APA Accredited Doctoral Internship in Health Service Psychology

The MSU Denver Counseling center (MSUDCC) is a proud member of the University of Denver Graduate School of Professional Psychology’s (GSPP) Internship Consortium, which has been formally accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) since 1990.

Applications for our intern positions are accepted from candidates nation-wide as part of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) matching process. As a “partially affiliated” program, member Consortium sites give some preference to applicants currently enrolled at GSPP. However, applications from other doctoral programs are greatly encouraged and given full consideration. In recent years, more than half of the interns that match with the Consortium come from other graduate programs throughout the country.

Interns who match with our site are required to complete a 1-year, full-time internship totaling 2,080 hours (40 hours/week for 52 weeks), including paid-time off, federal holidays, sick leave, and professional development time. The internship year begins on August 1^st and ends July 31^st the following year. Interns work on site at the MSUDCC Monday through Thursday. On Fridays, Interns join their fellow Consortium Interns off-site to attend seminar programming conducted by Consortium training staff.

On average, Interns will perform 18-21 direct service hours at the MSUDCC per week, which includes: individual and group psychotherapy, initial screens and intake assessments, walk-in/crisis services, supervision of practicum trainees, and outreach. Some services are offered in both in-person and virtual formats. The internship is structured to provide approximately 70% time for direct and indirect services and 30% for supervision and didactic seminars.

Our Interns are considered an integral part of the MSUDCC as well as our broader university community — we greatly value their input, perspectives, and feedback throughout their internship experience. Our site currently offers 2 full-time intern positions, which will be available for the 2026-2027 training year.

The goal of the internship is to prepare students in the final stages of their doctoral training to function broadly, competently, and responsibly as professional psychologists. The program is designed to provide opportunities to establish and refine generalist skills and competencies fundamental to the practice of clinical and counseling psychology that are applicable to a variety of roles and settings. Generalist training is also accompanied by optional activities to aid development of skills in special interest areas.

Investment in Training

MSUDCC staff acknowledge the importance of quality training experiences on the maintenance and proliferation of colleagues that fulfill the mission and principles of our profession. Helping to support future colleagues helps both our profession and those we are charged to serve.

Training is valued as a mutual, collaborative, and ongoing endeavor that helps promote the development of both trainer and trainee. Continued lifelong learning and growth is a value we aspire to and hope to help instill.

We are passionate about making the world, our communities, and individual lives a little better every day. We are invested in reaching individuals and communities who desire assistance, are underserved, or routinely marginalized. Like our students, we too aspire to be Changemakers.

Cultural Competence

We acknowledge and appreciate difference. We understand all people are different. We know each of us differs from one another. We know each of us have different access to power and privilege in our world. We strive to be able to effectively communicate about our differences. We hope to develop collaborative relationships with those different from us.

We believe we are made better when working to accomplish these goals. And we value providing experiences that help us and our interns to develop these skills.

Relational Approach

Our staff shares in the belief that the relationship is central to change and growth – both in therapy and in supervision. We strive to communicate effectively about our relationships, address misunderstandings and ruptures as they occur, and attend to the impact of culture, identity, and power that we and those we work with bring to our relationships as we work toward goals.

Individual Psychotherapy (Short-term, goal focused)

Interns provide short-term, goal-focused individual psychotherapy services to students approximately 8-12 hours per week throughout the training year. Our clinical model is centered around providing a data-informed “course of treatment” ranging from 10-18 sessions or less, at an appropriately intensive frequency, with the goal of achieving resolution of presenting concerns. Clients are screened prior to entering treatment to ensure appropriateness for short-term care and progress on treatment goals is routinely assessed over the course of treatment to inform appropriate treatment adjustments as needed. Interns are encouraged to implement treatment approaches appropriate to the client’s needs and standards of practice but also aligned with their authentic self, theoretical orientation, and skill-level/competency.

Group Psychotherapy

Interns will co-facilitate a therapy group each semester for the duration of the training year. Interns will facilitate at least one interpersonal process group and may have the opportunity to facilitate support or skill-based groups depending on center needs. Appropriate to their skill-level, interns may also have an opportunity to co-facilitate with a practicum trainee or run groups independently during spring and summer semesters. Supervision of group work is provided by the group co-facilitator (if partnering with an eligible licensed psychologist) or the intern’s primary supervisor.

Initial Screenings, Crisis/Walk-ins, Intake Assessments

Interns devote 4 hours per week to assigned “screening blocks” consisting of 30-minute initial screening/triage assessment appointments alternating with walk-in/crisis coverage. These activities provide interns with opportunities to develop/hone skills in efficient initial assessment, goal-setting, triage and case disposition, and crisis intervention. Interns will also devote two hours per week to intake assessment appointments with clients who have completed an initial screening. Intake appointments involve more comprehensive assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning and often constitute the 1^st session of an ongoing therapeutic relationship.

Supervision of a Practicum Trainee

Interns will provide clinical supervision of a trainee participating in the Advanced Doctoral Practicum at the MSUDCC in the fall and spring semesters. Each semester will be with a different practicum trainee. Interns meet with their supervisee for one hour of weekly supervision. They receive supervision of their supervisory work from their own primary supervisor and through their participation in the Supervision of Supervision seminar.

Interns will also present in Practicum Seminar in both the fall and spring semesters. Practicum Seminar is a one-hour, biweekly, practice-focused/case-based group seminar with the Advanced Practicum cohort on topics relevant to clinical work with college students or counselor development of practicum trainees.

Outreach

Interns will participate in a variety of outreach activities throughout the training year, including participation in social media initiatives, presentations on suicide prevention and other psychoeducational topics relevant to the university community, campus-wide screening events, orientation programs, and tabling events. Time devoted to these activities will vary based on clinical caseload and interest.

Supervision

Interns will receive two hours of clinical supervision per week with their primary supervisor for the duration of the training year. Supervision focuses on overseeing and supporting individual and group therapy work, development as a supervisor of practicum trainees, outreach activities, and overall professional development of the intern. Interns may have the opportunity to switch primary supervisors between semesters if desired and at the discretion of the Associate Director of Training and training staff.

Case Conference & Staff Meetings

Interns participate in a one-hour, biweekly, all-staff Case Conference in the fall and spring semesters. Case conference involves formal case presentations by staff and trainees for case consultation and discussion of various clinical approaches. Interns are expected to present a case once a semester.

As integral members of the Counseling Center staff, Interns also attend all-staff and relevant staff committee meetings 1-2 hours per week throughout the training year.

Supervision of Supervision Seminar

Interns will meet one hour weekly for a group seminar on supervision of supervision led by two MSUDCC senior staff during the fall and spring semesters. Sup of Sup will focus on balancing theory, self-awareness, and examination of hands-on experiences in order to develop one’s philosophy/approach, skills, and confidence/appreciation necessary for co-creating a productive supervisory relationship. The seminar will include time to review video of supervision sessions with interns’ supervisees, examine relational dynamics between supervisors and supervisees, and explore different supervisory styles, models, and interventions in the context of a relational and developmental approach to supervision.

Consortium Seminars

On Fridays, Interns will join their Consortium cohort at nearby GSPP on the University of Denver campus for a full day of training seminars, which include professional issues, research, assessment, diversity/multiculturalism and an intern lunch. Interns have the unique opportunity to learn and grow with fellow interns engaged with a variety of diverse clinical services, formats, settings, and populations.

Assessment

In addition to attending the Consortium’s year-long assessment seminar, Interns will conduct initial screenings and intake assessments and may incorporate brief assessment measures (e.g., CCAPS) and/or other measures of client progress to guide diagnosis and ongoing treatment planning. However, applicants should be aware that they will not administer full assessment batteries or engage in formal psychological testing at our site.

Special Interest Activities

Time permitting, Interns may have opportunities to develop coordinated training activities at the MSUDCC in areas of special interest and in conjunction with center needs, including but not limited to: (a) working with specific student populations (e.g., BIPOC, LGBTQ+, Veterans, Student-Athletes, Immigrant Services, 1^st generation college students, Survivors of Interpersonal Violence, etc.) or (b) working with specific clinical concerns (e.g., Disordered Eating, Substance Use Disorders, Identity Issues, etc.). Coordinated activities could include devoting a portion of an intern’s caseload to a special interest area and/or targeted outreach or liaison work with relevant campus partners. Involvement in special interest activities is established in collaboration with training staff at the outset of the training year and permitted only when expectations for core training activities are met.

Breakdown of Weekly Hours

Interns are evaluated on nine Consortium competencies with related behavioral elements, required training activities, outcome measurement, and minimum levels of achievement/exit criteria based on APA Standards of Accreditation. The nine Consortium competencies are: 1) Research, 2) Ethical and Legal Standards, 3) Individual and Cultural Diversity, 4) Professional Values and Attitudes, 5) Communication and Interpersonal Skills, 6) Assessment, 7) Intervention, 8) Supervision, and 9) Consultation and Interprofessional/Interdisciplinary Skills.

The Consortium aims to implement evaluation procedures consistent with level-appropriate training and expectations established by accreditation standards. Evaluation is designed to be collaborative, growth-focused, and aimed at refinement of goals and pinpointing areas of strength and difficulty. All written evaluations are completed electronically.

Interns complete a self-evaluation at the mid-point and end of the training year and are formally evaluated two times/year by their MSUDCC primary supervisors (with input from MSUDCC secondary supervisors and Consortium Seminar leaders) as well as their Practicum Student supervisees. Interns also formally evaluate their supervisors two times/year and give feedback to the Internship Consortium Director at the end of each quarter per the University of Denver calendar. Informally, Interns and their primary supervisors at the MSUDCC collaborate in setting goals at the start of each semester and routinely monitor and review progress to inform any adjustments needed.

Selection Procedures & Criteria

Applications that meet minimum requirements and appear to be a good fit will be reviewed by our Intern Selection Committee and rated on a scale of 1-5 on the following criteria: clinical proficiency, applicable experience, multicultural competence, quality of recommendations, and personal characteristics promoting growth. Top candidates are invited for a virtual interview in January. Virtual interviews will include a presentation about our site and community, Q&A with members of the selection committee, a brief de-identified case presentation by applicants, and an informal opportunity to chat with current trainees. Upon conclusion of interviews, the selection committee conducts a final review and develops a rank-ordered list of applicants.

Preference is given to applicants with: (a) demonstrated history and appreciation for working in a university counseling center or similar educational setting and with clients representing range/diversity in age, diverse identities, and backgrounds, (b) skills and interest in a short-term, goal-focused model of care, (c) primary focus on adults (18+) and previous experience with college-aged students, (d) generalist skills/interests and areas of specialization relevant to college mental health, (e) experience in crisis intervention, group therapy, and outreach is a plus, and (f) the following personal/professional characteristics: curious, creative, self-aware and communicative, flexible/open-minded, eager to learn, open to feedback, service-oriented, and comfortable working in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment.

Policy on Interviews and Site Visits

In recognition that not all applicants are able to arrange a visit to Denver for an on-site interview, we conduct virtual interviews only.  However, if you are in the area and wish to visit our campus and site, we encourage you to do so. We recommend scheduling site visits after receiving an offer to interview and will arrange for you to meet with a current trainee and/or a member of our Training Staff. Note, informal contact may be made during the selection process to help clarify details regarding your application. However, we do not engage in recruiting behavior and do not solicit, accept, or use ranking-related information from any applicant in accordance with APPIC selection policies.

Our Facility

The MSU Denver Counseling Center is located in the historic Tivoli Student Union on Auraria Campus – a tri-institutional educational facility located in the heart of downtown Denver. The Counseling Center is located on the 6th floor, accessible via elevator and ADA compliant access ramps and lifts. The Center includes two all-gender restrooms and maintains private office space for each intern position.

Living in Denver

Denver offers a unique blend of urban amenities and outdoor adventure. We enjoy a semi-arid climate with distinct seasons and receive over 300 days of sunshine a year. Our proximity to the Rocky Mountains provides ample opportunities for all kinds of recreation. The city also promotes an active lifestyle, has a strong arts and cultural scene, and offers a diverse and evolving culinary landscape. Despite these many positives, prospective interns should consider the high and rising cost of living as well as related challenges due to population growth.

More About Us

Our staff loves our pets. We have been known to sing songs together. Many embrace our inner “nerd” and others root for our favorite sports teams. We enjoy food and sharing meals together. Many of us are avid readers, artists, and musicians. We love being close to the mountains. “Our students” is uniformly the top reason cited when asked “Why do you like working at MSU Denver?”

Please click here to meet our Training Staff and learn more about our personal styles and approach to training.