Counseling and Psychological Services

Clinical Training Program

 Not currently accepting applications; next recruiting period will be for Spring 2014 positions

Practicum positions are for qualified pre-master’s students and predoctoral students

Internship positions are for qualified pre- master’s students ONLY

Post-doctoral positions are NOT currently available

ALL POSITIONS ARE UNPAID

Minimum Requirements:

• Completion of 24 graduate credit hours in counseling or psychology prior to the start of the practicum or internship
• Able to provide the following number hours on site each week:

• 14 hours (2 days)(Practicum students)
• 21 hours (3 days)  (Internship students)
• Please note that pre-master’s practicum students are expected to continue at TCNJ-CAPS through the completion of their internship

• Available to start during the last week of August
• Available every Tuesday from 11:00 to 2:30 to participate in weekly training group

Some Additional Items To Consider Before Applying:

• Normal hours of operation for CAPS are 8:30 am to 6:30 pm, Monday through Wednesday, and 8:30 to 4:30, Thursdays and Fridays.  No evening hours are available. No weekends are available.
• CAPS is closed during a winter break period of approximately 10-12 days from mid-December to early January.  CAPS reopens on the first business day that follows New Year’s Day.  However, TCNJ students do not return to campus until the 3rd week of January. As such, client activity is very limited during this time.  Client activity is also very limited during the fall and spring break periods and during the summer (mid-May through the end of August.
• Client well-being is our primary concern.  As such, we ask that you give serious consideration to how your other obligations might impact your ability to manage fatigue and stress; thus your ability to to attend to clients in a consistent and professional manner.

If you have another job, and/or you will be taking more than one academic course per semester, it is our experience that these have the potential to impact your experience at CAPS and/or your ability to provide good care for clients. Please assess your personal circumstances carefully.

To Apply:

Submit the following documents together in a single envelope, or attached to a single email:

•  Letter of Interest detailing why you are considering our site/program
• Resume or Curriculum Vita
• Graduate Transcript  – An unofficial copy is acceptable; however, any offer for placement will be pending receipt, review and acceptance of the official transcript
• References - Names and contact information for two professional, or job related references. Please include phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Letters of recommendation can be included. Please provide contact information for the writer(s).

 INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED

Forward All Materials To:

Carol Evangelisto, LPC, Coordinator of Clinical Training

Counseling and Psychological Services

The College of New Jersey

Eickhoff Hall, Suite 107

PO Box 7718

Ewing, NJ 08628-0718

or

cevangel@tcnj.edu

We will notify you via email that we have received your application and that it is under review.

Within 30 days of receipt we will notify you, via phone or email, of the outcome of our review.  At such time, you may be requested to attend a personal interview with our staff.

Review of applications and scheduling of interviews is conducted on a rolling basis until all positions are filled.

Features of Our Site and Our Training Program

• One hour of individual supervision provided weekly by licensed psychologists and licensed professional counselors
• Two additional hours of group supervision and group training per week
• One and a half day orientation program (conducted in the fall semester only)
• Regular in-service presentations related to current topics, issues and theories
• Students required to present a video case conference once each semester
• Facilities and equipment for audio taping, videotaping and/or live observation
• Comfortable, modern facilities with private offices, meeting rooms, and record storage
• Student offices equipped with computers that are equipped with a  secure electronic scheduling and record-keeping system (Titanium)
• On-site library of classic and current psychological texts, journals and periodicals
• Easy access to campus dining halls, library and bookstore
• Free and convenient parking
• Beautiful, suburban campus (with easy access to I-95/295). We are also accessible from NYC via mass transit. (Train, to bus, to campus)
• CAPS is fully integrated into the Division of Student Affairs which includes such other student services as Health Services, Campus Ministries, Differing Abilities Services, Anti-Violence Initiatives, the Alcohol/Drug Education Program and Residential Education and Housing Program
• CAPS also provides outpatient rotation experiences for the New Jersey State Psychology Internship Program
• CAPS is IACS Accredited (International Association of Counseling Services, Inc.)

The Mission of Our Training Program

Our mission is to contribute to the development and training of new practitioners entering the fields of professional counseling and psychology and to support and enhance the effectiveness of CAPS by providing interns and practicum students with a continuous, multi-faceted learning experience that addresses the knowledge, concepts, and skills needed to function effectively in the performance of their responsibilities at CAPS, and in other positions in the future.

The training program seeks to foster the development of interns and practicum students as persons, and as professionals, while also helping them to function effectively as members of the CAPS team. Many of the experiences included in the training program are designed help to prepare students for other types of positions within the broader fields of professional counseling and psychology.

More about Our Training Program

Training has been an integral part of our identity for over 30 years. Our training program continues to enjoy an excellent reputation with administrators and faculty from Counselor Education and Graduate Psychology programs in the tri-state area, and beyond. It is known for providing a quality training experience for their counseling and psychology interns and practicum students.

Training and supervision are provided by a staff of seasoned professionals that includes three licensed psychologists, and two licensed professional counselors.  All are experienced supervisors who are knowledgeable about the challenging role of the mental health professional, particularly within the college setting.   Supervisors are also mindful of the developmental needs of students as they progress in their training experience and provide guidance and support based on the students’ individual needs.

The training program is planned and implemented by the Coordinator of Clinical Training.

Program Philosophy

CAPS believes that the professional counselor must continually seek new knowledge and skills in order to provide the best possible support to clients being served.

Within the counseling profession, there are myriad theoretical perspectives and a wide array of counseling interventions that professional practitioners need to be aware of and/or master. The training program is intended to promote such learning, on a continuous basis, by exposing interns to various theoretical approaches and introducing them to related skills and interventions.

The training program also recognizes that counselors provide services through a combination of personal, intellectual, social, and professional attributes that affect the quality of the counseling received by clients. The training program is intended to also address each of these aspects, as well.

CAPS also understands that counselors are affected by a full range of human emotions and experiences; insofar as these emotions and experiences are likely to impinge on the counselor’s perceptions and responses in working with clients, CAPS believes that it is vital for the individual intern to engage in a continuous process of self-exploration and growth. The training program attempts to foster this intra-personal development as an integral part of a total professional improvement process.

Another important and integral part of the training program is to help interns increase their awareness of issues related to diversity and to recognize the importance of these within the counseling relationship. To this end, the training program seeks to facilitate interns’ exploration of their own backgrounds and experiences, with a perspective of understanding how these impact the counseling process for the client, as well as for the counselor. The facilitation of the interns’ learning and growth toward multicultural competency is a highly valued focus of the training program.

CAPS also recognizes that the effectiveness of services rendered by the counselors is enhanced and energized by the degree to which individuals in the team are able to interact effectively and supportively. The social attributes and skills of the interns are expected to contribute positively to this dynamic; the training program is designed to facilitate this, with interns being considered vital members of CAPS and college community.

Program Goals

• To provide a balanced training environment that provides both support and challenge for the intern
• To foster intern growth along a continuum from student to new professional
• To increase the intern’s knowledge and understanding of client issues/presentations typical of a college population (depression, anxiety, substance use, sexual assault, eating disorders, identity issues, loss and transition issues)
• To increase the intern’s skill and ability to assess clients and provide intervention based on current theoretical models and research
• To facilitate the intern’s knowledge of the core components of brief counseling models for use with a college population
• To promote the intern’s knowledge of and adherence to ethical standards of the counseling and psychology professions
• To increase the intern’s ability to articulate clearly the theoretical foundations for chosen approaches to the care and treatment of clients
• To facilitate the intern’s development of a professional identity
• To develop the intern’s multi-cultural awareness and competency
• To promote the intern’s understanding of the importance of the therapeutic relationship and of how the intern’s personal qualities influence the therapeutic process
• To contribute to the development and training of new practitioners who are entering the fields of professional counseling and psychology