MASTERS INTERNS

Michigan State University
Counseling Center
Masters Internship


January 11, 2009 - May 7, 2009

Training Director: J. Tawa Sina, Ph.D.

Overview

The Michigan State University Counseling Center (MSUCC) offers training to graduate students in counseling and related mental health programs. The internship is a full-time, semester placement (40 hours/week). Three emphases of the training program make this internship different from other generalist outpatient settings:

College Student Development - The purpose of our services are to help all students succeed by facilitating wellness. We provide services within an educational context and support the academic mission of the university.

Multicultural Competence - MSUCC provides services to a multicultural population. An important goal of the training program is to help trainees acquire cultural awareness, knowledge, and skills within a diverse university community.

Psychotherapy Integration - MSUCC provides multi-theoretical training in psychotherapy. Trainees are taught to combine ideas and strategies from several different theories of psychotherapy based on the needs of individual clients.

Major Concentrations (emphasized throughout the internship year):

  • Individual Psychotherapy
  • Career Counseling
  • Group Therapy

Training Model

The MSUCC Masters Internship embraces a philosophy of experiential learning and endorses a practitioner-scholar model of training that emphasizes practical experience and clinical supervision. As a result of completing this internship, you will display awareness, knowledge, and skills related to individual treatment, outreach, and group psychotherapy. An emphasis on ethical and professional development, ethical conduct, and multicultural competence will be infused throughout internship training.

Objectives

  • Psychotherapy Integration
  • Conceptualizing clients from different perspectives. Recognizing how different approaches can result in equally valid viewpoints.
  • Learning skills and techniques from cognitive, behavioral, humanistic, psychodynamic, and multicultural approaches.
  • Working with clients to choose the best approaches (collaborative integration).
  • Gaining experience and wisdom in when and how to apply specific techniques with individual clients.

Therapeutic Style

  • Recognizing one's own personal preferences and strengths (assimilative integration).
  • Understanding the role of personality, self-disclosure, and humor in developing therapeutic relationships.
  • Knowing when to cultivate the relationship and when to apply formal psychotherapeutic techniques.
  • Working fluidly with emergent client issues.

Weekly Schedule

The MSUCC internship is a 40 hour-per-week commitment. Your weekly schedule should include the following components:

  1. Direct Service
    • 20 - Individual Client hours
    • 3 - Community Interventions
    • 2 - Group hours
  2. Supervision and Training
    • 2 - Individual Clinical Supervision hours
    • 2 - Group Supervision hours
    • 4 - Internship Seminar hours
  3. Other Training Opportunities
    • 4 - Meetings & Special projects
    • 3 – Documentation and Communication hours

Supervision and Training

The MSUCC Internship attempts to provide a balance of challenge and support. You will meet weekly with an individual clinical supervisor, who will be a full-time pre-doctoral psychology intern. Your supervision is closely monitored by a fully licensed clinician who will be clearly identified and accessible to you should there be need. You will also meet with the Training Director at least once each semester (or more, if needed) to review your overall experience at MSUCC.

Other Requirements

  • Recording
    • Internship Counselors will be required to record all of their ongoing counseling sessions. Therefore, you will only be assigned clients who consent to recording. Recording is necessary to aid supervision and ensure high quality services. Generally, the more you review your own sessions and use them in supervision, the more you will grow as a counselor.
  • Professional & Ethical Conduct
    • You are expected to behave professionally and ethically at all times. It is expected that you will abide by the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct established by the American Psychological Association (APA, 2002) or the code put forward by your professional group.
  • Vacation / Professional Leave
    • The internship experience is a semester placement that coincides with the university calendar. You are expected to document 600 hours of time on-site. If you are going to be out-of-town or need professional leave, you may negotiate this with the Training Director

Application

  • Send
    • Cover letter / request for consideration
    • Resume
  • To:

J. Tawa Sina, Ph.D., Training Director and Talitha Easterly

Michigan State University Counseling Center , MA Internship

207 Student Services Building

East Lansing , MI 48824-1113

Deadline for Application is 10/15/08