Mission Statement of Training

The Mission of the WFUCC Psychology Internship Program is to provide psychology interns with a supervised clinical experience in a broad range of activities in preparation for careers in a university counseling center or similar setting.  Interns have the opportunity to learn from a diverse and multidisciplinary team of professionals who practice a broad developmental and mentor-based training approach and use a combination of experiential, didactic, and practical training experiences to achieve training goals. As a result of this process, interns develop skills, competencies, and professional identities as psychologists.

Our Training Philosophy

The Wake Forest University Counseling Center Psychology Internship utilizes a practitioner-scholar model in which research informs practice.  This approach integrates hands-on work in a multidisciplinary setting with scholarly reading, critical thinking, and self-reflection.  We believe that providing both a supportive and challenging environment, as well as ongoing and reciprocal feedback from staff and peers creates the optimum space for interns to feel comfortable making and learning from mistakes and to experience personal and professional growth.  We also believe it is important for interns to have the opportunity to tailor their training experience based on areas of interest, and to receive mentorship and guidance in developing a niche as a psychologist.  Training opportunities will be developmentally appropriate for each individual’s level of training and experience, and will be sequential, cumulative and graded in complexity across the training year.

The University Counseling Center (UCC) also utilizes a collaborative, systems approach to working with each other and within a larger campus environment.  Therefore, we believe it is important for interns to learn how to navigate administrative processes, provide referrals to on and off-campus agencies, develop case management skills, collaborate with other departments on campus, coordinate crisis response, and manage multiple roles within the University, such as consulting with staff, students, and parents while maintaining confidentiality.

The UCC is committed to providing culturally sensitive services and believes it is important for interns to be competent in working with clients, colleagues, and community members from various backgrounds.  We foster this competence by providing training on identity and culture, encouraging interns to consult and collaborate with multidisciplinary staff members inside and outside of the UCC, and by challenging interns to reflect on their own personal and cultural experiences and how these affect their work with clients.