Welcome!
American University Counseling Center's Doctoral Internship
Dear Applicant,
Thank you for your interest in our training program. We know that your decision about
internship is an important one. The working environment of your internship and the people with
whom you work will likely have a substantial impact on your identity, future practice, and
overall well-being. With that in mind, we would like to share with you as much information as
possible to assist you in making a choice that is good for you. In our online information, we hope
you find answers to any questions that you may have about the AUCC internship training
experience.
Some unique features of our internship include the wide variety of training opportunities related
to Counseling Center specialty work, a focus on psychodynamic theory and multicultural
competence, a range of group therapy and supervision opportunities, and the unique character of
our students. Additionally, we offer a warm, supportive, creative, stimulating and fun working
environment. Our staff is large enough to represent a diversity of styles and perspectives, but
small enough to feel warm and personal. We hope that our interns, too, experience the quality of
our community as an optimal environment for growth and as a distinctive strength of our training
program.
We welcome your application to our program and wish you the best in your application process.
Sincerely,
AUCC Staff
American University
American University is an independent coeducational university with more than 13,000 students
enrolled in undergraduate, masters, doctoral, and professional degree programs. On an 84-acre
residential campus in a quiet neighborhood in upper northwest Washington, D.C., the university
attracts students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the territories, and
nearly 150 foreign countries. Apart from, yet a part of the city, American University is a short
distance from Washington's centers of government, business, research, commerce, and art. Major
city bus routes and a campus shuttle to a nearby subway stop serve the university.
The Counseling Center
The Counseling Center is American University's primary counseling facility. It is an ideal setting
for interns to gain experience working with a wide variety of presenting concerns and broad
range of diagnoses. The top four self-reported reasons for seeking counseling reveal typical
issues addressed at the Center: stress, anxiety, depression and relationships/identity concerns.
Other presenting issues include history of trauma including sexual abuse/assault, suicidal
ideation, eating disorders and related concerns, drug and alcohol use/abuse, grief/loss and
academic concerns.
The Center provides a variety of services to students including crisis intervention, ongoing
counseling/psychotherapy, workshops and therapy/support groups. The student population also
offers the opportunity to work with clients from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
The mission of the Counseling Center is to promote students' educational success by supporting
their intellectual, emotional and social development. The Center operates from a developmental
approach that recognizes that we must address the needs of the whole student body-- all the
students, including but not limited to those in need of formal psychological diagnosis, treatment,
and/or crisis intervention. A developmental approach also emphasizes the importance of
addressing the needs of the whole student -- we must recognize the ongoing and multi-faceted
nature of the student's life and the interdependence of the students' emotional, social and
academic concerns.
Furthermore, a developmental approach recognizes that adolescents need support and guidance
as they navigate their way into adulthood and encounter new challenges -- many of them crucial,
life-defining challenges - in areas such as self-identity definition, social and sexual activity,
substance use/abuse and other health/safety issues, spiritual commitment, career decisions,
emotional self-understanding and self-management, cognitive/intellectual/academic functioning,
interpersonal relationships, and an understanding of themselves in relation to their family, peer
groups, and culture. Whatever the particular service or activity we provide -- a crisis
intervention, an ongoing counseling relationship, an interactive one-session workshop, a timelimited therapy/support group -- we strive to recognize our students as developing human beings
and to nurture their growth and learning.
In working from a developmental approach, the Center staff use a variety of theoretical
orientations but shared amongst the staff is an interest and dedication to the training of
professionals in the use of psychodynamic therapy. This is the primary theoretical orientation of
the internship program.
The Center is staffed by nine psychologists and several adjunct consulting professionals. Clinical
staff members are currently licensed or license-eligible in D.C. and are actively involved in
professional organizations. Many of the staff have pursued advanced training.
Diversity Statement
The American University Counseling Center is committed to:
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providing culturally competent services.
celebrating diversity in all its forms and expressions.
providing culturally sensitive and affirming services for all students regardless of race,
ethnicity, country of origin/nationality, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual
orientation, age, socioeconomic status, religious/spiritual beliefs, learning differences,
and physical ability.
providing a safe and respectful environment to explore and discuss experiences of
prejudice, discrimination, and oppression.-supporting students as they work to understand
and integrate the various aspects of their identity.
preparing students for lifelong learning and global citizenship.
As staff, we hold ourselves and our trainees to these standards of inclusion and affirmation. We
are committed to engaging in a deportment of ongoing self-awareness, openness to learning, and
demonstration of evolving skill in working from a culturally competent framework.
Introduction to Internship
The American University Counseling Center's internship was initiated in the 2001-2002
academic year. The internship was accredited by the American Psycholgical Association in the
spring of 2004, and was re-accredited for an additional seven years in 2008. In 2005 the Center
began training four interns each year.
The Counseling Center has a long-standing commitment to training. For more than 20 years, the
Center has offered an externship program to graduate students in Psychology doctoral and Social
Work masters programs. The extern program has 6 graduate trainees. It is a structured program,
which includes didactic seminars, a case conference, opportunities for outreach and group
programming, as well as clinical hours. Additionally, the Center offers training opportunities for
first and second year graduate students in the American University's Clinical Psychology
doctoral degree program.
Training has been a passion of many staff members and we are excited to have an internship
program. The opportunity for daily interactions among staff and trainees helps keep us learning,
questioning and wondering.
Past and Present Interns
Our past and present interns have included graduate students from American University, Argosy
University, Biola University, Boston College, California School of Professional Psychology,
Catholic University, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Clark University,
Duquesne University, George Mason University, George Washington University, Indiana
University of Pennsylvania, Loyola University, Northwestern University, The Virginia
Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology, The Wright Institute, University of Maryland,
University of Massachusetts - Amherst, University of Miami, University of Nebraska - Lincoln,
and University of Oregon.
Training Philosophy
Practitioner-Scholar Model
The internship at the Counseling Center trains doctoral level clinical and counseling psychology
students in accordance with a practitioner-scholar model. The internship is viewed as an
opportunity for interns to integrate areas of knowledge acquired through formal academic
training and apply this learning in an intensive clinical experience. Interns also build on their
existing knowledge base with recommended readings and didactics particularly relevant to
clinical work at our site. Interns participate in a variety of didactic seminars that are particularly
intensive at the outset of the internship and continue throughout the year with an increasing focus
on application to growing clinical responsibilities. Seminars draw on the rich and varied
expertise of training staff at the Counseling Center as well as the larger training community in
Washington, D.C. Interns are encouraged to utilize critical thinking skills and hypothesis testing
as they regularly review their clinical work in supervision and seminars.
Mentorship
A mentoring relationship is a key element of our training model. Mentoring includes both
support and challenge in a training process that involves didactic, observational and experiential
learning. Interns develop close working relationships with multiple staff members in seminars
and supervision. They also have ample opportunity to work alongside staff members while coleading groups, covering urgent care rotations together, and working together in administrative
meetings to address the practical functioning of the center. Thus, interns have regular
opportunities to receive support in their practice of professional activities and to observe
professional role models. Further, within the alliances of these varied mentorship relationships
the training can be tailored to the intern's individual strengths and needs.
Developmental Approach
Our model incorporates a developmental approach toward integrating, refining and enhancing
clinical skills and ethical understanding throughout the year. Developmentally, interns are
expected to proceed from an intermediate level student clinician to an entry level psychology
practitioner. To facilitate this growth, at the outset of the year interns and their supervisors assess
existing skill levels and formulate goals together for the training year. These goals are reassessed
periodically and interns engage in ongoing supervisory discussions to work toward steady
progress on goals throughout the training year. Internship tasks are sequential and graded in
complexity. For example, interns engage in an extended orientation during their first months of
internship. During this period, they build caseloads gradually and spend proportionately much
more time in didactic seminars. In varied presentations and discussions with staff, community
scholars/practitioners and campus partners, interns have the opportunity to develop foundational
skills before proceeding to more complex clinical situations and a larger caseload. With various
responsibilities, such as intake, urgent care, screening clients for group therapy, and outreach,
interns progress from utilizing higher degrees of supervisory support to practicing more
independently. The professional tasks expected of trainees increase over time in intensity,
frequency, duration, complexity, and difficulty. As interns become increasingly comfortable with
their developing expertise and as they increase their knowledge about practice in a university
setting, they engage in more independent consultation and collaboration with our community
partners such as the Student Health Center and the Dean of Students.
Professional Identity Development
We view internship as a critical time for the development of professional identity and behavior
and we strive to create an environment that fosters optimal professional and personal growth.
Over the course of the internship year, the mentoring relationship progresses from that of a
student-supervisor role to one of emerging colleagues. As part of a maturing professional
identity, interns are expected to incorporate the attitude of openness and collaboration to a
multiplicity of clinical problems/issues as well as professional interactions and relationships. The
developing professional identity incorporates a sense of courtesy and respect for all working
relationships and recognition of the work of all members in a community. This professional
mindset also includes the attitude of openness to life-long learning and the continuous
development of skills. The maturing professional is also expected to have an understanding of
ethics that involves not only legal issues and professional boundaries, but also incorporates ethics
as a "professional conscience" that considers the welfare of the clients as a primary
consideration.
Several seminars are specifically devoted to professional development. In these seminars training
staff address topics that are particularly relevant to early career psychologists, such as the
licensure process and career choices after internship. Various seminars, including the Cultural
Competencies Seminar, Training Director meeting, and Professional Development Seminar,
provide opportunities for interns to reflect on their professional growth and examine their own
work together as interns. In addition to general professional development, the internship also
provides opportunities for interns to learn about professional specialization in Higher Education
Mental Health. Interns participate in the varied activities and roles of Counseling Center
psychologists, such as intake and urgent care assessment, outreach, crisis management,
consultation with campus partners, time-limited individual therapy and process and theme
oriented groups. Professional identity development within a Counseling Center setting is also
addressed specifically in the Clinical Issues seminar, which is focused on a variety of clinical
issues relevant to a Counseling Center population.
Cultural Competence and Diversity
A fundamental component of the training mission is to cultivate cultural competence. The
student body at American University is culturally rich, including representation from over 146
countries and all 50 states. The university demonstrates a commitment to supporting a diverse
student body with various student service programs, such as those for first generation college
students, Pell eligible students, veterans and international students. Thus, in a range of roles and
clinical responsibilities interns' growth in cultural competence occurs experientially, in contact
with a culturally heterogeneous university community.
Across training experiences, interns are encouraged to cultivate their awareness of culture as a
critical variable in understanding the experiences of their clients. We aim to create a training
environment that respects individual differences and that encourages dialogue regarding culture,
privilege, social justice, diversity and identity. We share a belief that an understanding of self in
terms of one's own history, background and identity is crucial in learning to understand, respect
and honor the differences of others, whether clients or co-workers. Conversations about culture
occur throughout the internship experience; additionally, interns participate in a 9-month seminar
that focuses on cultural competence. This seminar provides a dedicated space and time for
interns to learn and dialogue about issues of diversity and how to incorporate this knowledge into
clinical work. In this seminar interns are also encouraged to explore various aspects of their
identities and how this influences their clinical work. In recognition of the importance of cultural
competence and the significant amount of work that interns devote to this during their training
year, interns give a year-end presentation to staff that illustrates cultural dynamics in their
clinical work.
Components of Internship
The internship training is highly experiential. Approximately half of the intern's hours are
devoted to activities that involve direct service: individual therapy, group therapy, intake, crisis
intervention. Ample opportunities to be socialized into the profession exist as interns are fully
integrated into the staff. By attending staff meetings and seminars they have opportunities to
witness and work collaboratively with the staff as they wrestle with ethical dilemmas, seek
feedback on their clinical work, and develop policy within the center. Mentorship is an important
part of the intern's experience. The wide variety of supervisory experiences provides the
opportunity for interns to have individual contact with a number of staff members. As such, the
interns have a number of mentors and role models. Additionally, the interns have a Professional
Development Group led by an outside consultant to explore issues regarding becoming a
professional. This consultant also serves in a mentoring/role model relationship, particularly for
interns who have aspirations to work in private practice.
Specific components of the program are as follows:
Clinical Activities
Direct Contact with clients

Individual Therapy. Each intern will be expected to carry ten to twelve on-going cases.
Clients are generally seen once a week or less frequently depending on the needs of the
client. Sessions take place at the Counseling Center. Interns will learn how to adjust the
therapy frame according to treatment length, and will have the opportunity to work with
students in short (6-8 sessions), moderate length (up to 20 sessions) and, less frequently,
longer term (up to the full year) therapy. The number of sessions that a student is seen
depends upon his/her own needs and the capacity of the center.
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Intake Assessment. Each intern will conduct three intakes per week and receive
supervision on this work from their primary supervisor. Didactic training about
assessment issues is a concentrated element of the Orientation Phase of the internship
year and ongoing supervision of assessment issues occurs throughout the internship.
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Emergency/Walk-In Assessment/Crisis On-Call. The Counseling Center provides
Urgent Care/Walk-In services for students who are in need of immediate assistance. Each
intern covers one two-hour shift per week, along with a staff member who serves both as
a partner in Urgent Care and as an additional support/consultant for the intern.
Additionally, the center staff rotates on-call coverage responsibility throughout the year.
Interns will be expected to take part in this rotation. Back-up supervision during these
hours is built into the structure of the schedule. Supervision of the interns' crisis
intervention work will be provided in conjunction with their intake and assessment
supervision. Seminar topics on crisis management are also included throughout the
Orientation Phase and in various seminars, particularly the Counseling Center Clinical
Issues Seminar.
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Group Therapy. Interns will be given the opportunity to co-lead a year-long processoriented Psychotherapy group with a staff member. They will also co-lead an additional
semester-long group with another staff member. The semester length group can be one of
several groups that are organized around a theme, such as International Students, Stress
Management or Sexual Assault/Abuse Survivors.
Additional Clinical Activities
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Supervision of Trainee. Each intern will provide individual supervision to three trainees
in the externship program (two supervisees in one semester, and one supervisee in the
other semester).
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Outreach/Consultation. Each intern will work on a minimum of six outreach projects
within the university community. Interns will work closely with the Assistant Director of
Outreach and Consultation on these projects. Projects might include: attending campus
events, developing and facilitating campus workshops, training residence life staff, and/or
consulting with faculty or residential advisors. Interns' own interests regarding outreach
will be encouraged. Past trainees have given workshops to the community on stress
management, eating disorders, anger management, relationship issues, and other topics
pertinent to the college experience. During the training year, interns also engage in a
consultative relationship with a campus partner. Past partnerships have included the
Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Housing and Dining, and the Wellness Center.
Training
Supervision Received
Intern supervision is regularly scheduled and sufficient relative to the intern's professional
responsibility assuring, at a minimum, that a full-time intern will receive 4 hours of supervision
per week, at least 2 hours of which will include individual supervision. Interns meet with
individual and group supervisors each week. Five and a half or six hours of supervision are
provided in the following areas:

Individual Supervision of Individual Therapy Clients. Each intern will have two clinical
supervisors for individual therapy cases. Each supervisor will work with the intern for
five to six cases, and one supervisor will supervise intake and crisis intervention sessions.
Each supervisor will provide an hour a week of supervision.
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Group Supervision of Individual Therapy Clients. Interns have the opportunity to
benefit from each other's clinical experience by participating in supervision in group
format. Interns will participate in two weekly case-based group supervision meetings: 1)
Psychotherapy Group Supervision and 2) Intern Case Consultation, which is facilitated
on a rotating basis by a member of the Center staff.
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Individual Supervision of Group Therapy. Supervision of the intern's work as a group
therapist will be provided by the group co-leader.
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Supervision of Supervision. Supervision for the intern's work as a supervisor will be
provided in small-group format with one other intern, supervised by a licensed
psychologist. The initial phase of Supervision Training will incorporate didactic
information regarding theories of supervision, discussion of Center policies and
procedures regarding supervisory responsibilities, and the opportunity to hear about
others' supervision styles.
Seminars
Psychodynamic Theory Seminar. A concentrated presentation during orientation will provide
interns with specific training in four psychodynamic theories: ego psychology, self psychology,
object relations and contemporary relational theory. Following this, seminars will be scheduled
approximately twice per semester to build upon the psychodynamic theoretical framework as
interns gain more clinical experience. This seminar is intended to blend with an intensive yearlong group supervision experience from a psychodynamic perspective (Psychotherapy Group
Supervision), so that interns have ample opportunity to integrate psychodynamic theory and
practice.
Empirically Supported Treatment Seminar. This seminar is designed as a summer block with
didactic presentations followed by periodic case consultation meetings during the fall and spring
semesters. The seminar will focus on improving clinical skills based on best available clinical
research to be applied in a higher education mental health setting. The seminar will cover a wide
range of clinical and diagnostic presentations using various empirically supported treatment
models. Additionally, the case consultation element will support the development of intern’s
evidence based practice within a college counseling center. Case consultation will include an
opportunity for interns to provide and receive peer consultation on aspects of their own evidence
based practice including the integration of empirically supported treatment approaches,
developing clinical expertise, and considering patient characteristics.
Cultural Competency Seminar. The Cultural Competency Seminar is a nine month weekly
seminar intended to enhance one’s clinical skills in working with diverse groups. The seminar is
designed to be both experiential and didactic. The aim of the seminar is to create a safe space to
learn and dialogue about issues of diversity and how to incorporate this knowledge into clinical
work.
Group Therapy Seminar is intended to provide interns with a thorough understanding of how
group therapy works and an ability to lead group effectively utilizing a variety of group
interventions at the intra-personal, intra-group, and interpersonal levels. The cohort of interns
will meet weekly with the Group Therapy Seminar leader for didactic presentations and
consultation. Sessions will focus on understanding group theory, assessment in groups,
identifying appropriate group members, making group therapy referrals, conducting pre-group
interviews, identifying stages of group, making effective group therapy interventions, and
working effectively with co-leaders.
Outreach and Consultation Seminar. The Outreach and Consultation Training is intended to
provide the intern with a strong grounding in outreach and consultation in a university
counseling center setting. The training incorporates discussion of readings in theoretically and
empirically based literature as well as numerous varied experiential activities in order to provide
interns with an understanding of the role and function of outreach and consultation in a
university counseling center setting. Interns will receive instruction on program design; program
facilitation; program evaluation and learning outcomes; and consultation relationships in a
university counseling center setting.
Clinical Issues Seminar. The Counseling Center Clinical Issues Seminar focuses on improving
clinical skills specifically needed to function effectively in a higher education mental health
setting. Specifically, this seminar will provide training to strengthen skills in assessment and
diagnosis, clinical referrals and development of a referral base, crisis/emergency assessment and
intervention, and systemic understanding of mental health issues in higher education and
professional standards and ethics.
Professional Issues Seminar. The Professional Issues Seminar focuses on enhancing
professional development skills for continued growth and development of interns' professional
identity after the completion of formal training. Specifically, this seminar will provide training to
strengthen understanding of career identity, professional opportunities, continued training and
learning, options for employment settings after graduation, and information about work-life role
management.
Training Director Meeting. Interns will meet with the Assistant Director for Training
approximately twice per month throughout their training year. These meetings will provide an
opportunity to address professional development, transitions throughout the internship year and
any questions or concerns that arise for interns.
Staff Development Seminar. Time is reserved weekly for staff and interns to meet to address a
variety of training and professional development issues. The content of these meetings varies and
may include discussion of clinical issues, intern presentations, guest speakers, and trainee review
meetings (e.g., consultation among those who supervise externs, including interns providing
supervision to externs).
Professional Development Group. A professional development group will be provided for the
interns to explore issues related to becoming a professional. The facilitator for this group will be
an outside consultant.
Administrative Activities
Staff Meeting. This is a time to check in about how each staff person is doing personally and
professionally as well as address general counseling center issues such as coverage requests,
announcements, clinical emergencies or students of concern, and updates about clinical services,
training and outreach.
Case Assignment Meeting. In this weekly meeting, clients recently seen for intake are reviewed
and assigned to counselors.
Psychiatric Care and Coordination Meeting. Interns will meet weekly to every week with the
psychiatric nurse practitioner from the Student Health Center. In this meeting, interns will have
the opportunity to consult about clients for whom a Release of Information has been signed.
Case Management. Activities such as phone contact and supporting a student through the
referral process.
Record Keeping and other administration.
Internship: Goals and Objectives
Goal #1: To produce graduates who have the requisite knowledge and skills for entry into the
practice of professional psychology in a counseling or private practice setting.
Objective 1: To acquire knowledge and clinical skills in providing individual psychotherapy.
Competencies Expected:
-Interns will demonstrate the ability to form and maintain therapeutic alliances with their individual clients
through effective listening, empathy, and other relationship building skills.
- Interns will demonstrate the ability to employ appropriate therapeutic interventions.
Objective 2: To acquire knowledge and clinical skills in providing group psychotherapy.
Competencies Expected:
-Interns will become proficient in skills related to the selection of clients for group therapy.
-Interns will become proficient group psychotherapy intervention skills.
-Interns will become proficient in skills related to being a co-leader of a group.
Objective 3: To develop intake and diagnostic assessment skills.
Competencies Expected:
-Interns will become proficient in assessment of client problem areas and needs.
-Interns will become proficient in developing and implementing recommendations for treatment based on
clinical assessment skills.
-Interns will become knowledgeable and proficient in assessing goodness of fit for clients to engage in
group therapy.
Objective 4: To acquire knowledge and skills in crisis intervention.
Competencies Expected:
-Interns will become proficient in assessment of clients in crisis.
-Interns will develop skills in conceptualizing client needs in crisis and will develop appropriate safety
plans for clients in distress.
Objective 5: To (prepare professional psychology interns as practitioners who can) provide
outreach and consultation.
Competencies Expected:
-Interns will become proficient in the development of outreach programming.
-Interns will become proficient in the provision of outreach programming.
-Interns will develop skills required to provide consultation.
Objective 6: To develop knowledge and skills in providing clinical supervision.
Competencies Expected:
-Interns will develop good working relationships with their supervisees.
-Interns will be proficient at assisting supervisees in skill building.
Goal #2: To produce interns who are grounded in their ability to integrate theory and research into
clinical practice.
Objective 1: To expand intern’s knowledge of theories and research related to clinical practice.
Competencies Expected:
-Interns will expand their knowledge of research and theories related to both individual and group
psychotherapy.
-Interns will expand their knowledge of research and theory related to non-direct contact clinical skills(i.e.,
supervision, outreach, consultation).
Objective 2: To develop intern’s capacity to integrate knowledge of theories and research into
their clinical practice.
Competencies Expected:
-Interns will demonstrate a capacity to integrate knowledge of theories and research on psychotherapy
into their clinical practice
-Interns will demonstrate the capacity to integrate research and theory related to non-direct contact
clinical skills(i.e., supervision, outreach, consultation) into their practice in these areas
Goal #3: To foster interns’ professional identity as a psychologist that engenders a life-long
commitment to learning.
Objective 1: To develop an ongoing commitment to continued learning.
Competencies Expected:
-Intern will demonstrate commitment to continued learning in psychotherapy.
-Intern will demonstrate commitment to continued learning in areas of outreach, consultation, supervision,
and other areas of professional psychology.
Goal #4: To facilitate a professional identity that incorporates an awareness of self and an
understanding of and respect for diversity (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability).
Objective 1: To develop a professional identity that incorporates an awareness of self.
Competencies Expected:
-Intern demonstrates an ongoing commitment to self-awareness and self-examination.
-Intern demonstrates the personal and professional awareness of strengths, limitations and areas of
growth as a clinician.
Objective 2: To develop the knowledge, sensitivity and clinical skills needed to work with diverse
populations.
Competencies Expected:
-Interns will become knowledgeable of the impact of issues of diversity on the therapeutic relationship and
of practices to engage in sensitivity around these issues.
-Interns will become knowledgeable of the impact of issues of diversity on outreach, consultation and
supervision of trainees.
Goal #5: To engender an understanding and knowledge of professional issues and their
application in the clinical setting.
Objective 1: To develop a professional identity sufficient to enable the intern to function as ethical
psychologist in a variety of settings.
Competencies Expected:
-Interns will develop an awareness of ethical behavior and ability to integrate into their practice in
therapeutic settings.
-Interns will develop an awareness of ethical behavior and ability to integrate into their outreach,
consultation, and supervision work.
Objective 2: To develop a professional identity sufficient to enable the intern to function with a
sense of professionalism in a variety of settings.
Competencies Expected:
-Interns will develop an awareness of professional behavior and ability to integrate into their practice in
therapeutic settings.
-Interns will develop an awareness of professional behavior and ability to integrate into their outreach,
consultation, and supervision.
Typical Schedule
The overview of hours below is intended to provide you with a general sense of how you may be
spending your hours during a given week on internship. Please note that schedules fluctuate
depending on the rhythm of the academic year. As such, deviations from this schedule may
occur, particularly during the summer and winter breaks.
Clinical: 19-19.5 hours
Direct Contact: 16.5-18 hours
10
Individual Therapy
3.0
Scheduled Intake Assessment Hours (this increases during summer months)
2.0
Emergency /Walk-in Intake Assessment Hours
1.5
Group #1
1.5
Group #2 (one semester)
Additional Clinical Activities: 1.5-2.5 hours
1-2
Supervision of Extern (one supervisee when doing two groups)
.5
Outreach /consultation
Training: 11.5 – 13.5 hours
Supervision Received: 5.5 – 6 hours
2.0
Individual Supervision of Individual Therapy Clients
1.0
Psychotherapy Group Supervision
1.0
Intern Case Consultation (3x a month)
.5-1
Supervision on Group (individual format, typically only September-early May, one
hour during the semester in which intern is co-leading two groups)
1.0
Supervision of Supervision (small group format)
Seminars: 6 - 7.5 hours
1.0
1.0
1.0
.5
.5
1.5
2.0
Cultural Competencies Seminar
Group Seminar
Outreach and Consultation Seminar
Counseling Center Clinical Issues (fall) and Professional Issues (spring) Seminar
Training Director Meeting (alternates with Clinical/Professional Issues Seminar)
Staff Development Seminar (2x/month)
Professional Development Group (with travel)
Administrative and Record Keeping: 7-8 hours
1.0
2.0
4/5
Staff Meeting
Case Assignment Meeting
Record Keeping, other administration
Total of on-site hours per week: 40 hours
Additionally, interns are to devote 4 hours to professional reading or research each week, onsite
or offsite. These hours will be tallied into your internship hour total for the year.
Self-Disclosure Policy
The American University Counseling Center training programs view supervision as a means for
trainees to learn how to assess and intervene with clients, and to recognize, understand and
manage their personal reactions to those under their care. We believe that the therapist's response
to the client "in the room" can be an important vehicle for understanding and helping the client.
As such, an integral part of supervision is exploration of such issues. In accordance with the
APA ethics code, section 7.4, it is important for the trainees to be informed that they will be
expected to explore and reflect upon their feelings and reactions to clients. In the process of this
self-reflection, personal information about the trainee may be addressed. The staff believes that
the decision as to how much or how little to share is a choice that needs to be made by the
trainee. Supervision is never viewed as psychotherapy. Also in accordance with APA ethics
code, section 7.5, it is important for trainees to be aware that the due process procedures for our
training programs indicate that the staff may require trainees to obtain psychotherapy in those
cases in which a trainee is deemed impaired.
Compensation & Benefits
Salary. $29,393
Leave time. Total of 6 holidays (Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Friday after Thanksgiving Day,
Martin Luther King Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day) plus the week of Christmas Eve
through New Year's Day. Additional leave time is accrued at a rate of 8 hours of annual leave
and 8 hours of sick leave per month.
Benefits. Interns are eligible for a comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance
and dental insurance. For more information about these and other benefits for AU staff members,
please visit: http://www.american.edu/hr/Benefits.cfm
Library use. Interns may use the campus library facilities and check out books using their AU
I.D. card.
Sports facilities. For a fee, interns may use the campus sports facilities. Parking on campus. For
a fee, parking on campus is available for interns. For more information go to
http://www.american.edu/finance/ts/rates.html
Meet the Staff
therapy and military/veterans' mental health and wellness.
Traci Callandrillo, Ph.D., Director
Doctorate: University of Kansas
Special interests: clinical supervision and training, group therapy, college student development,
mental health issues in higher education, existential therapy, integrative psychotherapy
approaches, stages of change models, LGBTQ issues, relationship concerns, working with men's
issues in therapy, positive psychology, and white racial identity development.
Rachel Wernicke, Ph.D., Associate Director for Clinical Services
Doctorate: American University
Special Interests: integrative psychotherapy (interpersonal and cognitive-behavioral approaches),
women's mental health issues across the reproductive life span, mood and anxiety disorders,
life/role transitions and identity development, grief and trauma, mindfulness-based meditation,
clinical supervision and training, mental health issues in higher education.
Amanda Rahimi, Ph.D., Assistant Director for Training
Doctorate: George Mason University.
Special interests: women's issues, cultural identity development, body image and eating
disorders, grief and loss, psychodynamic therapy, outreach and consultation, and clinical
training.
Ana Buenaventura, Psy.D., Staff Clinician
Doctorate: George Washington University.
Special interests: psychodynamic therapy, object relations theory, trauma and recovery,
multicultural issues, cultural adjustment of international students, and learning disorders.
Keum-Hyeong Choi , Ph.D., Staff Clinician
Doctorate: Loyola University of Chicago.
Special interests: psychodynamic theory, attachment and separation-individuation, loss and grief,
multicultural and women's issues.
Jason Hacker, Ph.D., Staff Clinician
Doctorate: Loyola University Chicago, Counseling Psychology
Special Interests: men and masculinity, alcohol and drug concerns, process addiction (gaming,
gambling, internet, etc.), academic and career issues, social identities (social class, race, &
ethnicity), LGBTQ concerns, trauma and recovery, supervision and training, Interpersonal
Theory, and Self-Psychology.
Charrise de Vera Hipol, Psy.D., Staff Clinician
Doctorate: University of Denver, Graduate School of Professional Psychology.
Special Interests: identity development, multicultural issues, and women's issues.
Michael O'Heron, Ph.D., Staff Clinician
Doctorate: Ball State University
Special Interests: Psychodynamic therapy, self-psychology, emotion-focused therapy, identity
related issues (e.g., ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, etc.), cross-cultural issues, LGBTQ
issues, men and masculinity issues, trauma and recovery, couple therapy and relationship issues,
career development, group therapy, and clinical supervision and training.
Internship: Application
To apply to the American University Counseling Center clinical internship, please submit the
following using the online AAPI:
1. Current APPIC application for psychology internship
2. Official transcripts of all graduate work
3. Current vita
4. Three letters of recommendation -- at least two from clinical supervisors
**The match number for the American University Counseling Center is: 177811. Please see the
National Matching Services website for more information.
Submit all documents with the online AAPI and address your cover letter to:
Amanda Rahimi, Ph.D.
Assistant Director for Training
American University, MGC-214
4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington DC 20016-8150
(Please Note: Direct all inquiries regarding the status and completion of your application to Dr.
Amanda Rahimi, Assistant Director for Training, at rahimi@american.edu)
Applications must be received electronically using the online AAPI by November 2nd.
Selected applicants will be interviewed in early January.
The AU Counseling Center Doctoral Internship is a member of APPIC. This internship site
agrees to abide by the APPIC policy that no person at this training facility will solicit, accept or
use any ranking-related information from any intern applicant.
The AU Counseling Center Doctoral Internship program is accredited by the American
Psychological Association.
Information regarding APA accreditation guidelines can be obtained through the APA
Committee on Accreditation: c/o Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation 750 First
Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242 Phone: 202-336-5979 TDD/TTY: 202-336-6123 Fax:
202-336-5978.