship
A female student sitting on a chair looking at a book with a male student reading in the background. 

Doctoral Psychology Internship Match Policies 

Doctoral Psychology Internship Program

The Student Health Services (SHS) Doctoral Psychology Internship Program is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA).

Our National Computer Match Program Code number is 196011. 

Welcome

Utah Valley University Mental Health Services (MHS) welcomes you to our site, and we hope that you will find answers to your questions as you navigate through all of the information we have provided here. Please feel free to email our Training Director, Kersten "Tess" Haugse White, Ph.D., at [email protected] or call us at (801) 863-7012 if you have further questions.

The APA Doctoral internship offered at UVU is appropriate for post-practicum, pre-doctoral applicants who are students of graduate psychology programs. The student applicant must be post-practicum in training, must be in a program capable of preparing them for licensure as a psychologist, and must be cleared by their program to apply for doctoral internship. Students from APA-Accredited programs are preferred. The internship is structured to provide interns with 2000 hours of accumulated experience, including 500 direct service hours.

The SHS Doctoral Psychology Internship Program is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA).  For more information, contact the Commission on Accreditation at the Office of Consultation and Accreditation:

750 First St., NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
Telephone: (202) 336-5979
TTD/TTY: (202) 336-6123

Mission of the Internship

The overall mission of the SHS Psychology Internship Program is to prepare interns from clinical psychology and counseling psychology doctoral programs to be competent and ethical licensed psychologists. Consistent with this mission, a set of goals, objectives, and competencies guides the training of interns in the program. The goals aim for the preparation of a “generalist” in professional psychology with emphasis on university counseling work.

Program Description

The internship program provides a wide range of training opportunities for interns to increase their knowledge, skill sets, and competencies for entry into the practice of professional psychology. The core competencies the training program emphasizes include:

  • Individual, Couples, and Group Psychotherapy
  • Psychological Assessment, Diagnosis, and Report Writing
  • Crisis Intervention
  • Professional, Ethical, and Legal Practices
  • Supervision Use and Providing Supervision
  • Multicultural and Spiritual Counseling Competency
  • Outreach and Consultation

The Doctoral Psychology Intern position is a part of SHS, a department of Student Life at UVU. At SHS, interns join a team of clinicians who enjoy their work and collaborate well with each other. The environment is friendly and we enjoy having fun. SHS houses both a mental health clinic as well as a medical clinic in an integrated medicine delivery model. Interns are able to interface with medical professionals directly regarding mutual clients. The mental health clinic also engages in training new therapists; interns gain the opportunity to participate in this process by providing supervision to practicum trainees and externs.

Providing individual therapy is the primary clinical activity interns engage in. However, experience in co-leading groups of different varieties exists, as well as opportunity to provide treatment for couples, as this service is frequently sought. Interns participate in psychoeducational assessment with complete batteries of tests to aid in determining learning disabilities, in addition to other assessment services they provide, such as for ADHD. Interns have “on-call” responsibilities (which are generally during regular office hours), as well as provide preventative outreach, such as suicide prevention, to various campus and student organizations. Overall, we train interns in a variety of services with sensitivity to the important ethical and multicultural issues relevant to psychological practice.

Several specific experiences and additional emphases to the program are worth noting:

The setting at UVU provides interns with the opportunity to work in a college environment with college age students and concerns relevant to the college population. UVU has a large student body and is one of the few open enrollment universities in nature. Significant portions of students at UVU are non-traditional in characteristics (for instance, the majority of students work while attending school). As a result, the training program at SHS provides interns opportunity to develop skills and understanding relevant to work in a unique university atmosphere.

The college experience for a student is an important time of growth and development. Students often make significant and challenging transitions during this period of their lives, which can benefit from psychological assistance. Similarly, students can labor under a variety of stressors, circumstances, and psychopathological forces, which can be helped by psychological interventions to enhance their lives as students. Appreciation for developmental, career, personal, and relational identity factors on human behavior is therefore an emphasis in our training program.

Many students at UVU frequently express religious devotion. The cultural significance of religious or spiritual-related issues arises frequently within a counseling context. Similarly, any therapeutic atmosphere often encounters a wide array of diverse but intensely held values. We recognize the different life views of students and their inherent ability to self-define. The internship program thus emphasizes respect and sensitivity towards religious or other values in play in a therapeutic context.

The SHS training program values the integration and use of science, which infuses the services it provides to students. We also recognize the values underlying scientific methodologies. We encourage the valuation and informed use of scientific research into practice as well as the clinical application of scientific thinking about therapeutic practice. Interns have access to and are encouraged to utilize the large online behavioral science database at UVU. Providing effective and scientifically informed services is emphasized at our site.

Training Model

The training model employed by the internship program aims towards the successful development of the intern’s professional identity.

The SHS Doctoral Psychology Internship Program employs a practitioner-scholar training model. The professional practice of psychology is the primary focus of the training program. However, this practice is informed by scholarly inquiry. We acknowledge the education in both the practice and the science of psychology that our interns have received in their doctoral programs (especially since many doctoral programs frequently rely on a scientist-practitioner model of training). While we do not intend to develop interns into research scientists, we do intend to develop them into skilled professionals who utilize scientific research, scientific methods, and scientific-related thinking skills applied to the practice of psychology (e.g., data collection, hypothesis testing, operationalization of constructs, control of variables, outcome evaluation). Doing so builds upon the education interns have received while immersing them in a clinical context under the supervision of seasoned practitioner-scholars of psychology.

Interns are encouraged to use the scientific method in clinical thinking and to assess critically their clinical practice. The practitioner-scholar model asserts that knowledge generated from practice is important and relevant to the profession in a similar fashion as knowledge generated from research. To enhance the evaluative, scientifically-informed practice of psychology, we emphasize a reflective process on the practice of psychology. The integration and use of findings from science, empirically-validated technologies, and accepted scientific theories is encouraged and modeled in the training program, as is a careful and reflective use of knowledge generated from practice. We ask interns to define their views of practice, as well as to reflect on their views of practice as they have developed from their training and learning.

In line with a practitioner-scholar model of training, the program implements a developmental approach to training. Expectations gradually increase relative to intern experience. Training structures are planned to be sequential, cumulative, and graded in complexity. Doctoral Interns progress as practitioners by the experiential immersion of practice occurring systematically and under supervision, allowing for reflection of progress along the way as well as improving upon the skills that develop. The program sequences the training activities and curricula to enable the optimal progression of competencies and skill sets.

While we seek to prepare “generalists” in the practice of professional psychology, the internship also has a philosophy that encourages interns to seek training experiences of particular relevance or interest to them. Individualized experiences are available to tailor training to the desires of the intern while receiving appropriate supervision. Optional training rotations (listed below) are available so they can provide services or participate in diverse activities to aid in their professional development.

Optional Rotations

  • Psychotherapy
  • Psychological Assessment
  • Teaching
  • Research
  • Outreach
  • Administrative
  • Community Engagement

View All Rotations

Training Staff

Typical Weekly Schedule of Activities

The following table shows the service and professional activities in a typical intern's week:

 

Typical Week Breakout of Hours
Service Activities
Individual Psychotherapy 12-16
Case Management/Report Writing 3-5
Psychological Assessment 1-4
Group/Couples Psychotherapy 2-4
Outreach and Consultation 0-2
Emergency Service 0-1
Rotation 4
Supervision of Practicum Student 0-1
Training & Professional Activities
Individual Supervision 2
Group Supervision 3 (General Supervision 1; Assessment Supervision .5; Supervision of Group Therapy .5, Supervision of Prac Student Supervision 1)
Intern Training Seminar 1.5
Consultation with Staff 0-1
Staff Meeting (didactic) 2
In-service Training (didactic) 0-2
Grand Rounds .5 per month
Dissertation/Peer Consultation 1-2
Total Hours = 40 – represents an average

Evaluation Process

Evaluation is an important component in developing interns into competent, ethical, psychologists capable of operating autonomously. The Doctoral Psychology Internship Program strives to ensure interns receive excellent training and that staff involved in the program create an optimal environment. A sequence of formal evaluation occurs three times during the academic year. Informal evaluations occur regularly as a process of ongoing supervision, didactic training, and internal evaluation of the quality of service provision. Self-evaluation is also employed as interns reflect upon their practice and identify needed growth areas in connection with setting goals for each phase of the internship. Interns also utilize training contracts to articulate goals and needed growth areas. Additionally, interns review their articulated goals and progress at every formal evaluation.

In the evaluation process, supervisors use a rating scale covering the core competencies expected of interns. The evaluation form consists of a rating on a seven-point scale of the intern’s present level of functioning in each of the twelve core competencies of the training program. The exit or “completion” criterion on each of the competencies is a rating of at least “4.” A rating of four indicates an intermediate level of competency with mastery of routine skills, some demonstration of advanced skills, and readiness to go on to post-internship supervised experience leading to licensure as a psychologist.

Minimal Expectations for Core Competencies

The following minimal expectations for core competencies have been established in order to insure the quality and thoroughness of the intern’s training experience and to assist in the evaluation of completion criteria for the internship:

 

Activity

Minimal Expectations
Individual Counseling cases per year 50
Individual Counseling hours per year 300+ hours
Couples Counseling cases per year 3
Couples Counseling hours per year 10+ hours
Groups led per year 2-4
Group Counseling hours per year 40+ hours
Assessment & Report cases per year 6-8
Assessment & Report hours per year 50+ hours
Crisis cases per year 5+ hours
Outreach activities per year 12+
Providing supervision (if available) 20+ hours
Discretionary direct service hours 70+ hours
Total Direct Serivce Hours 500 Hours

 

Stipend and Benefits

UVU offers two full-time (40 hours per week), twelve-month doctoral internship appointments, beginning August 1st. The stipend for the internship is $38,445 for the year. Contingent upon a possible cost of living increase, the salary may reach $40,567. The ending date for the internship is July 31st of the following year. Medical and dental insurance is offered. In addition to 13 paid holidays, sick leave and 15 additional days of vacation are provided.  A certain number of vacation days will need to be used for work-related functions such as conferences, dissertation defense, and taking the EPPP.

Mission Statement of Student Health Services

Student Health Services has a staff united in the goal of serving students in a caring and competent manner. We have low cost and available services for UVU students in the areas of medical and psychiatric care, mental health services, learning disability assessment services, and crisis services. We offer life and health enhancing services that increase safety, productivity, and life experience of the individual and the campus.

Application, Qualifications, and Selection Process

There are two doctoral internship slots available. Each applicant must be in good standing in a Ph.D. or Psy.D. program in clinical or counseling psychology and be meeting the necessary requirements of their program to begin an internship.

Successful applicants must also complete a Background Criminal Investigation (BCI). This process will be initiated upon selection.

To apply for our Doctoral Internship, we require that you apply via the APPIC Online site which may be accessed at http://www.appic.org. Your online application must include the following:

  • Completed APPIC Application for Psychology Internship form
  • Verification of Internship and Readiness signed by the Director of Training
  • Official transcripts of graduate work
  • Letters of recommendation from three persons who are familiar with your professional and academic performance

Application is due November 6th.

Statement of Nondiscrimination

Please see the university's policy on discrimination, harassment, and affirmative action: Policy 165

Utah Valley University is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity/ Equal Access Employer and is committed to creating a work environment and organizational culture that celebrates diversity in the form of age, gender, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and every other unique characteristic that brings perspective to our workforce. For more information, go UVU's Office of Equity, Inclusion, Diversity.

About UVU and Orem

Utah Valley University is located in the city of Orem in Utah County about 45 miles south of Salt Lake City. It has a student body of approximately 41,000 students. Utah County has a population of about 600,000 people. Utah Valley University overlooks Utah Lake and is surrounded by the scenic Wasatch Mountain Range. This area and adjacent areas provide a variety of recreational experiences including skiing and all winter sports, hiking, golfing, fishing, hunting, and varied other outdoor sports. The Sundance Ski Resort is within 10 miles from campus, and Park City is a one hour drive from the university. There is housing within walking distance. There is free public transportation.

For more information about the area:

Why UVU?

About the Area

APPIC Match Policies: 2023-2024

Adopted August 9, 2023

The following policies will guide the 2024 APPIC Match and Post-Match Vacancy Service.

Adherence to these policies is a condition of membership in APPIC and of participation in the APPIC Match and/or Post-Match Vacancy Service.

The APPIC Board of Directors, in its sole discretion, may make changes to these policies and/or the published Schedule of Dates in unusual, unforeseen, and/or emergency circumstances.

Phase I of the Match

  • The Rank Order List Submission Deadline is February 2, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
  • Results of the Match will be released on APPIC Phase I Match Day, February 16, 2024.

Phase II of the Match

  • The application deadline (see paragraph 5b) is February 22, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
  • The Rank Order List Submission Deadline is March 13, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
  • Results of the Match will be released on APPIC Phase II Match Day, March 20, 2024.

1. These policies apply to all participants in the APPIC Match or Post-Match Vacancy Service, including internship programs, applicants and doctoral program faculty.

  1. All participants shall abide by their agreements with APPIC for participation in the APPIC Match.

  2. Internship training directors must ensure that all people involved in recruiting or selecting interns understand and adhere to these policies.

  3. Directors of Clinical Training of academic programs with students participating in the APPIC Match or Post-Match Vacancy Service must ensure that their students understand and adhere to these policies.

  4. Violations of Match Agreements and/or APPIC Policies, including the APPIC Match Policies, by applicants or programs may result in sanctions by APPIC (e.g., being barred from future Matches) or legal action by other Match participants. In addition, violations by applicants may result in disciplinary action by the applicants' doctoral and/or internship programs.

2. All participants in the APPIC Match or Post-Match Vacancy Service must meet eligibility requirements and abide by the published Schedule of Dates as shown at natmatch.com/psychint.

  1. Applicants who wish to participate in the APPIC Match must meet the eligibility requirements described in the APPIC Policy on Doctoral Program Associates, including being enrolled in a doctoral program in Health Service Psychology or Professional Psychology that meets the criteria outlined in that Policy.

  2. Applicants who meet the criteria outlined in paragraph 2a above may also participate in the APPIC Post-Match Vacancy Service. Applicants whose doctoral programs do not meet these criteria may participate in the APPIC Post-Match Vacancy Service if their program meets the criteria outlined in paragraphs 1a-1c of the APPIC Policy on Doctoral Program Associates and is approved by APPIC.

  3. Each applicant's academic program has the authority to determine the applicant's eligibility for participation in the Match or Post-Match Vacancy Service and the training sites that the applicant is permitted to apply to, rank, and attend.

  4. All APPIC-member internship programs that have positions available are required to participate in the Match. Non-member programs may not participate in the APPIC Match or Post-Match Vacancy Service.

3. Internship programs must offer all of their internship positions in Phase I of the APPIC Match.

  1. Positions for which funding is not assured should not be offered in the Match.

  2. Positions that are not filled in Phase I of the Match must be offered in Phase II of the Match, in accordance with paragraph 10 and its subparagraphs below.

  3. Positions that are not offered in Phase I of the Match, such as positions for which funding becomes assured after the Phase I Rank Order List deadline or newly created positions, must be offered in Phase II of the Match, in accordance with paragraph 10 and its subparagraphs below.

  4. Positions that are not offered in Phase I or Phase II of the Match can be communicated and/or offered to applicants only after the results of Phase II of the Match are released, in accordance with paragraph 11 and its subparagraphs below.

4. Match participants (including applicants, internship programs, and doctoral programs) must provide complete and accurate information to other Match participants, APPIC, and National Matching Services Inc.

  1. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information to all internship sites to which they apply.

  2. Applicants and their doctoral programs must immediately notify all internship sites to which the applicant has applied in the event of any substantive change to: (i) the applicant's standing with their doctoral program (e.g., disciplinary action, being put on probation, failing a practicum); (ii) the information provided in the application materials (e.g., professional conduct items), or (iii) the applicant's eligibility to apply to or attend an internship. Similarly, such changes must be communicated to the internship site to which an applicant has matched, both before and during the internship training year.

  3. Internship programs must provide complete and accurate information to applicants concerning the internship position(s) available through the Match or Post-Match Vacancy Service, including all institutional and program policies related to eligibility requirements for appointment (e.g., successfully passing a drug test or background check). Substantive changes to internship programs and/or training experiences must be communicated to applicants in a timely manner.
  4. APPIC strongly discourages doctoral programs from requesting or requiring separate contracts or agreements with internship programs to which their students match. In the event that such a contract or agreement is requested or required, this expectation (along with the content of the contract or agreement) must be fully disclosed by academic Directors of Clinical Training at the time of application to all internship programs to which each student applies. Such disclosures may result in some internship programs choosing not to interview or rank students from doctoral programs that request or require contracts or agreements.
  5. APPIC strongly discourages internship programs from requesting or requiring separate contracts or agreements with the doctoral programs of their matched interns. In the event that such a contract or agreement is requested or required, this expectation (along with the content of the contract or agreement) must be fully disclosed no later than January 15th to all students who may be ranked by the internship program along with their academic Directors of Clinical Training. Such disclosures may result in some doctoral programs choosing not to allow their students to rank internship programs that request or require contracts or agreements.

5. For both Phase I and Phase II of the APPIC Match, the AAPI application service must be used by applicants to apply to all internship programs that are participating in the Match. For both Phases of the Match, all applications must be submitted using the AAPI, and no site may request a printed copy of an applicant's application materials.

  1. Internship programs and applicants must abide by the APPIC AAPI Supplemental Materials Policy, which states that the only supplemental materials that may be requested by internship programs or submitted by internship applicants are (a) a treatment or case summary, and (b) a psychological evaluation report.

  2. All programs participating in Phase II of the Match must accept applications until the application deadline for Phase II established by APPIC. Programs may elect to continue accepting applications for Phase II beyond the application deadline, but are not required to do so.

6. For Phase I of the Match, internship programs that conduct interviews must make a reasonable effort to notify every applicant who submits a complete set of application materials as to their interview status.

  1. Sites that conduct open houses to which all applicants are invited and conduct no other interviews are exempt from this interview notification requirement (this exemption should be clearly stated in sites' APPIC Directory listings and/or public materials).

  2. Notification of interview status for Phase I of the Match must occur no later than the interview notification date that appears in the program's APPIC Directory listing and/or other publicity materials, and may be communicated via e-mail, telephone, regular mail (to be received no later than the interview notification date), or other means.

  3. For Phase II of the Match, notification of interview status is not required.

7. The communication of ranking information, which includes intention to rank or the position of any applicant or program on a Rank Order List, must adhere to the subparagraphs below.

  1. The following are not permitted:
    1. Internship sites must never request any ranking information from any applicant, even after the Match results are released.
    2. Applicants (or other individuals acting on their behalf, such as doctoral program faculty) must never request any ranking information from any internship site, even after the Match results are released.
    3. Internship sites must not communicate to any applicant the positioning of any applicant on their Rank Order Lists for either Phase of the Match, even through veiled or indirect communication, prior to the release of the results for Phase II of the Match.
    4. Applicants must not communicate to any internship site the positioning of any program on their Rank Order Lists for either Phase of the Match, even through veiled or indirect communication, prior to the release of the results for Phase II of the Match.

  2. The following are permitted, but not required:
    1. Sites and applicants are allowed to communicate about matters that do not involve the sharing of ranking information.
    2. Internship programs may choose to inform applicants as to whether or not the applicants remain under consideration for admission (e.g., whether or not the applicants will be ranked).
    3. Following the release of the results for Phase II of the Match, internship programs and applicants may voluntarily disclose their rankings, but are not obliged to do so.

  3. Internship programs must include the following statement on their websites and in their brochures: "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."

  4. Internship sites that offer more than one program in the APPIC Match (i.e., sites with more than one program code number) are expected to ask applicants to identify the site's programs to which they are applying. In addition, these sites may, for the sole purpose of arranging interviews, ask applicants to designate their preferences regarding the programs at the site for which they wish to be interviewed. These sites may request interview preference information only when it is essential for making interview arrangements, and such information may not be used for any other purpose in the selection process. Furthermore, these sites may not solicit any information about applicants' rankings of programs. Sites requesting interview preferences must state clearly in their written materials that these preferences will be used for arranging interviews only and for no other purpose.

  5. Any ranking information communicated between applicants and internship programs, even if such communication is a violation of these policies, is non-binding and subject to change at any time prior to the Rank Order List submission deadline. The only binding rankings are the confidential Rank Order Lists that are submitted to the APPIC Match.

8. Results of the APPIC Match constitute binding agreements between applicants, internship programs, and APPIC that may not be reversed without APPIC's consent.

  1. Failure to receive timely notification of the APPIC Match results, for any reason, does not constitute a release from the obligations of the APPIC Match.

  2. Appointments of applicants to internship positions may be contingent upon the applicants satisfying certain eligibility requirements. Such eligibility requirements must be clearly specified in the internship programs' written materials and provided to applicants in advance of the deadline for submitting rankings for the APPIC Match.

  3. Internship training directors are encouraged to contact matched applicants by telephone as soon as possible after (but not before) 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on the APPIC Match Day for each Phase of the Match. On each APPIC Match Day, no contact between internship sites and matched applicants should occur prior to 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
  4. It is not necessary for internship training directors to contact applicants with whom they have not been matched.

9. Internship training directors must put in writing their appointment agreements with matched applicants in letters postmarked or e-mailed no later than 7 days following receipt of the APPIC Match results for each Phase of the Match.

  1. Letters must be addressed to the applicants and must include confirmation of conditions of the appointment, such as stipend, fringe benefits, and the dates on which the internship begins and ends.

  2. Copies of these appointment letters must be sent simultaneously to applicants' academic Directors of Clinical Training.

10. Positions that remain unfilled in Phase I of the Match must be offered in Phase II of the Match. Positions not offered in Phase I of the Match, such as positions for which funding becomes assured after the Phase I Rank Order List deadline or newly created positions, must also be offered in Phase II.

  1. Applicants who register for Phase I of the Match and who do not obtain a position in Phase I (e.g., those who withdraw or remain unmatched) are eligible to participate in Phase II of the Match. Applicants who match to a position in Phase I are not eligible to participate in Phase II. Applicants who do not register for Phase I cannot register for or participate in Phase II.

  2. All positions at an internship site that remain unfilled in Phase I of the Match must be offered to applicants in Phase II of the Match. A site can decide not to offer an unfilled position in Phase II only if it decides not to fill the position in the program for the coming year (e.g., anticipated loss of funding, shifting of funding to other purposes). Removing an unfilled position from Phase II of the Match for any other reason requires APPIC approval.

  3. Internship programs with positions that are offered in Phase II of the Match may not take any actions to publicize or fill these positions prior to 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on APPIC Phase I Match Day. Applicants who do not obtain a position in Phase I of the Match, along with other individuals acting on their behalf (e.g., doctoral program faculty), may not contact internship programs about available positions in Phase II prior to 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on APPIC Phase I Match Day. All applications to programs for Phase II of the Match must be submitted using the AAPI, as specified in paragraph 5 above.

11. Upon completion of both Phases of the APPIC Match, internship programs that have one or more open positions may publicize these positions in the Post-Match Vacancy Service or by other means. Programs may make offers of admission (verbal or written) to eligible applicants who are not already matched, even if those applicants did not participate in the APPIC Match.

  1. Internship programs that have or anticipate having open positions after completion of Phase II of the Match may not take any actions to publicize or fill these positions prior to 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on APPIC Phase II Match Day. Applicants who anticipate using the Post-Match Vacancy Service, along with other individuals acting on their behalf (e.g., doctoral program faculty), may not contact internship programs about open positions in the Post-Match Vacancy Service prior to 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on APPIC Phase II Match Day.

  2. Prior to making offers to fill open positions, internship training directors must verify with applicants, to the best of their abilities, that the applicants have not previously been matched to other internship programs nor accepted other offers.

  3. Prior to making offers to fill open positions, internship training directors must ensure that doctoral programs have verified their applicants' eligibility and readiness for internship. Such verification can occur via a review of the appropriate application materials and/or via direct communication with the doctoral programs.
  4. Applicants may not accept an offer if they have been matched or have already accepted an offer from another internship program.
  5. An offer (verbal or written) that has been tendered by an internship program and accepted by an applicant constitutes a binding agreement between the program, the applicant, and APPIC that may not be reversed without APPIC's consent.
  6. The internship training director must put in writing the appointment agreement with the applicant in a letter postmarked or e-mailed no later than 7 days following acceptance of the offer by the applicant, as described in paragraphs 9a and 9b above.

12. Individuals who perceive violations of these policies are urged to request compliance with APPIC policies from the appropriate party (parties).

  1. Unresolved compliance problems should be resolved informally, whenever possible, through consultation among applicants, internship training directors, academic Directors of Clinical Training, and/or APPIC, or by other informal means. APPIC sponsors an "Informal Problem Consultation" process (described on the APPIC website) that is recommended for use in addressing these issues.
  2. Internship training directors who become aware of violations of these policies by other internship training directors should (a) urge the affected applicants and academic Directors of Clinical Training to follow the informal resolution procedures described above, (b) directly contact the other internship training directors, and/or (c) use the APPIC "Informal Problem Consultation" process.
  3. Perceived violations of APPIC Policies and/or the Match Agreements that are not resolved informally may be submitted as a formal complaint to APPIC. Formal complaints are investigated by APPIC, and the APPIC Board of Directors will ultimately determine the course of action. Instructions for filing a formal complaint are available on the APPIC website.

Optional Rotations 

Interns work in each rotation for approximately four hours per week. In some cases, it is possible for an intern to contract to do two rotations in a training phase (e.g., two hours each). Typically, one of the licensed SHS psychologists supervises them in the rotation.  As some rotations are dependent on the needs of the specialized area and/or availability of supervisors, not all rotations are available each semester and may not even be available in a given training year.  With this said, we will try to meet the interests of each intern to the best of our ability. While the rotations have typically been carried out in one of the following areas, it is possible for an intern to suggest a new rotation that optimally meets their training interests and needs.

Two people walking up a set of stairs talking to on another.

Optional Rotations

Psychotherapy

In addition to the normal therapeutic services interns provide, additional opportunity to provide therapy can function as a rotation. If no other rotation is selected, this will become the default rotation for the 4-hour time slot. It is suggested that interns interested in more therapy service delivery qualify their rotation in this regard by modality, emphasizing either group therapy, couples therapy, or individual therapy. In the case of individual therapy, an emphasis should be selected such as population (i.e., specific diversity) and/or treatment type (e.g., substance abuse).

Diversity

Interns interested in gaining more experience in diversity related activities can choose to do the Diversity Rotation.  Additional diversity opportunities may include: helping to develop and offer diversity trainings to the SHS staff or other people in the UVU community, working on programs with Multicultural Student Services, and creating diversity related material to distribute to the campus.

Teaching

Opportunities for teaching a variety of Behavioral Science credit courses are available for interns. For an idea of courses that are taught at UVU, see the course catalog. To be eligible for this rotation, interns will need to apply for a Behavioral Science adjunct faculty position. While UVU employs a variety of adjunct faculty, courses are first-come, first-serve, and are coordinated with the adjunct faculty advisor in the Behavioral Science department.

Research

If an intern desires further work in clinically-oriented psychology research, this rotation should be chosen. Interns can make research proposals or participate in research lines of interest to them. Discuss your interests with the Training Committee. If deemed appropriate, such proposals can be treated as a rotation and the intern will be paired with a supervisor experienced in research construction and activity or with a colleague in the Behavioral Science department at UVU. This rotation should be distinguished from work on the intern’s dissertation (especially since time can already be allotted for dissertation work).

Outreach

In addition to an intern’s normal outreach activities, an intern desiring additional experience with outreach may elect this rotation. Additional outreach can involve working with a variety of departments on campus. Providing psychoeducational seminars and providing preventative interventions such as the “Question, Persuade, Refer” Suicide Prevention Program may also form a significant part of this rotation.

Additional Rotations

It is possible to create a specialized rotation that addresses the interests and needs of the intern. As the majority of these rotations involve departments and entities outside of Student Health Services, their availability cannot be guaranteed.  Although the intern will have the support and assistance of the Training Director of the Doctoral Internship Program and the Clinical Director of Mental Health Services, it is primarily the responsibility of the intern to establish a specialized rotation. Past examples of such rotations include:

Administrative: The Mental Health Clinic at SHS often engages in a variety of administrative responsibilities and activities that may include being involved with activities related to interfacing with other campus departments, engaging in program development and implementation, or quality assurance activities. This may also include participation with UVU’s Behavioral Assessment Team (which functions as the threat assessment team for UVU).

Autism Spectrum: Housed on the UVU campus is the Melisa Nellesen Center for Autism, which provides education, resources, and support to the university and the community. The goal is to help students on the spectrum to manage their academic, interpersonal, and work demands while also addressing any additional mental health needs.

UVU’s Women's Success Center: This center’s focus is to address low enrollment and graduation of women at Utah Valley University.  Their programs are designed to help students stay on course and graduate. Although these programs are designed specifically for women, they are available to every student on campus.

Community Engagement: UVU proactively seeks ways to interface with the broader community and prides itself on its community engagement. Work in areas germane to the field of psychology in the broader community can provide interns with varied experience not typical of the university atmosphere, as well as provide services to individuals in the community who are or may become UVU students.