TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

Interns are given opportunities to shape their internship experience through various clinical experiences within their primary site. Interns and supervisors work together at the beginning of the training year to develop a breadth of training opportunities commensurate with the intern’s training goals and interests along with the specific needs of the program. Interns will do at least 15-20 hours of direct service at their rotation.

Research

Given the importance of contributing to the scholarly literature/professional community, Interns may also have the opportunity to work collaboratively on writing and/or research projects with supervisors on-site. Interns at all sites are encouraged to present their dissertation findings through didactic presentations to the staff, interns and practicum students.

LCHC provides opportunities for interns to work collaboratively with supervisors on research and program development projects as the need arises. Opportunities have included group curriculum development; workshop presentations; and seminars, posters, and published abstracts for professional conferences (such as Illinois Psychological Association, Collaborative Family Healthcare Association etc.). In each case, the intern works side-by-side with a supervisor or other behavioral health staff member to propose, develop and present the project. These opportunities are intended to provide mentorship/role modeling for interns regarding the importance of being both a good consumer of the professional literature, and actively contributing to the literature and applied clinical practice.

Hesed and Meier Clinics encourage the consumption of scholarly research and facilitate regular interaction with current research literature through a weekly journal club discussion. In addition, interns are encouraged to engage in contributing to the existing body of research literature by pursuing individual or group research study. Ample data is available on site at Hesed for scholarly inquiry.

CCCOC interns also have opportunities to be involved in program evaluation research, specifically the evaluation of school-based programs focused on social-emotional learning. Opportunities include researching best practices; helping to design program curriculum and materials; collecting data on a regular basis; and assisting in data analyses. Interns also have the opportunity to collaborate on current research projects or design their own. Interns may pursue presentation or publication opportunities if interested. OCCC interns may also participate in research related to researching and designing groups and/or writing projects as the opportunity arises.

Supervision

CACTC-Stock-4Interns receive a minimum of 2-3 hours per week of individual supervision with licensed psychologists within CACTC. Supervision encompasses all activities, including psychotherapy/behavioral health consultation, providing supervision (to BA, MA or practicum students), psychological consultation, program development and testing. Interns participate in ongoing peer supervision activities with staff at their primary site, including opportunities for live supervision/shadowing at some sites and observation of colleagues in professional activities. The style of supervision may also vary depending on the setting. For example, interns at LCHC participate in more “in vivo”/shadowing supervision given the nature of their setting (i.e., a medical clinic).

Further feedback is provided through group supervision, treatment team meetings, and case presentations in staffings. Supervisors and interns are encouraged to enhance supervision through techniques such as co-therapy, direct observation, and video or audio tape recordings to be utilized during weekly supervision.

Verbal and written evaluations of intern performance are provided in January and at the completion of the internship program. In preparing the evaluations, the supervising psychologists include their own observations/conclusions, as well as incorporating feedback from other supervising professionals. The CACTC Director will submit a copy of these evaluations to the intern’s graduate programs.

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