California Psychology Internship Consortium Overview

Interns are supported to develop competency in research, ethical and legal standards, individual and cultural diversity, professional values and attitudes, communication and interpersonal skills, assessment, intervention, supervision, and consultation and interprofessional/interdisciplinary skills.

Each competency is assessed as follows:

Research

By the conclusion of the internship, the intern will:

• Demonstrate the substantially independent ability to critically evaluate and disseminate research or other scholarly activities (e.g., case conference, presentation, publications) at the local, regional, or national level.
• Thoughtfully and intentionally evaluate progress of own activities and use this information to improve own effectiveness.

Ethical and Legal Standards

By the conclusion of the internship, the intern will:

• Demonstrate knowledge of and compliance with the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, and well as additional relevant professional standards and guidelines.
• Demonstrate knowledge of and compliance with relevant laws, regulations, rules, and policies governing health service psychology at the organizational, local, state, regional, and federal levels.
• Recognize ethical dilemmas as they arise, and apply ethical decision-making processes in order to resolve the dilemmas.
• Demonstrate awareness of the obligation to confront peers and/or organizations regarding ethical problems or issues and to deal proactively with conflict when addressing professional behavior with others.
• Seek consultation regarding complex ethical and legal dilemmas as appropriate.
• Conduct self in an ethical manner in all professional activities.

Individual and Cultural Diversity

By the conclusion of the internship, the intern will:

• Demonstrate an understanding of how own personal/cultural history, attitudes, and biases may affect understanding and interactions with people different from self.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the current theoretical and empirical knowledge base as it relates to addressing diversity in all professional activities including research, training, supervision/consultation, and service.
• Use culturally relevant best practices.
• Demonstrate the ability to integrate awareness and knowledge of individual and cultural differences in the conduct of professional roles (e.g., research, services, and other professional activities), including the ability to work effectively with individuals whose group membership, demographic characteristics, or worldviews create conflict with their own.
• Demonstrate the ability to independently apply their knowledge and approach in working effectively with the range of diverse individuals and groups encountered during internship.
• Seek consultation regarding addressing individual and cultural diversity as needed.

Professional Values and Attitudes

By the conclusion of the internship, the intern will:

• Exhibit professional deportment, professional identity, accountability, a commitment to lifelong learning, and concern for the welfare of others.
• Engage in self-reflection regarding personal and professional functioning.
• Engage in activities to maintain and improve performance, well-being, and professional effectiveness.
• Actively seek and demonstrate openness and responsiveness to feedback and supervision.
• Respond professionally and with progressive degrees of independence in increasingly complex situations.
• Demonstrate frequent congruence between own and others’ assessment and seek to resolve incongruities.
• Consistently recognize and address own problems, minimizing interference with competent professional functioning.

Communication and Interpersonal Skills

By the conclusion of the internship, the intern will:

• Develop and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of individuals, including colleagues, communities, organizations, supervisors, supervisees, and those receiving professional services.
• Produce and comprehend oral, nonverbal, and written communications that are informative and well-integrated.
• Demonstrate a thorough grasp of professional language and concepts.
• Demonstrate effective interpersonal skills and the ability to manage difficult communication well.

Assessment

By the conclusion of the internship, the intern will:

• Select and apply assessment methods that draw from the best available empirical literature and that reflect the science of measurement and psychometrics.
• Collect relevant data using multiple sources and methods appropriate to the identified goals and questions of the assessment as well as relevant diversity characteristics of the service recipient.
• Interpret assessment results, following current research and professional standards and guidelines, to inform case conceptualization, classification, and recommendations, while guarding against decision-making biases, distinguishing the aspects of assessment that are subjective from those that are objective.
• Incorporate discussion of strengths and limitations of assessment measures, as appropriate.
• Communicate orally and in written documents the findings and implications of the assessment.

Intervention

By the conclusion of the internship, the intern will:

• Establish and maintain effective relationships with the recipients of psychological services.
• Develop evidence-based intervention plans specific to the service delivery goals.
• Implement interventions informed by the current scientific literature, assessment findings, diversity characteristics, and contextual variables.
• Demonstrate the ability to apply the relevant research literature to clinical decision making.
• Modify and adapt evidence-based approaches effectively when a clear evidence-base is lacking.
• Evaluate intervention effectiveness, and adapt intervention goals and methods consistent with ongoing evaluation.
• Present cases in a manner that documents application of evidence-based practice.

Supervision

By the conclusion of the internship, the intern will:

• Mentor and monitor trainees and others in the development of competence and skill in professional practice and the effective evaluation of those skills.
• Act as role model and maintain responsibility for the activities overseen.
• Demonstrate knowledge of limits of competency to supervise (assess metacompetency).
• Demonstrate integration of diversity and multiple identity aspects in conceptualization of supervision process with all participants (clients, supervisee, supervisor).

Consultation and Interprofessional/Interdisciplinary Skills

By the conclusion of the internship, the intern will:

• Demonstrate intentional collaboration with other individuals or groups to address a problem.
• Seek or share knowledge, or promote effectiveness in professional activities.
• Demonstrate knowledge and respect for the roles and perspectives of other professions.
• Demonstrate an ability to effectively engage in consultation with individuals and their families, other health care professionals, interprofessional groups, or systems related to health and behavior.