Training Program

COUNSELING AND TESTING CENTER TRAINING PROGRAM

For information about our Training Program, contact Dr. Debra Crisp at 270-745-3159 or email at debra.crisp@wku.edu.

 

TRAINING MODEL  

 A Practitioner Model Informed by Theory and Research guides the Training Program. Interns are trained to ground their practice of psychology in theory and research. This model is principally accomplished in an intensive, supervised university counseling center experience working with a multicultural group of interdisciplinary professionals. Imbued in this model are service provision, didactic and experiential instruction, and the use of psychological theory/research.

The CTC provides a setting in which interns increase and strengthen their abilities to practice psychology throughout their year with the agency. Interns successfully complete their internship when they reach a skill level of intermediate to advanced competence practice defined by having sufficient ability to practice core skills without ongoing supervision. Training involves developing both core skills and positive professional identity essential for the work of an entry-level psychologist providing services in:

Brief model intervention Programming/outreach/consultation Training/supervision

The Counseling and Testing Center recruits students from scientist-practitioner and scholar-practitioner departments so that they come with a foundation of theoretical and research-based knowledge, with the capacity to engage in theoretical and research-based inquiry, and with a readiness for intensive training in practice. The Counseling and Testing Center continues training in integrating practice and theory and research as these provide the underpinnings of the practice of psychology. A part of competent practice also includes being informed about the seminal and current theoretical and research-bases of psychology and social work. The CTC accomplishes integration through:

Developing critical thinking to guide the use of research to inform clinical practice Generating clinical hypotheses to explore in supervision Learning the empirical bases that guide the use of comprehensive assessment Attending and presenting at professional conferences Participating in in-service training programs on best current practices in clinical practice, (e.g., training, supervision, crisis response, clinical ethics, and so on).

The environment in which this model of training occurs is designed to provide a collaborative milieu for training. To accomplish this, CTC provides a Mentor/Apprenticeship Environment. This is operationalized in a variety of ways including:

Staff provides clinical and professional identity role modeling.Staff collaborates with interns.Staff creates a milieu respectful of interns: honoring their cultural identities, valuing their positive self-growth, and establishing a strong work ethic.

This is the basic model and setting for the Counseling and Testing Center Training Program. This model and setting are further guided by seven philosophical tenets which describe in more detail the basic values of the CTC Training Program.

 

TRAINING PHILOSOPHY 

Trainees Are Primarily In Training.

The primary purpose of the internship is to train interns to practice psychology. Intensive supervision and didactic instruction are the primary vehicles for training and evaluating interns.

Mentorship Is The Cornerstone Of Professional Development.

Interns are always under the direct supervision and guidance of several staff members. The CTC Training Program is founded on the belief that individuals grow primarily as the product of significant relationships. The Intern-Supervisor relationship provides the foundation for growth in core skill areas and in professional identity development.

 

Internship Programs

Doctoral Internship Program

Master Degree Graduate Internship Program

 

THE SETTING*

Located 60 miles north of Nashville and 110 miles south of Louisville off Interstate 65, Bowling Green is the third-most populous city in the state of Kentucky after Louisville and Lexington. The 2010 U.S. Census Bureau total for Bowling Green is 58,067, and the population of Warren County is 113,792. In 2003, Bowling Green and its surrounding communities were designated as a "metropolitan area" but separate city and county governments remain.

 Significant companies in Bowling Green include the GM Corvette Assembly Plant, Fruit of the Loom/ Russell Athletics, Houchens Industries, Holley Performance Products, and Camping World.

 The third largest Kentucky public university, Western Kentucky University, is situated upon a hill in central Bowling Green. Its athletic teams are called Hilltoppers, and the Men's Basketball program is the 14th winningest Division 1 program in the country.

 

BRIEF HISTORY

Warren County consists of 546 square miles and was named for General Joseph Warren, a hero of the famous American Revolution Battle of Bunker Hill. The area was first settled in 1785 when Andrew McFadden built McFadden's Station on Barren River.  Shortly afterward, another explorer, Robert Moore, paused for a few days at the station before deciding to build in the area.

Brothers George and Robert Moore may not have realized how forward looking they were when they selected a site on the Barren River in south central Kentucky for a new settlement in 1796.  In laying out the town, which would be called Bowling Green, the Moores designed two acres for the construction of public buildings.  Those same two acres today make up Fountain Square Park in the heart of downtown.

This is symbolic of the city of Bowling Green whose central location allowed it quickly to become a major agricultural community and river port, and later, an important commercial and educational center.  Today Bowling Green is a regional entertainment hub for more than 250,000 people in 11 surrounding counties. 

 

*information taken from the Bowling Green, KY Visitor's Center

 

WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY**  

Western Kentucky University began as a teachers' training institution in 1906 when the legislature decided that Bowling Green would be the site of one of its two "normal" schools. It became known as Western Kentucky State Normal School. Today WKU is home to many highly ranked and nationally-recognized academic programs such as Journalism and Broadcasting, Education, Engineering, Business and our award winning speech and debate team. The fastest growing university in Kentucky for 13 years straight, more than 21,000 students grace our campuses in Bowling Green, Glasgow, Owensboro and the Elizabethtown area. We also send students each term to Harlaxton College in Grantham, England.

 Through the years, WKU students have enjoyed an intimate scholarly environment on a vibrant campus and are encouraged to become involved in community service, applied research and study abroad. These are among the reasons why WKU is becoming the University of choice in the Commonwealth and "A Leading American University with International Reach."

 

**Information taken from the university's website