The Application Process
Qualifications of Candidates
The following minimum qualifications must be met by the application deadline (Friday, November 14, 2008) in order for applicants to be considered for the internship program:
- enrollment in a doctoral program in counseling or clinical psychology
- successful completion of comprehensive exam/task by application deadline (Friday, November 14, 2008)
- a minimum number of 400 AAPI Intervention and Assessment Hours
- experience, training or interest in working with college and university students and their presenting concerns
- dissertation proposal approved by the start of internship
- approval for internship by academic training director
In addition to the minimum qualifications listed above, preference will be given to applicants who demonstrate the following desired qualifications:
- interest in and commitment to university counseling work and college student development
- a collaborative spirit of warmth, acceptance, respect, and trust towards colleagues
- interest in working within the internship program's developmental-practitioner model
- a willingness and ability to explore one's sense of self, have the capacity to self-reflect, and use one's self-awareness effectively to further personal and professional growth
- energy to flexibly manage the professional demands of a challenging caseload while maintaining positive and healthy perspectives and relationships
- self-motivation, self-direction, and commitment to high professional ideals
- an appreciation for and experience with working with students from traditionally underrepresented groups and issues pertinent to these populations
- excellent oral and written communication skills
- dedication to the exploration of diversity variables in professional and personal settings
Application Materials
The CSDC Predoctoral Psychology Internship Program is participating in APPIC's Computer Matching Program.The NMS Match Code is 164911.
The following application materials are required by the application deadline of November 14, 2008 (applications that are incomplete/do not follow these guidelines will NOT be considered):
- Cover letter describing experience and interest in providing the following services: individual and group counseling (include number of individual clients seen in therapy and names of groups you have co-facilitated), crisis intervention (during and after office hours), outreach programming (include names of outreach programs you have prepared/facilitated), consultation, brief therapy, intake and comprehensive psychological assessments, and clinical work with diverse populations. In addition, the cover letter must include a paragraph stating why you are interested in our internship site and why you believe you are a good fit for our program.
- CompletedAAPI, consisting of two parts: (1) the standardized application form, completed by the applicant, and (2) the Academic Program's Verification of Internship Eligibility and Readiness form, completed by both the applicant and his/her academic training director. The AAPI application can be downloaded from the APPIC Web site.
- Current curriculum vitae.
- Official copies of all graduate academic transcript(s).
- Three letters of reference, at least two from individuals who have supervised your psychotherapy work, with a verification signature across the sealed flap of each envelope.
Please submit all application materials in one package to the following address:
Attention: Dr. Sarah Jones, Psy.D.
Counseling & Student Development Center, MSC 0801
James Madison University
Harrisonburg VA 22807.
Selection Process
We will accept applications from interested candidates through November 14, 2008 and will offer in-person interviews to those candidates in whom we are interested by December 1, 2008. Brief phone interviews will be conducted to decide which applicants will be invited for a 6 hour on-site interview. In person interviews will be conducted during the first week or two of January, 2008. All candidates who submit an application will be notified as to whether or not they will be invited for an on-site interview.
If we have positions remaining unfilled following the completion of APPIC's matching process, we will select new candidates through the Association for Counseling Center Training Agencies (ACCTA) Clearinghouse process. Completed applications received during the Clearinghouse process will be reviewed and phone interviews conducted as quickly as possible. A candidate applying for an internship through the Clearinghouse process should be prepared to make a speedy decision once an offer has been tendered.
This internship program abides by the APPIC Match Policies, which are published on APPIC's Web site: http://www.appic.org/
This internship site further 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.
