APA Accredited Internship in Clinical and Counseling Psychology

 

1. How did you learn about our internship training program?

• APPIC web site
• APPIC manual
• Previous applicants

2. What did you find the most/the least attractive about the training opportunities available at our site?

• Most: multicultural training, supportive supervision, ability to develop an individualized program, varied activities, solid therapy training with staff with diversified interests, friendliness of staff, thank you note sent for application, focus on intern needs, attention to details of application during interview, group work opportunities, sports/athletic counseling supervision, atmosphere among staff (from what I could tell) as supportive

• Least: nothing except that it is recently accredited site so some of the kinks may need to be sorted out, salary (commented on 3 times), no off campus rotations, other counseling centers have external rotations

3. Was the information provided in our recruitment materials (e.g. web site, mailings, Monitor ad) sufficient to adequately evaluate the program and it’s match to your needs? Please elaborate.

• Information was clear and concise – it provided training in many areas that I wished to pursue. In addition, the information appeared to be accurate and up-to-date (as evidenced by current interns). Some programs I interviewed with no longer had or offered rotations or training components as presented in their application materials.

• I believe the mailing explained the internship adequately.

• Yes, I believe the information about staff orientations was good, as well as specificity of expectations your site has for interns. More info on the diversity of training opportunities (e.g. specific on campus consultation topics) would be good.

• Yes, more than adequate. The brochure alone was more comprehensive than many of the brochures at other internship sites (UCC, hospital, and medical schools – I did not apply to VA’s or CMHC’s).

4. Did the telephone interview format give you adequate opportunity to share your strengths and qualifications? Please elaborate. (Note: for the 1999-2000 recruiting cycle the program will be offering on site interviews.)

• Yes, I felt comfortable asking for clarification and being allowed to elaborate on any responses that the interviewers or I made. I wasn’t rushed through any responses. I felt free to be myself and express myself as I would in any other professional atmosphere.

• I enjoyed the telephone interview. It was well structured and allowed me to express interests and also share my strengths. I think when it was over I had a good sense of the staff members. Everyone was extremely nice!

• Yes. I was initially concerned about this aspect of the application process but found it very positive. You all conveyed a genuine interest in applicants, were well versed in the details of the application. I especially appreciated the supportive yet thorough attention the phone interview provided. Your site excels in this area.

• Yes and no. Yes in the sense that the questions asked were certainly sufficient interns of comprehensiveness and clinical ability (sic). No in the sense that a phone interview can be distracting (e.g. my call waiting went off three times during the interview).

5. Would you have preferred to have had an on site personal interview or was the telephone interview format sufficient? (Note: for the 1999-2000 recruiting cycle the program will be offering on site interviews.)

• I would’ve at least liked to have the opportunity to have an on-site personal interview. That way I could’ve seen the facilities and meet the staff one-on-one. Being able to see interns and staff interact during an on-site interview was important to me. Plus, I could’ve toured the surrounding area to see if it was an environment that I would like to live for one year. Having personal knowledge of the cost of living, amount of traffic, types of rental properties, etc. of an area are less important factors than the actual training opportunities, which were first attractions for me. But these additional factors are still ones that I needed to consider in my final decision.

• I would have preferred an on-site interview. I definitely think that scoping (sic) the territory is an important ingredient in deciding upon an internship.

• Because your site was so strong in providing information via the phone interview it was the one site I interviewed with where I did not feel a site visit would have given me significantly more information.

• Telephone interview was sufficient, although at times distracting (sometimes hard to keep track of who asked what; call waiting going off). Since I am an alumni of Virginia Tech and spent time doing work in the UCC, I knew what it was like – some interviewees probably would have liked to visit the campus.

6. Based on your review of our materials and interactions with our staff how well does our program train interns to meet the needs of individually and culturally diverse persons?

• Extremely well. I was impressed with the staff’s willingness to answer all of my questions via phone or e-mail. They responded in a timely fashion and I found that to be very considerate due to the fact that you have so many other applicants to respond to. The emphasis on considering culture through all aspects of the services offered was encouraging. The Multicultural training seemed to be evident as a part of every service provided (i.e. therapy, groups, consultation, outreach, supervision). Everyone seemed very sensitive and supportive of various culture and circumstances.

• Comparable

• Moderate. I’d have to think more on this question but my initial reaction is that issues of diversity are largely influenced by the population of the university. But my sense from your materials is that this area is given a fair amount of attention.

• I believe the staff appear quite able to train interns with diverse clientele. The problem may be in having diverse clientele in Blacksburg.

7. Based on you experience applying to a range of internship sites how would you evaluate the training program at Virginia Tech in comparison to other programs?

• I applied only to Counseling Centers and out of the 7 interviews I had, Virginia Tech was ranked as one of my top choices. On a scale of 1 to 10, your training program appeared to be a 8.5 (in my opinion). The positive experiences of the current interns played a major role in how I evaluated the program.

• Again, without meeting staff members on site it’s hard to make such a comparison. I think interns who apply to counseling centers are looking for diverse experiences.

• In terms of counseling centers, I think you are quite strong. The salary is a limitation in that many other counseling centers with similar training can provide higher salaries. But I also recognize that as your site is just recently accredited this will change.

• I would say excellent. The staff were extremely pleasant and the brochure was truly comprehensive. I also appreciated the uniqueness of the extra questions on the application.