Book II: Getting The Internship You Want: How to write APPIC essays that get you noticed . . . without completely losing your sanity (Essay 2: Your Theoretical Orientation)

Getting the Internship You
Want:
How to write APPIC
essays that get you
noticed . . . without
completely losing your
sanity

Dr. John T. Carlsen
Your Internship Coach

Book II: How Do I Make the Most of My Theoretical
Orientation?

Copyright © 2008, 2011
John T. Carlsen, Psy.D.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

EXCEPT FOR USE IN A REVIEW, THE REPRODUCTION OR USE OF THIS WORK
IN ANY FORM OR BY ANY ELECTRONIC, MECHANICAL, OR OTHER MEANS,
NOW KNOWN OR HEREAFTER INVENTED, INCLUDING PHOTOCOPYING,
RECORDING, AND IN ANY INFORMATION STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM
IS FORBIDDEN WITHOUT THE WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE WRITER AND
PUBLISHER

PRODUCED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

FOR ORDERING INFORMATION, CONTACT:

John T. Carlsen, Psy.D.
(773) 975-4297
DrCarlsen@PDI-online.com
www.PDI-online.com

Chapter 1:

How Would You Describe Your Foundation as a Therapist?

If you followed the guidelines in Book I, your autobiographical statement has
already set the stage for your application packet, by telling the story of how you
became who you are today - the budding new therapist.

With that foundation, this second essay invites you to start
moving onto the stage by describing that budding therapist in
more detail. That is, Essay 2 asks you to introduce one of the
central components of your emerging professional self: Your
Theoretical Orientation. It then asks you to describe how your
preferred theories influence the work you do as a clinician. In
other words, I believe this question is designed to show
selection committees:

1. how much you have developed your understanding of various psychological
models at this point in your training

2. how well you can use different theories to integrate what you have learned
from an a clinical interview with what you know from your practical
experience of interacting with a client,

3. how well your can use a theory to outline the essentials of a clinical case
(e.g., presenting concerns, areas of focus, likely outcome, etc.).

I also believe selection committees value this question very highly for one essential
important reason: Your response provides them with their first full glimpse of what
it would actually be like to train you if they were to select you as an intern. It
shows how you think and how you typically use your thinking to understand people
and guide your work as a clinician.

So, I hope you will make sure this first impression is a good one.

Not surprisingly, many applicants feel completely stumped when they first read this
question. This usually happens because they mistakenly believe either that:

1) they should have established a definitive theoretical orientation already or
2) there is an ideal or preferred theoretical orientation that they should adopt so
they can compete successfully and increase their chances of matching at their
chosen internship sites.

Copyright © 2008-11 by Dr. John T. Carlsen. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized duplication is strictly prohibited.

4 CHAPTER I: DESCRIBE YOUR Inborn THEORETICAL FOUNDATION

Fortunately, I believe that What if I Don’t Have a Theoretical
both of these assumptions Orientation?
are wrong. First of all, Many applicants feel completely stumped when they
developing a clear and first encounter questions about their theoretical
useful theoretical orientation. They wonder how they could possibly
orientation is a long-term have one so early in their careers, especially since
endeavor, not something they have often just begun their therapy practicum
that you can accomplish training a few weeks before they started applying for
overnight or in a few internship.
months.
Having just barely begun to grasp the major
components of a few theories, they wonder how
This important clinical tool they could already have formed a coherent
will evolve over time, as theoretical orientation. In reality, you have had a
you gain experience in theoretical orientation, however primitive, since you
choosing which theories entered graduate school: You came into the field
provide you with the most with a few basic ideas regarding how you think
useful information as you about people and their problems. Now, after
strive to understand your studying and reading, you have acquired some
clients and make sense of theoretical backing for your own ideas.
their presenting concerns.
Of course, selection committees know you are still in
the early stages of your training. So, when they ask
So, the idea that you would
about your theoretical orientation, they are most
already have developed likely interested in knowing how much you have
one (unless you have developed your ideas so far. That is, they want you
substantial previous to show them your ability to integrate what you have
experience as a therapist) learned with what you know from your practical
is more than a little far- experience.
fetched. And, it is one of
the easiest applicant In other words, even if you do not currently have a
anxieties to put to rest. fully-formed, carefully-elaborated theoretical
orientation, get a basic one. Delineate what first
Secondly, while some captures your attention when you listen to a client’s
description of his/her presenting concerns. Talk
internship sites might have
about how you formulate this comments into a
a majority of staff who coherent picture of the case and how you will use
share a similar theoretical this picture in designing your interventions. Leave
orientation, the assumption the refinements of this perspective for the coming
that they want only years - when you will have gained enough
trainees who share their experience to revise and polish your ideas more
preference is very unlikely - thoroughly.


CHAPTER I: DESCRIBE YOUR Inborn THEORETICAL FOUNDATION 5
and not at all helpful for you as an applicant.

Think about it: Even if most of the staff shared a primary theoretical orientation,
how interesting would it be for psychologists to train only people like themselves?

Even if you could determine a site’s “ideal” or “preferred” theoretical orientation,
how would you know when you had successfully convinced selection committee
members that you share it?

Don’t you think you might raise some warning flags? Don’t you
think they might see through your facade or, at least, question
your motivations as “people-pleasing”? Can you imagine having
to wonder endlessly whether you had reached your goal of
“being who they want you to be”? And, how difficult would it
become for you to continue? (If it did not work well in your
dating or romantic relationships, it probably will not work in a
professional setting, especially with psychologists. Remember that psychologists
are trained to look for discrepancies between what someone says and what they
expect)

More importantly, what makes you think you could pretend to find a particular set
of theories appealing? What makes you so sure that you could convince a group
psychologists that you treat certain theories as the basis of your work when you
actually don’t? How well do you think you could contradict your natural
perspective? And, finally, why would you even want to?

Even if you could convince them that you were “one of them” (a card-carrying
Cognitive-Behaviorist or a devoted Existentialist), what would be the point? Simply
to make sure that you got an offer for an internship slot? What would you do then,
spend an entire year pretending you believe you are someone you are not? How
long could you continue this charade? And, at what cost to your professional
development and identity? When w ould you finally have the chance to develop
your own theoretical orientation...during your post-doctoral year?

Ultimately, this focus on trying to uncover and fit into the expectations of selection
committees is completely futile: It is an impossible feat (because you will never
know for sure whether you have uncovered what these training psychologists are
looking for in the trainees they want). More importantly, it raises your already-
heightened anxiety unnecessarily by focusing your emotional energy on meeting
others’ expectations rather than on building a solid foundation from your natural
talents and gift.



And, most importantly, it sets you up for failure by preventing you from getting the
training you actually want and need to become the therapist you were born to
become and forcing you to spend your internship year becoming someone else.

(For a heavy dose of reality about the risks inherent in this approach, I invite you to
pause for a few minutes and read “What Can Happen If You Hide Who You
Are” on the following pages. It’s the story of Jeff, an earnest, young, well-
meaning, and gifted internship applicant from the West Coast, who hired me for
personal coaching many years ago after learning this lesson the hard way. His
story makes my points more vividly than I ever could by trying to convince you with
logic.)



What Can Happen If You Hide Who You Are:
Balancing Your Training Needs with Other People’s Expectations

A few years ago, a young doctoral student from the West Coast reminded me of the
suffering that can come from trying to be something we are not. He had sought
me out for internship coaching after not matching with the internship he wanted. A
few minutes into our conversation, he revealed that, not only had he failed to
match with his first-choice internship, but he had also failed to attract even a single
offer. (This was back when offers came by phone on Match Day rather than simply
through a computer as they do now.)

As he began to uncover his deeply-passionate interest in clinical work and revealed
his gentle, caring style, I struggled to comprehend how this could have happened:
Why would such a naturally-gifted new therapist not have had selection committees
beating down the doors with offers to train him?

I asked what he wanted most from his training. As he continued describing his
experiences of interviewing, he gradually revealed The Truth: He had wanted to
develop his skills in using a particular framework for using Jungian psychology to
work with young men in therapy. He described his hopes of applying the concepts
of individuation and the influences of archetypes to help these young men take “the
Hero’s journey”. He thought they offered an innovative approach for helping these
young men to recognize the challenges they faced in overcoming stereotypes to
achieve a sense of authentic manhood.

Reluctantly, he acknowledged that he had not brought up this interest
during a single interview. He had felt too ashamed to talk about it.
Selection committee members had described their clients as a mix of
seriously-disturbed, inner-city adolescents from a wide range of
economic circumstances and cultural backgrounds. They described the
preferred approach among staff - mostly former probation officers who
had become clinical psychologists - as cognitive/behavioral methods.
This approach had produced consistent results in modifying their clients’
delinquent behavior patterns and maintaining order in the group homes.

He described to me how he had felt uncomfortable promoting his
interest in an approach that seemed so "soft" and "abstract," especially to a group
of more traditional males who worked in such an empirically-based setting. So,
instead, he had tried to present himself as a dedicated, "card-carrying"
cognitive/behaviorist.



As our conversation continued, he gradually realized how he
had undermined his best intentions: While trying to fit into
what he perceived as their ideal intern, he had inadvertently
sold his therapeutic soul and betrayed his deepest professional
dreams. We discussed how, by trying to show that he could "fit
in" as a member of the staff, he had inadvertently excluded
himself and his training needs from his own training
experience. We finished our session by revising his essays so
he could interview with sites in the clearinghouse.

As we summarized what he had learned, I encouraged him to keep the following
principles in mind:

• Tune into what you truly want from your training. The more specifically
you can define it, the more clearly you will be able to communicate to selection
committees and the more confidently you will stand up for it.

• Focus on your internal passion for this work. This will enable you to ground
yourself internally and prevent you from focusing too much on others and their
expectations. It will also diminish the anxiety that comes from paying too much
attention to other people.

• Avoid trying to fit into what you think others want you to be. Although
it is tempting to believe this will increase your chances of matching successfully,
you will ultimately wind up sabotaging your training experience.

• Remember who your audience is. Selection committee members are
professional therapists, trained to notice discrepancies and to see through false
presentations. You are very unlikely to convince them that you are passionate
about something when you are not, because they know intuitively hot to gauge
when someone is not being authentic and honest.

• Even if you are able to "pull off" this kind of impression to get an offer,
you will wind up paying handsomely for your success in the future.
Imagine having to spend nine months to an entire year training in a setting in
which you have to continue hiding who you actually are and what you actually
wanted to learn.

Ultimately, presenting an accurate version of who you are will work to your benefit:
Not only will you increase your chances of matching with a site you want, you will


also demonstrate a level of maturity that most committees want in their trainees.
You can always show them that the different experience they offer will complement
your existing knowledge and skills. Nothing is more impressive to most supervisors
than a trainee who feels passionate about how they approach this work. A good
therapist knows how to stand strong on his or her own foundation and stand up for
his or her professional viewpoint, whether establishing and maintaining boundaries
with clients or justifying a particular diagnosis or therapeutic intervention.
More importantly, there is nothing fun about training someone who already shares
the supervisor’s perspective - no challenge, no growth, no opportunity for the
supervisor to share his or her expertise. Who knows? You might even wind up
bringing something so new that it inspires and stimulates interesting discussions
among staff - and even reminds them about why they do what they do. Can you
imagine anything more powerful in attracting attention from the sites you want?

A far stronger approach than “hiding who you are” or “trying to be who you think
they want you to be” thus involves becoming much more clear about your actual
theoretical orientation so you can position yourself as a competitive applicant.
Fortunately, I believe, we clinicians have very little choice about which theories we
find inherently appealing and useful. That is, I believe theoretical orientation is
inborn and hard-wired, much like handedness or photographic memory, leaving us
with few healthy choices but to develop along these lines.

Thus, these natural inclinations to
look at the world in certain ways are I also believe that we have very
likely to influence which psychological little choice about how we
perspective(s) inherently appeal to
you. They are also likely to influence
respond to these inborn ways of
which theories will guide you most looking at the world, aside from
naturally as you attempt to ignoring or trying to override
understand your clients, how they them.
became who they are, and what
makes their presenting concerns
especially challenging for them.

So, my primary task in this section is helping you to uncover and articulate this in-
born theoretical orientation.

I also believe that we also have very little choice about how we respond to these
inborn ways of looking at the world, aside from ignoring or trying to override them.



I do not mean that you cannot, as a training clinician, add to or modify your clinical
approach as you gather more information and gain experience but, rather, that you
have a natural tendency to look at your clients and their experiences in certain
ways that will probably always guide your initial impressions. The key, at this
point, is to strengthen this inborn foundation so you can find ways of positioning
yourself strategically in the application process based on this distinctiveness and
your ability to describe it clearly. Whether you ultimately seek further training in
your preferred orientation or wind up in augmenting it with other theoretical
perspectives, this approach will help you substantially in your efforts to differentiate
yourself from your fellow applicants.

Our primary task as clinicians is to uncover and cultivate these inborn seeds of
theoretical orientation. We need to nurture and strengthen our curiosity about and
familiarity with how each theory contributes to our understanding of clinical
material. Your task as an internship applicant is simply to describe your ex isting
orientation at this point where it is not in its development.

So, again, I encourage you to begin reflecting on your long-standing inclinations
toward thinking about clients in certain ways. I encourage you to begin preparing
for this essay by stepping back and recognizing specifically what you begin
thinking about autom atically when a client starts describe his or her presenting
concerns.

1. What elements of this case start capturing your attention right away, from the
beginning?

2. What naturally fascinates you about a his or her presenting concerns or
personal background?

__ The early interpersonal relationship patterns?


__ The conditioned responses to various stimuli?

__ The automatic thoughts?

__ The environmental context (systems) in which the client’s thoughts, feelings,
and behavior occur?

Then, articulate exactly how you start refining your focus to identify and select the
information you view as essential to understanding this client. By starting with your
most natural questions and noticing what clinical material captures your attention,
you will begin uncovering your inborn theoretical orientation.

As a result, you will immediately bypass the anxiety I mentioned earlier, the kind
that creeps in as applicants struggle to write their essay drafts, overwhelming and
nearly paralyzing them with writer’s block. Rather than spending inordinate
amounts of time trying to ferret out the preferences of different training supervisors
or internship programs for certain theoretical orientations, you will, instead, spend
your time becoming more clear about and confident in your own in-born clinical
perspective.

Not surprisingly, this approach will leave you with a great deal of extra time later,
when you are revising and polishing your essays and conducting your interviews, to
focus on finding ways to imagine fitting your actual self (and your inborn
theoretical orientation) into various internship settings and how best to accomplish
that goal. Thus, rather than trying to fit yourself into a pre-existing internship slot,
you will find ways of showing how you would modify that slot so the actual you
can fit into it and describing to selection committees what unique theoretical
perspectives you would bring to their training group. Finally, you will feel able to
do this strategic positioning of your application from the perspective of building on
your existing foundation rather than feebly hoping that supervisors will help you
find and establish one.

In short, this approach allows the possibility that you could successfully apply to -
and make a strong impression at - a psychodynamically-oriented site even (maybe
especially) as a cognitive-behaviorist, especially if the site has some other reason
for appealing to you (such as particular population it serves). If only Jeff had
known how much easier it would have been to use this approach.

In fact, if you already have a reasonably-developed understanding of
cognitive/behavioral methods, you could show this selection committee how they



could help you in broadening your theoretical orientation by learning to augment it
with psychodynamic perspectives. What clinical supervisor would not welcome the
chance to teach a motivated trainee how to use his or her preferred theories? Isn’t
this one of the main reasons psychologists become supervisors, to share their love
of what they have already learned and find useful with someone who has a deep
desire to learn it? What role do you think narcissism plays in a professional’s life
anyway?

On the other hand, if you feel more grounded in object relations or self-psychology
theories, you could show strong interest in learning how cognitive-behavioral
methods could translate your insights into concrete actions that your client could
take to make changes. Thus, rather than simply increasing his/her understanding
of how his/her problems developed and how they are related to each other, he/she
could develop the tools to counteract their patterns and effectively address them.
These contrasts between your theoretical orientation and those of selection
committee members might spark interesting and useful discussions, even during
your interviews.

After all, what selection committee member would not love a break from the
tedium of hearing one applicant after another talk about how he or she “wants to
work with a culturally-diverse clientele” or “would be a good fit for your site”
without being able to elaborate beyond the “buzz” words to say what they mean?
Can you imagine how impressive your presentation would be if you show ed them
how you use your theoretical orientation by having a professional-level discussion
instead of simply trying to tell them?

Of course, learning to talk about yourself at this level takes some practice. But,
there is no better time to start learning how to do this than right now.
So, let’s get started.


Getting the Internship You Get the full book
W ant: (or the entire set) at:

How to write APPIC essays The
that get you noticed . . . without Internship Resource
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Dr. John T. Carlsen
Your Internship Coach

Book II: How Do I Make the Most of My
Theoretical Orientation?

About the book

Finally, for a generation of doctoral students who are dedicated to becoming highly-
competent psychologists but facing unprecedented competition for internship
positions comes “Getting the Internship You Want,” Dr. John T. Carlsen’s proven
approach to distinguishing yourself from your fellow applicants. A completely
practical approach to marketing your qualifications that not only tells you what to
do, but also shows you how to do it.

Book II: Getting The Internship You Want: How to write APPIC essays that get you noticed . . . without completely losing your sanity (Essay 2: Your Theoretical Orientation)

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