Practicum Internship
PROGRAM PHILOSOPHY
The University of Oregon Counseling and Testing Center subscribes to a practitioner-scholar model of training. The major goal of the practicum internship training program is to provide high quality learning experiences to practicum interns in counseling or clinical psychology.
The primary objectives of this nine-month practicum internship are to train counselors:
- To learn about the phases of therapy (rapport-building, empathy and affective facilitation, cognitive and behavioral work, and termination).
- To broaden exposure to various theoretical orientations in order to improve case conceptualization skills.
- To increase in-session risk-taking with clients, i.e. “Feel the fear and do it anyway".
- To increase awareness of issues related to diversity and ethics.
- To develop skills in conceptualizing and intervening with differing client concerns.
- To participate in facilitating the growth of peers through support and constructive feedback.
- To learn to take responsibility for getting training needs met and developing skills related to working with a team of professionals, including seeking out those staff most appropriate for consultation about client issues.
The secondary learning options of this nine-month practicum internship are:
- To learn outreach approaches for prevention on a college campus.
- To learn intake assessment, crisis intervention, and disposition skills.
- To develop skill in group therapy through observation and possible co-leadership.
These tasks will be met by supervision, practicum seminar, case management team experiences, case presentations, professional development trainings, clinical experiences, and through the trainee’s own interactions with staff and peers. The University Counseling & Testing Center has a strong commitment to training new professionals and welcomes student involvement in our center.
This is a nine month/16 hour a week practicum internship which meets the requirements for doctoral level practicum students. The program is designed to train counselors in the formation of an integrated professional identity, enhancing basic professional skills for establishing therapeutic relationships, and conceptualizing and providing treatment for a diverse population of students at the University of Oregon. The center is a very supportive environment to do in-depth training on how to do therapy. Previous practicum interns have commented on the “family like” and supportive atmosphere.
Counselors have the opportunity to practice both long and short-term individual therapy with students who have a wide range of concerns and who come from varied backgrounds (i.e., race, ethnicity, culture, etc.). The Counseling and Testing Center is an APA approved training site (for more about the UO Internship Program). Two hours individual clinical supervision, a two hour training seminar and a clinical consultation team, are provided weekly.
The Center is staffed by eleven senior clinical staff (including psychologists and staff therapists), five doctoral interns from programs nationwide, three psychometrists, and four administrative staff. (Staff profiles) The Counseling and Testing Center is student fee funded and strives to be responsive to all student needs from a multicultural, community mental health model.
For more information contact Brian Parks at 346-3227. To apply for the 09-10 academic year, please send your current vita, cover letter expressing why you would like to do a practicum at UCTC, along with three letters of recommendation to the UO Counseling Center, 1590 E. 13th, Eugene, OR 97403-1280. Selection will begin in March or April 2009.
|