Psychotherapy and Counseling: Interns spend 18 to 20 hours per week providing psychotherapy and other clinical services to OSU students. This includes 10 to 12 sessions for individual therapy, co-leading one or two therapy/support groups, and conducting intake appointments. OSU CAPS operates under a brief therapy model, and interns are guided and supported as they enhance their therapy skills within this model.
On-Call Coverage: Interns will provide 11 on-call shifts each term. During the on-call shift, OSU students/clients with urgent concerns can be seen immediately for an initial assessment and/or crisis intervention. On-call duties also could require the therapist to respond to phone calls from faculty, staff, students, or parents requesting mental health consultation.
Consultation: Interns will provide 11 consultation shifts each term. During the consultation shift, interns will see OSU students/clients and explore their mental health needs and assign them up to the services that will be most helpful for them. In addition, interns will help a student, faculty/staff, family member, or anyone else concerned about an OSU student decide what steps they can take given their situation. Consultations take about 15-20 minutes.
Areas of Emphasis: Interns can work with staff in particular areas of interest. This may occur through group co-facilitation, outreach initiative work, and/or individual consultation. Some current staff interests include:
- Administrative
- Body Image Concerns/Eating Disorders
- Working with LGBTQ+ Clients
- Sport Psychology
- Individual Therapy with International Students
Supervision: Interns meet with their practicum supervisee one to two hours per week to supervise the student's work with clients. Interns also review tapes and help trainees develop a sense of professionalism. A weekly Supervision of Supervision seminar provides guidance as interns learn supervision skills.
Mental Health Promotion: Interns will participate in campus mental health promotion/prevention activities for an average of two hours per week. A portion of this time is dedicated to building relationships with key campus stakeholders in conjunction with a CAPS senior staff who is already facilitating work in a particular area.
Sample Average Weekly Schedule for Doctoral Interns
| Service Activities (direct/distance clinical services) | Approx. Hours |
|---|---|
| Individual Therapy (individual therapy and/or single session clinic) | 12 |
|
Group therapy (when groups are not offered, hours convert to individual therapy) |
1.5 |
| On-call (emergencies, crisis intervention, urgent care - counts only when providing face-to-face/distance consult, therapy) | 2 |
| Triage (consultations for any non-urgent personal issue to gather information about concerns and their impact on the person's life in order to help the caller with planning next steps) | 2 |
| Mental health promotion/outreach | 1-2 |
| Supervision of practicum students (winter & spring terms) | 1.5-2 |
|
Total for service activities |
20-21.5 |
| Training Activities | Approx. Hours |
|---|---|
| Individual supervision with primary supervisor | 2 |
| Group supervision with a licensed clinician | 1 |
| Supervision for other services (e.g. AOE, supervision of supervision) | 0.5-1.5 |
|
Seminars: Professional Issues, Group (hours vary by term) |
1.5-3 |
| Intern/TD meeting | 1 |
| Case conference with clinical team | 1 |
| Case conference with primary clinical provider (optional) | 1 |
| Consult groups (Optional; interpersonal violence, transgender & non-binary, etc.) | 1 |
|
Total for training activities |
9-11.5 |
| Administrative Activities | Approx. Hours |
|---|---|
| Alternating staff meeting/committee work | 1.5 |
| Paperwork/preparation time (e.g. notes, scheduling clients, case management, email, etc.) | 9.5-10.5 |
| Total for administrative activities | 11-12 |
| TOTAL HOURS* | 40-45 |
|---|---|
|
*We designed this schedule to work within the rhythm of the academic calendar. For example, there are heavier demands for service during fall, winter, and spring terms, while increased time for training and other professional development can be available during "slower" times such as orientation, breaks, and the summer. |