CO-PIC Evaluation Procedures

The Colorado Psychology Internship Consortium requires that interns demonstrate minimum levels of achievement across all training competencies, as outlined in the CO-PIC Competency Grid. Interns are formally evaluated by their primary supervisor 2 months into the internship year (September), 6 months into the internship year (January/February), and 11 months into the internship year (July). 

Evaluations are conducted using a standard rating form, which includes comment spaces where supervisors include specific written feedback regarding the interns’ performance and progress. The evaluation form includes information about the interns’ performance regarding all of CO-PIC’s expected training competencies and the related learning elements. 

Supervisors review these evaluations with the interns and provide an opportunity for discussion if the intern has questions or concerns about the feedback.  

A minimum level of achievement on each evaluation is defined as a rating of “3” on each learning element. 

The rating scale for each evaluation is a 5-point Likert scale, with the following rating values: 

  • 1=Significant Development Needed
  • 2=Development Needed
  • 3=Meets Expectations
  • 4=Exceeds Expectations
  • 5=Significantly Exceeds Expectations

 A 3 at each evaluation period indicates the intern demonstrates an appropriate level of skill and knowledge; performance is commensurate with the training experience for the evaluation period and is associated with readiness for entry-level practice at the completion of the internship program.

On the first formal evaluation (2-months), a score of 2 on any individual or broad competency will result in close monitoring by program supervisors. A score of 1 on any individual or broad competency in the first evaluation will initiate the program’s Due Process procedures. If an intern receives a score less than 3 on any individual learning element or broad competency on the second formal evaluation (6-months), or if supervisors have reason to be concerned about the student’s performance or progress, the program’s Due Process procedures will be initiated. 

The Due Process guidelines can be found on www.co-pic.org and in the Intern Handbook. 

If successful completion of the program comes into question at any point during the internship year, or if an intern enters into the formal review step of the Due Process procedures due to a grievance by a supervisor or an inadequate rating on an evaluation, the home doctoral program also will be contacted within 30 days. This contact is intended to ensure that the home doctoral program, which also has a vested interest in the intern’s progress, is kept engaged in order to support an intern who may be having difficulties during the internship year. The home doctoral program is notified of any further action that may be taken by CO-PIC as a result of the Due Process procedures, up to and including termination from the program. 

To successfully graduate the program, interns must:

  1. Receive a rating of 3 or above on all individual learning elements to complete the program successfully. 
  2. Complete all required 2000 training hours
  3. Attend all required training experiences (e.g. didactic seminars, conferences)
  4. Demonstrate satisfactory progression throughout the program

Feedback to the interns’ home doctoral program is provided at each evaluation period throughout the  internship year. Doctoral programs are contacted within one month following the end of the internship year and informed that the intern has successfully completed the program.

CO-PIC Data Monitoring Procedure

The interns are expected to complete and track their 2000 hours of training during the internship year. Interns are required to track their hours, using the CO-PIC hours log, on a monthly basis. Hour logs are due in the respective intern’s document folder (on the CO-PIC Google Drive) no later than the 5th of the following month (i.e. September hours are due by October 5th). When the monthly hours log is complete, please send an email to your primary supervisor noting the completion of the log and any concerns regarding hours. 

The Training Director is responsible for the indefinite storage and maintenance of a secure digital file that contains:

  • Copies of completed evaluations
  • Intern hour logs
  • All records related to Due Process procedure (kept separately)
  • Grievance, remediation plans, and notices of termination (kept separately)

Please note: Remediation plans and notices of termination are shared with the home doctoral program’s Director of Clinical Training on an ongoing basis, as needed. 

Paid Time Off & Dissertation Leave Policy

Paid Time Off (PTO) or additional education time for interns is determined by the primary site and their respective Human Resources department. Interns with questions regarding their PTO should direct them to their site supervisor and leadership team.

Dissertation and Professional Leave Policy

CO-PIC is an intensive program dedicated to providing comprehensive training for doctoral interns and fostering their professional development. CO-PIC offers a dissertation and professional leave policy across all sites, which includes the following provisions:

  • Interns are allotted three (3) days of professional leave for the purpose of dissertation defense.
  • This leave must not prevent the intern from fulfilling the 2000-hour training requirement.
  • The dates of leave must be pre-approved by both the intern’s primary supervisor and the CO-PIC Training Director.

For any specific questions regarding this policy, interns should reach out to their primary site supervisors and/or the CO-PIC Training Director.

Conference, Meeting & Travel Reimbursement Policy

The Colorado Psychology Internship Consortium offers several opportunities for cohort-attended conferences and in-person meetings. During all internship-related events, didactics, conferences, and meetings, internship level of professional decorum is expected. Interns are expected to attend these events in full. Any barriers to attendance need to be discussed with the Primary Supervisor and Training Director; excusals will be made on a case-by-case basis. Without prior authorization, lack of attendance, in full or in part, and/or lack of appropriate professional decorum during these events will result in Due Process procedures.  

The Consortium provides funding for expenses incurred during mandatory CO-PIC travel. Major expenses, such as hotel costs, can be paid for in advance by CO-PIC or the training site. Interns are not expected to pay out-of-pocket for any significant travel expenses. Some minor travel expenses may likely be incurred, and interns may submit documentation for reimbursement of certain out-of-pocket expenses while traveling for required CO-PIC activities. Interns are provided a per-day allowance for meals while traveling, which is determined by the IRS standard allowable deductions for the current tax year. This applies only to purchasing meals that are not made available to the intern by CO-PIC, and only during required CO-PIC travel. CO-PIC will not reimburse for alcohol. Interns may also be reimbursed for necessary public transportation and parking expenses. Mileage for intern travel is approved on a case-by-case basis and is a site-specific benefit. Check-in with your primary supervisor if you have questions about mileage reimbursement from your site. CO-PIC does not reimburse for mileage. 

To be reimbursed for meals and transportation, interns must save their original receipts and provide them to the Training Director by the end of the month, unless otherwise requested. Please note- receipts are required for reimbursement. Interns should plan to pay separately when dining together. All expenses for a trip should be scanned together and submitted with the completed reimbursement form. Please use a separate form for each trip.

Diversity and Non-Discrimination Policy

The Colorado Psychology Internship Consortium strongly values diversity and believes in creating an equitable, hospitable, appreciative, safe, and inclusive learning environment for its interns. Diversity among interns and supervisors enriches the educational experience, promotes personal growth, and strengthens communities and the workplace. Every effort is made by CO-PIC to create a climate in which all staff and interns feel respected, comfortable, and in which success is possible and obtainable. CO-PIC strives to make every effort to increase awareness, dispel ignorance, and increase comfort with multicultural experiences. CO-PIC’s training program includes an expected competency in diversity training, and multiple experiences are provided throughout the year to be sure that interns are both personally supported and well-trained in this area.

CO-PIC welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds. The training program believes that a diverse training environment contributes to the overall quality of the program. CO-PIC provides equal opportunity to all prospective interns and does not discriminate because of a person’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other factor that is not directly relevant to success as a psychology intern. Applicants are individually evaluated in terms of quality of previous training, practicum experiences, and fit with the internship. If an applicant or intern requires accommodations, he or she should contact the internship training director to initiate this process.

Due Process Procedure

Due Process Procedures Regarding Intern Performance: 

For situations in which a supervisor, or other faculty member, raises a grievance about the behavior or performance of a psychology intern: 

Definition of Problem Behavior 

For purposes of this document, intern problem behavior is defined broadly as an interference in professional functioning which is reflected in one or more of the following ways: 

  1. an inability and/or unwillingness to acquire and integrate professional standards into one’s repertoire of professional behavior, 
  2. an inability to acquire professional skills in order to reach an acceptable level of competency, and/or 
  3. an inability to control personal stress, psychological dysfunctions, and/or excessive emotional reactions which interfere with professional functioning.  

It is a professional judgment as to when an intern’s behavior becomes problematic rather than of concern. Trainees may exhibit behaviors, attitudes or characteristics that, while of concern and requiring remediation, are not unexpected or excessive for professionals in training. Problems typically become identified as impairments when they include one or more of the following characteristics:

  1. the intern does not acknowledge, understand, or address the problem when it is identified;  
  2. the problem is not merely a reflection of a skill deficit which can be rectified by academic or didactic training; 
  3. the quality of services delivered by the intern is sufficiently negatively affected; 
  4. the problem is not restricted to one area of professional functioning; 
  5. a disproportionate amount of attention by training personnel is required; 
  6.  the trainee’s behavior does not change as a function of feedback, remediation efforts, and/or time; 
  7. the problematic behavior has potential for ethical or legal ramifications if not addressed; 
  8. the intern’s behavior negatively impacts the public view of the agency; 
  9. the problematic behavior negatively impacts the intern cohort; 
  10. the problematic behavior causes or may potentially cause harm to a patient; and/or, 
  11. the problematic behavior violates appropriate interpersonal communication with agency staff.

Administrative Hierarchy and Definitions

CO-PIC’s Due Process procedure occurs in a step-wise fashion, involving greater levels of intervention as a problem increases in persistence, complexity, or level of disruption to the training program. Faculty roles included herein are defined as follows: 

  • Supervisor: Any faculty member who provides direct supervision or teaching to an intern. 
  • Internship Training Director (ITD): The supervisor who functions as the program-level director of training. The ITD leads the Internship Training Committee and serves as a voting member.  

Informal Review

When a supervisor believes that an intern’s behavior is becoming problematic, the first step in addressing the issue should be to raise the issue with the intern directly and as soon as feasible in an attempt to informally resolve the problem. This may include increased supervision, didactic training, and/or structured readings. This process should be documented in writing in supervision notes and discussed with the training director and training committee, but will not become part of the intern’s professional file.  

Formal Review

If an intern’s problem behavior persists following an attempt to resolve the issue informally, or if an intern receives a rating below a “3” on any learning element in the supervisory evaluation, the following process is initiated:  
  1. The supervisor will meet with the Internship Training Director (ITD) and intern within 10 working days to discuss the problem and determine what action needs to be taken to address the issue. If the ITD is the intern’s direct supervisor, an additional supervisor and member of the Training Committee will be included in the meeting.  
  2. Following this meeting, the intern will have the opportunity to provide a written statement related to his/her response to the problem.  
  3. The supervisor and ITD will then meet within 3 working days to discuss the problem and the intern’s response. During this meeting the supervisor and ITD may:
    • Issue an “Acknowledgement Notice” which formally acknowledges:
      1. that the faculty is aware of and concerned with the problem;
      2. that the problem has been brought to the attention of the intern;
      3. that the faculty will work with the intern to specify the steps necessary to rectify the problem or skill deficits addressed by the inadequate evaluation rating; and,
      4. that the problem is not significant enough to warrant further remedial action at this time.
      5. This notice will be issued within 5 working days of this meeting.
    • Place the intern on “Probation” which defines a relationship such that the faculty, through the supervisors and ITD, actively and systematically monitor, for a specific length of time, the degree to which the intern addresses, changes and/or otherwise improves the problematic behavior or skill deficit. The length of the probation period will depend upon the nature of the problem and will be determined by the intern’s supervisor and ITD. A written Probation statement is shared with the intern and the Director of Clinical Training at the trainee’s graduate institution and includes:
      1. the actual behaviors or skills associated with the problem;
      2. the specific recommendations for rectifying the problem;
      3. the time frame for the probation during which the problem is expected to
      4. be ameliorated; and,
      5. the procedures designed to ascertain whether the problem has been appropriately rectified.
      6. This statement will be issued within 5 working days of the decision. At the end of this probation period, the ITD will provide a written statement indicating whether or not the problem has been remediated. This statement will become part of the intern’s permanent file and also will be shared with the intern and sent to the Director of Clinical Training at the intern’s graduate institution.
    • If the problem is not rectified through the above processes, or if the problem represents gross misconduct or ethical violations that have the potential to cause harm, the intern’s placement within CO-PIC may be terminated. The decision to terminate an intern’s placement would be made by the entire Training Committee and would represent a discontinuation of participation by the intern within every aspect of the training program. The Training Committee would make this determination during a meeting convened within 10 working days of the original meeting discussed in step A, or during the regularly-scheduled monthly Training Committee meeting, whichever occurs first. If the problematic behavior is the result of a failed probation, the training committee will convene within 10 days of the end of the probation period to discuss the possibility of an extended/modified probation and/or termination of the intern from the program. Each training site will receive one vote, with the ITD serving as the tie breaker if needed. The ITD may decide to temporarily suspend an intern’s clinical activities during this period prior to a final decision being made, if warranted. If the decision to terminate an intern is made, the respective site’s Human Resources Department would be involved in the process and APPIC would be notified of the proceedings.

Appeals Process 

If the intern wishes to challenge the decisions made, he or she may request an Appeals Hearing before the Training Committee. This request must be made in writing- an email will suffice- to the ITD within 5 working days of notification regarding the decision made in step b or c above. If requested, the Appeals Hearing will be conducted by a review panel convened by the ITD and consisting of him/herself (or another supervisor, if appropriate), the intern’s primary supervisor, and at least two other members of the Training Committee. The intern may request a specific member of the Training Committee, site administrator, or adjunct faculty to serve on the review panel. The Appeals Hearing will be held within 10 working days of the intern’s request. The review panel will review all written materials and have an opportunity to interview the parties involved or any other individuals with relevant information. The review panel may uphold the decisions made previously or may modify them. The review panel has final discretion regarding outcome. 

Notifying the Sponsoring Doctoral Program 

If either the Acknowledgment Notice or the Probation action occurs, the ITD will inform the intern’s sponsoring university within 5 working days, indicating the nature of the inadequate rating, the rationale for the action, and the action taken by the faculty. The intern shall receive a copy of the letter to the sponsoring university. 

Once the Acknowledgment Notice or Probation is issued by the ITD, it is expected that the status of the problem or inadequate rating will be reviewed no later than the next formal evaluation period or, in the case of probation, no later than the time limits identified in the probation statement. If the problem has been rectified to the satisfaction of the faculty and the intern, the sponsoring university and other appropriate individuals will be informed and no further action will be taken. 

Grievance Procedure Regarding Faculty Performance

These guidelines are intended to provide the psychology intern with a means to resolve perceived conflicts. Interns who pursue grievances in good faith will not experience any adverse professional consequences. For situations in which an intern raises a grievance about a supervisor, staff member, trainee, or the internship program:  

Informal Review 

First, the intern should raise the issue as soon as feasible with the involved supervisor, staff member, other trainee, or ITD in an effort to informally resolve the problem. 

Formal Review 

If the matter cannot be satisfactorily resolved using informal means, the intern may submit a formal grievance in writing to the ITD. If the ITD is the object of the grievance, the grievance should be submitted by another Training Committee Member. The individual being grieved will be asked to submit a response in writing. The ITD (or other Site Director, if appropriate) will meet with the intern and the individual being grieved within 10 working days. In some cases, the ITD or other Site Director may wish to meet with the intern and the individual being grieved separately first. The goal of the joint meeting will be to develop a plan of action to resolve the matter. The plan of action will include: 

  1. the behavior associated with the grievance; 
  2. the specific steps to rectify the problem; and,  
  3. procedures designed to ascertain whether the problem has been appropriately rectified.  

The ITD or other Site Director will document the process and outcome of the meeting. The intern and the individual being grieved will be asked to report back to the ITD or other Site Director in writing within 10 working days regarding whether the issue has been adequately resolved.  

If the plan of action fails, the ITD or other Site Director will convene a review panel consisting of him/herself and at least two other members of the Training Committee within 10 working days. The intern may request a specific member of the Training Committee to serve on the review panel. The review panel will review all written materials and have an opportunity to interview the parties involved or any other individuals with relevant information. The review panel has final discretion regarding outcome.  

If the review panel determines that a grievance against a staff member cannot be resolved internally, or is not appropriate to be resolved internally, then the issue will be turned over to the employer agency. The panel will reconvene within 10 working days to again review written documentation and determine whether the issue has been adequately resolved.