Formal Training Activities

Orientation - The training year begins with a three-week orientation in August. Members of each training program attend the same orientation to build cohesiveness of the cohort and to promote multidisciplinary awareness. The three weeks are designed to acclimate the trainees to the counseling center and to provide basic training for clinical procedures such as conducting initial assessments, triages, and crisis work.  

Year-Long Cultural Dialogues Series - The Cultural Dialogue Series begins during orientation with a half-day retreat that focuses on exploring intersecting identities (personal and professional) and their impact on the relational dynamics within the cohort.  These conversations continue as part of the weekly two-hour training seminar during the first six weeks of the fall semester.  Cultural Dialogues finds a home for the rest of the year in the weekly multidisciplinary Group Supervision/Case Conference groups to incorporate increased awareness into the clinical setting and case presentations.   Self-reflection and awareness development are an integral component of the Cultural Dialogue Series. 

The primary goals of this year-long Cultural Dialogue Series are:

1. To enhance and deepen trainees’ understanding of oppressed and privileged identities (both self and others).
2. To increase awareness of the impact of culture and social identities on daily lived experiences.
3. To foster discussion concerning diversity and social justice issues.

Group Supervision/Case Conference - Weekly, 2-hour forum in which trainees take turns preparing and providing case presentations on particular clients or groups. The focus of the training includes case conceptualization, diagnosis, case management, and clinical intervention. A multicultural clinical analysis of cases is required, and a case highlighting the integration of assessment, as well as a presentation on one of the group or relationship therapy experiences in which the intern is engaged, are typically presented throughout the year. Group Supervision/Case Conference is attended by all CCS trainees, which provides a rich multidisciplinary diversity to the case discussions from the perspectives of psychology, social work, and counseling.

Practice Issues Seminar - This seminar focuses on various training topics and have included: counseling intersecting identities, psychopharmacology, brief therapy, group therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, cognitive-behavioral treatment of anxiety, ethics and social media, working with eating disorders, chemical dependency/substance abuse, incest/abuse/trauma survivors, and diversity issues in assessment.

Professional Issues Seminar - This seminar focuses on professional issues in psychology and takes place at various times throughout the year, covering such topics as: preparing for the EPPP, job search strategies, starting a private practice, and other areas of interest pertaining to the transition from student to professional.

Career Issues Seminar - The Career Issues Seminar occurs during Fall semester as part of the assessment seminar. Interns are provided with an overview of career theories, followed by opportunities to incorporate theory into practice.  

Group Supervision Seminar - During Spring Semester, Psychology Interns are encouraged to facilitate group with other trainees. One hour of weekly group supervision is provided by a Senior Staff member.

Individual Supervision - Weekly, 2-hour supervision with a senior staff psychologist to focus on clinical case dynamics, case management issues, and professional/personal development issues. Supervisors may change each semester with input from interns regarding supervisor preferences.

Supervision Seminar - Psychology interns have the opportunity to provide clinical supervision. Supervision typically involves practicum students (First-year practicum students from OSU’s Counselor Education program or from psychology programs.) in a one-to-one setting.  Occasionally, co-facilitation of the group supervision of practicum students (Practicum Seminar) or of other training functions is available.  Interns meet with their practicum student for 1 hour per week.  Training and supervision of this experience is done in a group training session co-facilitated by Senior Staff members (Supervision of Supervision, 1-2 hours weekly). In the rare occurrence that the provision of supervision is not available, other activities designed to enhance the intern’s supervision competency will be provided. (This has not occurred in recent years.) 

Assessment - The Assessment Training Series primarily focuses on standardized assessment, with some limited attention to projective assessment.

Seminars. Assessment Seminars held throughout the academic year. Seminars vary in topics and intend to be an educational resource for trainees to learn about dynamic assessment considerations.

Integrative Reports. Psychology interns are required to complete two comprehensive batteries with integrative reports during their internship year. Comprehensive batteries typically evaluate concerns related to ADHD and Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD). ADHD assessments will minimally include clinical interview, WAIS-IV, TOVA, self-report measures, and a symptom validity test. SLD assessments will minimally include clinical interview, WAIS-IV, WJ- IV Achievement, and a symptom validity test. Additional tests will be guided by the referral question(s) and clinical interview but can include personality measures and projective instruments.

Clinically-driven Assessments. Additionally, Psychology interns are expected to complete "clinically-driven" assessments with ongoing therapy clients. Clinically-driven assessments can include measures of mood, personality, symptom inventories, career measures, therapeutic instruments (such as the Values Card Sort Test), and projective measures.

Special Training Periods -

• Two periods of intensive training include one training session prior to the beginning of Fall semester, and additional training typically follows the completion of Fall semester or is scheduled prior to the start of Spring semester. These training periods involve half-day or full-day sessions covering a variety of topics, including orientation to CCS and the university, crisis intervention, triage and urgent counseling, and time-specified therapy. Other sessions frequently include topics in the general theme areas of multicultural, assessment, ethics and psychotherapy training.
• Interns and staff are encouraged to participate in a range of other professional development opportunities, such as CCS professional development programs and local/national professional meetings. Interns also provide professional development through their intern project, which is presented to the staff in June.  An annual Big 10 Counseling Center Conference is held each year in February, hosted by one of the Big 10 Counseling Centers. Interns are provided financial support to attend the Big 10 Conference if they are presenting at the conference.

Program Design, Implementation and Evaluation – Each trainee has the option to complete a program of relevance to CCS.  A trainee could develop, implement, evaluate, and then describe in detail a program they provide during the year.  Consultation with CCS committees is encouraged concerning viable projects.  Training may take place with the support of the Associate Director of Outreach, the trainee’s supervisor, conjointly with a Senior Staff person, or conjointly with another trainee.  Program design and evaluation are also elements of outreach programing, clinical outcome assessment, and part of the seminar series.

Updated - 7-11-2024