APA Accredited Internship in Clinical and Counseling Psychology

 

1. How did you learn about the site?

• APPIC Directory (most often)
• Current Intern
• Internet
• Advisor

2. What do you see as the strengths of our training program?

• Individual and group counseling, seminars, research opportunities, diversity of supervision, excellent facility, laid-back atmosphere, beautiful location
   
• New technology, staff attitude and willingness to improve.
   
• Very structured, much support with staff and resources (such as office, computer facility)
   
• Assessment experience, training in supervision
   
• Location, variety of training opportunities, staff, lots of outdoor activities
   
• Supervision, diverse interests of staff, commitment to training
   
• Well-rounded
   
• Career counseling, excellent self-help facilities and materials, exceptional staff
   
• University setting and clientele, location of university
   
• Offers a lot of different training opportunities
   
• Experience/stability of staff, thorough variety of training opportunities, use of technology via computerized supervision observation
   
• Training in group and individual psychotherapy, housed with student medical services, location on campus seems nice, diversity of staff professional background (clinical and counseling psychology)
   
• Your commitment to training, your organization and breadth of exposure and knowledge

3. What do you see as the weaknesses of our training program?

• Low salary and no benefits (9)
   
• Limited assessment opportunities
   
• It is not a weakness but the recency (sic) of accreditation
   
• Having an external rotation 1 day per week would strengthen
   
• Location, size of intern offices
   
• Location, distance from cultural activities
   
• Outreach/consultation opportunities
   
• None
   
• Might be asking too many individual client hours per week
   
• No external rotations; limited training experiences; no major doctoral program at Virginia Tech in applied psychology; no specializations (sic), absensence (sic) of national reputation of training program or center faculty
   
• Location

4. Did our brochure and web site provide you with adequate information regarding our program? Please explain.

• Yes although a better VT map could be helpful
   
• Yes, excellent web site
   
• Yes, found out everything I needed through interview and speaking with current interns
   
• Web site was adequate and easy to download
   
• For the most part yes; although I thought that the facility was very impressive in-person and didn't know it would be so from the brochure
   
• Web site was quite thorough, with good detail. I appreciated the survey (of intern) results on the web site.
   
• I became more impressed with your site after the visit. The web site could have been more interesting to make it stand out.

5. Did the interview provide you adequate opportunity to demonstrate your strengths and unique abilities? Please explain.

• Yes. I like speaking to several different staff members. Lunch was a great opportunity to talk to current interns.
   
• It was pleasant and informational
   
• The telephone interview was more than adequate. It was double the length of many other phone interviews I had, although it wasn't too long.

6. Given a choice, would you prefer an on site interview or do you believe the telephone interview format is adequate? (All candidates for interview were offered a choice of on-site or telephone interview. The applicants who had a phone interview elected to do so.)

• On-site
   
• On-site interview - ABSOLUTELY
   
• On-site interview gives much better way to assess goodness of fit between intern and site
   
• I do not believe the phone interview is adequate at all. It was very difficult to rate a place that I had not visited.
   
• I prefer an on-site interview.
   
• I would have preferred to go on-site to many places, but financially that would have been impossible.
   
• On-site definitely, especially with the impressiveness of your physical plant.
   
• No, a well-run phone interview should be sufficient. Site interviews are an inconvenience given the fact that this is a one-year appointment. Remember, Virginia weather is often harsh in January.
   
• An on-site interview benefits both parties and I would always prefer on-site. I think the phone interview should be allowed for those who choose.

7. Based on your review of our materials and interactions with our staff, how well do you believe our program meets the needs of individually and culturally diverse groups?

• Fairly well, although the information I can judge this with is limited.
   
• Very well
   
• Would be beneficial if there were culturally and ethnically diverse members of the staff. Diversity represented in words but in practice?
   
• Don't feel I had adequate info to judge. The lack of diversity on campus, however, was a factor in ranking.
   
• Very well
   
• Seem to be aware and focusing on diverse groups.
   
• As well as can be expected in a majority white community.
   
• Quite well. Actually, it's one of the strengths.
   
• Your program seemed committed to multiculturalism.
   
• Materials suggest counseling with diverse groups, but not a lot of opportunities to work with diverse groups.
   
• To tell you the truth, I didn't really see many culturally/ethnically diverse individuals in town or on camps during my stay. Very white and homogenous.
   
• I felt comfortable in your setting. Perhaps a greater emphasis on training opportunities or research interests would have been helpful.
   

Other comments about any aspect of the UCC intern recruitment process which would help us improve our program is welcome.

• Teresa Quesinberry was very helpful in setting up the interview date.
   
• The lunch the interns took us on was the best experience of the process.
   
• I felt very good about the interview process, appreciated the lunch after a long drive and liked the one on one format and meeting with several staff members in a round robin fashion.
   
• Your program, being recently accredited, has real potential. I would suggest that you be more affirming of the process to your applicants. You just need some time to develop some well-rounded training opportunities.
   
• Really appreciated the opportunity to have lunch with interns and to meet with a variety of staff members.
   
• Increase the stipend!
   
• I think two essay questions would have been sufficient. Particularly, the de Vinci question was not very pleasant to answer.
   
• The interview day was one of the best I had. Very relaxed, informative, and very respectful of the students. I did not feel like I had to sell myself to people who thought I had everything to prove as I did at other sites! Thank you!
   
• Less the # of direct hours you require in the APPIC directory. Insist on in-person interviews. Move up the time of interviews earlier in January. Overall, I was extremely impressed with both the personal contact of rotating interview setup, the lunch treat, the beautiful facility, and the beautiful geographic setting. I'd like to come back and apply for a job at VT!
   
• Interviewing with all staff members was a plus.