What is the RMIT Counselling Service Vocational Placement Program?
The RMIT Counselling Service Vocational Placement Program is for provisionally registered psychologists. We offer training experiences for postgraduate students at different levels of their psychology careers. We offer approximately 7-9 intern psychologist places each year.
RMIT Counselling and Psychological Services seeks to provide a quality experience for provisionally registered psychologists who need to complete a supervised vocational placement to fulfil postgraduate academic course requirements.
If you are a Masters or Doctoral candidate studying relevant counselling, clinical or educational psychology courses, you can apply to do a vocational placement with us (scroll down for application details).
About our placements
Intern psychologists are based at one of RMIT’s metropolitan campuses – City (3-5 intern psychologists), Brunswick (2 intern psychologists), and Bundoora (2 intern psychologists).
Vocational placements run for 10 months, from February to November. We will consider candidates wishing to complete a one semester vocational placement (5 months), although we prefer applicants who are able to commit to two semesters (10 months). If we offer one semester vocational placements, they will correspond with semester times (Feb-June and July-November). Please note that it may be possible to complete two consecutive placements with us in order to complete ten months but candidates will need to speak to their placement coordinator about whether this is an option at their university. Spending ten months on placement with us provides optimal learning for our interns and less disruption for clients of our service.
What to expect
RMIT offers a stimulating, nurturing and professionally challenging vocational placement experience for our intern psychologists. Supervisors are an experienced team of counselling and clinical psychologists. Intern psychologists are an important part of our team.
Clients who attend RMIT Counselling and Psychological Services have a wide range of issues. Many are from different cultures and issues include adjustment and transition difficulties. There are a large number of clinical disorders (DSM diagnosable), and family, social and relationship issues. There is a very high clinical component regarding presenting issues related to mental health. Provisionally registered psychologists with some previous experience are most suited to this vocational placement.
Training experiences include:
- Offering short-term individual therapy
- Providing group training and interventions
- Involvement in projects and counselling service initiatives
- Having individual and group supervision
- Working with psychologists in various orientations to counselling and psychology.
Intern psychologists are expected to participate two days a week at RMIT Counselling and Psychological Services plus attend the monthly supervision/professional development group that occurs on Wednesdays from 9.30am to 12pm at our Brunswick campus. It is possible to add a third day if required to assist in achieving clinical hours.
Client contact
RMIT Counselling and Psychological Services endeavour to provide an appropriate level of client hours to allow intern psychologists to achieve course requirements. We manage the workload so that intern psychologists also have adequate time for case notes, follow-up and research during the working day.
At the beginning of vocational placement, intern psychologists observe counsellor sessions with clients before offering appointments of their own to begin counselling work. Intern psychologists negotiate with their supervisor on when they begin seeing their own clients and this typical occurs within the first 2-3 weeks of vocational placement.
We inform our clients that they have an appointment with an intern psychologist.
The optimum number of clients is three per day for intern psychologists although this may increase to four or five clients per day as the intern psychologist gains confidence. The minimum number of clients we expect our intern psychologists to see each day is two.
Supervision, support and group meetings
Experienced psychologists provide comprehensive supervision and support in the service.
Intern psychologists have a weekly one-hour supervision meeting with their supervisor. All intern psychologists will also have a back-up supervisor who will also meet with them regularly.
Intern psychologists also meet monthly for a two and half hour group supervision session run by a rotating member of our supervision team. This provides valuable peer support, networking and information-sharing opportunities. Besides the discussion of case material and other pertinent issues, RMIT psychologists present on specialist topics chosen in consultation with our intern psychologists.
Intern psychologists have access to their supervisor, back up supervisor (or another RMIT psychologist) outside the formal supervision hour for consultations regarding clients, as required.
Orientation and training days
All intern psychologists must attend orientation and training days on 12, 13 and 14 Feburary 2024 from 9.30am-4.30pm. This provides an introduction to RMIT Counselling and Psychological Services and the Students Group area of RMIT.
In addition to individual client contact, intern psychologists are encouraged to take part in other training activities:
- Participating in and delivering workshops to students during orientation and other special events such as R U OK? day
- Participating in running therapeutic or support groups on issues such as anxiety management and enhancing happiness.
Working remotely
RMIT Counselling and Psychological Services currently provide both face-to-face and telehealth (video or phone) appointments. RMIT Counselling and Psychological Services staff work on campus and from home (hybrid model of work) in line with RMIT policies. As such, intern psychologists may be offered the opportunity to do a placement day from home but this will be negotiated with their supervisor. If intern psychologists prefer or need to be on site for both of their days, RMIT Counselling and Psychological Services will ensure that there is adequate onsite support available on their placement days. This is usually provided by their supervisor who will work on site on the same days or by other members of the team in the supervisor’s absence.
Intern psychologists will be provided with a laptop and headset. If working from home, intern psychologists will need to ensure that they have a strong internet connection and a private space in which to work.
Even when working remotely, intern psychologists continue to receive a high level of support including:
- Individual supervision once per week which can be delivered via Microsoft Teams
- Group supervision and professional development sessions once per month either in person or via Teams. If group supervision and professional development sessions are offered in person, the option to join remotely will be provided for those who cannot attend in person on the day.
- Fortnightly peer supervision meetings via Teams
- An open channel between intern psychologists and supervisors so that they can check in with each other during the day and for incidental supervision as required
- The ability to observe counsellors in session via Teams or in person and for supervisors to observe interns to check in on their work and their growth/development
- A morning meeting via Teams, three times a week with the entire team between 9-9.30am to check in and raise any issues they may be having
- Access to the allocated duty worker each day. Staff are rostered on to duty work for each day (morning and afternoon shifts) and are able to support intern psychologists who might have concerns about a client. The Counselling Service Manager is also available to intern psychologists as back-up support
- A dedicated Teams chat where interns can request immediate support
Eligibility
To apply for vocational placement at RMIT Counselling and Psychological Services, applicants must:
- Be currently enrolled in a postgraduate psychology training program
- Have a current Working with Children Check
- Have had at least one clinical or counselling vocational placement and/or equivalent clinical or counselling work experience
- Not be a currently enrolled student or current employee of RMIT University.
How to apply
The closing date for 2024 applications is Friday 6 October 2023. Late applications will be accepted, but only if we cannot fill positions from first-round applications.
Email the following to elizabeth.matjacic@rmit.edu.au:
- A letter of application stating:
- Your reasons for applying for a vocational placement in RMIT Counselling and Psychological Services
- Whether you are applying for the full ten month vocational placement or just one semester and, if the latter, which semester
- Your area of specialisation (e.g. Clinical or Educational Psychology)
- Campus preference (City, Brunswick, or Bundoora)
- CV or résumé, with referees listed (including previous vocational placement).
The application and selection process follows formal procedures similar to those required when applying for a professional position in a large organisation.
Interviews
If you are short-listed for an intern position, you will be asked to attend a 30 minute interview. Interviews will occur in October where possible or early November. The interview involves questions and a 10-minute role play. If you are selected for interview, you will be notified by 14 October 2022. Interviews are conducted via video (Microsoft Teams). Candidates will be interviewed by their potential supervisor.
Contact us
For further information, contact the Vocational Placement Coordinator, Elizabeth Matjacic via email elizabeth.matjacic@rmit.edu.au.
If you are a Vocational Placement Coordinator from a Masters or Doctoral program, we are happy to meet with you to discuss our program in more detail and to answer any questions you may have. Please reach out to elizabeth.matjacic@rmit.edu.au.
