Mission and Philosophy of Training

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is a comprehensive counseling center whose mission is to support the broad academic mission of the university--to establish and enhance excellence in its academic and professional programs. Its primary charge is to provide services which promote the psychological health of Northwestern students, to enhance their functioning in academic and professional programs and in the university/social environment. This charge is carried out by trained mental health professionals who specialize in the psychological development and needs of students at all levels. The core competencies of CAPS professionals include psychological counseling and therapy, consultation, crisis management, outreach, training, and research.

As a significant core competency, CAPS has made a commitment to the training and development of mental health professionals who are pursuing advanced degrees. It upholds a developmental/mentor model of training, which emphasizes the acquisition and progressive advancement of professional skills and identity through apprenticeship to and supportive collaboration with experienced mental health practitioners. Through supervision, modeling, teaching, and collaboration the training staff demonstrate the many roles and competencies of mental health practitioners who remain informed through the continuous, advanced study of the professional literature. Trainees at CAPS range from advanced graduate students to predoctoral interns to postdoctoral fellows. Professional development along the continuum toward expert practitioner is promoted through a process of graduated apprenticeship. The professional tasks expected of trainees increase over time in intensity, frequency, duration, complexity, and difficulty; and trainees progress from a position of dependency on the knowledge and guidance of supervisors and trainers, to interdependency, to independent practice that is collegial and collaborative. Because development is viewed as lifelong and spanning the duration of one's professional career, CAPS also promotes the continuing education of all its staff through in-service programs, case conferences, and other staff development activities.

Apprenticeship is at the core of many training activities, especially in the early stage of the training year. When developing a new skill, trainees learn by observation and then by doing, working collaboratively with individual supervisors and training staff to observe how professional practice is conducted within a university counseling center. In many cases, trainees initially co-conduct an activity (e.g. outreach program) or clinical service (e.g., intake assessment interview, therapy group) with a supervisor or other member of the training staff. This permits the use of trainer modeling and allows for increasing degrees of trainee involvement and responsibility until it is mutually determined that the trainee is ready to provide the service more independently while still utilizing supervision and training meetings for consultation and guidance. Ongoing mentoring occurs through didactic learning, modeling, direct supervision, and collaborative service delivery. All components of the CAPS Training Program seek to exemplify this model of training, and its policies and procedures are developed within this context.

The CAPS Training Program is primarily comprised of its APA-Accredited Predoctoral Internship in Professional Psychology, and its Practicum Externship Program. In its history it has also trained Post-Doctoral Fellows, Psychiatry Residents, and Social Work Interns.

Diversity among trainees and staff in terms of academic, theoretical, ethnic/cultural, disability, sexual orientation, and experiential backgrounds is highly valued in bringing a range of perspectives to bear upon the sensitivity and relevance of CAPS' mission. In addition to advancing their own professional growth during the training year, it is expected that interns and externs will contribute significantly to the Center's general mission in meeting the needs of Northwestern students for psychological services and in enriching the ongoing development of other trainees and staff.

Professional Affiliations

CAPS aspires to promote the highest standards of professional training in psychology and participates in local and national organizations to remain informed of and involved in issues current to the profession. The Predoctoral Internship is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) Committee on Accreditation to 2011. CAPS is also a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) and the Association for Counseling Center Training Agencies (ACCTA).

The American Psychological Association Committee on Accreditation can be reached at (202) 336-5979 or at 750 First St., NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242.