Graduate & Postgraduate Training

The DU Health & Counseling Center offers a variety of training opportunities for graduate/postgraduate students from clinical and counseling psychology programs. Opportunities include APA Accredited Doctoral Internship positions through the Graduate School of Professional Psychology's Consortium (4 Generalist positions; 1 Sport & Performance Psychology position), Advanced Doctoral-Level field placements, and a Postdoctoral Residency. Choose a program from the list below for details.

  • APA Accredited Doctoral Internship in Health Service Psychology

    The DU Health & Counseling Center (HCC) is a part of the University of Denver Graduate School of Professional Psychology's (GSPP) Internship Consortium which is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). While students from GSPP are given preference, we accept applications from national candidates as part of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) matching process.

    Interns are required to complete a 1-year, full-time internship that totals 2,080 hours (40 hours/week for 52 weeks). The required hours of 2,080 account for paid-time off, federal holidays, sick leave, and professional development time. During busy times of the year, interns carry 15-17 clinical hours per week, comprised of individual therapy clients, initial consultations, group therapy sessions, couples’ sessions, and same-day crisis appointments.

    Interns are at the HCC Monday-Thursday and then offsite on Friday to attend seminars offered through the Consortium. Interns provide clinical services and attend seminars/meetings in-person at the HCC. During the University’s winter break (December 1 – January 3) and following graduation in June 2025 (mid-June through end of July), interns may have the option to work remotely 1 day/week. Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with the cost of living in Denver given the listed stipend.

    Intern Positions for 2024-25

    The HCC will offer 5 full-time intern positions (4 Generalist; 1 Sport & Performance Psychology specialty) within Counseling Services that provide unique training experiences. The HCC seeks to provide interns with a strong generalist training, with a range of experiences that contribute to the development of a repertoire of well-integrated skills applicable to a variety of professional contexts. All interns have requirements in psychotherapy, psychological assessment, crisis intervention, outreach, prevention, consultation, and supervision. The Sport & Performance Psychology intern position will have a separate APPIC code from the remaining 4 intern positions. Please review additional information for this position under separate header below.

    All members of the HCC Counseling Services team, including interns, have a role in our crisis response system. Each intern serves as the designated crisis counselor 1 day/week (Monday – Thursday) for the duration of the internship year. When it is an intern’s designated crisis coverage day, they carry a phone with them from 8 AM – 5 PM with the expectation of returning voice messages within 1 hour. In addition, they meet with any students who present to the HCC for same-day appointments during 1-2 PM and serve as back-up to our Behavioral Health Consultant as needed from 8 AM – 5 PM for any in-the-moment crises (whether in-person, virtual, or over the phone). The HCC prioritizes working as a team to best support the needs of clients while also providing critical training in crisis intervention to our interns and graduate student trainees.

    Supervision and Training

    Each intern receives a minimum of four supervision hours per week with licensed psychologists. Interns participate in two individual supervision sessions per week with a licensed psychologist. They also participate in a weekly one-hour supervision of supervision with two licensed psychologists. They attend one hour of supervision on group treatment per week with a licensed psychologist and receive supervision on assessment cases from a licensed psychologist (student athlete evaluations) or licensed social worker (substance use screening assessments). Each intern will supervise a practicum student; the sport & performance psychology intern will supervise an advanced practicum student who is also specializing in sport & performance psychology.

    In addition to Friday seminars held at the Consortium, interns attend a weekly 90-minute seminar at the HCC. Two times per month this seminar is led by two licensed mental health providers and focuses on issues of Power, Privilege, and Anti-Oppression. The other 2 seminars per month focus on critical topics/areas of intern interest including trauma-informed care, risk assessment, and therapeutic interventions. Interns also attend a multidisciplinary meeting with medical staff twice per month to discuss difficult cases shared by medical and counseling. Interns further receive training by the Coordinator of Alcohol and Other Drug Support Services on motivational interviewing and other interventions for students with substance use concerns. Interns also participate in training with both the Behavioral Health Consultant and the Sport and Performance psychologist on staff as needed.

    Interns are part of a training group at the HCC that can include social work graduate trainees, masters level counseling psychology trainees, doctoral level counseling/clinical psychology trainees, postdoctoral psychology residents, and psychiatric residents. Interns are encouraged to consult with primary care physicians, RNs, NPs and PAs regarding shared clients.

    Finally, interns are encouraged to attend free conferences offered onsite at DU. Examples of these conferences include The Diversity Summit (attended by all Consortium interns), the Internationalization Summit, and The Women’s Conference (Her DU). Graduate programs in Social Work and Clinical Psychology offer low-cost or free lectures each year.

    The University of Denver Health & Counseling Center

    The University of Denver (DU) Health and Counseling Center (HCC) is an integrated center with Health Services, Counseling Services, Health Promotion, Center for Advocacy, Prevention and Empowerment (CAPE) and a Campus Recovery Program (CRP) operating together in collaborative settings. HCC Counseling Services staff members consist of: twelve senior staff psychologists, social workers, and counselors; two part-time psychiatrists; one postdoctoral resident; five psychology doctoral interns; and six to eight graduate student trainees/practicum students. Counseling Services has been in existence for over 50 years at the University of Denver, serving undergraduate and graduate students.

    The HCC supports the larger vision and mission of the University of Denver and the Student Affairs and Inclusive Excellence (SAIE) division. The mission of SAIE is to support students in their holistic development through advocacy, collaboration & education. The mission of the DU HCC is to enhance overall student well-being and success through inclusive physical and mental healthcare, prevention, education, advocacy, and recovery support services. As a comprehensive and interdisciplinary facility, HCC Counseling Services follows a developmental model and has a deep appreciation of diversity and a commitment to foster an anti-oppressive work environment.

    The student population is composed of approximately 5,500 undergraduates and 6,000 graduate students; the population is about 23% ethnic minority and 9-10% international students. Approximately 18-20% of the 11,500 students at DU present to the HCC each year. NCAA intercollegiate, varsity student-athletes (which may include undergraduate and graduate students) are also served within the HCC as their primary source of mental health care.

    Application Information

    Application to our internship program is handled through the APPIC National Match. Please follow this link for the application process and instructions: https://membership.appic.org/directory/display/862

    To learn more about the University of Denver Graduate School of Professional Psychology's Internship Consortium, please visit: https://psychology.du.edu/internship-consortium

    Please contact Anne Edwards Psy.D, our Associate Director/Training Director, at anne.edwards@du.edu if you have additional questions about our training program.

  • APA Accredited Doctoral Internship in Health Service Psychology - Sport Psychology Specialty

    This is supplementary information specifically for the Doctoral Internship in Sport Psychology. Please review the overall Doctoral Internship information in section above.

    Internship Overview & Duties: The DU HCC Sport Psychology Specialty Doctoral Internship focuses on providing clinical sport psychology and performance psychology services for NCAA intercollegiate, varsity student-athletes at DU. The training opportunities afforded by this specialty track are always contingent upon demand for services, though can be expected to include clinical assessment and intervention (individual and group counseling/psychotherapy for student-athletes), psychological assessment (e.g., cognitive/ achievement testing for attention deficit/executive functioning and/or learning disorder concerns), and performance psychology consultation (i.e., mental performance consultation, mental skills training for performance enhancement, workshops) to individuals, groups, teams. Additionally, consultation and care coordination are conducted with Pioneer Health & Performance, which is an entity within the Athletic Department comprising staff from Sports Medicine, Sports Performance (strength & conditioning), Sports Nutrition, and Sport Psychology.

    Consultation services may target applied performance psychology skills and abilities (e.g., confidence, motivation, focus, composure/emotion and energy regulation, etc.), injury prevention/recovery, and organizational and team psychology. The intern for this track may also be involved in program development and evaluation. The sport & performance psychologist on staff at the HCC as well as the sport psychology specialty track intern and an advanced sport psychology practicum student serve as the main source of mental health care for the Sports Medicine arm of the Athletic Department.

    Each intern will supervise a practicum student; the sport & performance psychology intern will supervise an advanced practicum student who is also specializing in sport & performance psychology.

    Description of Clients Served: Student-athletes are the primary focus for services in this track, though the intern will also have a significant number (ideally no more than 50%) of general undergraduate and graduate students on their caseload, as the HCC seeks to provide all interns with strong generalist training. Including generalist training for the Sport Psychology Specialty intern provides a greater range of experiences that contribute to the development of a repertoire of well-integrated skills applicable to a variety of professional contexts.

    Approximately 8% to 10% of the 12,000 students at DU present to the HCC each year for counseling with problems ranging from transitional developmental stressors to severe psychopathology. A likely higher percentage of student-athletes utilize psychological services each year due to the de-stigmatization efforts within the Athletic Department and the connectedness with sports medicine providers (e.g., athletic trainers, team physician). The student population is composed of 5,500 undergraduates, 6,500 graduate students (including Law students), and includes about 22% ethnic minority and international students. The student-athlete population is nearly all undergraduates, though there are a significant number of graduate level student-athletes.

    Supervision and training: Aside from the supervision and training seminars and didactics that apply to all interns, the sport psychology specialty intern may also have 30-60 minutes per week of group supervision/consultation related specifically to working with student-athletes. While it is not a requirement or expectation that the sport psychology track intern meet the requirements for becoming a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP), the services and supervision involved with this internship track can qualify (assuming the intern also has the requisite coursework required for CMPC).

  • Advanced Doctoral-Level Practicum

    The University of Denver Health and Counseling Center (HCC) is a fully integrated interdisciplinary center with medical, mental health, health promotion, collegiate recovery, and gender violence education and support services working collaboratively within the same department. Approximately 12% to 20% of the 12,000 students at DU present to the HCC each year for counseling with concerns ranging from transitional developmental stressors to severe psychopathology. The student population is composed of 5,500 undergraduates, 6,500 graduate students (including Law students), and includes about 22% ethnic minority and international students. Counseling services provided include brief and longer-term individual counseling, couples counseling, group counseling, behavioral health consultation, daytime and after-hours crisis support, psychological assessment, and campus-wide outreach on various topics. The HCC is strongly committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, supporting the implementation of initiatives for historically marginalized and underserved populations through campus partnerships and outreach.

    Training Program

    The HCC will offer 4 Generalist Graduate Student Trainee (GST) positions and 1 Sport & Performance GST position for the 2024-2025 training year. The Sport & Performance position description is listed separately. The HCC offers a wide variety of clinical training experiences, including individual, couples, and group counseling. The HCC is a part of the University of Denver Graduate School of Professional Psychology’s (GSPP) Internship Consortium which is APA-accredited. The HCC offers 5 full-time intern positions (4 Generalist; 1 Sport & Performance). The training philosophy emphasizes the practitioner-scholar model, a generalist focus, a developmental approach, and a commitment to use direct observation in training including videotaping. All trainees are encouraged to utilize their own theoretical approach to conceptualization and intervention. There is an emphasis, however, on relational approaches to psychotherapy.

    All GSTs receive 1.5 hours of group supervision each week, led by 1-2 licensed senior staff psychologist(s). GSTs also receive 1 hour each week of individual supervision provided by a doctoral intern, all of whom are supervised by a licensed senior staff psychologist. All trainees attend a weekly 1.5 hour training seminar which rotates topics specific to power, privilege, and oppression; psychopharmacology; and treatment interventions.

    Duties

    All GSTs work 16-20 hours per week throughout the academic year, including DU winter break, as our counseling center serves many individuals who are on-campus year-round. The University, including the HCC, is closed the week between December 25th and January 1st. GSTs are able to take the week prior to or the week after off and are also able to take the week of DU spring break off. Clinical duties include providing brief and long-term individual and couples counseling. Additional duties include group counseling (upon approval by the training director and group coordinator), campus-wide outreach, consultation, crisis intervention, participation in supervision and training seminars, and timely completion of all paperwork. The position requires a minimum of 8-10 clinical hours per week and a total of 16-20 hours per week. This results in a minimum of 500 total practicum hours for the training year. The training year runs from August 26, 2024 – June 13, 2025. total of 20 hours per week. This results in a minimum of 500 total practicum hours for the training year.

    Requirements

    • Minimum one year supervised clinical experience providing individual outpatient therapy to adults, with 2 years of psychotherapy experience preferred.
    • Attendance on Tuesdays from 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM and Fridays from 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM is required for training seminars and supervision meetings for the duration of the practicum year.
    • If you are selected, you will be required to be available for orientation the entire two weeks of August 26th – September 6th, 2024 (Monday-Friday 8am-5pm) except for Labor Day on September 2nd. Beginning the week of September 9th, your 16-20 hours per week schedule will begin.
    • Previous experience with outreach/consultation and group counseling is preferred.

     

    HCC Counseling Staff

    To learn more about the HCC Counseling Staff including their professional interests, please visit our About Us webpage.

    Compensation

    While the Health and Counseling Center highly values the services the GSTs provide each year, we are currently unable to offer any monetary compensation for the training experience at the HCC.

    Application Process

    If interested in applying for this position, please email a cover letter and resume to Anne Edwards, PsyD, Training Director at anne.edwards@du.edu. Applications will be reviewed in the order received, with interviews beginning in late January 2024. This announcement will remain active until all positions are filled.

  • Sport & Performance Psychology Practicum

    Sport Psychology Training Program:

    The HCC offers two, unpaid, advanced practicum positions to gain experience providing clinical/sport psychological services for NCAA Division I student-athletes at DU. Of the two positions, one is considered a primary practicum position and the other is considered a secondary/supplemental position.

    The primary practicum position is approximately 20 hours or 2.5 work days per week, while the secondary/supplemental practicum position is approximately 10-12 hours or 1.5 work days per week.

    The primary practicum position is also involved in the same seminars, didactics, and meetings that the other GSTs are involved in, while the secondary/supplemental position is devoted solely to clinical work and is generally considered “separate” from the primary GST group.

    Description of Clients Served:

    Student-athletes are the primary focus for services in both positions. However, the primary practicum position is designed to mimic the role of a sport psychologist housed in a counseling center; as such, the primary practicum GST may/will have general undergraduate and graduate students on their caseload as availability allows. The secondary position will only see student-athletes.

    Approximately 8% to 10% of the 12,000 students at DU present to the HCC each year for counseling with problems ranging from transitional developmental stressors to severe psychopathology. A likely higher percentage of student-athletes utilize psychological services each year due to the de-stigmatization efforts within the Athletic Department and the connectedness with sports medicine providers (e.g., athletic trainers, team physician). The student population is composed of 5,500 undergraduates, 6,500 graduate students (including Law students), and includes about 22% ethnic minority and international students. The student-athlete population is nearly all undergraduates, though there are a significant portion of graduate level student-athletes.

    Services Provided:

    The training opportunities afforded by the practica positions will be contingent upon demand for services, though will likely include clinical assessment and intervention (individual and group therapy for student-athletes), cognitive/achievement testing (e.g., ADHD, LD), and performance psychology consultation to individuals, teams, as well as Pioneer Health & Performance staff within Athletics. Consultation may include applied performance psychology, injury prevention/recovery, and organizational and team psychology. The trainee may also be involved in program development and evaluation.

    For more information, or for information on how to apply, please contact Dr. Tommy Fritze, Sport & Performance Psychologist/Staff Psychologist at Thomas.fritze@du.edu