Training Policies And Procedures

Interns are expected to review and abide by CAPS Policies and Procedures which are outlined in the Policy and Procedure Manual located on “Counseling”, the CAPS internal server.

 

Ethical and Professional Conduct

CAPS adheres to the ethical standards and practices set forth by the American Psychological Association (APA), the laws and regulations set forth by the California Board of Psychology (BOP), and University of San Francisco policies. APA ethical guidelines, BOP laws and regulations, and University policies can be found on “Counseling”, the CAPS internal server in the APA Ethics Codes and Practice Guidelines folder.

 

Remote Practice

All CAPS clinicians are expected to adhere to the guidelines for working remotely including the areas of communication, availability, professional expectations, and legal and ethical guidelines related to remote work including confidentiality, privacy, and documentation. Please see the section, Guidelines for Working Remotely in the CAPS Policies and Procedure Manual located on “Counseling”, the CAPS internal server for specific expectations and protocol.

 

Social Media Policy

CAPS endeavors to maintain the highest standards of ethical conduct in the realm of social media use. CAPS defines social media as any online commentary, website, application, or platform that allows individuals to contribute content or engage in social networking. This includes, but is not limited to: online comments or posts, blogs, vlogs (e.g. YouTube), and social networking sites (e.g. Facebook, WeChat, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn).

Social media use by CAPS staff must remain in line with APA ethical guidelines around beneficence and nonmaleficence, confidentiality, multiple relationships, minimizing intrusions on privacy, and initiating professional relationships. To this end, CAPS expects all clinical, and administrative staff, including trainees, to adhere to the following guidelines, in line with recommendations by Kolmes, Nagel & Anthony, 2011:

1. CAPS staff will not discuss clinical material on any social media networks, whether this network is personal or professional.
   • CAPS staff strive to protect the confidentiality of CAPS clients, and understand that even with limited information, posts that include clinical information may become identifying.
   • CAPS staff are aware that any information posted on a social media platform may be viewed by individuals outside of the intended audience, are no longer in the clinician’s control, may be permanently available, and are transferable via methods such as screenshots.

2. CAPS staff will not initiate or accept contact with clients through social media.

   • CAPS staff are mindful of the confidentiality and multiple relationship implications of having social media contact with any client.
   • In the event that social media contact has been made prior to initiating therapy, staff will be aware of this multiple relationship and the potential impact on the client’s confidentiality, will consult with their supervisor or in the CAPS quality assurance meeting, and will take appropriate steps based on this consultation and according to ethical guidelines.
3. Senior staff will not initiate or accept contact between themselves and CAPS trainees on social media, and trainees will not initiate or accept contact between themselves and senior staff on social media, for the duration of the training year(s).

   • Staff are mindful of multiple relationships and power dynamics between senior staff and trainees.

   • In the event that social media contact has been made prior to the beginning of the training year, senior staff and trainees are expected to discuss this, consult as needed, and mutually disconnect from each other on social media for the duration of the training year(s). 

4. CAPS staff will understand the potential personal and professional impact of posting material on social media that portrays CAPS staff in an unprofessional or negative light (e.g. airing grievances, using pejorative language, engaging in harassment).

   • While CAPS does not intend to dictate personal or non-work-related behavior, CAPS asks staff to be mindful of the impact of their personal social media use on their professional image, and by extension, on the image of CAPS and USF as a whole.
   • CAPS staff are aware than even if they believe their social media to be private, this is not necessarily the case.
   • Prior to posting, CAPS staff should reflect on how this material would be perceived by clients, coworkers, and their professional network, in order to make an informed decision about what material they will post.
   • CAPS recommends that all staff regularly monitor their online presence to assess whether both material they have posted and, as much as is possible, material that is posted by others about them, is accurate and meets the above guidelines.

5. CAPS staff will not search for clients or client information on the internet, including though social media.

   • CAPS staff understand that searching for clients on social media without informed consent can be a breach of trust that may jeopardize the therapy relationship and can have unintended clinical implications.

6. CAPS staff will not search for personal information related to training program applicants on the internet, including though social media.

   • CAPS staff understand that searching for individual applicants online may lead to inequity in the application review process related both to disproportionate attention being paid to applicants whose online presence was viewed, and to staff reactions to that online material (whether positive or negative).

7. If CAPS staff notice that any content posted on social media by a colleague violates this policy, staff are expected to bring this to the attention of the individual and request that they remove this content. In the event that this individual is a trainee, staff are expected to inform the trainee’s supervisor.

   • If this individual does not take appropriate action to resolve the situation, CAPS staff are expected to bring this to the attention of the Senior Director and/or USF Human Resources. If this individual is a trainee, CAPS staff should reference the Due Process and Grievance Manual and follow the outlined steps.

Kolmes, K., Nagel, D. M., & Anthony, K. (2011). An ethical framework for the use of social media by mental health professionals. Therapeutic Innovations in Light of Technology, 1(3), 20-29.

 

Professional Disclosure Statement

Prior to the beginning of the first session, all clients are provided with a professional disclosure statement, which informs the client of the Intern’s training status at CAPS, supervisory requirements, the name of their Primary Supervisor, and the supervisor’s license number and contact information. The Intern’s individual disclosure form with supervisor information is included in remote intake forms (see Written Notification of Intern Status).

 

Supervision Agreement and Verification of Experience

Effective January 1, 2005, the Board of Psychology mandated that the BOP Supervision Agreement (BOP Supervision Agreement) must be completed and signed by the Supervisor(s) and Intern prior to the commencement of supervised professional experience. It is imperative to review, complete, and sign the Supervision Agreement with your Primary Supervisor and Training Director the first day of your internship. Three original signed Supervision Agreement Forms will be kept in your personnel file until the completion of your internship.

Once the internship has been completed, the BOP Verification of Experience Form (BOP Verification of Experience) will be completed and signed by the Training Director. It will be given to you in a signed/sealed envelope, along with an original of the Supervision Agreement Form, to provide to the California Board of Psychology. CAPS will keep copies in your personnel file and you will receive original copies for your own records.

 

Responsibilities of Supervisors

It is the responsibility of supervisors to meet with their supervisee for the appropriate and contracted amount of supervision time each week (10% of total SPE for the week) and be available at all times for consultation as needed (see CA Board of Psychology Supervision Agreement for additional qualifications and responsibilities). Supervisors need to ensure that their supervisee is providing competent care to all clients and following the established ethical guidelines of the profession. It is the responsibility of supervisors to consult with the CAPS supervisory staff during bi-weekly supervisor meetings about any pertinent supervisory issues including areas of concern and successes. Supervisors will adhere to guidelines outlined on the CAPS Telesupervision contract and the Reciprocal Supervision Agreement and Goals document signed by both supervisor and supervisee.

 

Responsibilities of Supervisees

It is the responsibility of supervisees to keep current with documentation on all clients. At the beginning of the first meeting with a client, the supervisee needs to inform the client that they are a Psychology Intern and being supervised by a Licensed Psychologist at CAPS. Supervisees will adhere to guidelines outlined on the CAPS Telesupervision contract and the Reciprocal Supervision Agreement and Goals document signed by both supervisor and supervisee.

Supervisees are also responsible for completing a Supervision Client Log each week for use in supervision. Supervisees must inform their Primary Supervisor of all at-risk clients, all new clients, as well as updating the status of ongoing clients in supervision. Interns must immediately consult with one of their individual supervisors when there is concern that a client may be of danger to self or others and/or indicates an inability to care for self (before the client leaves the CAPS premises/virtual room; see When to consult a supervisor document). The supervisee must keep track of their hours on a weekly basis to ensure that internship hour requirements are being met.

There are additional CA Board of Psychology requirements for supervisees, including providing a copy of the document Therapy Never Includes Sexual Behavior to clients who have disclosed having past or current sexual relations with their mental health providers. This document will be provided in hard copy to interns at the start of the internship and is also accessible in the Shared Drive.

 

Recording of Sessions

Sessions will only be recorded with the written consent of the client. Once a recording is made, it is transferred to the CAPS dedicated secure server. Recordings must be deleted from the secured server by the intern at the end of the month, point of termination, or at the end of the academic year whichever comes first. Interns will be using a HIPAA compliant Zoom Health Platform for their remote clinical work, training, and supervision.

 

Case Conference Considerations

In order to address expectations and guidelines for presentations in case conference, please refer to the case conference presentation outline. and case conference evaluation form.

 

Exit Criteria for Successful Completion of Internship

In order to successfully complete the internship, each Intern must meet the following criteria:

1. Successful completion of a minimum of 1850 hours of Supervised Professional Experience (SPE) over a 12-month period. We have structured the training program to allow for the completion of 2000 SPE hours. Interns are responsible for completing administrative paperwork and tracking their accrued hours including time spent in direct service activities, supervision, training seminars, professional development, staff meetings, and administrative activities.
2. No significant ethical violations were committed by the intern.
3. Supervisor evaluations indicate that the intern’s performance is consistent with the expected level of performance for completion of the internship.
4. All clinical records required of the intern have been completed and signed by their supervisor(s).
5. The intern has completed all required evaluations of supervisors, training director, and training program.
6. The intern has received evaluations from all supervisors and has completed the exit interview with the Director of Training.

Interns who successfully complete their internship at CAPS are awarded a Certificate of Completion documenting their accomplishment at the end of the training year. Upon completion of the training year, please submit the Intern Checklist for Leaving USF.

 

Training Quick Links *

*The links for the forms are not active in the web version of the manual.

CAPS Policy and Procedure Manual

Remote Training Policies and Procedures

CAPS Social Media Policy

Training Program Evaluations

Psychology Intern Evaluation Form

Evaluation of Individual Supervisor

Evaluation of Group Supervisor-Cohort

Evaluation of Group Supervisors-EBP

Evaluation of Group Supervisors-EBP Rotations

USF-CAPS Training Program Evaluation Form

USF-CAPS Evaluation of Training Director Form

CAPS Seminar Evaluation

Capstone Intercultural Case Presentation Evaluation

In-Service Presentation Evaluation Form

Case Conference Evaluation Form

Case Conference

Case Conference Presentation Outline

Board of Psychology Documents

BOP Guideline regarding SPE Log

BOP Supervision Agreement

BOP Verification of Experience form

Therapy Never Includes Sexual Behavior

Professional Disclosure

Written Notification of Intern Status

Written Consent to Record Sessions

Record Keeping

Weekly SPE Log

Guidelines for completion of Weekly SPE Log

Vacation/Sick/Professional Development Monthly Log

Direct Service Hours Tracking Sheet

Supervision

BOP Guideline regarding SPE Log

BOP Supervision Agreement

BOP Verification of Experience form

Therapy Never Includes Sexual Behavior

Problem Resolution

Due Process and Grievance Procedures

Intern Rights and Responsibilities

Completion of Internship

Intern Checklist for Leaving USF

Certificate of Completion

Appendices

Psychology Intern Evaluation Form

Due Process and Grievance Procedures