Predoctoral internship training: Psychology intern perspectives on an internship rotation targeting supervision competency development

ABSTRACT

In the field of psychology, few, if any, authors have described innovative predoctoral internship training experiences aimed at developing trainee competence as a supervisor. In this article, the authors describe a predoctoral internship rotation designed to provide interns with didactic and experiential training in providing clinical supervision. This rotation has been developed and implemented within a 12-month predoctoral internship training program established in a large integrated health authority located in Atlantic Canada. Following a description of the supervision training rotation, a preliminary evaluation of this rotation is discussed and considerations for developing and implementing this rotation are reviewed.

KEYWORDS:

• Predoctoral internship training
• supervision competency
• clinical supervision

Notes

1. The term “intern” may be used interchangeably with the term “resident.”

2. In this article, when the term “rotation” is used it refers specifically to the supervision training experience, unless the text explicitly indicates otherwise. Although the supervision training takes place in the same location as the intern’s primary therapy rotation, these rotations are considered to be separate from each other.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Nicholas Harris

Nicholas Harris, PhD, is a registered psychologist and assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Memorial University of Newfoundland. He teaches graduate-level courses in Child Psychopathology, Assessment, Diagnosis, and Intervention. His primary research and clinical areas of interest are in adolescents and young adults engaging in maladaptive substance use behaviors.

Emily Case

Emily Case, PhD, is a registered psychologist and Co-director of Clinical Training in Psychology at Eastern Health in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. Her clinical work is primarily with youths and their families struggling with mental health and related issues of substance use. She provides ongoing clinical supervision to graduate students and psychology interns training to become psychologists.

Heather Sheppard

Heather Sheppard, PhD, is a registered psychologist and Co-director of Clinical Training in Psychology at Eastern Health in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. She provides ongoing clinical supervision to psychology interns and registered psychologists in supervised practice. Her primary clinical interests are with adolescents struggling with comorbid mental health and trauma-related issues.