Staff Psychologist and Director of Internship Training - The Catholic University of America

Posting Title:Staff Psychologist and Director of Internship TrainingOverview:

Direct the Doctoral Internship program.  Provide professional mental health services (i.e., counseling and psychotherapy) to the CUA student community, and supervision and training for DC area graduate students in mental health fields.  The staff psychologist and director of internship training also participates in the Counseling Center’s learning assistance, consultative, outreach, educational, assessment/referral, and emergency response programs and services.

Responsibilities:

Counseling and Psychotherapy 

• Provide individual psychotherapy and academic counseling to full-time CUA undergraduates and graduate students who may be experiencing psychological, behavioral, emotional, or learning difficulties.
• Complete required administrative paperwork including writing intake and termination summaries and filing paper copies in the client’s paper file, entering typed progress notes for every session into the client database, and writing individual trainee evaluations.

Assessment and Referral

• Assess, evaluate and make treatment recommendations to new clients presenting with concerns including depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, disordered eating, relationship problems, family concerns, and academic difficulties.
• Refer students to resources both within CUA (e.g., the Counseling Center’s Staff Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner; Student Health Services; Office of Disability Support Services; Office of the Dean of Students) and outside of CUA (e.g., private practitioners or community agencies), in order to meet student needs that exceed the scope of services (or resources) of the Counseling Center.

Supervision and Training

• Direct the Doctoral Psychology Internship program, including the following duties:
  • Plan and manage comprehensive intern Counseling Center orientation held each August during the first two weeks of internship
  • Arrange for Human Resources orientation (insurance, parking, tax forms)
  • Facilitate access to relevant technology used by interns (e.g., CUA computer network, access to Titanium Schedule software, use of iPads for videorecording therapy and supervision sessions)
  • Explain Counseling Center procedures and policies and provide updated intern manual to the interns by the beginning of each new internship year
  • Oversee assignment of supervisees to various facets of their internship (e.g., individual and group supervision)
  • Assist new interns in planning training for various campus constituencies (e.g., Resident Advisors and Student Ministers) during new student Orientation in the fall, and throughout the year in collaboration with the Counseling Center’s Director of Outreach
  • Coordinate recruitment of interns, including the process of internship application review, interviews, and selection of prospective interns for the APPIC Match system
  • Conduct self-study, coordinate site visits, and collect and organize all needed data for American Psychological Association accreditation/reaccreditation
  • Update internship website as needed—add and update information about internship program
  • Collect supervision ratings from intern supervisors
  • Review evaluations of intern seminars
  • Collect data from files regarding stats on clients seen by interns
  • Collect outcome information about interns—jobs, licensure, professional activities involved in after internship.
  • Final written evaluations of interns, to be discussed with interns & supervisors
  • If needed, write final letter of completion of internship to interns’ graduate programs
  • Letters of recommendation for interns applying for jobs
  • Renew memberships and facilitate payment of dues/fees
  • Send out letters of acceptance and information to new interns
  • Plan seminars for current interns throughout internship
  • Meet with current interns weekly
  • End of year individual feedback meeting- individual meeting to assess internship
  • Gather feedback about supervision, training, clinical work, policies.
  • Meet with Director and other staff to implement changes for next internship year
  • Have internship completion certificates printed and signed

• Serve as designated individual and/or group supervisor for graduate student interns and externs.
• Watch and evaluate video recordings of treatment sessions conducted by trainees.
• Evaluate, edit, and sign trainees' intake and termination summaries and progress notes.
• Guide trainees in the planning and implementation of effective and appropriate treatment interventions.
• Assist in the recruitment of advanced graduate student externs in the mental health professions.
• Participate in orientations for new Counseling Center graduate student therapists in training.
• Participate in orientations and training for institutional professionals and paraprofessionals, including but not limited to emergency first responders, service providers, and educators.

Outreach, Consultation, and Educational Programming 

• Participate in forums and workshops to address the developmental needs of students to maximize the potential of students to benefit from the academic environment and experience.
• Provide counseling and learning assistance information to prospective students, current students, families, faculty, and staff.
• Educate university community members regarding legal and ethical issues in mental health and higher education, and in the provision of counseling services.
• Consult with students, faculty, staff, parents, and outside mental health professionals regarding issues related to CUA students’ mental health.
• Provide outreach for crisis preparedness, response and recovery.
• Represent the Counseling Center by serving on various University committees (e.g., Orientation Planning Committee; search committees for new staff members in other offices within the Division of Student Affairs).
• Maintain professional skills/licensure through participation in continuing education activities, such as those found at national and local conferences and symposia.

Learning Assistance Services

• Participate in learning assistance programs that help foster the skills and strategies to help students become independent and active learners and to achieve academic success.
• Assist students with special learning needs and disabilities.

Emergency Response   

• Provide emergency consultation by phone and in person to campus personnel regarding on-campus mental health emergencies (e.g. suicidal ideation/attempts,
• students who are a danger to themselves or others) that arise both during and outside of business hours. 

Qualifications:

Five (5) to six (6) years to earn doctoral degree, including at least three years’ worth of clinical placements plus a full-time, one-year pre-doctoral internship.

Required doctorate in counseling psychology, clinical psychology or related discipline from an APA-accredited program. Licensure or demonstrated immediate eligibility for licensure in the District of Columbia.