COUNSELING AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES

Does the program or institution require students, trainees, and/or staff (faculty) to comply with specific policies or practices related to the institution’s affiliation or purpose?  Such policies or practices may include, but are not limited to, admissions, hiring, retention policies, and/or requirements for completion that express mission and values.

Briefly describe in narrative form important information to assist potential applicants in assessing their likely fit with your program. This description must be consistent with the program's policies on intern selection and practicum and academic preparation requirements:

The Northwestern CAPS Doctoral Internship provides strong generalist training to prepare interns to function effectively as psychologists in a college counseling center or similar clinical setting.  Interns gain experience in providing essential college mental health services, including intake assessment, individual and group therapy, rapid access and crisis intervention, community-based intervention/outreach, clinical consultation, advocacy, case management, and clinical supervision. To support the psychological well-being of clients and the broader NU student community, interns routinely interact and collaborate with members of our diverse and multidisciplinary staff of psychologists, counselors, clinical social workers, and psychiatrists—as well as CAPS’s campus partners. Clients of CAPS present with a range of clinical concerns and treatment needs, and staff are committed to understanding psychological illness and wellness in the context of clients’ social and cultural realities.  CAPS is a dynamic and fast-paced workplace, and our supervision, mentorship, and training curriculum support and challenge our Doctoral Interns to thrive as emerging professionals in this environment.

Does the program require that applicants have received a minimum number of hours of the following at time of application?  If Yes, indicate how many:

Total Direct Contact Intervention Hours:  YES                                        Amount:  At least 350 by October 1^st.

Total Direct Contact Assessment Hours:   NO

Describe any other required minimum criteria used to screen applicants:

To be considered for the CAPS Internship Program, applicants must fulfill the following criteria at the time of application submission:

• Current enrollment in an APA-accredited (or CPA-accredited) doctoral program in counseling or clinical psychology.
• Successful completion of doctoral comprehensive or qualifying exams.
• A minimum of 350 intervention hours from practica by October 1st as stated above, and a minimum of 1,200 total practicum hours. Refer to the AAPI for what constitutes "Intervention Experience." These hours may also include practicum training during a terminal master’s program. Although we value applicants' non-practicum clinical work in mental health services (e.g., jobs, volunteer work) in considering applicants' background and experience in the field, hours of non-practicum services should not be counted towards this criterion.
• Approval by the academic training program verifying readiness for internship.
• Completion of all required coursework and practica prior to the starting date of the internship.
• Favorable consideration will be given to applicants who will have completed or made substantial progress toward the completion of their dissertation by the start of the internship year. 

at least $42,000

• 22.5 hours of professional development time (for graduation attendance, dissertation defense, job interviews)
• Typically 10 university holidays (in addition to vacation and sick leave time listed above)
• Interns choose from health insurance options available to other Northwestern employees and cost of premium is deducted monthly from paycheck for the chosen plan; options to include a spouse and dependents are available.
• Interns are provided individual offices, laptop and docking station, internet, access to printer/copier/fax machine, digital recording technology, and phone/voicemail.
• As Northwestern employees, interns have Northwestern e-mail accounts, business cards, access to library resources, and discounts at local merchants.