We are delighted that you are interested in our Doctoral Internship in Health Service Psychology! We understand that making a decision about where you will spend your internship year is very important. With that in mind, we want to share with you as much information as possible to assist in making a choice that is best for you. We hope that you will find answers to any questions that you have about our internship training site in the links below.

Some notable features of our internship include the wide variety of training opportunities related to counseling center specialty work, a focus on multicultural competence and working relationally with clients, and a range of group therapy and supervision opportunities. Additionally, we offer a warm, supportive, collaborative, and fun working environment. Our staff is large enough to represent a diversity of styles and perspectives, but small enough to feel warm and personal. We hope that our interns experience the quality of our community as an optimal environment for growth and as a distinctive strength of our training program.

Another important feature of our center is our commitment to attracting a diverse group of staff and interns. As a center, we are committed to creating an environment that is both welcoming and affirming where everyone feels valued and celebrated. We engage in regular self-reflection in addition to challenging and supporting one another around issues of multicultural competence and cultural humility; this is something we expect of our interns as well. Everyone at the center is expected to adhere to our Values and Diversity Statement.

Again, thank you for your interest in our training program, and we wish you the best in your application process!

The Center staff is committed to creating a welcoming and affirming space where all members of the American University community are valued and celebrated. We strive to promote the educational success of students by supporting their intellectual, emotional, and social development through the provision of culturally aware clinical services, including: individual and group psychotherapy, outreach programming, consultation, and training opportunities. We are a multicultural and multi-theoretical staff who deeply value our global and diverse community. We take a stand against discrimination and oppression in any form. Since we recognize that not all diversity is universally valued, we feel a special obligation as a mental health agency to provide an inclusive and supportive environment for all our students.

The overview of program activities below provides a general sense of how an intern spends their hours during a given week. This schedule may fluctuate depending on the particular time of the academic year, with deviations most likely occurring during the summer and winter breaks. Interns are expected to complete a minimum of 500 face-to-face clinical hours during their internship year, comprising 25% of their 2000 total hours.

Clinical Services

Individual therapy

Interns carry an average caseload of 11-17 individual therapy clients per week. The center provides short-term (6-8 sessions) counseling.

Initial consultation assessments

Interns conduct up to three initial consultation (IC) assessments per week, with an increase in the number of IC appointments provided during the summer months and beginning of the academic year.

Group therapy

Interns co-facilitate an insight-oriented interpersonal process group for the duration of the academic year with a staff clinician. They also have the opportunity to co-facilitate an additional group for at least one semester (please visit the Group Therapy section of our website for more information on group offerings).

Supervision

Interns provide supervision for one clinical trainee. Supervision is conducted in dyads in order to learn from multiple supervisors.

Outreach and consultation

Interns spend approximately one hour per week, on average, providing outreach and/or consultation services to the AU community. Please visit the Outreach section of our website for more information about our outreach services.

Training

Supervision received

Each week, interns receive two hours of individual supervision of their individual therapy clients, one hour of group supervision of individual psychotherapy, 30 minutes of individual supervision of group psychotherapy per group, and one hour of supervision of supervision (in dyads). In total, interns receive between four and four and a half hours of supervision per week.

Seminars

Interns participate in ongoing seminars throughout the training year. They engage in the following weekly seminars: Cultural Competence and Outreach and Consultation. Biweekly, interns participate in the following seminars: Clinical and Professional Issues, Group, and Staff Development. The Training Director Meeting is held at various intervals throughout the training year, depending on need. All seminars are one hour.

Specialty Track

There are currently three operating committees within the Center: Clinical Services, Outreach, and Training. Committees are comprised of Staff Clinicians, Post-Doctoral Fellows, and Doctoral Interns. Committees meet at various times throughout the year. Doctoral Interns have the opportunity to participate in a committee to support their professional identity development and assist in beginning to develop an area of specialty.

Administrative meetings and record keeping

Intern participate in a one-hour staff meeting, and a one-hour professional development meet per week. They also dedicate approximately four hours of administration and case management time per week.

In total, interns are on-site for operating hours (40-44 hours)each week, with 30 minutes each day allotted for lunch. Additionally, interns may devote 2-3 hours of professional reading or research each week, either off-site or on-site. Such hours are included in the internship hour total for the year. These hours are subject to approval of the Research supervisor.

Self-Disclosure Policy

The American University training programs view supervision as a means for trainees to learn how to assess and intervene with clients and to recognize, understand, and manage their personal reactions to those under their care. The clinician’s response to the client "in the room" can be an important vehicle for understanding and helping the client. As such, an integral aspect of supervision is the exploration of such issues. In accordance with the APA Ethics Code, Section 7.4, it is important for trainees to be informed that they will be expected to explore and reflect upon their feelings and reactions to clients. In the process of this self-reflection, personal information about the trainee may be discussed and addressed. The staff believes that the decision as to how much or how little to share is a choice that needs to be made by the trainee, and supervision is never viewed as psychotherapy. Also in accordance with APA Ethics Code, Section 7.5, it is important for trainees to be aware that the due process procedures for our training programs indicate that the staff may require trainees to obtain psychotherapy in those cases in which a trainee is deemed impaired.

Practitioner-Scholar Model 

The internship at the Center trains doctoral level clinical and counseling psychology students in accordance with a practitioner-scholar model with a strong emphasis on cultural competence, social justice and advocacy. The internship is viewed as an opportunity for interns to integrate areas of knowledge acquired through formal academic training and apply this learning in an intensive clinical and community based experience. Interns also build on their existing knowledge base with recommended readings and didactics particularly relevant to clinical work at our site. Interns participate in a variety of didactic seminars that are particularly intensive at the outset of the internship and continue throughout the year with an increasing focus on application to growing clinical responsibilities. Seminars draw on the rich and varied expertise of training staff at the Center as well as the larger training community in Washington, DC. Interns are encouraged to utilize critical thinking skills and hypothesis testing as they regularly review their clinical work in supervision and seminars.

Cultural Competence and Social Justice

A fundamental component of the training mission is to cultivate cultural competence. The student body at American University is culturally rich, including representation from over 146 countries and all 50 states. The university demonstrates a commitment to supporting a diverse student body with various student service programs, such as those for first generation college students, Pell eligible students, veterans and international students. Thus, in a range of roles and clinical responsibilities, each intern’s growth in cultural competence occurs a) intentionally through seminars and supervision and b) experientially through contact a culturally heterogeneous university community.

Across training experiences, interns are encouraged to cultivate their personal and community awareness of identity and culture as a critical variable in understanding and working with the experiences of their clients. We aim to create a training environment that respects individual differences and that encourages dialogue regarding culture, privilege, social justice, diversity and identity. We share a belief that an understanding of self in terms of one's own history, background and intersecting identities is foundational in learning to understand, respect and honor others, whether clients or co-workers. Conversations about identity and culture occur throughout the internship experience; additionally, interns participate in a 12-month seminar that focuses on cultural competence and social justice. This seminar provides a dedicated space and time for interns to learn and dialogue about issues of identity and how to incorporate this knowledge into clinical work. Though there is a dedicated seminar, this work occurs throughout interns' training experiences.

Mentorship

A mentoring relationship is a key element of our training model. Mentoring includes both support and challenge in a training process that involves didactic, observational and experiential learning. Interns develop close working relationships with multiple staff members in seminars and supervision. They also have ample opportunity to work alongside staff members while co-facilitating groups and working together in administrative meetings to address the practical functioning of the center. Thus, interns have regular opportunities to receive support in their practice of professional activities and to observe professional role models. Further, within the alliances of these varied mentorship relationships, training can be tailored to each intern's individual strengths and needs.

Developmental Approach

Our model incorporates a developmental approach toward integrating, refining and enhancing clinical skills and ethical understanding throughout the year. Developmentally, interns are expected to proceed from an intermediate level student clinician to an entry-level Health Service Psychologist. To facilitate this growth, at the outset of the year interns and their supervisors assess existing skill levels and formulate goals together for the training year. These goals are reassessed periodically and interns engage in ongoing supervisory discussions to work toward steady progress on goals throughout the training year. Internship tasks are sequential and graded in complexity. For example, interns engage in an extended orientation during their first months of internship. During this period, they build caseloads gradually and spend proportionately much more time in didactic seminars. In varied presentations and discussions with staff, community scholars/practitioners and campus partners, interns have the opportunity to develop foundational skills before proceeding to more complex clinical situations and a larger caseload. With various responsibilities, such as Initial Consultations, crisis assessments, screening clients for group therapy, and outreach, interns progress from utilizing higher degrees of supervisory support to practicing more independently. The professional tasks expected of trainees increase over time in intensity, frequency, duration, complexity, and difficulty. As interns become increasingly comfortable with their developing expertise and as they increase their knowledge about practice in a university setting, they engage in more independent consultation and collaboration with our community partners such as the Student Health Center and the Dean of Students.

Professional Identity Development

We view internship as a critical time for the development of professional identity and behavior and we strive to create an environment that fosters optimal professional and personal growth. Over the course of the internship year, the mentoring relationship progresses from that of a student-supervisor role to one of emerging colleagues. As part of a maturing professional identity, interns are expected to incorporate the attitude of openness and collaboration to a multiplicity of clinical problems/issues as well as professional interactions and relationships. The developing professional identity incorporates a sense of courtesy and respect for all working relationships and recognition of the work of all members in a community. This professional mindset also includes the attitude of openness to life-long learning and the continuous development of skills. The maturing professional is also expected to have an understanding of ethics that involves not only legal issues and professional boundaries, but also incorporates ethics as a "professional conscience" that considers the welfare of the clients as a primary consideration.

Several seminars are specifically devoted to professional development. In these seminars training staff address topics that are particularly relevant to early career psychologists, such as the licensure process and career choices after internship. Various seminars, including the Cultural Competency Seminar, Training Director meeting, and Professional Development Seminar, provide opportunities for interns to reflect on their professional growth and examine their own work together as interns. In addition to general professional development, the internship also provides opportunities for interns to learn about professional specialization in Higher Education Mental Health. Interns participate in the varied activities and roles of counseling center psychologists, such as outreach, crisis management, consultation with campus partners, time-limited individual therapy and process and theme oriented groups. Professional identity development within a counseling center setting is also addressed specifically in the Clinical Issues seminar, which is focused on a variety of clinical issues relevant to a college student population.

Formal feedback will be provided to interns at the halfway point of internship and at the end of internship. Informal feedback will be provided throughout the semester, particularly during supervision. Interns are evaluated on the nine competencies laid out in the Standards of Accreditation for Health Service Psychologists.

At the end of internship, an intern’s performance is considered satisfactory (passing) if they have successfully completed 2000 total hours of work, with at least 25% of such hours consisting of direct clinical service. Additionally, interns must receive competency ratings of at least a Level 4 (1-5 scale) or higher on 80% of the nine competencies in order to successfully complete their training experience.

Date Program Tables were updated: September 8, 2023

Internship Program Admissions
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 proram's policies on intern selection and practicum and academic preparation requirements:

The American University considers applicants from APA accredited doctoral programs in clinical and counseling psychology. Applicants must be in good standing with their department, have passed all comprehensive examinations by the application deadline, and have had their dissertation proposal approved by the start of internship. While previous college counseling center experience is preferred, any applicant with a strong interest in training in a university counseling center setting and working with university students will be considered. Please see below for additional minimum requirements.
 

Initial Post-Internship Positions 2020-2022

Total number of interns who were in the three cohorts:

12

Total number of interns who did not seek employment because they returned to their doctoral program/are completing doctoral degree:

0

Association of Psychology and Postdoctoral Internship Center (APPIC) applications are due Wednesday, November 1, 2023. To apply, please submit the following using the online APPIC Application for Psychology Internship (AAPI):

1. Current APPIC application for psychology internship
2. Cover letter
3. Official transcripts of all graduate work
4. Current curriculum vitae
5. Three letters of recommendation (at least two from clinical supervisors)

**The match number for American University is: 177811. Please see the National Matching Services website for more information.

Please submit all documents with the online AAPI. You may address your cover letter to:

Melissa Meulman, PsyD
Associate Director for Training
American University, MGC-214
4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington DC 20016-8150

(Please direct all inquiries regarding the status and completion of your application to Dr. Melissa Meulman, Associate Director for Training at mmeulman@american.edu)

Applications must be received electronically using the online AAPI by November 1st. Selected applicants will be interviewed in mid-December and early January. Due to the global pandemic, all internship interviews will be conducted virtually.

The AU Doctoral Internship is a member of APPIC. This internship site agrees to abide by the APPIC policy that no person at this training facility will solicit, accept or use any ranking-related information from any intern applicant.

Information regarding APA accreditation guidelines can be obtained through the APA Commission on Accreditation:

c/o Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242
Phone: 202-336-5979 TDD/TTY: 202-336- 6123
Fax: 202-336-5978.