Training Opportunities

The Master level internship program has been temporarily suspended for the 2013-14 Academic year. Please check back in January 2014 for updates regarding the program. 

 

Introduction

Pratt Health and Counseling Services offer a Master level internship for students completing their degrees in Counseling and Social work. Trainees are considered part of the staff and perform, under supervision, many of the functions of the senior psychologists on staff. In addition to providing excellent training for those who wish to pursue a career within a University Counseling Center, our setting also provides clinical training for graduate students seeking to pursue other career paths.

 

Training Site and Population

Pratt Institute Health and Counseling Services is located at the Brooklyn Campus, and serves both Manhattan and Brooklyn campuses, providing services to graduate and undergraduate students, as well as consultation to staff and faculty. The student, staff, and faculty population at Pratt Institute is diverse in terms of ethnic background, age, and socioeconomic status. Our clients exhibit a wide range of psychopathology ranging from adjustment difficulties to psychosis and major depression. Anxiety, depression, interpersonal difficulties, substance abuse, and eating disorders are among the most frequent presenting problems. Our goal is to provide the necessary support to the university community in order to help our students reach their desired academic, intellectual, social and personal developmental goals.

 

The Training Program

Interns have the opportunity to receive training and experience in the following areas:

 

• Individual therapy
• Intake interviewing and assessment
• Outreach
• Group therapy
• Consultation with parents and faculty
• Ethical and professional issues
• Multicultural counseling

Program Mission and Philosophy

The training program’s mission is to foster the development and training of new practitioners entering the fields of professional counseling, while ensuring their effective services to the Pratt Institute community. There are multitudes of theoretical approaches in the counseling profession and this is reflected in our professional staff. Therefore, our interns are exposed to a variety of intervention and case conceptualizations, and are encouraged to develop their own unique style. We believe that in order to facilitate a client’s growth, a counselor must be aware of his/her own reactions. Therefore, we encourage interns to explore their own personal biases, emotional reactions and experiences that may impact their work. We also recognize the difference between personal counseling and supervision, and clarify those boundaries with our interns. In supervision, we explore the supervisees’ personal issues as they may impact client care and the counseling process itself. However, we do not expect the intern to divulge personal information and if the need arises, we encourage the supervisee to work on those areas in their own therapy. Finally, we are sensitive to the diverse cultural, ethnic, religious and personal backgrounds of our students. Thus, our training program is geared to help interns increase their awareness of issues related to diversity and to recognize their importance within the counseling relationship.

 

Individual Therapy

Interns are assigned 6-8 individual therapy cases. We make every effort to assign interns a broad range of patients, providing them with the opportunity to explore a wide range of clinical interventions. Although most cases are considered short-term, most interns have the opportunity to follow 1-2 clients through the entire year thus enabling them to gain experience in longer-term psychotherapy.

 

Outreach and Consultation

Outreach programming and consultation to residential life and academic departments are a critical function of the Counseling Center. Our interns are encouraged to participate in all the outreach programs offered and have the opportunity to contribute and develop programs of their own. 

 

Group Psychotherapy

We believe group psychotherapy is an important and effective modality of treatment. Therefore, we make an effort to include our interns in it. Interns may have the opportunity to co-lead a group and/or help staff members develop a new group.

 

Supervision

Interns receive at least two hours of intensive clinical supervision per week from a licensed psychologist. Additional supervision for group psychotherapy, outreach, consultation, and other activities is available as indicated by a trainee's particular activity schedule. In addition, interns participate in staff meetings and case conferences allowing them to receive further supervision and learn from the experience of other staff members.

 

Didactic Hour/Case Presentation

Interns meet weekly for an hour in which they receive training in a variety of clinical related topics. The purpose of this hour is to supplement their existing knowledge in specific areas that are relevant to our specific population. In addition, they get to hear case presentations from other staff members and later present their own cases.

 

Administrative Staff Meetings

Interns also attend weekly counseling staff meetings. These meetings are used to discuss ongoing cases, and develop and plan additional Counseling Center activities such as outreach and consultations.

 

Feedback and Evaluation

Informal feedback between interns and supervisors occurs and encouraged throughout the training year. Interns’ performance review is conducted twice at the end of each semester. The interns are provided with feedback regarding their progress and have an opportunity to discuss their work with their supervisor. In addition, the supervisor will complete the necessary evaluation form and send it to the interns’ school. At the end of each semester the interns will have the opportunity to meet with the Associate Director for Counseling to discuss the training program and their supervision.

 

Requirements and Application

Interns should be enrolled in a master in counseling program. They should have successfully completed coursework in the areas of psychopathology, and clinical interviewing. They are expected to work two and a half days per week starting the end of August and ending in May of the following year. Prospective interns are invited to send their resumes, and a cover letter detailing their interest in the internship to:

 

Ariela Reder, Psy.D

Training Coordinator and Staff Psychologist

areder@pratt.edu