Students
Counseling Internships
The counseling staff consists of graduate level psychology interns and postdoctoral associates who work under the supervision of the director, a licensed clinical psychologist. The staff is selected each year on the basis of competence, interest in serving college students, and freedom from bias in meeting the needs of a diverse population.
Pre-doctoral Internship Training Description
WHITTIER COLLEGE
Student Counseling Center
P.O. Box 634
Whittier, CA 90608
(562) 907-4239
LEVEL: P/T Internship; 24 hours per week
Member of California Psychology Internship Council (CAPIC)
CONTACT: Jeannie Wallace, Office Coordinator or
Rebecca Eberle-Romberger, Psy. D., Director (PSY 13169)
NUMBER OF OPENINGS: 3 to 4
NATURE OF AGENCY/POPULATION SERVED
The Student Counseling Center serves only Whittier College students. Whittier College is a private liberal arts college of approximately 1,300 students. In addition to undergraduate degrees, the College awards Masters Degrees in Education. It is primarily a residential school and attracts students from across the United States. Currently, 50% of the student population is from ethnic and minority backgrounds.
DIRECT/INDIRECT SERVICES
The mission of Student Counseling Services is to meet the psychological needs of the campus community through direct services, outreach programs, guest lectures, training of residential advisors, and consultation with staff and faculty. Interns participate in all of these activities. Individual therapy includes crisis intervention, short-term and extended term. Group therapy and conjoint therapy may be offered on a limited basis.
THEORETICAL ORIENTATION
Interns receive training in models of short-term, problem-focused therapy. Supervision is integrative, with an emphasis on assessing client needs and developing treatment strategies, which fit those needs. Clinical assessment skills are developed, and interns learn to contract with their student clients for a focused treatment goal. Certain cases will be selected for year long treatment, where appropriate to clients needs.
SUPERVISION
Each week, interns will receive two hours of individual supervision from the Director in addition to two hours of group supervision led separately by a licensed psychologist and the postdoctoral intern. Interns will also be provided with didactic seminars on issues such as diversity, psychological testing, suicide, law and ethics, and self-injurious behaviors.
TRAINING
Work with the college population offers a range of complaints including normal developmental issues, as well as problems prevalent in this age group (alcohol and other substance abuse, eating disorders, children of alcoholics, adults molested as children, etc.). Interns will provide therapy to students, learn consultation skills, be involved in outreach programming in areas that interest them, and participate in weekly staff meetings. Interns may also be given release time to attend appropriate training seminars in the community as these opportunities present themselves.
LENGTH OF TRAINING
Training is nine months starting at the beginning of September and finishing at the end of May for approximately 24 hours each week. Interns must attend a mandatory two day orientation scheduled the week of Labor Day.
VACATION/HOLIDAYS
Interns are expected to take vacation the three weeks of the college’s winter break and the week of spring break (which may be in March or April). The Counseling Center is also closed Thanksgiving Day and the Friday following; Memorial Day, Martin Luther King holiday, and July 4 (observed). Other time off must be negotiated with the Director.
PREFERRED/REQUIRED DAYS
The Counseling Center is open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Pre-doctoral Interns are expected to work Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Outreach activities, such as workshops, occur periodically outside of the typical work day. Interns are expected to be flexible with their schedules to attend these events.
STIPEND
Interns receive a $900 stipend paid in $100 installments each month September through May.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
The Whittier College Counseling Center is a CAPIC half-time internship site and follows the CAPIC guidelines for application and selection.
Please send the following materials:
CAPIC Uniform Internship Application (available from CAPIC website: www.capic.net)
Cover letter, which provides a statement of your interest in this site
Curriculum Vitae
Letter of Internship Readiness (signed by the appropriate graduate school representative)
Three letters of recommendation, two of which must be from recent clinical supervisors (These may be mailed directly or included with the application)
Candidates from institutions other than Alliant International University should make their intention to apply known to the Director as early as possible. The preferred candidate will have had a year of part-time supervised clinical experience above the practicum level.
NOTIFICATION
Monday, April 5, 2010 is notification day starting at 8:30 a.m. Please make sure we have the correct telephone number for you. We will also notify applicants via e-mail if they are not being considered for internship this year.
Post-doctoral Internship Training Description
Position: The Whittier College Counseling Center is offering one 10-month, part-time (20 hours/week) post-doctoral fellowship position. Office hours on Wed/Thurs/Fri.
Minimum Qualification: A Ph.D./Psy.D. in Clinical or Counseling Psychology from an APA-accredited graduate program, completed by start date of August 16, 2010.
Desired Qualifications: Experience in a College/University Counseling Center at the practicum or pre-doctoral intern level.
Stipend: $5,500 for a 10-month position.
Position Available: 1
Whittier College is a four-year residential liberal arts college of approximately 1300 students. Since it’s founding in 1887, Whittier College has been a place of academic innovation, where a community of learners pushes past constraints and "measured" ways of doing things, embracing the bold and the cutting edge. Located in the heart of Southern California between bustling Los Angeles and beautiful Orange County, Whittier is distinguished by its small size, pioneering faculty, and nationally recognized curriculum. Facilities rival those at large public institutions, but this is an intimate setting where students and professors unite in an ongoing pursuit of knowledge. The Whittier College Counseling Center services the needs of the undergraduate population of Whittier College, with approximately 10% of the student body utilizing our no-cost, short-term counseling. Clinical hours are spent predominantly in individual counseling; however, the following are also a part of the training experience: intake assessment, crisis intervention (on-call), triage and consultation. In addition, the Post-doctoral Fellow will play a vital role in the CAPIC training of pre-doctoral interns and practicum students. S/he will provide group supervision, as well as a monthly training seminar to the staff. In addition, the Fellow will participate in program development, workshops, classroom presentations/lectures and special projects as they arise. The Counseling Center collaborates with a variety of departments on campus and provides consultation to the Student Life and Resident Life teams.
Required Application Materials: All application materials will be treated as confidential documents. Please send the following materials:
- A cover letter briefly describing your interest in Whittier College Counseling Center’s postdoctoral training.
- A curriculum vita, which includes your anticipated date of graduation.
- Three letters of recommendation from individuals who have personal knowledge of your clinical skills (at least two letters should be from supervisors).
- Transcripts of graduate work
Application Deadline: Priority given to applications received before March 1, 2010; however applications will continue to be reviewed until the position is filled.
Dates of Employment: August 16, 2010 to May 31, 2011
Send Application Materials to: Rebecca Romberger, Director, Whittier College Counseling Center, C/O Whittier College, 13406 Philadelphia St, P.O. Box 634, Whittier, CA 90608 or via email to rromberger@whittier.edu Phone: 562-907-4239
Website: www.whittier.edu
