FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT APPLYING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON COUNSELING CENTER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

How do I get application materials?

A Uniform Internship Application can be downloaded from the following APPIC Web site: http://www.appic.org/match/5_3_match_application.html

You will also need to submit a current vita, your official graduate transcripts (doctoral & masters level) and three current letters of references. Two letters must be from clinical supervisors, and one of these clinical supervisor letters should be from a recent supervisor. We also request that at least one of your letters be written by a clinical staff member from a university counseling center at which you have worked or completed a practicum.

Do letters of recommendation & transcripts need to be sent separately, or can I mail everything in one packet? It is really nice to get everything in one packet. That way we both know right away that everything was received. However, we do ask that letters of recommendation and transcripts be sealed with a signature of the person writing the reference across the back of the envelope.

Do I have to send letters from a clinical supervisor and counseling center staff member? Our main purpose with the reference letters is to have it be someone who knows you well. However, when applicants send letters from people other than those we've requested, it sometimes puts us in the position of wondering whether the applicant avoided having that person write the letter because it wouldn't be a good letter. So, please send the letters we have requested. On the other hand, if you feel there is more than one additional person who can attest to your qualifications, please feel free to send letters from them as well. You will not be penalized for sending more than three letters.

Do I have to be from an APA-accredited university? We only rank applicants from APA-accredited programs, so it will be necessary that your program be accredited prior to the day that we submit our rank order list. In other words, if your program is not accredited by the first week of February, we would not include you on our rank order list even if you successfully made it through our screening and interview processes.

Who is involved in training? Everyone on the staff at the UCTC is involved with some aspect of training. Primary supervision is provided by senior clinical staff who are licensed for two or more years in Oregon or a state with comparable standards. All clinical staff take part in training seminars, secondary consultation, mentoring, co-leading therapy groups, and other internship activities. Administrative staff work closely with interns in such areas as the transition to the internship, clinical and administrative record keeping, scheduling, and computer and audio-visual support.

How does the UCTC reflect its commitment to individual and cultural differences? The UCTC staff represents a wide range of cultural and individual diversity, and individuals who are dedicated to the intentional inclusion of multicultural competence in all areas of their work. The staff reflects differences in racial and ethnic background, national origin, sexual orientation, religion and spirituality, age, and gender. Our entire staff shares the goal of providing sensitive, high quality services to diverse people. We strive to create an environment where all people feel welcome. We attempt to facilitate mutual respect and understanding among people of diverse racial, ethnic, national, and cultural backgrounds, sexual/affectional orientation, mental and physical abilities, language, class, age, religion/spiritual beliefs, as well as other types of diversity. As a staff, we are addressing issues of diversity in our clinical work, seminar training, programming, consultation and outreach, and staff development.

Cultural and individual diversity is infused throughout all aspects of the intern’s learning environment, both through staff attention to diversity issues as they arise in the natural course of the interns’ service delivery, collegial interaction, supervision, and through explicit didactic focus. Specific examples of internship activities that focus on awareness of individual and cultural differences include attendance at professional staff development workshops with senior clinical staff on a variety of topics related to multiculturalism(e.g.multicultural supervision), participation in a process-oriented weekly intern multicultural seminar, optional attendance at summer brown-bag lunches to watch diversity related videos, training in the use of learning disability assessment and the Americans with Disabilities Act, and participation in rotations that involve working with culturally diverse students.

What rotations/concentration areas are available? Interns usually participate in a different rotation each term. Intern preferences generally guide the assignment of these rotations so that interns can select rotations that are of most interest to them based on their professional development needs. Many rotations are already established and interns can simply step right into it and begin working. Interns may be interested in working in areas not currently established as rotation/concentration areas and can work with staff to develop new rotations.

Rotations that are have recently been available to interns have included University Health Center; Health Education Program co-teaching the Life Skills course; Eating Disorders (including co-teaching the Eating Awareness Workshop); Men’s Issues; Services for Non-Traditional Students; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Programs; Women’s Center, Multicultural Student Services, and Center on Diversity and Community.

How many hours per week do interns work and what is the stipend? Generally, interns work no more than 40-42 hours per week, with approximately 25 hours being spent in direct service. The salary is $24,082.00 and interns receive the same health benefits package as do the permanent senior clinical staff. Interns’ domestic partners and spouses are also eligible for these benefits. Interns accrue 180 hours of vacation leave (22.5 days), but they are required to take 40 hours (5 days) during the last week of the internship. Interns are encouraged to take most of remaining 140 hours (17.5 days) during break periods so that clinical services are not interrupted. Interns also use vacation leave for job interviews, usually in the Winter and Spring term.

Who should I contact if my question is not answered above? Please email Katie Lopez, the clerical coordinator for the search, and she will either respond to you directly or forward the question to the appropriate person. Her email is internqa@uoregon.edu.

To return to the UO Internship brochure, click here.