The UCLA CAPS training program adheres to a Scholar-Practitioner model. Focusing on the clinical application of scientific findings, a broad array of supervised clinical, outreach and prevention experiences and formal and informal didactic settings promote the acquisition of practice skills and the development of critical thinking.
GOALS OF THE TRAINING PROGRAM
The UCLA CAPS training program prepares psychology doctoral interns to function as multiculturally-competent and ethical professionals with specific expertise in addressing diverse college or university populations and a clear sense of their early professional identities.
Consistent with this aim, the internship has the following three goals:
1. Facilitation of interns' clinical competence across the full range of professional services targeting a diverse undergraduate and graduate student clientele
2. Promoting interns' ethical behavior and sensitivity to ethical and legal issues
3. Fostering interns' professional identity development as psychologists
These objectives are articulated in the program’s focus on the following competencies: research; ethical and legal standards; individual and cultural diversity; professional values, attitudes and behaviors; communication and interpersonal skills; assessment; intervention; supervision; consultation; and interprofessional/interdisciplinary skills.
PHILOSOPHY OF TRAINING
We train our doctoral interns to be generalists, with particular expertise in working with a university population. Over the course of the year, interns provide individual, couple and group psychotherapy, supervision of Ph.D. practicum students, emergency assessment and response, crisis intervention, ADHD assessment, and outreach/prevention and consultation to the university community. Doctoral interns are encouraged to develop specific expertise with special populations and these interests are taken into account when making assignments; however, such interests are considered as secondary to generalist training.
We regard our doctoral interns as professionals in training, and accordingly the training program is developmental in its focus. We believe that professional development and competency as a newly-practicing psychologist results from cumulative and developmental immersion in broad clinical experience rooted in empirical evidence and supported by skilled professionals serving as supervisors, teachers, and role models. Recognizing that interns begin their internship year at varying developmental levels, an assessment is made of their training needs at the start of the year and expectations are individually tailored. After a year of close supervision, we expect each intern to have developed an increased level of clinical competence and autonomy, heightened professional identity and ethical awareness, and an enhanced understanding of self in preparation for independent functioning as a clinical psychologist.
An appreciation of human diversity is a cornerstone of our training program. Our highly diverse clinical staff trains interns in the competent provision of services to UCLA's pluralistic student body. The diversity of our staff and our clientele provides interns with an unusual opportunity to gain specific clinical experience and expertise with a broad spectrum of individually and culturally diverse clients across a full range of health and psychopathology. A variety of training experiences complement these clinical experiences, and lead to the acquisition and development of knowledge, awareness and skills related to multiculturally-competent case conceptualization and care. Over the course of the year, interns are expected to refine their sensitivity and competence in service delivery to students of varied racial, cultural, religious, gender, sexual orientation, physical and age groups. Professional diversity is also valued, as our staff consists of psychologists, clinical social workers and psychiatrists, and trainees from psychology, social work, and psychiatry residency programs.
Intensive supervision is a distinguishing feature of CAPS internship training and encompasses a variety of theoretical frameworks. Interns are encouraged to engage in self-reflection regarding personal issues potentially affecting their professional functioning as therapists, trainers, consultants and colleagues. While we strive to respect interns' privacy rights, the disclosure of personal information pertinent to interns' professional roles in the context of their supervision is routine and expected.