Counseling Center
Predoctoral Internship in Professional Psychology
 Hello! Welcome to the
Towson University Counseling Center Predoctoral
Internship website. I’m happy to have this
opportunity to tell you more about us and our
training program. You can read the overall
goals of our training program under Philosophy
and Objectives, but I wanted to share with you
some additional behind-the-scenes information.
One of the things that really stands out about
us—and that no website can fully communicate—is
how much we value our work environment. We enjoy
an exceptionally strong sense of community, and
we feel fortunate that our extended family grows
each year as we welcome a new group of interns
into the fold. Our family-like environment is
nurtured through our beautiful building, Glen
Esk, a former residence of university presidents
and the home of the Counseling Center for over
thirty years. You can read our philosophy and
objectives and also see photos of the intern
offices and a few other features of the building
at the links below.
We treasure diversity and
enjoy constantly learning from one another and
from each new group of interns. Our environment
is casual and warm, and we enjoy gathering
around the lunch table each day and bonding
around food. We do have an ongoing conflict
regarding the superiority of dark vs. milk
chocolate, but have learned to tolerate our
differences on this.
We
not only value getting to know interns as
individuals, but also are grateful for the
skills and interests they bring that help us
continually broaden our perspectives. Our
program is structured to teach basic general
competencies (through the core activities) and
to nurture special interests (through the
electives). You will have the opportunity as an
intern to participate in the full range of roles
that a counseling center psychologist could be
expected to perform. However, you always have a
safety net in the form of consultation and
supervision from staff members at any time that
you need it. Supervision is the foundation of
our program, and you receive it from many
different staff members and in numerous forms
(group, individual, peer, etc.)
The training year is structured developmentally,
with interns assuming greater responsibility and
autonomy as the year goes on. You start your
year with an extensive orientation period during
which you become familiar with the center, our
policies and procedures, and the campus
environment. Much of the learning of the year,
though, happens as you assume the various
professional responsibilities available to you.
Our program and our center are characterized by
lots of flexibility which allows for the
nurturing of special interests, but also
requires that interns work in a less structured
environment than they may be used to.
Supervisors and the training director are very
helpful to interns as they negotiate the
challenges of an ever-changing caseload and
dividing their time among numerous
responsibilities and opportunities.
We have found that most interns can meet all of
their responsibilities within a 40 - 45-hour
week, even at our most busy times of year.
However, some interns may choose to spend extra
hours some weeks to complete their notes,
prepare for seminars, etc. As you have probably
experienced on other campuses, the Center faces
vastly different levels of demand depending on
the time of year. We often find that just as you
feel like you’re too busy to get it all done,
things ease up for awhile and you catch your
breath. We provide ample opportunities for
interns to talk about how things are feeling at
different points throughout the year and believe
that processing their experiences this way helps
prepare them to assume their next professional
roles.
We
also are committed to supporting our interns’
transitions into their professional psychologist
roles; we do this by forwarding job search tips
and announcements, providing letters of
recommendation, helping interns to network
whenever we can, providing leave time for
interviews, and giving advice whenever it is
wanted (and maybe sometimes even when it
isn’t!) Our interns find post-internship
employment in many different settings.
This is an exciting time to be on our campus.
Towson is going through lots of changes with
many new initiatives and a quickly expanding
student population. As part of the Division of
Student Affairs, the Counseling Center plays an
important role in helping make sure that we have
the resources to meet the needs of our diverse
and growing student population. Interns
participate fully in the life of the Division
and learn a lot about campus administration
through these experiences.
I
hope that this introduction has started to give
you a sense of the Towson University Counseling
Center community. You can find out more about
the nuts and bolts of our program through
exploring the links below. I look forward to
reading your application. Our website is
pretty comprehensive, but if you have any
additional questions after looking it over,
please don’t hesitate to contact me by email
(usually the most efficient way to reach me) or
phone. Thank you for your interest in our
program!
Dr. Mollie Herman
Director of Training
Counseling Center
Towson University
8000 York Road
Towson, MD 21252-0001
Phone: 410-704-2512
Fax: 410-704-3453
Email: mherman@towson.edu
This program is accredited by the American Psychological Association, whose Committee on Accreditation can be reached at 750 First Street, NE, Washington, D.C., 20002-4242, or by calling (202) 336-5979.
|
