Letter from the Training Director

September 26, 2025

Dear Psychology Internship Applicant:

Thank you for your interest in the Utah State University Counseling and Prevention Services doctoral internship. At USU CAPS we love our internship training program, and we are so excited to share information about our doctoral internship in Health Service Psychology with you. We hope our program offers many of the training components you are looking for.

As posted in our APPIC Directory, our application deadline will be Friday November 14, 2025. We will have 3 full-time (40-45 hours per week) internship positions available August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027 with a stipend of at least $42,599 plus full staff benefits (e.g., health and dental insurance, 22 vacation days, 13 university holidays, sick leave, retirement contributions) in accordance with Utah State University policy.

Details of the internship program can be found in our Internship Brochure on the website along with videos of our staff and facilities. To assist you in becoming better acquainted with USU CAPS, I will briefly highlight some of the unique aspects of our training program:

Personalized Training Options: We believe offering flexibility in training options makes for a better internship experience. Interns have several opportunities to tailor their training experience to pursue some of their unique professional goals. Interns have a 3-4 hour/week professional development project that they design each semester. Interns are able to hand select their clients to create a caseload that matches their personal and professional interests (for example: client presenting concerns, individual client identities, client backgrounds, etc.). Interns are also able to focus their outreach efforts with specific groups/populations through their 3 hour/week outreach project.

Commitment to Individual Differences and Belonging. Interns participate in a biweekly seminar that includes culture and identity sharing, group process, discussion of current events, case discussions, assigned readings, and experiential exercises. Additionally, several professional issues seminars around a wide range of topics are available to choose from. Interns also have an opportunity to attend additional trainings outside of CAPS including the American Indian Psychologists Annual Convention that takes place annually at USU.

Group Therapy.  The group program at USU CAPS is well established. We offer support groups, psychoeducational groups, and process groups each semester. Interns co-lead a minimum of 4 therapy groups with a permanent clinical staff member and/or another intern, and many interns choose to lead more groups than the minimum. Interns may also have opportunities to propose new therapy and support groups such as the LGBT support group and faith concerns support group.

Psychoeducational & Psychological Assessment. USU CAPS provides all assessments for students referred by the USU Disability Resource Center. Interns have the opportunity to develop their assessment skills and will complete a minimum of 10 full battery assessments and integrated reports.

Teaching & Supervision.  Interns will have an opportunity to select co-teaching the advanced practicum class or the REACH Peer class with a professional staff member. Additionally interns supervise the clinical work of one undergraduate REACH Peer and 1-2 advanced practicum doctoral student. Interns will also participate in biweekly Supervision of Supervision training during the spring semester.

Collaborative Outreach & Consultation. Interns have numerous opportunities to provide outreach and consultation services to academic departments and campus organizations. Interns also select a three hour per week outreach project with another office on campus.

Dissertation Completion Support. Interns are supported by all staff members to complete their dissertation during their internship year. Interns who have not completed their dissertation prior to internship may select a three hour a week professional development project that allows them to focus on their dissertation work during regular CAPS hours.

Multidisciplinary and Statewide Staff: As Utah’s only land grant university, USU CAPS has a statewide presence with therapists located in multiple locations around the state. Statewide therapists are part of the CAPS staff and join us for staff meetings and offer some intern trainings. Interns have an opportunity to learn and work on the statewide model as well as work with psychologists, LCSWs, LMHCs, and wellness providers during their time at CAPS.

The professional staff at USU CAPS are passionate about training and supervision. As an intern at CAPS, you will find that staff psychologists are highly invested in your personal and professional development. We hope you will thoroughly explore our internship materials and our USU CAPS website to learn more about our program. USU CAPS respects the dignity and individuality of all persons, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds and identities to apply to our internship.

To apply for an internship position for the 2026-2027 year, please complete the AAPI Online.  The details are available at the APPIC web site at www.appic.org.  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.

Please do not hesitate to contact me anytime with questions you may have about USU CAPS. You can meet our staff or see our facilities by watching the videos on our webpage. I look forward to hearing from you and to a great 2026-2027 internship year!

Best wishes,
Amy Kleiner, PhD, Training Director/Associate Director
amy.kleiner@usu.edu
(435) 797-1012

Revised 10/6/2025

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