The Harris County Children's Assessment Center (HCCAC) accepts two full-time interns for a 12-month internship, which begins September 1st and ends August 31st, who must be currently enrolled in a doctoral program in psychology (Clinical, Counseling, or School Psychology). The internship is both therapy- and assessment-oriented which provides interns with supervised experience in psychotherapy, psychological assessment, diagnosis and treatment planning, consultation services, case management, and crisis intervention. In addition to developing clinical skills, interns are encouraged to participate in educational seminars, conferences, and community outreach endeavors.
The HCCAC is a multidisciplinary institution with a mission to promote the complete healing of child victims of sexual abuse, as well as their families. Once sexual abuse has been disclosed, children needing therapeutic treatment or psychological testing are referred to The HCCAC’s Therapy and Psychological (T&P) services department. The T&P team consists of five licensed psychologists, two postdoctoral fellows, two doctoral psychology interns, master’s level mental health clinicians, and interns with backgrounds in Social Work and Counseling. In addition, psychiatric services for evaluation, consultation, and ongoing medication management are available when necessary.
Common treatment modalities include Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), family systems, and psychodynamic therapy. Other approaches may incorporate experiential and expressive components, such as art, sand tray, and animal assisted therapies. Due to the diverse needs of our clientele, Spanish/English bilingual clinicians are available for psychological evaluation and all types of therapy. Supervision specifically related to each treatment modality and diverse population, including bilingual psychological evaluation, is provided. Through the use of traditional and expressive therapies, clinicians are better able to provide services individually tailored to meet the needs of clients and their families within a culturally competent framework.