Training Program and its Philosophy

Interns and staff serve lemonade to students on their first day of classes.

The staff of Personal Counseling and the Career Development Center have a strong commitment to training. We view ourselves as an organization in which all of us are both teachers and learners. We believe training benefits our trainees, our staff, our clients, our university and the profession of psychology. We believe that individual differences and diversity serve as catalysts for personal and environmental development. We work in a team-based model that values and expects participation of all staff. Interns are expected to become an integral part of Personal Counseling and the Career Development Center staff, and are encouraged to develop close working relationships with both PC&CDC and Student Affairs Staff.

The basis of our training program is an integrated, well-planned sequence of learning opportunities with a developmental focus. We see ourselves as practitioner-scholars who serve as a bridge between the art and science of psychology. Within a collegial relationship with their supervisors, interns develop individualized contracts with learning objectives.

"Innovative, exciting, committed to growth, flexible, respectful of differences..."  Hear some of our senior staff describe the internship.

The program has a dual focus on both clinical training and professional growth. We expect interns will make significant developmental transitions during the year, including consolidating a professional identity, enhancing confidence in their skills and increasing their ability to function autonomously. We believe people learn and work best in a supportive, collegial atmosphere; therefore, we provide a nurturing environment in which we expect interns to stretch, take risks and grow into confident, competent, ethical psychologists who are able to empower clients and colleagues. We expect all interns to identify and discuss their own world views and in turn help identify and address those of their clients.

While interns often seek counseling center positions as their first employment, the training program at The University of St. Thomas is broad enough to prepare interns well for various employment settings.

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