GradPSYCH - March 2012 - (Page 45)

bY CHRiSToPHeR munSeY gradPSYCH staff y now, you know there’s a psychology internship crisis. Simply put, there aren’t enough training slots to meet the demand from clinical, counseling and school psychology doctoral students who must complete an internship before graduating. As a result, 21 percent of psychology graduate students didn’t initially match to an internship last year. Avoid becoming a statistic by taking practical steps from the first day you enter a doctoral program to improve your chances of getting an internship, experts say. First, though, you must start seeing yourself as a professional in training, says Karen Farrell, PsyD, professor and director of clinical training for Midwestern University in Downers Grove, Ill. “Many times, students experience themselves as students, not as professionals in training who have any say about how they develop,” she says. Farrell says students should adopt an attitude of, “This is my career, and I’m the one driving it.” In particular, students should have a clear idea of their interests and strengths and where they want their careers to go, she and other psychologists involved in training say. B during the practicum The first step on your path to match success begins during your practicum training. That’s where you start applying, under supervision, the therapy approaches and assessment techniques you’ve read about and talked about in class to real clients in community mental health centers, hospitals, college and university counseling centers and other settings. These practicum experiences provide you with the initial training experiences you need to secure an internship and gives you the chance to begin to shape your professional identity. You’ll be well-prepared to match to an internship if, during your practicum, you: • Build a rapport with supervisors. Show that you’re cooperative, able to follow through on your commitments and a self-directed learner, says Sheryn Scott, PhD, director of clinical training for Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, Calif., and chair of the Training Committee for the National Council of Schools of Professional Psychology. “You need to remember that it’s a job, and that you’re responsible to your clients and your site,” Scott says. Establishing a rapport with your supervisors will help you acquire basic competency in therapy and assessment skills during practicum, says Mitch Prinstein, PhD, who directs the clinical psychology doctoral program at the University of North Carolina and is co-editor of “Internships in Psychology: The APAGS Workbook for Writing Successful Applications and Finding the Right Match” (2008). A strong relationship with your practicum supervisors should also result in three solid letters of recommendation for your internship application, Prinstein says. • Discover your strengths and work on your weaknesses. Internship directors want to see that you’ve identified your weaknesses and addressed them, says Deborah Lewis, PhD, director of clinical training for Midwestern University’s Arizona campus. “The only deal-breaker is the inability to accurately selfreflect,” she says. “If you think you’re ‘all that’ in every area, it’s very hard to help you.” So, as you work with clients, take note of what you excel at and what areas need more attention. Perhaps you shine at conducting psychological assessments, but you’re not as good at combining information into well-written reports. Your supervisors can help — if you’re willing to listen, Lewis says. Ask them for feedback, and try to improve, she says. • Work with diverse clients. Students who have experience working with a diverse array of clients are preferred by many internship programs. So, seek out clients from a variety of ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds, sexual orientations, disabilities, religious backgrounds and ages so that you gain a solid understanding of diversity and multicultural issues, says Greg Keilin, PhD, match coordinator for the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers. The best way to do that is by seeking practicum sites that work with a wide variety of clients, and engaging fully in your program’s diversity training activities in a thoughtful and self-reflective way, says Keilin. Also, be sure to tell your supervisor you want to work with diverse clients. • Sharpen your case communication skills. Learn to talk fluently about your clients and explain the reasoning behind your therapy techniques to your supervisors, says Diana Schofield, PsyD, a staff psychologist at a child development clinic and a part-time private practitioner in Norfolk, Va. You’ll need this skill for your internship interviews, she says. “You can really stand apart if you give a confident and coherent conceptualization and can convey your ideas in an articulate way,” Schofield says. Practice this skill by regularly presenting case conceptualizations gradPSYCH • March 2012 • 45 

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GradPSYCH - March 2012

GradPSYCH - March 2012
Contents
Psychology practicums reflect the field’s growth
How evidencebased is your trauma treatment?
Media Picks
Chair’s Corner
Odd Jobs
Research Roundup
Chart your own adventure
Matters to a Degree
Killer apps
The oil spill’s reverberations
A student of synchrony
Literature reviews made easy
Absentee advisers
What’s behind the internship match crisis?
Potential solutions
Steps to the match
Bulletin Board
Jobs, internships, postdocs and other opportunities
The Back Page

GradPSYCH - March 2012

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