Training Programs: Internships, Practicums, & Supervision for Licensing

The Growth Opportunity Center supports the efforts of colleges and universities to further the growth of their students through training in real world settings. Training Programs at the Center can be found in both the clinical and administrative areas. Acceptance of a student is contingent upon an interview of the student by the Training Director. Scheduling of the student will be based upon time requirements of the university program and the site supervisor’s availability.

Trainees are expected to comply with all policies and procedures of the Growth Opportunity Center. Center training supervisors are responsible for all assignments and contacts. The sponsoring university or college and the Center work in a collaborative and cooperative manner in order to insure the highest quality supervision for the trainee.

The university or college will be asked to withdraw the student from the training program if the level of competency of the trainee is such that his/her continued presence is detrimental to Growth Opportunity Center clients and/or staff. This determination will be made by the supervisor of the trainee and the Executive Director.

Internships: Pre-doctoral Psychology

General Description of Internship
Growth Opportunity Center’s Pre-doctoral Internship Program is a 12-month, full-time training program (40 hours/week) with an emphasis on working with families and children. A part-time, 2-year program is also available (20 hours/week). Internships generally begin in September and end in August of the following year, but some flexibility in start dates may be accommodated. The number of internship slots available will vary, depending on the amount of full-time and part-time interns during any given year. At least two interns will be on site at any given time. In order to receive a stipend, interns must be licensed as a mental health professional (LPC, LCSW) and be credentialed as an in-network provider by Magellan Behavioral Health. The Growth Opportunity Center (GOC) can assist with the credentialing process. Under some circumstances, unlicensed professionals may complete an internship at GOC, but will not be eligible to receive a stipend.

Goals & Objectives of the Internship Program
The primary goal of the internship program is to prepare pre-doctoral students for independent practice as a psychologist who is facile with diagnosing and treating childhood and adult disorders. To this end, the following objectives will be met:

To develop the skills necessary to establish and maintain a working, therapeutic relationship with individuals and families.

To develop skills in DSM-IV diagnosis, treatment planning, and psychotherapy.

To develop the knowledge and skills necessary to do family therapy for children with disruptive behavior disorders, anxiety disorders, and mood disorders.

To develop knowledge of learning disorders and their impact on childhood and family functioning.

To be competent in administration, scoring, interpreting, and writing reports on psychological and psycho-educational evaluations.

To be competent in providing therapeutic feedback on psychological and psycho-educational evaluations to individuals and families.

To enhance ability to work with people with diverse characteristics and from diverse cultures.

To develop skills necessary to effectively collaborate with colleagues, referral sources (teachers, schools, pediatricians), and other professionals in order to treat the individual or family.

To begin to develop an area of expertise and seek additional supervision with staff who are experts in childhood OCD, Tourette Syndrome, and autism spectrum disorders.

Description of Rotations
Growth Opportunity Center is an outpatient practice with a number of service teams and supervision groups. Our service teams include the following: family therapy with young children; adolescent therapy; psycho-educational testing and evaluation; autism spectrum disorders (social skills groups); geriatric psychology; EMDR; childhood OCD and Tourette Syndrome, and DBT groups. Interns will spend 75% of their time performing family therapy and psycho-educational testing. The additional 25% of their time may be spent in rotations with the groups described above.

Components of the Internship
The internship program has a strong emphasis in family therapy. All interns will be expected to have an interest in treating children within a family context. At least 75% of the intern’s cases will have a family therapy component. Full-time interns will be expected to hold 20 face-to-face sessions per week, and complete at least 1 psycho-educational testing evaluation per month. Part-time interns will hold 10 face-to-face sessions per week and complete at least 6 psycho-educational testing evaluations per year. There will be additional opportunities to conduct therapy sessions with individual children and adults, and couples. Opportunities for rotations with the treatment teams as described above are possible and will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

Interns will have at least 2 hours of individual supervision per week, and 1 hour of group supervision with other GOC trainees. In addition, they will choose to join one or more peer supervision groups per week, attend periodic training seminars, and “Lunch and Learn” sessions with a psychiatrist who educates the staff about psychotropic medications.

Undergraduate Internship Program

The primary goal of the undergraduate internship program is to introduce undergraduate students, majoring in psychology or a related field, to the everyday workings of a large, successful group psychology practice. The intern will have the opportunity to interact with psychologists, psychiatrists, professional counselors, and social workers, as well of office staff. The primary duties of the intern will be three-fold: to participate as “treatment aide” in the social skills groups for children will autistic spectrum disorders; to participate as “psychological testing assistant” to the psychologists and graduate students; and to participate as “office assistant” to the office manager. Interns will also have the opportunity to be a “participant observer” in our peer supervision groups.

Social Skills Group Treatment Aide
Growth Opportunity Center currently runs 12 social skills groups for over 70 children with autistic spectrum disorders ranging in age from 3-to-16 years. Most of the children are “higher functioning” on the spectrum and need specific training in interacting with peers and adults. The groups run for 12-week sessions and are repeated four times per year (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer). The groups are grounded in current research and theory and are supervised by Dr. Robert Rosenthal. As a treatment aide for the social skills groups, the intern will assist a highly experienced licensed professional in carrying out the specific activity planned for the group, and will be able to provide one-to-one attention for those participants who need additional help modulating behaviors or emotions. The intern may also be part of treatment planning.

Psychological Testing Assistant
The Psychological and Educational Testing department of the Growth Opportunity Center is very active and provides a service that is much “in demand” by the community. The intern would provide assistance to the testing psychologists by scoring tests, entering computer data, and writing/editing reports, in addition to other various duties. This experience will introduce the intern to psychological testing as a specific service in the field of psychology.

Peer Supervision Groups
Each intern will have the opportunity to participate as an observer in one or more of our peer supervision groups. Currently, the Center has at least seven groups which include three childhood and family therapy groups, two adult therapy groups, a psychological testing group, and autistic spectrum groups. The intern will have the experience of listening to professionals discuss challenging cases and receive input from their peers.

Office Assistant
The administrative office of the Growth Opportunity Center is always very busy and much in need of assistance. The intern will assist the office manager in carry-out varies office duties including conducting telephone intakes, data entry, filing, and many other activities during which the intern can gain insight into the workings of a private practice.

Application Procedures
To apply or for more information contact:
Diane K. Sizer, PhD, Director of Training at Growth Opportunity Center
2910 Franks Road, Suite 1
Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006
Phone: 215-947-8654, ext. 269

Application materials include a letter of interest; curriculum vitae; three reference letters, including one from a clinical supervisor and one from a current professor; and a professional writing sample, preferably a comprehensive psychological evaluation. Applications will be accepted continuously, but early application for fall entrance is recommended.