Health Service Psychology Internship

Program Overview

*Our center has been operating on a hybrid model (going to the office a few days) while conducting in-person counseling/supervision/training as well as tele-counseling/supervision/training. This is subject to change at any time.

The major goal of the 91 CAPS’ Training Program is to provide high quality learning experiences to postdoctoral residents and psychology interns in counseling and clinical psychology in preparation for a career in mental health (focused on interns in this section). To help attain this goal, the counseling faculty has a strong commitment to supervise, teach, and mentor our interns. Our training is guided by a Practitioner-Scholar model in which we train clinicians to be informed of theory and research in the science of Psychology. 

Our supervisors represent a broad base of theoretical backgrounds, thus interns are exposed to various models. We emphasize short-term treatment approaches that meet the needs of a diverse college and graduate student body. We also strongly acknowledge that we live in a diverse world with continued ongoing diversity-related issues and injustices. We thus believe in the utmost importance of being dedicated to multicultural awareness and humility. We believe in the need to engage in this process on a daily basis by being aware of our multiple social identities and interactions of those with others, acknowledging our biases, being aware of societal contexts that impact us on a constant basis, and advocating for various marginalized populations. Thus these beliefs and values are embedded into our training program and multiple elements described below.

We strive to provide interns with challenging and developmentally appropriate training experiences. We accomplish this by emphasizing training that is sequential, cumulative, and graded in complexity. We provide didactic trainings, experiential learning (direct service), mentorship, and role modeling from various staff members. We encourage self-examination and awareness of the impact of self on others.

We are proud members of the Association of Counseling Center Training Agencies (ACCTA) – a national organization for training programs within university counseling centers and the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC). Our internship has also been accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) since 2012 and re-accredited for 10 years in 2019.

CAPS abides by the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct 2017 (https://www.apa.org/ethics/code). Our internship and postdoctoral programs meet the California state licensure requirements and provides broad training covering all the major areas of knowledge and skills expected of a psychologist in a university counseling center setting (Standard 7.01), provides an accurate description of the training program, goals and objectives, stipends, benefits and exit criteria (Standard 7.02), provides training as described in the program materials (Standard 7.03), does not require interns and postdoctoral residents to disclose or discuss personal information except as it is related to their developing skills and professional effectiveness (Standard 7.04), does not mandate outside therapy experiences (Standard 7.05), provides evaluations of interns and postdoctoral residents in a timely manner (Standard 7.06), and prohibits sexual relationships between interns, postdoctoral residents and staff members (Standard 7.07).

Aim of Training

To train entry-level psychologists whose professionalism includes self-awareness, culturally-responsive practice, and communication/interpersonal skills, for ethical and effective practice in the field of Health Service Psychology.

Trainee Training Competencies

We have outlined the following training competencies and elements:

Competency A: Research

Competency B: Ethical and Legal Standards

Competency C: Individual and Cultural Diversity

Competency D: Professional Values and Attitudes

Competency E: Communication and Interpersonal Skills

Competency F: Assessment

Competency G: Intervention

Competency H: Supervision

Information about 91 CAPS Psychology Internship: A Fireside Chat with 91 CAPS Supervisors (Fall 2024)

This video contains information about the 91 CAPS Psychology Internship program shared by our Clinical Supervisors from Fall 2024. Hosted by the Intern Training Coordinator, our CAPS supervisors address common questions asked by applicants over the years in a panel format. This video was created to help those interested in our program to learn more about our CAPS atmosphere and the internship year. 

Agency Description

San José State University CAPS is a department of the Student Wellness Center within the Division of Student Affairs at San José State University. CAPS offers services designed to help San José State's diverse student body of 30,000 identify and accomplish their academic and career goals, enhance personal development, meet life's challenges, and improve interpersonal relationships. CAPS is established as a comprehensive counseling center offering core clinical services, developmental and life skills interventions, consultations, and outreach to our diverse student population. Short-term counseling and psychotherapy are the primary means of direct service delivery.

Agency Objective

CAPS provides quality culturally-responsive services to students so they can achieve their goals of becoming successful graduates of San José State University, both academically and socially. To fulfill this objective, we look at the whole student based on their sociocultural background and provide guidance and tools to become productive and well-rounded. To do that, professionally trained psychologists, social workers, and counselors are available for students on an individual or group basis for counseling on a myriad of psychological and academic issues. In addition, we provide services such as outreach presentations for students, student groups, staff/faculty, and staff consultations on issues of student mental health and campus climate; and professional training, teaching, and supervision for future mental health personnel, consistent with the educational mission of the university.

Population Served

CAPS provides services for all enrolled students of San José State University. The student population of 91 is a highly diverse group. For example, there is no one clear majority group (more than 50%) in terms of ethnicity on the campus and ages range from late teens to many students in their fifties. In addition, there is diversity around ability/disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, social class, nationality, and more. 

Theoretical Orientation

CAPS' staff utilize a variety of theoretical positions including psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, ACT, DBT, AEDP, emotion-focused, feminist, multicultural, gestalt, humanistic, and systems perspectives. Generally, an integrated approach to counseling and psychotherapy is shared by the staff.

Diversity and Social Justice Training

Training in multiculturally oriented therapy and counseling is integrated into all training activities. As noted, 91 CAPS serves a highly diverse population. Psychology interns participate in a weekly Diversity Discussion Group/Seminar (Spring) and weekly Social Justice and Outreach Training Seminars (Fall) where social justice and outreach issues are integrated and discussed in depth. Psychology interns also provide various outreach and workshops and are guided to provide these in a culturally sensitive manner to diverse populations. Lastly, CAPS hosts an annual conference: Multicultural Training Day. Trainees and Training Directors from university counseling centers in the Bay Area are invited to attend and share in a day of multicultural learning and dialogue (e.g., Topics include addressing racial trauma, working with LGBTQ populations, working with undocumented students etc). 

Components of the Clinical Psychology Internship Training Program

There are four major component areas of the Training Program. These areas are Multiculturalism/Cultural Humility, Training, Direct Service, and Indirect Service. In addition, there may be Other Training Opportunities available throughout the training year.

Multiculturalism/Cultural Humility:

At CAPS we value multiculturalism, cultural humility, and social justice and work to actively engage in our own self-reflection processes, acquire culture-specific knowledge, and provide culturally sensitive services to our campus population. Thus, when providing individual, couples, crisis and group counseling, attending supervision, and providing consultation and outreach programming to attending  training seminar presentations, psychology interns and post doctoral residents will be guided to think of the recipient of services as a whole embedded in layers of systems and cultural contexts, learn how to conceptualize and explore these layers and various social identities with clients, and reflect on their own cultural backgrounds and identities as counselors, psychologists-in-training, and professionals-to-be. For instance, psychology interns partake in a Social Justice and Outreach Seminar to further discuss how to be social justice advocates. Post-doctoral residents conduct a multicultural post-doctoral project to further engage as social justice advocates at 91.  CAPS also hosts an annual one-day Multicultural Training Day conference, that all interns and postdoctoral residents attend and that focuses on providing diversity training for trainees at 91 and nearby bay area university counseling centers.

Training

Seminars
Supervision/Case Consultation

Direct Service

Direct service hours are provided through individual, couple, and group counseling sessions; outreach presentations; and same day services coverage. The provision of direct service hours are done through consultation with your primary supervisor. Psychology interns are expected to accrue approximately 20.5 hours of direct service per week in Fall, 22.5 hours in Spring and Summer. A primary supervisor, in consultation with the Intern Training Coordinator and Associate Director, may help adjust the amount of direct service hours provided by an intern depending on the intern’s individual needs and situation (e.g., accommodations for disability).

Indirect Service

Other Training Opportunities:

Office Space

Psychology Interns are provided with individual offices and supplies to aid them in their working environment. Please see pictures from last year’s intern cohort (approved with their permission).

two pictures showing office spaces located at the Student Wellness Center with a desk and table surrounded by two chairs

Photo credit: Previous wonderful psychology interns!

Hours

Our training program for psychology interns is for 2000 hours of Supervised Professional Experience (SPE), accrued over 12 months and completing 1900 hours is the minimum requirement for our program. Training generally begins around early or mid-August. We will solicit 4 psychology interns. Psychology interns are expected to be available during CAPS business hours.


Application and Selection Process

We participate in the APPIC match and use the APPIC Application for Psychology Internship (AAPI Online). To access the application, please go to the . The website provides instructions for how to complete and submit your APPI online application. If you have not requested an applicant agreement form and materials describing the APPIC Internship Matching Program, please contact the .

Our information for NMS is as follows: San José State University, Counseling and Psychological Services *APPIC Member Number: 2143 *APPIC Match Number for NMS: 214311

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.

***Please note that due to the new AAPI system, we will accept applications until 11:59pm EST (Eastern Time) on 11/1/2024 (Fri).

Requirements

Our requirements and required materials include:

  • Currently enrolled in APA-accredited or CPA-accredited counseling psychology or clinical psychology Ph.D. or Psy.D. programs
  • Have at least 2 years of doctoral training, passed comprehensive exams, completed their coursework and practica, and their dissertation proposals approved by the beginning of internship.
  • 450 hrs of directly supervised intervention hours by Oct 1st, 2024.
  • A completed APPIC Application for Psychology Internship (AAPI) form accessed at the APPIC website.
  • Cover letter.
  • Current curriculum vita.
  • Official transcripts of all graduate work (current doctoral and any other previous graduate level work).
  • Three letters of recommendation, at least two from supervisors who are familiar with your more recent clinical work.

While not required we prefer applicants who have experience in college counseling or working with young adults/adults, have some experiences with crisis counseling, and have experience with outreach.

Please also see our profile in the APPIC Directory for information about our site and requirements for application (e.g., minimum hour requirement, credentials etc).

Internship Admissions, Support, and Initial Placement Data

Date Program Tables are updated: 7/27/2024

Program Disclosures

Program Disclosures
Does the program or institution require students, trainees, and/or staff (faculty) to comply with specific policies or practices related to the institution's affiliation or purpose? Such policies or practices may include, but are not limited to, admissions, hiring, retention policies, and/or requirements for completion that express mission and values. 

_____ Yes

__x___ No 

If yes, provide website link (or content from brochure) where this specific information is presented: 
 

N/A

 

 

 

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 program’s policies on intern selection and practicum and academic preparation requirements:

*Currently all elements of the training program experience will be conducted in a hybrid model in-person and on Zoom Health.

The major goal of the 91 CAPS’ Training Program is to provide high quality learning experiences to postdoctoral residents and psychology interns in counseling and clinical psychology in preparation for a career in mental health. To help attain this goal, the counseling faculty has a strong commitment to supervise, teach, and mentor our trainees. Our training is guided by a Practitioner-Scholar model in which we train clinicians to be informed of theory and research in the science of Psychology. Our supervisors represent a broad base of theoretical backgrounds, thus trainees are exposed to various models. We emphasize short-term treatment approaches that meet the needs of a diverse student body. We are committed to training for work in a diverse world. While the field of psychology as a whole has embraced the importance of multicultural awareness and competence, this is a commitment that we reaffirm daily. We live and work in the midst of one of the most diverse communities in the world and provide trainees experiences to engage in social justice work. We strive to provide our training cohorts with challenging and developmentally appropriate training experiences. We accomplish this by emphasizing training that is sequential, cumulative, and graded in complexity. We provide didactic trainings, experiential learning (direct service), mentorship, and role modeling from various staff members. We encourage self-examination and awareness of the impact of self on others. At CAPS we believe that different levels of our training cohorts have different developmental needs. We work with postdoctoral residents and health service psychology interns. Thus, our training cohorts will be separated for various training activities, while for other components of training all trainees will meet together in order to optimize the diverse perspectives that arise when combining various training levels. 

Does the program require that applicants have received a minimum number of hours of the following at time of application? If Yes, indicate how many:
Total Direct Contact Intervention Hours

Y
N
Amount: 450

Total Direct Contact Assessment Hours

Y
N
Amount: 0

Describe any other required minimum criteria used to screen applicants:

We require that applicants come from APA accredited counseling psychology or clinical psychology Ph.D. or Psy.D. programs, have 2 years of doctoral level training, as well as have passed their comprehensive exams, completed their coursework, and their dissertation proposals approved by the beginning of internship. We also require a cover letter, CV, official transcripts of all graduate work (current doctoral and any other previous graduate level work), and three letters of recommendation, at least two from supervisors who are familiar with your more recent clinical work.

 

 

We do not require but highly recommend that applicants have experience with working with young adult/college students.

Financial and Other Benefit Support for Upcoming Training Year*
Annual Stipend/Salary for Full-time Interns

$3,545/month, which is an annual salary of $42,540

Annual Stipend/Salary for Half-time Interns N/A
Program provides access to medical insurance for intern?

Yes

No

If access to medical insurance is provided:  
Trainee contribution to cost required?

Yes

No

Coverage of family member(s) available?

Yes

No

Coverage of legally married partner available?

Yes

No

Coverage of domestic partner available?

Yes

No

Hours of Annual Paid Personal Time Off (PTO and/or Vacation) 192 vacation hours and 16 hours of personal holiday
Hours of Annual Paid Sick Leave 96
In the event of medical conditions and/or family needs that require extended leave, does the program allow reasonable unpaid leave to interns/residents in excess of personal time off and sick leave?

Yes

No

Other Benefits (please describe): Dental, Vision, HCRA/DCRA, Pretax Parking Deduction, CalPERS Retirement, Nonindustrial Disability Insurance, Life Insurance & AD&D Insurance (basic amounts with option to get more), Additional Paid Leaves like Jury duty, Bereavement, & Parental leaves, Unpaid leaves including FML
Optional benefits include: Fee waiver program, critical illness insurance, accident insurance, home & auto insurance, legal plan/representation, Pet Insurance and more

*Medical and dental benefits are activated after approximately one month after the internship start date.

*Please note that while 91 offers 24 vacation days a year, interns may not be able to meet their 1900-2000 hour requirement if they were to take all 24 vacation days.

*Note. Programs are not required by the Commission on Accreditation to provide all benefits listed in this table

Initial Post-Internship Positions
(Provide an aggregated tally for the preceding 3 cohorts)
 

2020-2023

 

Total # of interns who were in the 3 cohorts
 

12

 

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

0

 

 

PD

EP

Academic teaching

0

0

Community mental health center

0

0

Consortium

0

0

University counseling center

7

5

Hospital/Medical center

1

0

Veteran Affairs Health Care System

0

0

Psychiatric facility

0

0

Correctional facility

0

0

Health maintenance organization

1

1

School district/system

0

0

Independent practice setting

3

1

Other

0

6

Note: “PD” = Post-doctoral residency position; “EP” = Employed Position. Each individual represented in this table should be counted only one time. For former trainees working in more than one setting, select the setting that represents their primary position.

If you find that your questions are not answered by our website information, please contact the Intern Training Coordinator, Minji Yang, Ph.D. (minji.yang@sjsu.edu).

Our internship program is accredited by the American Psychological Association. Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:   

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 1st Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002
Phone: 202-336-5979
E-mail: apaaccred@apa.org
Web: