The Doctoral Internship in Health Service Psychology at VCU University Counseling Services is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). This program utilizes the uniform psychology internship application (AAPI Online)  developed by The Association of Postdoctoral and Psychology Internship Centers (APPIC). To locate the AAPI Online, visit the APPIC website. As a member of APPIC (NMS Match Code 161211), we also participate in the computer matching process for the selection of our internship. Find information on the APPIC National Matching Process and the details regarding registration procedures.

Successful applicants must be enrolled and in good standing with an APA-accredited counseling or clinical psychology doctoral program; completion of all required coursework is required prior to the start date of internship. This work must include at least four semesters of supervised practicum experience. Applicants must have at least 400 total direct contact intervention hours, and at least 250 individual therapy hours. Applicants must have successfully passed their comprehensive examinations and received approval for internship by their academic Training Director prior to the application deadline. Applicants must have successfully defended their dissertation proposal prior to the start date of internship. Successful applicants often also have experience, training, and/or interest in: deepening their multicultural awareness, sensitivity, and competence related to diversity in every form; working with a diverse student population; working in a university counseling center setting; providing clinical supervision.

Potential applicants are assessed for fit at VCU UCS based on the following criteria: 1) Clinical experience; 2) Multicultural experience & awareness; 3) Counseling Center experience; 4) Supervision experience; 5) Group experience; 6) Crisis experience; 7) Outreach experience; 8) Cover letter; 9) Essays; 10) Letters of recommendation.

UCS utilizes the on-line AAPI application system through APPIC. All materials described below must be completed and submitted via the APPIC electronic submission process. General instructions are available on the front page of the AAPI Online, as well as instructions for each separate section of the Application.  A completed application includes the following:

• APPIC Application for Psychology Internships (as found on the APPIC website at www.appic.org), which includes:
  • Cover letter indicating applicant’s goals and interest in this site
  • Current curriculum vita
  • Letters of recommendation from three professionals, at least two of which are directly familiar with the applicant's clinical/counseling experience
  • Official graduate transcripts

Completed applications must be submitted by November 3rd.

Interview Process

UCS will be offering all interviews virtually/via Zoom video conferencing for this application cycle. Applicants who are invited to interview virtually with UCS will be notified prior to December 13th, 2024, and applicants not invited will receive email notification by that same date.

Virtual/Zoom interviews with UCS are scheduled for the first two weeks of January 2025 (Jan 2-3, 6-9). Applicants may request their date preference for the virtual interview. Format will be a 4-hour process that includes: a formal interview with a team of 2-3 clinical staff (75 minutes), and opportunity to connect more informally in a group setting for Q&A with the Associate Director for Training, with current staff, and with current interns separately.

All interviews offer the opportunity to connect with UCS staff and current interns and learn about our training program.

*UCS psychology internship site abides by the APPIC Policy that no person at this training facility will solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information from any intern applicant prior to Uniform Notification Day. For additional information concerning APPIC policies, you may view the website at http://www.appic.org/.

Start/End Dates: UCS psychology internship begins August 1, 2025, and ends July 31, 2026.

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Hiring and HR Information/Requirements

Employment Eligibility: Virginia Commonwealth University is required by federal law to verify the eligibility and work authorization of new employees; therefore, match offers of employment are contingent on the successful completion of such verification. Additionally, match offers are contingent upon the satisfactory outcome (as determined by the university) of the pre-employment screening activities including criminal history and fingerprint check, reference check of former employment, verification of credentials, and/or licensure. Please visit https://vcu.public.doctract.com/doctract/documentportal/08DA32A63EDBCEAAB4962445672CE290 for more information regarding VCU’s criminal background review process.

Each matched intern will be asked to submit their application information through the university's job portal to properly import their information into the university's hiring system. UCS Office Manager and HR professional will coordinate and communicate with incoming interns to facilitate the successful completion of the background check and onboarding process. Start dates and/or starting clinical activities are subject to change depending on the timing of successful completion of all pre-employment screening activities.

VCU is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution. Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

All correspondence regarding the internship program should be addressed to:

Megan Guinn, Ph.D.
Associate Director for Training
VCU University Counseling Services
P.O. Box 842525
Richmond, VA 23284-2525
(804) 828-6200 | mguinn@vcu.edu

Accreditation Status of the Internship Program

The Doctoral Internship in Health Service Psychology at VCU University Counseling Services is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). 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 First St., NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
(202) 336-5979 | apaaccred@apa.org | https://accreditation.apa.org/

The primary aim of the internship is to prepare interns for professional practice in health service psychology. This is accomplished through the development of nine core competency areas. These competencies are developed through engagement in the training activities of the internship.

1. Research
   Interns will demonstrate appropriate knowledge, skill, and competence to critically evaluate scientific literature and apply findings to professional roles.
2. Ethical and Legal Standards
   Interns will demonstrate ethical and legal knowledge, ethical decision-making, and commitment to ethical practice.
3. Individual and Cultural Diversity
   Interns will develop skills in the area of multiculturally competent practice, self-awareness, understanding of the impact of privilege and marginalization, and sensitivity to the impact of intersecting identities on client presentation and experience.
4. Professional Values, Attitudes, and Behaviors
   Interns will demonstrate self-awareness, knowledge of strengths and areas of growth, limits of competence, and openness to learning. Interns will demonstrate a commitment to professionalism, cultural humility, and conscientiousness.
5. Communication and Interpersonal Skills
   Interns will demonstrate interpersonal effectiveness in all professional relationships (e.g.,  with clients, peers, supervisors). Interns will demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills.
6. Assessment
   Interns will demonstrate the ability to integrate formal assessment data (e.g., CCAPS, CAMS, external psychological assessment reports) into client conceptualizations and treatment planning. Interns will demonstrate cultural sensitivity in the administration and interpretation of all assessment results.
7. Intervention
   Interns will demonstrate appropriate knowledge and skills in the implementation of empirically- and theoretically-informed interventions in the areas of individual therapy, group therapy, crisis intervention, outreach, and triage assessment and disposition.
8. Supervision
   Interns will provide a safe and constructive space for practicum students they supervise.  Interns will demonstrate a comprehensive theory of supervision, provide developmentally appropriate feedback to practicum students, and apply appropriate criteria for evaluation and feedback.
9. Consultation and Interprofessional/Interdisciplinary Skills
   Interns will demonstrate appropriate knowledge and skills when consulting with other members of the University community. Interns will demonstrate understanding of ethical considerations, appropriate clinical judgment, and professional behavior in the role of consultant.

Richmond, Virginia

Richmond is a vibrant and growing metropolitan city. To some it is modern and contemporary while to others it is a city of natural beauty and small-town charm. It is a city steeped in four centuries of history, legend, and tradition.

Among more than a dozen National Historic Landmarks are St. John’s Church where Patrick Henry rallied the patriots before the Revolution with the idea of “liberty or death”; the State Capitol designed by Thomas Jefferson; and the home of Maggie Walker, a 19th-century leader of Richmond’s African American community and America’s first woman bank president.

Richmond is a study in dramatic contrasts with the skyline of the downtown business district overlooking quiet riverside parks and with four-lane expressways emptying into cobblestone streets of another era. It is the second leading headquarters city in the South, attracting a wide range of business and industry. Nine colleges and universities are located in the Richmond area, adding to the intellectual and cultural atmosphere of the city.

In addition to the atmosphere of the city itself, Richmond is one of the most conveniently located cities in the mid-Atlantic area. It is within a two-hour drive of Washington DC, the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean, or the Blue Ridge Mountains. The city’s location produces a climate that is water and mountain-modified, continental with warm humid summers and mild winters.

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)

VCU is the result of the merger of two highly acclaimed institutions of higher learning: the Medical College of Virginia (MCV) and Richmond Professional Institute (RPI). MCV traces its roots back to 1838 when it was established as the medical department of Hampden Sydney College. RPI was born in 1917 as the Richmond School of Social Work and Public Health.

VCU operates four teaching hospitals, the College of Humanities and Sciences, and the Schools of Allied Health Professions, the Arts, Business, Community and Public Affairs, Dentistry, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Social Work.

In less than two decades, VCU has grown to be Virginia’s fifth-largest employer, with 1,800 instructional and administrative faculty members, 900 adjunct and clinical faculty—about 14,000 employees in all.

Learn more about VCU and RVA

The Associate Director for Training is responsible for the administration of the training program. The Associate Director for Training provides direction to the coordinators of social work and psychology practicum. The training staff meets twice a year to discuss the progress of trainees, program development, and program policies.

It is the belief of the UCS training staff that evaluation and feedback, both of trainee progress and the training program, are essential elements of growth and change. Trainees write training goals by which their progress through the year is measured. Trainees are encouraged to evaluate themselves and their training experience. All psychology interns have a copy of the Training Handbook on their office computers. The Training Handbook describes expected competencies, evaluation procedures, and training activities.

Ongoing evaluation of trainees occurs through review of tapes and written work, evaluative feedback from clients, self-evaluations, and review of direct service data. Formal written evaluations are done at mid-year and the end of the year; copies of evaluations are kept both by the trainee and by the Associate Director for Training. In addition, the Associate Director for Training communicates with academic departments and licensing boards, as appropriate, regarding the work of the trainees. Trainees complete evaluations of supervisors each semester and of the training program at the end of the year. Trainees' feedback about the program is actively solicited in an ongoing way in staff meetings, in meetings with the Associate Director for Training, and through other individual contacts with the Associate Director for Training.

University Counseling Services has offices located on each of the two campuses of Virginia Commonwealth University: Monroe Park campus (MPC) and Medical College of Virginia campus (MCV).

The MPC is home to most of VCU’s undergraduate courses and students, while the MCV campus is home to the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing, and Allied Health. Depending on agency need and availability, interns typically spend 1 day per week on the MCV campus to provide services to the health professional students on that campus. As such, intern and staff schedules can fluctuate due to differing operating hours: MPC office Mon - Fri, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.; MCV office Mon - Tues, 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.; Wed - Fri 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

For more information on VCU’s two campuses visit https://www.vcu.edu/life-at-vcu/campus/.

University Counseling Services has offices on the Monroe Park (MPC) and Medical Center (MCV) campuses. Interns have opportunities to see clients from both campuses. When working in-person, interns typically spend one day a week at the medical campus. Interns at University Counseling Services typically work one evening per week co-leading an interpersonal process group or engaging in other clinical activities connected with our MCV campus.

Intervention (Direct Service) Training

A major focus of the internship involves providing psychotherapy to individuals, groups, and couples. Case assignments are made in disposition team meetings and cases may be self-selected by the intern. It is a priority for interns to have a diverse caseload while on internship in order to gain the broadest range of experience possible and leave internship as a competent generalist. It is expected that psychology interns will spend 20 hours a week in direct service activities. Psychology interns are encouraged to work from the theory and style of their choosing. Through supervision, psychology interns are assisted in the continued development of their theoretical orientation and the expansion of their therapeutic repertoire. The work that is included in the direct service area is outlined below:

• Individual psychotherapy: Interns are expected to see 11 to 14 individual clients per week. Individual treatment at UCS is conducted primarily from a brief treatment model, and interns are encouraged to be conscientious and intentional when setting therapeutic goals with clients. UCS also offers training in the provision of long-term therapy, and psychology interns are able to carry two long-term psychotherapy clients. Interns are encouraged to develop multicultural competence and awareness and acknowledgment of systems of oppression. This is facilitated by providing clinical services to students with a variety of presenting issues and diverse identities, including those from historically disadvantaged groups.
• Group psychotherapy: Interns are expected to co-lead one interpersonal process psychotherapy group during the internship year. In keeping with the mentoring model as a fundamental aspect of our training program, interns are paired with a senior staff co-leader. UCS has a well-established and successful group psychotherapy program, generally offering 8-10 heterogeneous, interpersonal process groups per semester. UCS has been able to successfully run these groups via telehealth as well.
• Relationship therapy: Interns have the opportunity to provide relationship therapy. Relationships are eligible for therapy at UCS as long as one partner is enrolled at VCU. The number of clients requesting this service has increased in recent years. Psychology interns may work with as many as three or four relationships over the academic year. Trainees are given priority in having the opportunity to work with relationships.
• Crisis Intervention: Interns provide crisis intervention services during office hours. During this time, interns are responsible for managing situations posed by individuals contacting or presenting at the agency with emergent or emergency needs, with supervision and consultation available from a senior staff member. A licensed staff member (generally the intern's primary supervisor) will not leave the agency if an intern is engaged in managing a crisis situation. Interns also serve on the after-hours on-call rotation as back-up to our contracted on-call crisis response service, ProtoCall. Each staff/intern is on call for one week each semester (3 times during the training year, including summer). On-call at UCS consists of after-hours availability by phone from 5 p.m. on Monday to the following Monday at 8 a.m. Most situations can be handled over the telephone, but there may be instances requiring interns to come on campus. Senior staff are readily available for backup and supervision and would join an intern if a situation required campus response. Psychology interns are encouraged to utilize senior staff for consultation as appropriate when on call.
• Referral and Assessment Meetings: Each intern provides coverage for 4 – 5 hours per week for referral and assessment meetings (RAMs). The purpose of these meetings is to assess the student’s presenting concerns, needs, and level of risk, and then make the appropriate referral for treatment.

Assessment Training

Clinical interviews are the most frequently used assessment method in the agency, and the focus of assessment training for psychology interns is on developing this skill. Interns are trained in the use of the CCAPS inventory, which is used extensively during the training year. Additional training in assessment occurs during orientation and through various supervision experiences. Interns have the opportunity to use additional assessment instruments such as the BDI-II, BSI, and EDI-3 as clinically indicated.

Outreach and Consultation

• Outreach: UCS staff and interns are asked to conduct presentations from time to time on a variety of topics, including stress/anxiety management, suicide prevention, managing student adjustment and distress, handling culture shock, managing depression, self-care, and developing healthy relationships and communication skills. These presentations are offered to a variety of student or faculty groups, including student organizations, residence life staff, and academic programs. At the beginning of the year, interns are more likely to co-conduct workshops with the assistance of senior staff members, as is developmentally appropriate. Senior staff also serve as models for outreach and consultation. Interns are expected to participate in a minimum of five outreach programs during the training year.
• Primary Outreach Project: In addition to outreach requests, interns are required to develop a primary outreach project. The primary project is an outreach program the intern delivers to members of the university community. The interns meet with the outreach coordinator several times per semester for assistance in identifying, developing, and implementing their primary project, as well as to obtain support in and identification of outreach partners on campus. The outreach coordinator will provide training on the development of outreach projects in the early part of the fall semester. Then, interns will be paired with a senior staff member who will serve as the primary project outreach mentor. This senior staff member will assist the intern in the development and implementation of the project, and will provide a formal evaluation to the intern at the completion of the project.
• Consultation: Interns provide professional consultation to other members of the University community on an as-needed basis. This often entails consulting with University staff about a student of concern and requires skills in assessment and clinical judgment.

Provision of Supervision and Teaching Opportunities

• Providing Supervision: Interns will supervise at least one practicum student each semester and may have the opportunity to supervise two practicum students during the second semester if they have the skills and interest. Each year UCS trains 4-6 practicum students from VCU's APA-approved counseling psychology program.
• Co-Teaching Practicum Seminar (optional): UCS facilitates a Practicum Seminar for practicum students, which is focused on helping beginning level therapists deepen their understanding of theory, develop clinical skills, and work toward multicultural competence. An intern co-facilitates the seminar for one semester with the option of continuing for another, depending on the interest of other interns.
• Co-Teaching Group Psychotherapy Courses (optional): Each fall and summer, a UCS senior staff member teaches the graduate courses in group psychotherapy for the Psychology Department and the Psychiatry Department. One or two psychology interns have the opportunity to assist in teaching these courses each year.

Professional Instruction and Supervision of Interns

• Supervision: During the orientation period, interns have the opportunity to meet the training staff. Supervision assignments are made each semester by the Associate Director for Training based on interns' training goals and preferences, staff assessment of intern needs, and the best utilization of training staff resources. Supervisor assignments are made for one semester. Interns rotate supervisors mid-year. Interns receive two scheduled hours of individual supervision by a licensed psychologist weekly and are encouraged to consult at other times as needed. Interns bring webcam recordings of therapy sessions to supervision for clinical consult. Supervision modalities vary depending on the orientation and style of the particular staff member. During initial meetings with supervisors, interns will specify goals for supervision and be informed of the frame of supervision, including expectations of both supervisor and supervisee, as well as limits to privacy.
• Group Supervision of Group Psychotherapy: Supervision of groups typically occurs in a group format consisting of 4 co-therapist dyads or triads. All interpersonal process group co-leaders (trainee and senior staff alike) participate in group supervision, which adds to the richness of trainees’ learning and development as group clinicians. All therapy groups are recorded for use in supervision. Group supervision occurs once per week. During the fall and spring semesters, interns participate in one of two group supervision teams. Each group leadership team prepares a segment of tape to be shown during group supervision for feedback. Each leadership team is also responsible for facilitating one formal case presentation over the course of the year focused on a group topic of the team’s choice. These case presentations include the selection, review, and discussion of a scholarly article.
• Friday Clinical Consultation (FCC): FCC is an interdisciplinary consultation group comprised of a leadership team (e.g., a senior staff and Advanced Mental Health Residents) as well as trainees from various disciplines (e.g., psychology interns, social work interns, psychology practicum trainees, etc.). The purpose of FCC is to provide both Consultee- and Client-Centered Case Consultation in a collaborative environment where the diverse perspectives of all involved are heard and respected. FCC is an integral component of clinical training at UCS, where various clinical issues and skills (e.g., multiculturalism, conceptualization, treatment planning, etc.) are discussed. Clinical work of both staff and trainees is presented and discussed to further the development of all clinicians throughout the training year.
• Meetings with Training Director: The intern cohort has at least three meetings with the Associate Director for Training per month. The focus of these meetings is to process experiences that arise during internship, work on building cohesion in the intern cohort, and discuss professional issues including job search and licensure. This time is also used once per semester for interns to present a formal case presentation, as well as engage in a mock job interview in the spring semester. Meetings also allow interns time for weekly professional consultation with the training director.
• Multicultural Training: Training in multicultural competence is integrated throughout all aspects of the training program. The goal is to assist trainees in recognizing, understanding, and appreciating the impact of sociocultural factors, identities, and aspects of privilege and oppression on their life experiences, the lens through which they view the world, and the experiences of their clients. There are several components of the training program devoted to multicultural training. Discussion of the intersection between clients’ identities and their clinical presentation takes place in supervision, informal case consultations, and disposition meetings. Additionally, four training seminars per year are dedicated to multicultural training. As part of these seminars, interns participate in multicultural labs, an experiential exercise derived from Carter’s (2003) Racial-Cultural Lab Course and University of Maryland multicultural lab structure. These labs provide an opportunity for the integration of counseling skills and techniques with cultural factors as they impact relationships in clinical and professional contexts. Interns also participate in four, day-long multicultural retreats throughout the year, facilitated by two senior staff members. During both the multicultural training seminars and the multicultural retreats, interns participate in guided exploration of their identities in order to better understand themselves as both people and professionals. UCS has a strong commitment to social justice and strives to be affirming to all members of marginalized groups.
• Training Seminars: Training seminars meet for two hours per week and are devoted to training that covers clinically-relevant topics, such as group therapy, trauma, suicidality/risk assessment, substance use, working with international students, gender, DBT skills, and LGBTQIA+ affirmative counseling. Training seminars later in the semester also focus on professional development and topics such as the EPPP, administration in UCCs, and the licensure process. Training seminars are mandatory for psychology and social work interns, and staff have the opportunity to attend as well.
• Supervision of Supervision: Interns meet weekly for two hours with at least one licensed psychologist to discuss their supervision of practicum students. Interns' supervision experience is assessed at the beginning of the training year, and interns are provided various readings about supervision. During the two-hour supervision, interns show tape of their supervision and discuss issues related to the supervision process, their development as supervisors, and the development of their supervisee.
• Professional Ethics and Development: Training in ethical and professional practice is a routine and integral part of internship training at UCS, beginning with ethics training during orientation. Copies of the Ethical Standards of Psychologists and Guidelines for Service Providers are located in the Training Handbook and reviewed, as relevant, during training meetings. Interns are responsible for reviewing and becoming familiar with these guidelines, as well as the APA Ethics Code. Portions of training meetings are devoted to ethical issues each year. However, interns develop a more significant and meaningful appreciation for the complexity of ethical dilemmas as these topics arise during the course of their clinical work. Consultation around ethical issues is emphasized and occurs in informal interactions, individual and group supervision, case disposition meetings, and staff meetings.
• Clinical Concentrations: Interns have the opportunity to contract with a senior staff member to develop more experience in working with a particular clinical presentation. Concentrations usually involve additional clinical and outreach experience in a content area, along with additional biweekly supervision. Clinical concentration offerings fluctuate based on clinical demand, staff and trainee interest, and availability of supervisors. Examples of concentrations include: Substance Use Concerns, Eating Concerns/Body Image, Trauma Treatment, DBT, Sports Psychology, and working clinically with particular identities/community groups, such as International Students and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, though this is not an exhaustive list. Each intern negotiates time and supervision with the staff member, with the Associate Director for Training approving all contracts. Interns are evaluated at the end of the semester by their concentration supervisor.
• Consultation - Informal: Interns are encouraged to consult informally with senior staff regarding clinical work, outreach, assessment, and crisis management. UCS staff has an open-door policy regarding consultation, and interns are encouraged to utilize opportunities to receive mentoring from all senior staff.
• Outreach Seminar: Interns meet with the outreach coordinator several times per semester to discuss progress on the interns' outreach primary project, discuss outreach planning, development, and evaluation, and develop outreach partners across campus.
• Formal Case Presentation: Interns complete two formal case presentations: one in the fall semester and one in the spring semester. Several senior staff members, the Associate Director of Training, and the psychology intern cohort attend these presentations. The psychology intern receives formal feedback on their presentation.
• Committee Work (optional): UCS runs a variety of committees, including training committee, clinical services committee, and outreach committee. Interns have the opportunity to participate in these committees.

Average Weekly Training Activities

Direct Services

• Individual and couples therapy: 11 - 14 hours
• Group therapy: 2 hours
• RAM (initial contact) and crisis coverage: 4 – 5 hours

Administrative Time

• Staff meeting: 1 hour (twice per month)
• Paperwork: 5 hours

Consultation and Outreach

• Consultation and outreach programming: 1 - 2 hours (Primary outreach project & participation in 5+ outreach activities)

Supervision and Teaching

• Practicum Supervision: Providing 1-1.5 hours of supervision to doctoral level psychology supervisees
• Psych Intern seminar: 1-1.5 hours
• Supervision of supervision: 2 hours
• Individual supervision: 2 hours
• Group supervision of group therapy: 1.5 hours
• Disposition team meetings: 0.5 hour
• Training seminar: 2 hours
• Supervision for Concentration: 1 hour (bi-weekly) - Optional
• Primary Project Mentoring: Average one hour per month
• Friday Clinical Consult Team meetings: 1 hour

University Counseling Services utilizes an apprenticeship model for training. This model's core elements entail mentoring and a developmental approach to prepare psychologists who are generalists trained for professional practice as health service psychologists. At the end of training, it is expected that psychology interns will be prepared to function as entry-level psychologists who are culturally sensitive, work from a theoretically-sound base, function within ethical and professional guidelines, and integrate scholarly research into practice.

Developmental approach

UCS training staff understands that interns arrive with various academic backgrounds, clinical skills, and life experiences. As a means of understanding these experiences and skills, interns are sent a self-assessment survey over the summer, which is then shared with the staff. UCS training staff recognizes interns' skills and experiences as strengths, and we desire to continue helping facilitate the growth in those areas of strength.

We also understand that interns arrive with different levels of clinical skills, understanding of theoretical orientations, outreach and consultation experience, sensitivity to diversity issues, and communication skills. The process of enhancing psychology interns’ skills occurs in training seminars, individual and group meetings with the Training Director, individual and group supervision, and during outreach and consultation opportunities.  We support the development of interns’ skills through scaffolding, assisting them in taking appropriate next steps toward reaching the goals of the internship program.

The use of honest and sensitive feedback is most constructive in helping psychology interns to reach their full potential. Interns are supported by staff to grow both professionally and personally. It is our value that personal growth is as important as professional development. Therefore, we support interns in developing any personal areas that will aid their professional functioning that they define for themselves.

Mentoring

Interns have formal access to staff with various expertise (e.g., supervision, co-leading group with senior staff, co-teaching group class, co-teaching practicum seminar, primary outreach project mentor) and informal access to staff (e.g., training activities, staff meetings, consultation). UCS has a multidisciplinary staff, which values the diverse contributions of individual professions.

Psychology interns have the opportunity to gain valuable mentoring from Clinical Psychologists and Licensed Clinical Social Workers on staff. UCS staff's initial method of mentoring interns is by modeling professional behavior and demonstrating a commitment to their respective professions (i.e., commitment to client care, actively gaining CEUs, participation in professional organizations, operating ethically, etc.).

UCS has an open-door policy, encouraging psychology interns to interact with UCS staff through mutually respectful relationships.  Staff and interns collaborate on various projects throughout the training year.

Values about personal disclosure in training

To comply with the 2002 APA Ethics Code (Ethical Standard 7.04), we want current and future trainees to be aware of our approach to the disclosure of personal information in the course of training.

An important component of our training program is the intersection between the personal and professional. Therefore, our training model incorporates a strong emphasis on self-exploration and reflection. We believe that effectiveness in all aspects of professional functioning is related to self-reflection, interpersonal and personal dynamics, and the history from which these dynamics emerge.

Thus, professional functioning can either be enhanced or hindered by one's development, or lack thereof, in these essential areas. Consequently, our training program's objective is to assist trainees at all levels within UCS to explore the qualities and dynamics he or she brings to interpersonal encounters and how those dynamics impact these various interactions. This will require trainees to reflect on and disclose personal information relevant to their interpersonal dynamics in clinical and professional relationships. Our aim is that such disclosures be done within a supervisory or training relationship characterized by trust, safety, and respect.

The purpose of disclosure is to enhance clinical and professional relationships and is not intended to be used as therapy or any other inappropriate purpose. Suppose the trainee feels an insufficient safety, trust, or respect in the supervisory or training relationship. In that case, he or she has the right to refuse to disclose personal information. We expect the supervisor or trainer to respect such refusal and explore ways the relationship may improve so that personal disclosures can occur more effectively.

Program Tables Updated: September 2024

Hiring and HR Information/Requirements

Employment Eligibility: Virginia Commonwealth University is required by federal law to verify the eligibility and work authorization of new employees; therefore, match offers of employment are contingent on the successful completion of such verification. Additionally, match offers are contingent upon the satisfactory outcome (as determined by the university) of the pre-employment screening activities including criminal history and fingerprint check, reference check of former employment, verification of credentials, and/or licensure. Please visit https://policy.vcu.edu/universitywide-policies/policies/criminal-conviction-investigations.html for more information regarding VCU’s criminal background review process.

Each matched intern will be asked to submit their application information through the university's job portal to properly import their information into the university's hiring system. UCS Office Manager and HR professional will coordinate and communicate with incoming interns to facilitate the successful completion of the background check and onboarding process. Start dates and/or starting clinical activities are subject to change depending on the timing of successful completion of all pre-employment screening activities.