APA Accredited Doctoral Internship

2025-2026Academic Year

Internship Program Philosophy

The Health Service Psychology Internship at the «Ƶ is a 2,000 hour, twelve-month internship program and is designed to provide a bridge between the pre-intern level of graduate training and entry-level positions in psychology. The CAPS internship program trains generalist practitioners for careers in a variety of settings, including university counseling centers, primary care clinics, hospitals,private practiceand academic settings.

Internship is also a time to expand and deepen basic clinical skills and move toward establishing an integrated professional identity. With supervision provided by licensed professionals from the field of health service psychology and related disciplines, the integration of an intern’s personal and professional growth is a major focus of the program. Training is sequential, cumulative and graded in complexity. In addition to training and supervision in individual psychotherapy,consultation, crisis intervention and topic-specific focus areas, interns receive training in group process skills.

A Unique Training Opportunity

CAPS serves the entire study body at CU «Ƶ and is affiliated with the Health and Wellness Services division of Strategic Resources & Support (SRS). Interns at CAPS gain experience working in a multidisciplinary college counseling center setting. As the mental health care provider for the university, CAPS providestime-limited treatment through individual psychotherapy, group counseling, crisis management and intervention, skills workshops, couples counseling, case management, and mental health outreach and consultation to enrolled undergraduate and graduate students.CAPS maintains liaison relationships and embedded therapist positions across campus and also provides consultation services to the university community (including faculty and staff)on issues pertinent to college studentmental healthanddevelopment. Additionally, CAPS has a staff of psychiatrists and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners to provide medication management to students, and a team of behavioral health providers who work within Medical Services. One of CU «Ƶ’s key initiatives is Innovation. CAPS is constantly evolving to best meet the mental health needs of students through creative program initiatives (i.e. telehealth, animal-assisted group therapy, Let’s Talk, and online psychoeducation-based platforms).

Studentspresent toCAPS withsymptoms and concerns related todepression, anxiety, trauma, bipolar disorder, OCD, relationship issues, eating and body image concerns, emotional, physical, and sexual assault or abuse, concerns related to gender identity and sexuality, problems with alcohol and other drugs, stress management, self-esteem issues, grief and loss, family and systems problems, personality-related issues, experiences of oppression, and multicultural identity development. Interns, along with senior staff, provide services to students who present with a range of concerns and levels of acuity. Our multidisciplinary staff consists of psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners, licensed clinical social workers, and licensed professional counselors. The staff represents and respects a multiplicity of theoretical orientations.

CAPS works closely with Medical Services, the medical facility serving CU students. In addition to providing behavioral health interventions within an integrated care setting, CAPS collaborates with Medical Services staff on select individual cases, particularly clients presenting with eating concerns, those in need of concussion care, and students seeking hormonetherapy and/or identity-affirming healthcare. These integrated treatment teams offer interns opportunities to actively collaborate with primary care providers in supporting students.

Additionally, interns interested ingroup psychotherapy are likely to particularly benefit from training at our site. Interns participate inweekly in specialized group therapy training and have ample opportunity to run groups of their choosing through the robust group therapy program at CAPS. The group therapy seminar includes didacticand case consultation components.

All CU «Ƶ students have access to a limited number of free visits per academic year through the student mental health fee. Students who have purchased the CUGold Health Insurance may be seen in the clinic without additional payment for additional visits (psychotherapy and psychiatry visits combined) per policy year (August to August).

Commitment to Diversity

At CAPS, awareness of social justice issues and multiculturalism is foundational to the work we do. CAPS strives to operate from a social justice lens, understanding that individual differences impact mental healthcare needs as well as the models or approaches we use to deliver services. All staff, including those in training, regularly engage in multicultural and equity related professional development, and this participation is a written requirement in each staff member’s yearly performance plan. CAPS staff and training staff are encouraged to apply to serve on the Social Justice and Multicultural Committee, which aims to provide diversity related education, trainings, discussion groups, advocacy and program development. CAPS uses staff meeting time to provide additional diversity-related trainings throughout the year. All training staff also participate in diversity seminars throughout the academic year to strengthen their multicultural competencies. The internship program offers additional multicultural training opportunities, such as serving on the Transgender Care Team and providing clinical and outreach services to underserved student populations.

Client Demographics

During the 2023-2024 academic year, CAPS clientele self-identified their gender identity as 41% male, 52% female, 7% transgender, genderqueer or gender diverse and <1% did not self-identify. Approximately 31% of CAPS clientele self-identified as students of color, including 8.8% Latinx, 10.1% Asian, 5.6% African American, <1 % Native American/Pacific Islander and <1% Arab American, and 6.3% Other. Approximately 31.2% of CAPS clientele self-identify as LGBTQ+. Finally, 9.5% of CAPS clientele self-identify as an international student and 8.9% self-identify as a first-generation college student. Approximately 46.5% of our clients who received a diagnosis were diagnosed with mood disorders, 57.1% with anxiety or obsessive-compulsive related disorders, 36.3% with trauma, stressor or adjustment-related disorders, 8.5% with substance use disorders, 14.8% with ADHD or learning disorders and 45.9% with other disorders (psychotic disorders, personality disorders, relationship problems, neurodevelopmental disorders, sleep/medical and other diagnoses). At the time of the first screening appointment, 66.1% of students reported prior mental health treatment and 7.8% reported prior psychiatric hospitalization.

CAPS provider presenting at conference

Training Program Aim

The aim of the internship training program at CU «Ƶ Counseling and Psychiatric Services is to train generalist health service psychologists in a multidisciplinary college mental health setting.

The internship year at CAPS is designed to develop each intern’s knowledge, skill and abilities in a wide range of activities. During the orientation period, the training director meets with new interns to discuss each intern’s strengths and needs for further training. The primary supervisor then works with the intern to develop an individual plan to facilitate their professional development during the training year. This plan is designed to balance the developmental needs of each intern with professional considerations, ethical factors and the needs of the clinic.

Interns are required to attend the initial three-week orientation prior to the start of the fall semester. The orientation is designed to acquaint all interns with CAPS policies and procedures, university regulations, ethical and service delivery guidelines and orientation to culturally competent practice. Duringthis time, the interns are also given the opportunityto meet and interact with the CAPS staff to develop preliminary supervisory relationships. Interns may then state any preferences for individual supervisors, which will be taken into account when assignments are made. Throughout the year, the training team meets on a regular basis to evaluate timely issues in the training program. In addition, the training team utilizes time during the summer to evaluate the prior year’s training program and to plan for the upcoming year.

All interns receive training in multiculturally informed care, group psychotherapy, crisis/triage care, telehealth, and the provision of clinical supervision within the general training track of the internship.

Interns can also participate in training in an individual focus area. Current areas of focus include Behavioral Health, Sport & Performance PsychologyandTransgender Care. The training director will work with interns and primary supervisors to schedule focus area selection at the beginning of the training year. Please note that available focus areas are subject to change based on supervisor availability and clinic needs.

Historically, the program has conducted all supervision and training face-to-face/in-person. However, the program will provide primarily synchronous online trainingand opportunities for both in-person and telesupervision to ensure the safety of trainees and staff. APPIC and DORA have also released statements supporting the use of telesupervision and telehealth service delivery. Please note that the use of telesupervision and telehealth service delivery are subject to change based on updated guidance from the University, DORA, APPIC, and student needs.

Group therapy training provides an opportunity for an intern to understand and apply current research and theory in group psychotherapy through a combination of didactic and experiential learning. The group therapy training program is a training track in which all trainees participate regardless of other focus interests. The training program consists of a weekly interactive, didactic seminar and co-facilitation of one or more CAPS treatment groups. In addition to supervision in the didactic seminar, interns will receive one-on-one supervision from their staff co-facilitators following each treatment group session.

Standard group offerings include traditional interpersonal process groups, skills groups, and special topics groups. Group offerings vary year to year based on student need, but commonly offered groups include process groups for graduate and undergraduate students, DBT, ACT, mindfulness, body image/eating, trauma recovery, groups for Students of Color, a gender creativesupport group, and other identity based groups.

Interns participate in a year-long Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Seminar, facilitated by our staff multicultural specialists. This seminar serves as an intentional space for interns to increase their knowledge, self-awareness, and skills regarding multicultural competencies in psychological services. Seminar consists of personal reflection, cultural sharing, case consultation, experiential learning, readings, as well as didactic presentations by clinical staff and campus partners. The framework of the seminar is structured around social identities, social justice, and social responsibility with emphases on process-orientation, dialogue, intentional sharing and integration of experiential/action as interns see fit.

Training Focus Areas

For the 2025-2026training year the available focus areas are discussed in greater detail below. The focus area opportunities offered each year are subject to supervisor availability and clinic needs.

Behavioral Health Focus Area Transgender Care Focus Area Sports Psychology Focus Area
Behavioral Health Focus Area

Interns in the behavioral health focus area participate in up to4 hours a week of on-call workwithin Medical Services.In our integrated model, Behavioral Health providers conduct brief assessments at the request of medical providers or in response to screening tools for depression, anxiety, substance use and other concerns.BH providers introduce coping skills, stabilize students in crisis, help students with problem-solving and connect students with counseling and other resources. BH providers also provide short-term treatment with a focus on practicing coping skills, enhancing motivation for behavior changes of all types and thinking broadly about the role of stress and mental health conditions in physical health.

Interns will gain valuable experience assessing a wide variety of presenting issues in a timely manner within a fast-paced medical environment.Interns will learn to build rapport with students of a variety of backgrounds who are not necessarily interested in formal mental health treatment, assisting them in a client-centered manner with their concerns as they conceptualize them. Interns also gain experience in communicating their assessments and clinical perspectives as part of a multidisciplinary treatment team.

Participation in this focus area also includesopportunities for additional BH-specific didactictraining in the provision of integrated care and its unique challenges and clinical skills.There is also a space for group supervision of BH cases and problem-solving the systemic and communication challenges of integrated care.

Interns selecting the Transgender Care focus area will gain additional training and experience supporting transgender and gender expansive students who seek care at CAPS. Interns will have the opportunity to provide individual therapy to trans and gender diverse clients, offer clinical interviews and write letters forstudents seeking gender-affirmingmedical care, serve on the multidisciplinary TransCare Team, attend co-treat visits with medical providers, and possibly co-lead atherapy group. Past trainees have also developed trainings for staff about best practices for gender affirming mental healthcare, presented at the annual Transforming Gender Conference at CU «Ƶ, and offered consultation/outreach to campus partners.

The Transgender Care Team is an interdepartmental group of healthcare providers from CAPS and Medical Services formed to provide interdisciplinary education, training, advocacy and consultation as it relates to the healthcare of transgender and gender diverse individuals at CU «Ƶ. Team members include providers from CAPS (therapy and psychiatry providers), Medical Services, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Center for Inclusion and Social Changeand Office of Victims Assistance. Interns completing this focus area will attend monthly team meetings and receive clinical supervision from licensed staff regarding unique challenges and experiences of trans and gender diversestudents. Interns will also gain knowledge and experience with the WPATH Standards of Care, mental health assessment and letter writing in support of medical transition following WPATH standards; collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches to transgender care; and developing policies and procedures to improve care for gender expansive students.

Interns in the Sports Psychology Focus Area participate in a half-day rotation located at the Center for Psychological Health and Performance (PHP) at CU «Ƶ Athletics. The Focus Area includes up to 4 hours clinical provision and a clinical supervision hour from a licensed mental health clinician with expertise in sport, exercise and performance psychology.

The PHP team operates as a mini counseling center embedded within athletics and provides clinical services to student-athletes on an individual and group level. Additional services include: team workshops for sports performance enhancement; consultation with staff and coaches; integrated care plans between athletic trainers, team physicians, and coaches when needed and with appropriate releases of information; educational trainings to athletic department staff.

Primary clinical services for student-athletes involve challenges with anxiety, depression, grief/loss (end of career, injury), ADHD, stress management, eating concerns, and substance misuse to name a few. Clinical service provision is viewed as brief and intermittent with a focus on providing coping skills, problem-solving, normalization of mental health within a stigmatized population and culture of athletics, and conflict resolution strategies.

Interns will gain valuable experience working within a college athletics system, particularly if there is interest in specializing in sports, exercise, and performance-based work in the future. Interns will learn how to navigate boundaries and confidentiality within an embedded model in a fast-paced environment and with a unique client population of high-performing student-athletes. Interns will learn to build rapport with student-athletes, who are among the most diverse individuals on campus regarding race, ethnicity, and SES.

Supervision, Evaluation and Professional Development

Intern Supervision Evaluation Professional Development
Intern Supervision

Interns receive a minimum of four hours of total weekly supervision as required by accreditation standards.

  • Interns receive two hours of weekly individual supervision from a CAPS staff psychologist.
  • They receive an additional hour of individual or group supervision on their focus area activities from their secondary supervisor, who is a licensed professional with expertise in the focus area.
  • An intern receives supervision from each co-facilitator with whom the intern co-leads a group. Our goal is that each intern co-leads one group per semester.
  • Finally, interns also participate in multidisciplinary small-group case consultation meetings and group supervision.

Supervision and evaluation are an on-going process at CAPS. We believe that in preparing to be a professional, each intern should systematically increase their confidence and skill in providing a range of interventions to various clients and systems. This objective is pursued through collaborative work with experienced staff and appropriately supervised clinical practice. Video equipment is also regularly used in supervision. Comprehensive on-going evaluation of the intern's professional development is an integral part of the training process. In addition to the on-going feedback provided in individual supervision, specific times are designated for both informal and formal assessments of each intern. In January and July, each primary supervisor receives written and/or oral evaluations from all training team members and reviews progress with each intern. Interns are evaluated on their competency in each of the nine competency areas outlined by APA.

A complete copy of the evaluation is placed in the intern's file, and a summary of the evaluation is sent to the intern's academic training director. The intern also receives a complete copy of their evaluation if desired.

Interns have opportunities to provide formal and informal evaluations of the program and other professionals throughout the training year. In January and July, interns are asked to complete written evaluations of their supervisors and to review the evaluations with the training director who is responsible for overseeing the quality of supervision given to each intern. If interventions are needed on behalf of the intern, the training director and intern will develop an appropriate plan of action that both protects and serves the needs of the intern. For program evaluation purposes, interns complete evaluations on each of the training seminars, meet bi-weekly with the training director to give feedback throughout the training yearand meet with the training director in July at the end of the training year to provide overall feedback on their training experience at CAPS. Interns are also asked to provide an anonymous written evaluation of the internship program to the training director at the end of the training year. The training team will use the feedback to help develop the program to meet interns' training needs. Interns are also contacted for a one-year follow-up evaluation after their internship is completed. Annual summer updates and requests to follow the professional development of former interns are sent periodically after graduation from the internship.

Structured training is provided to interns through several venues.

  1. Interns participate in 4-6hours of didactic seminars each week during the fall and spring semesters. Seminars focus on such professional issues as case consultation, collaborative practice, diversity and multiculturalism, ethics, group therapy practice, crisis care, trauma, job search and EPPP,and supervision and consultation.
  2. Interns are also supervised on a weekly screening shift where they learn to quickly assess incoming clients and manage crisis and emergency situations. Supervisory consultation and backup are provided to interns at all times, and particularly while learning crisis management skills.

All of the major activitiesin which interns participateare geared toward promoting their professional development. Formal training and supervision activities comprise approximately 25% of an intern’s weekly schedule. Clinical service delivery hours are limited to no more than 50% of an intern's time. The training director, all primary supervisors, and all consulting staff have appropriate licenses and credentials.

Below are typical time allocations for each major activity in which interns participate fall through summer semesters. Interns are expected to work 40 hours per week.

Didactic Training

  • Multicultural Seminar: 1.5 hours weekly for fall and spring terms
  • Group Therapy Seminar: 1hourweekly for fall and spring terms
  • Professional Issues Seminar: 1.5hours weekly for fall and summer terms

Supervision

  • Primary supervision: 2 hours
  • Focus area supervision: 1 hour
  • Multidisciplinary case consultation meeting: 1 hour
  • Group therapy supervision: 0.5 hours
  • Supervision of supervision: 1.5 hours (spring and summer semester)

Direct Service Hours

  • Individual therapy hours: 10-14 hours
  • Group/workshops: 2-4 hours
  • Intakes: 2-3 hours
  • Screening/crisis coverage: 2-3 hours
  • Focus area service (if selected): 4 hours

Other

  • Staff meeting: 1 hour weekly
  • Paperwork/administration: 6-8 hours

Due Process Procedures

The internship’s “Performance Expectations and Standards, Selected Internship Policies and Expectations, and Remediation Support Services” and “Supervision, Evaluation, and Professional Development” policies are located in the intern handbook. This document outlines due process and fair treatment policies and procedures within the internship program.

  • All interns receive a written statement of program expectations for professional functioning.
  • Evaluation procedures are clearly stipulated, including when and how evaluations will be conducted.
  • The procedures and actions for making decisions about problematic performance or conduct are outlined in written statements given to all interns.
  • Graduate programs are informed about difficulties with interns.
  • Through collaboration with the Human Resources Department, remediation plans are instituted for identified inadequacies. These include time frames for remediation and specify consequences for failure to rectify the inadequacies.
  • Interns are given sufficient time to respond to any action taken by the program.
  • Decisions or recommendations regarding the intern’s performance or conduct are based on input from multiple professional sources.
  • Program actions and their rationale are documented in writing to all relevant parties.
CAPS team

Doctoral Internship Program

APA Approval Status

The internship is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association. The internship has been accredited since 2003.

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
750 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
202-336-5979

Internship Admissions, Support and Initial Placement Data

Internship Program Admissions

Data program tables updated September 1, 2024.

As articulated in Standard I.B.2, programs may have “admission and employment policies that directly relate to affiliation or purpose” that may be faith-based or secular in nature. However, such policiesand practices must be disclosed to the public. Therefore, programs are asked to respond to the following question:

Does the program or institution require students, trainees, and/or staff (faculty) to comply with specific policies or practices related to the institution’s affiliation or purpose? Such policies or practices may include, but are not limited to, admissions, hiring, retention policies, and/or requirements for completion that express mission and values.

YES
NO

Briefly describe in narrative form important information to assist potential applicants in assessing their likely fit with your program. This description must be consistent with the program’s policies on intern selection and practicum and academic preparation requirements:

The CAPS internship provides generalist training in a multidisciplinary college counseling center setting. Interns receive extensive experience working with a breadth of presenting concerns in the undergraduate and graduate student population. Additionally, CAPS provides a depth of training in brief individual therapy, group therapy, crisis intervention, and the provision of supervision. Interns also select a focus area in which to gain specific skills and expertise, making the CAPS internship program an excellent fit for applicants looking to pursue careers in university counseling centers, medical centers/hospitals and a variety of other settings.

Does the program require that applicants have received a minimum number of hours of the following at time of application? If yes, indicate how many:

Total Direct Contact Intervention Hours: YES – 500*

Total Direct Contact Assessment Hours: NO – N/A

*This includes both hours completed as part of a terminal master’s degree program and hours completed as part of doctoral clinical training.

Describe any other required minimum criteria used to screen applicants:
  1. All applicants to the CAPS internship program must be from clinical psychology, counseling psychology, or doctoral-level counseling programs.
  2. Applicants must be from APA-accredited programs.
  3. Applicants must have completed at least 3 years of graduate training.
  4. Applicants must be doctoral candidates.
  5. Applicants must have passed their comprehensive examination(s) on or before November 1st.
  6. Applicants must have provided direct, face-to-face services to a minimum of 15 individual adult and/or adolescent clients.
  7. Interns matched to our training program must successfully complete a background check before a final offer of employment is made.
  8. The Director of Clinical Training from the applicant’s academic program must certify readiness for internship. The Intern Selection Committee screens all applications and determines the appropriateness of the applicant’s preparation and goodness of fit with the CAPS training philosophy and program.
Annual stipend/salary for full-time interns$43,888
Annual stipend/salary for half-time internsN/A
Program provides access to medical insurance for intern?Yes
If access to medical insurance is provided:
Trainee contribution to cost required?Yes
Coverage of family member(s) available?Yes
Coverage of legally married partner available?Yes
Coverage of domestic partner available?Yes
Hours of annual paid personal time off (PTO and/or vacation)176 hours
Hours of annual paid sick leave120 hours
In the event of medical conditions and/or family needs that require extended leave, does the program allow reasonable unpaid leave to interns/residents in excess of personal time off and sick leave?Yes

Other benefits:Interns are offered enrollment in the University's retirement savings plan. Interns are also provided with an RTD EcoPass for «Ƶ/Denver public transportation. Additionally, interns are provided with professional development leave and funding.

*Note: Programs are not required by the Commission on Accreditation to provide all benefits listed in this table.

  • Total number of interns who were in the 3 cohorts: 9
  • Total number of interns who need not seek employment because they returned to their doctoral program/are completing doctoral degree: 0
Type of FacilityPDEP
Academic teaching00
Community mental health center10
Consortium00
University Counseling Center40
Hospital/Medical Center00
Veterans Affairs Health Care System00
Psychiatric facility00
Correctional facility00
Health Maintenance Organization00
School district/system00
Independent practice setting31
Other00

Note: "PD" =Post-doctoral residency position; “EP” = Employed Position. Each individual represented in this table should be counted only one time. For former trainees working in more than one setting, select the setting that represents their primary position.

Application Deadline

The deadline for receipt of all application materials is November 1st.

Internship Start Date

The internship begins approximately three weeks prior to the start of CU’s fall semester. The start date for the 2025-2026 internship year is August 4, 2025.

Application Requirements

A completed application includes:

  1. A cover letter.
  2. A completed APPIC Application for Psychology Internship (AAPI), available at theAPPIC web site: .
  3. A current curriculum vitae.
  4. Official transcripts of academic records of all graduate work.
  5. APPIC Standardized Reference Form (SRF) from three persons, two of which must be from clinical supervisors.
  6. A Certification of Internship Readiness form completed by the program chair or the director of training of your graduate program (included in the AAPI).

Send all application materials through the AAPI portal to Training Director: Cori Schild, PsyD.

Cori Schild, PsyD, Internship Training Director​
Counseling and Psychiatric Services
University of Colorado at «Ƶ
104 UCB
«Ƶ, CO 80309-0119
Telephone: 303-492-2277
Fax: 303-735-1900

Selection Procedures

Candidates who are considered finalists for the internship are contacted in December and are scheduled for a Zoom (videoconference) interview. Finalists are encouraged to attend a virtualopen house and information session day in January (date to be announced). Zoom interviews will be conducted during the first two weeks of January. As APPIC members, we adhere to the policies and procedures established by APPIC for notifying candidates.

Persons with diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. In all selection activities, attempts will be made to support the principles of diversity. This internship participates in the APPIC national match (using National Matching Services, NMS). All selection procedures are conducted within the guidelines of APPIC. Candidates may withdraw from the selection process at any time up until turning in their rank order list to the internship Training Director. If matched with a site, the candidate must intern at that site.

This internship site agrees to abide by the APPIC policy that no person at this training facility will solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information from any intern applicant. All interns must pass a criminal background check prior to the first day of internship. Although interns are engaged in an educational training process, they are also university employees. As such, interns are subject to the laws of the state of Colorado, and therefore their employment is at will.