Training Goals
1. To provide advanced, in-depth training in the planning, delivery and evaluation of professional and comprehensive psychological services to urban university and general outpatient populations. Focus on particular client subgroups (e.g., personality styles. disorders, abuse/trauma, career, gender and/or cultural issues) will be negotiated.
2. To provide the Fellow with those specific experiences which will prepare him or her to function in a university counseling center as clinician and supervisor. The post-doctoral Fellow who graduates from this program will have both advanced clinical and supervision training, be involved in the teaching/supervision of practicum trainees, and outreach skills. Fellows will also be provided with special areas of interest training through professional development experiences.
3. To provide professional socialization experiences to help prepare the Fellow to function in a either an academic or clinical setting. Individual clinical supervision, preparation for the national licensing examination, administrative mentoring, supervision, and other professional development experiences, including academic and research mentoring, are designed to realize this goal.
The training goals and objectives for the Fellow are based on the competencies expected of postdoctoral level graduates in order to reach entry-level, independent professional activity in a university counseling center, academic department, or private practice. These competencies are thus represented by proficiencies in ethical conduct, multicultural sensitivity, and expertise in the areas of clinical intervention at the individual and group level with career and/or personal issues, clinical supervision, psychoeducational programming, consultation, and teaching. These competencies are consistent with the university's mission and the training program's philosophy of encouraging life-long learning as well as integrative and developmental approaches to training based on the values of mutuality, respect and appreciation for individual and cultural diversity, and use of self-as instrument of therapeutic change. The ultimate training goal is to facilitate the skill acquisition and professional maturity needed to function as a self-regulating, ethical, competent, and effective licensed psychologist.
Goal 1: Advance Proficiency in Clinical Interventions and Use of Self with Diverse Clients
Objective 1: To advance the Fellow's proficiency in the effective use of a broad range of interventions.
Objective 2: To advance the Fellow's effective use of interventions with a broad range of client populations found in an urban setting, including clients who represent diversity in age, ethnicity, gender, race, and lifestyle.
Objective 3: To advance the Fellow's use of effective interventions in individual and group based career counseling and development.
Objective 4: To advance the Fellow's use of effective psychological crisis interventions.
Objective 5: To advance the Fellow's use of effective group therapy interventions
Goal 2: Advance Proficiency in Assessment
Objective 1: To advance the Fellow's initial and on-going skills in assessment through diagnostic interviewing.
Goal 3: Advance Development as a Professional Psychologist
Objective 1: To advance the Fellow's ethical decision-making skills
Objective 2: To further develop the Fellow's professional identity, including increased appreciation and understanding of the Fellow's cultural identity and impact
Objective 3: To provide opportunities for the Fellow to interact with other professionals and Fellows on professional topics of interest (e.g., through introduction to the Georgia State Psychological Association, staff development with invited guest speakers, seminars, group supervisors).
Goal 4: Advance Development of a multi-cultural perspective, valuing of diversity, and skill acquisition across ethnic, racial, gender and class categories.
Objective 1: To provide supervised opportunities for the Fellow to work with clients of diverse cultural backgrounds
Objective 2: To provide supervised opportunities for the Fellow to further understand the socio-political psychological influences that impinge upon the lives of racial and ethnic individuals such as issues of integration, poverty, racism, stereotyping, and powerlessness.
Objective 3: To provide oportunities for the Fellow to become more comfortable with the differences that exist between him or herself and clients with regards to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, and sexual orientation.
Objective 4: To provide opportunities for the Fellow to become aware of how his or her own cultural background, experiences, attitudes, values, and biases influence the clinical processes with their clients
Objective 5: To help the Fellow become more proficient at using cultural self as instrument to further the therapeutic process with diverse clients.
Goal 5: Advance development of Fellow's skills in clinical supervision
Objective 1: To help Fellow refine applications of ethical standards to work with supervisees.
Objective 2: To provide opportunities for the Fellow to provide doctoral Practicum counselors with clinical supervision for their individual therapy cases.
Objective 3: To facilitate the Fellow's further awareness and general confidence of his or her own strengths and weaknesses as a supervisor.
Objective 4: To facilitate the Fellow's further refinement of his or her own theory of supervision.
Goal 6: Advance development of Fellow's skills in consultation, outreach, and psycho-educational programming and implementations
Objective 1: To further familiarize the Fellow with the basic principles and concepts, consultation, outreach and psychoeducational programming services typically needed on a university campus.
Objective 2: To provide the Fellow with opportunities to provide consultation, outreach and psycho-educational services to individuals, groups, departments and organizations on campus and in the surrounding Atlanta community.
Goal 7: Provide opportunities for the Fellow to refine and expand his or her skills in presentation.
Objective 1: To provide opportunities to work with Counseling Services senior staff on presentation at conference.
Objective 2: The Fellow is encouraged to choose: a.) working with senior staff on completing his or licensure study and scheduling a licensure test date or b) working with a senior faculty member on a special project or presentation.
Goal 8: Provide appropriate opportunities for the Fellow to tailor his or her supervision contracting and training experiences to meet his or her individual needs based on experience, expertise, interests, readings
