Doctoral Internship in Health Service Psychology (APA Accredited)

The doctoral internship in health service psychology at Counseling and Consultation Services (CCS) has been accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) since 1989. The doctoral internship program was last reviewed by the APA in June 2019 and accredited for 10 years.

The Commission on Accreditation can be reached at:

Introduction

The mission of CCS is to support the academic, emotional, social, and cultural development of students through the various services we provide. We embrace all diversity including race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual identity/orientation, age, socioeconomic status, religion, political affiliations, citizenship and ability. We promote cultural awareness, understanding, and sensitivity as part of the diverse community at Northern Illinois University.

As part of the Division of Student Affairs, CCS is the designated campus mental health center whose primary mission is service to NIU's 15,504 students. CCS serves the campus community by providing counseling, crisis response, assessment, outreach, consultation, and training. Our services include individual and group counseling, crisis intervention, consultation and liaison relationships with campus partners, outreach programs on various mental health and college student development topics, and graduate student training.

Clients and Staff

All CCS clients are currently enrolled NIU students. The average age of clients is 22.5 years old, with approximately 61% identifying as women, 28% identifying as men and 6% identifying as transgender, non-binary or self-identified (2% of clients did not report their gender identity). Nearly 60% of clients identify as black, indigenous and other people of color (BIPOC) and 5% identify as international students. CCS also serves an increasing number of both first-generation (42%) and non-traditional students (undergraduates over the age of 23). The diversity of CCS clients reflects the diversity of the NIU student population. Consistent with the national trend of university counseling centers serving students with a history of mental health concerns, CCS serves clients who have received mental health treatment, been prescribed medication and/or been hospitalized before attending college.

CCS professional staff currently consists of three licensed counseling or clinical psychologists, one licensed clinical social worker,  one licensed clinical professional counselor, one licensed professional counselor, and one master’s-level counselor who is completing the licensure process. The training program currently consists of three doctoral interns and three graduate-level practicum students/graduate assistants. Therapeutic orientations of senior staff include interpersonal/relational, psychodynamic, client-centered/humanistic, cognitive-behavioral, multicultural, developmental and feminist. Senior staff are members of national professional organizations and CCS is a member of the Association of Counseling Center Training Agencies (ACCTA), Association for the Coordination of Counseling Center Clinical Services (ACCCCS) and Association of University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD).