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Training Program Overview

The University of Tennessee Student Counseling Center has been a training site in counseling and clinical psychology since the early 1960s, and the doctoral internship program has been accredited by the American Psychological Association since 1980.

Doctoral Internship Program

The Doctoral Internship in Health Service Psychology at the Student Counseling Center (SCC) is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). The SCC is a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) and the Association of Counseling Center Training Agencies (ACCTA). For the 2025–2026 training year, four doctoral interns will be selected from APA accredited graduate programs in counseling and clinical psychology through the National Matching Service.

The Student Counseling Center has been a training site in counseling and clinical psychology since the early 1960s, and the doctoral internship program has been accredited by the American Psychological Association since 1980. Each year, four to five doctoral interns are selected from APA accredited graduate programs in counseling and clinical psychology through the National Matching Service.

The training program is a highly visible component of the Student Counseling Center, as well as the university at large. Within the center, staff members are available, accessible, supportive, and timely in meeting their responsibilities, and nearly all clinical staff are active participants in the training program. In addition to regularly scheduled supervision, training seminars, case consultations, and staff meetings, interns have informal access to all staff members and are encouraged to consult with senior staff any time they are available.

Mission

The internship program contributes in key ways to the mission of the University of Tennessee, the Division of Student Life, and the Student Counseling Center. The mission of the training program is to prepare interns as generalists with the knowledge and skills needed for doctoral level positions in psychology. The center supports interns in their professional and personal development, including commitments to the profession and its ethics. This mission is accomplished by professional training, teaching, supervising, modeling and mentoring.

The Developmental Apprenticeship Model

The doctoral internship year is the culmination of a formal education process through which interns will learn to apply the breadth of psychological knowledge to their professional roles. The training program at the center focuses on training generalist practitioners in psychology using a developmental apprenticeship model. This model has as its overarching goal the professional growth of the psychology intern.

An apprenticeship is a developmental model of movement into a field. It implies a formal contractual relationship between an individual and a trainee in which both entities have certain responsibilities and rights. The apprentice serves under the direction and training of qualified individuals who are responsible for the training, inculcation of values, and the quality of work produced by the apprentice.

The internship year at the center is designed to promote a developmental process in which interns move from the role of student to colleague and are provided the knowledge and skills needed for doctoral level positions in psychology. Interns are encouraged to take an active role in designing their training to include their professional interests and needs.

This process begins by evaluating the knowledge and skills interns bring to their internship year. These skills and competencies are explored during orientation as interns reflect on their own experiences. Interns are asked in a variety of settings, including meetings with the training director and supervisors, training seminars, and case conferences, to consider their own level of skill and professional development. Initially, interns are expected to demonstrate many skills at an intermediate level as described in the Intern Evaluation Form Rating Scale. Interns will be asked to set goals, to build on the skills they bring, and to acquire advanced skills that are essential in the profession. These goals are reviewed periodically and may be revised as they progress through the internship year.

Goals are addressed primarily through experiential and didactic learning processes. Theory and techniques, based on current research and scholarly works, are presented in didactic settings and through readings. Interns will be provided ample opportunity to observe professional staff in various settings before participating in areas that are new to them, such as facilitating brief assessments/triage appointments. As competence develops, interns are encouraged to take on more responsibility and leadership. It has been our experience that most interns quickly move toward independent practice under supervision, with the goal of leaving the internship year as a professional psychologist and colleague.

Along with professional growth, personal growth also is encouraged. Staff involved with training believe that personal development and maturity are cornerstones of professional competence and identity. Every effort is made to provide a supportive environment which models and attends to personal growth. During orientation, there will be opportunities to begin thinking about areas of special emphasis that are available throughout the year. This model allows interns to work closely with staff and learn through modeling and collaboration. In a system that provides both support and challenge, interns are encouraged and supported in the process of becoming mature practitioners.


Aims

  1. To develop interns’ clinical skills in preparation for entry-level positions as health service psychologists.
  2. To develop self-knowledge, attitudes, professional knowledge and skills needed for effective and ethical practice as a psychologist.
  3. To develop and promote competence in individual and cultural diversity.

These aims are accomplished through the focus on the following nine profession-wide competencies, as outlined by the APA Standards of Accreditation.

Competencies

  1. Research: Interns are expected to demonstrate knowledge, skills, and competence sufficient to produce new knowledge, to critically evaluate and use existing knowledge to solve problems, and to disseminate research. Interns are expected to have substantial knowledge of scientific methods, procedures, and practices.
  2. Ethical and Legal Standards: Interns are expected to conduct themselves in an ethical manner in all professional activities; recognize ethical dilemmas as they arise and apply ethical decision-making processes in order to resolve the dilemmas; and be knowledgeable of and act in accordance with:
    1. the current version of the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct;
    2. relevant laws, regulations, rules, and policies governing health service psychology at the organizational, local, state, regional, and federal levels; and,
    3. relevant professional standards and guidelines.
  3. Individual and Cultural Diversity: Interns are expected to demonstrate knowledge, awareness, sensitivity, and skills in providing culturally competent psychological services to diverse individuals and communities and will demonstrate a commitment towards personal and professional growth in multicultural competence.
  4. Professional Values, Attitudes, and Behaviors: Interns are expected to actively seek and demonstrate openness and responsiveness to feedback and supervision, engage in self-reflection, and demonstrate behavior that reflect the values and attitudes of the field of psychology, such as integrity, cultural humility, and concern for the welfare of others.
  5. Communication and Interpersonal Skills: Interns are expected to develop and maintain effective, professional relationships with a wide range of individuals and groups, including colleagues, organizations, supervisors, supervisees, and clients; interns are expected to demonstrate the ability to manage difficult communication well.
  6. Assessment: Interns are expected to demonstrate competence in case conceptualization, selecting and applying assessment methods, interpreting assessment results, integrating assessment data into clinical intervention, and communicating findings and implications of the assessment.
  7. Intervention: Interns are expected to develop and demonstrate competence in evidence-based interventions, including the provision of individual therapy, group therapy, crisis intervention, and outreach.
  8. Supervision: Interns are expected to apply supervisory knowledge and supervisory skills of observing, evaluating, and giving guidance and feedback to trainees.
  9. Consultation and Interprofessional/Interdisciplinary Skills: Interns are expected to demonstrate knowledge and respect for the roles and perspectives of other professionals and apply the knowledge of consultation through collaboration with other individuals or groups to address a problem, seek or share knowledge, or promote effectiveness in professional activities.

Postdoctoral Residency Program

We are excited to announce that the Student Counseling Center at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville now has a Postdoctoral Residency Program in Psychology! These positions are 12-month, full-time, non-tenure track staff positions. The 12-month salary is $56,000 and benefits are included. Most work days are 8a.m.–5p.m., Monday–Friday, though occasional after-hours responsibilities are expected. Residents complete a 2,000-hour supervised experience, at least 750 of which must be devoted to direct clinical service. Residents receive two hours of individual supervision weekly by a licensed psychologist with HSP designation.

The two postdoc positions for the 2024-2025 training year have been filled, and information about the 2025-2026 application cycle will be announced later in the fall semester. For more information about the position and application process, see the announcement below. Please note that position duties, qualifications, and application requirements are subject to change for the upcoming training year.

Application Information for 2024-2025

Practicum/Masters Internship Placements

The Student Counseling Center is a practicum placement for doctoral psychology students and internship site for UTK Social Work students. These experiences are designed to promote a developmental process in which students move into the role of mental health professional. For those in psychology graduate programs, the doctoral practicum prepares students for their internship experience. For those in counseling and social work graduate programs, the internship year prepares students for entry-level mental health jobs post graduation. While the majority of training occurs in the context of supervision and service delivery, students also have the opportunity to participate in small group discussions, didactics, and case consultations to complement their training and prepare them for their future careers. Because the training staff believes that personal development and maturity are cornerstones of professional competence and identity, every effort is made to provide a supportive environment that models and attends to personal growth.