The Carruth Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (CCCPS) doctoral internship program in health service psychology aims to provide interns with the capstone practitioner experience at the doctoral level and prepare them for future practice as generalists in a University Counseling Center setting. The training program itself can be characterized as warm and professionally informal. Training activities are designed to be developmentally appropriate, closely supervised, sequential, and experiential.
CCCPS has historically placed a great value in its doctoral internship program. Psychology interns are considered the lifeblood of the center––they help staff keep current and energized. We understand the work at a counseling center can be quite demanding at times, and that can be particularly so for interns. Because of this, CCCPS staff members strive to model self-care and work-life balance, and we encourage interns do so as well.
Overall, we aspire to create a training environment in which interns feel supported in their efforts to grow both personally and professionally. During the internship year we encourage interns to further develop and integrate their scientific and professional knowledge, as well as practitioner skills, and to apply them to the internship practice setting. We also seek to increase their knowledge and skills through formal seminars, individual supervision, and consultation.
CCCPS and its doctoral internship program value and foster an appreciation of diversity. Training activities are designed in such a way that psychology interns are encouraged to question and develop their beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, and skills in order to increase their multicultural competence.
CCCPS has a broad view of diversity, including but not limited to race, class, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, veteran status, socioeconomic status, religious affiliation, physical and mental abilities, and age. Additionally, we recognize and appreciate the rich cultural history of our Appalachian roots, and value the resilience that is often found within individuals who have grown up in underprivileged settings.