Doctoral Internship in Health Service Psychology

Internship Fun Facts

Did you know?

  • Interns have three retreats per year intended to create strong community bonds and carve out some time for fun!  The first is a “choose your own adventure” social time during orientation for the intern cohort to explore their new community and get to know each other outside of the work environment.  The other two are hosted by the Training Director and are a mix of processing experiences in the internship, having fun together, and as always, enjoying some good food!  Past activities have included building gingerbread houses, making pizza, mini golf, board games, and Mario kart!
  • The Counseling Center values trainees’ choices; there are many opportunities for interns to tailor the experience to their own interests and training goals.  This includes selecting their own clients, signing up for outreach events of interest, and choosing their top options for focus areas.
  • Intern offices are adjacent to each other allowing for easy access to peer consultation and informal social connection.
  • Interns have a dedicated weekly support time which allows for an extended lunch.  Most groups opt to use this time to get out of the office to grab lunch together at a local eatery.
  • A daily “tidbits” email is sent from the front desk with announcements and fun memes.  We also have a staff only Teams channel where people frequently share birthday greetings, fun pet photos, announcements about community events, and inside jokes!
  • The Counseling Center staff often kick off the holiday season with a “Day of Festive Service” and volunteer together at the local food bank followed by some social time back at the Center.
  • The Counseling Center’s Social Committee organizes events for the staff to come together both during the work day and after hours.  Examples of events include a fall kickoff cookout, Boo Buddies (Halloween secret pals), happy hours, etc.
  • The Counseling Center staff promote a climate of wellness, self-care, and work-life balance that extends from the leadership to the entire staff.
  • The Counseling Center has a Squirrel of Approval/Appreciation (yes, an actual stuffed animal) who is bestowed on a staff member by last recipient during our general staff meeting to recognize them for being awesome.
  • The MU Student Center is mere steps away from the Counseling Center and contains a coffee shop; Panda Express; a sushi place; a student-run, custom soda shop; a convenience store; and several other food options.
  • MU’s campus is a registered botanical garden and a beautiful place for a walk!  You might even run into one of the unofficial campus dogs, the Hacky Sack Guy, or a colleague making a Starbucks run.
  • If you’re a sports fan, you came to the right place!  As a member of the SEC, Mizzou competes in 20 NCAA Division 1 sports with many affordable options for attending live events.
  • If you’re not a sports fan, have no fear!  There are many options for you to enjoy local culture that range from local and campus theater productions to an award-winning farmer’s market (which brings a satellite market to campus several times a year) to many campus-sponsored speakers and events.