CONTACT
Sonaly Silva, Psy.D.
Assistant Director for Training
(702)-895-3627
christeensonaly.silva@unlv.edu
Current Interns
Marijo Villano, M.A.
Clinical Supervisor: Christina Patterson, Ph.D.
Marijo Villano (she/her) is a Filipina Asian American doctoral intern in Counseling Psychology at Texas Woman's University where she also earned her Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology. Marijo works to create a safe, affirming space to help clients freely explore themselves, their identities, and their world. She believes in highlighting strengths in a person's ability to not only survive, but thrive. Marijo employs an emotion-focused approach with a feminist-multicultural lens for therapy. Marijo has experience working with trauma ranging from racial, sexual, familial/generational, and complex. She also has a strong passion for working with Asian American clients and hopes to make mental health services more accessible to the community. When Marijo isn't in session with clients, you can find her exploring nature, watching anime, taking pictures of her dog, or crafting!
Brian Broomand, M.A.
Clinical Supervisor: Cheryl Chakranarayan, Ph.D.
Brian received his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of California, Irvine, and a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University and is currently pursuing a doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology at Alliant International University’s California School of Professional Psychology. Brian comes to the mental health field with years of personal, professional, and academic experience in community and college counseling settings working with a wide range of populations. He has conducted individual and group counseling, case management and crisis intervention to diverse populations. During Brian’s doctoral program, he got extensive clinical experience at The Village Family Services for more than two years working as a Mental Health Clinician. In this position, Brian gained certification as a Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapist and received training in Seeking Safety, Solutions Focused, and Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction psychotherapies. Brian’s primary therapeutic modality is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Solution-Focused which is further supplemented with Gestalt, Humanistic, Existential & Psychodynamic approaches when needed. He helps clients experiencing depression, anxiety, trauma, and other mental health conditions. Brian’s most recent clinical experiences placed him in the community college settings (Los Angeles Valley College - Valley Community Health Care & Whittier College Student Counseling Center) where he provided individual therapy and outreach to multiple students of different sexual orientations, race, genders, religions, nationalities and ethnicities (immigrants, first generation college students, victims of trauma, etc.). Being an empathetic, patient, nonjudgmental, understanding and compassionate clinician, Brian does his very best to help each person realize their inner strength and ability to overcome barriers and to help them live each day with minimal pain and distress.
Matthew Alcala, M.A., M.S.
Clinical Supervisor: Alyssa Newman, Psy.D.
Matthew Alcala received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a master’s degree in psychological research from California State University, Long Beach, and is currently a doctoral candidate from the University of La Verne, PsyD program in Clinical Psychology. He is also an APA Interdisciplinary Minority Fellow. His dissertation research examines the relationship between experiences of intersectional discrimination and substance use risk among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual people of color. He has also taught community college courses in introductory psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology, statistics, and research methods.
Clinically, he has experience working with LGBTQ+ individuals, Spanish-speaking individuals, transition-age youth, college students, individuals with spinal cord injuries, and individuals with epilepsy using a variety of evidence-based treatment and assessment practices. He is a Southern California native but is excited to be in Las Vegas. He enjoys hiking, voguing, watching Rupaul's drag race, trying new foods, and spending time with his family and partner.
Description of the Center
Student Counseling and Psychological Services offers training programs for doctoral interns and graduate students. Services include individual, couples, and group psychotherapy, crisis intervention, medication evaluation and management, psychological assessment, drug and alcohol use assessment, educational workshops and presentations, consultation, and referrals to community health care providers. These services are undertaken in accordance with the following philosophy:
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) adheres to the procedures established by the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) for the recruitment and selection of doctoral interns. This internship site agrees to abide by the APPIC policy that no person at this training facility will solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information from any intern applicant.
The CAPS internship has been accredited by the American Psychological Association since November 8, 2016. For questions related to the internship program's accreditation status, please contact the APA Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation:
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
750 First St, NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
Telephone: (202) 336-5979
CAPS is a proud member of APPIC. CAPS Program Code Number for the Match: 2293
Counseling and Psychological Services Philosophy
Student Counseling and Psychological Services strives to enhance the psychological health and personal effectiveness of students, thus empowering them to maximize their personal adjustment and individual accomplishments. In providing services, the staff attends to remedial, developmental, and situational concerns, recognizing that the interaction between the stress associated with the academic environment and individual developmental periods may lead to problems that can be alleviated through therapeutic intervention. CAPS works in concert with the university community to create an environment that helps students to understand and respond to challenges and opportunities in a way that enhances their personal and academic development.
CAPS is a department of the Student Wellness cluster of the Division of Student Life at UNLV. Together with the Student Health Center, Jean Nidetch Women’s Center, Office of Student Conduct, UNLV Wellness Zone, and Disabilities Resource Center, the Student Wellness cluster works collaboratively to achieve the goals indicated by the following mission statement:
Student Wellness Mission Statement
The mission of Student Wellness is to advance the optimal wellness of UNLV students, thereby enhancing their lives and their academic success. To fulfill our mission, Student Wellness affirms the importance of working in partnership with the greater university community; respecting individual differences and cultural diversity; and providing quality services and programs that address the physical, emotional, social, environmental, intellectual, spiritual, and occupational dimensions of life.
CAPS Staff
The professional staff consists of nine psychologists, a psychiatrist, 2 licensed clinical social workers, licensed couple and family therapist, and a care manager. Additionally, there are a number of administrative staff and student workers who support the clinical staff and assist in CAPS operations. Each year, we typically have approximately two-five graduate-level practicum counselors and four doctoral interns.
Professional Staff Details
Aims of the Training Program
CAPS is part of the Student Wellness cluster, which embraces balanced, holistic health and wellness. The doctoral internship is designed to train interns to be competent, entry-level generalist psychologists. The internship training program emphasizes professional identity development, ethical decision making, and multicultural competence. CAPS provides a setting in which interns increase and strengthen their abilities to practice psychology throughout their year. Training involves developing both core skills and positive professional identity essential for the work of an entry-level psychologist. Interns work with a multidisciplinary staff who offer diverse backgrounds and various theoretical orientations, including evidence-based treatment. Interns have a unique opportunity to work within a center that includes a Behavioral Health Team, which serves as a bridge between the Student Health Center and CAPS to offer collaborative and integrated care. Interns gain experience by participating in a wide range of supervised professional activities within a large, urban, diverse university counseling center, including:
- Individual, couples, and group therapy from a brief treatment model.
- Crisis assessment and intervention.
- Assessment and diagnosis.
- Individual and group supervision.
- Seminars (Multicultural, Outreach, Case Conference, Clinical and Professional Issues, Supervision of Supervision and Professional Development).
- Provision of supervision.
- Rotation Areas:
- Case management and referrals to community mental health care.
- Outreach, educational workshops and presentations, and consultation across the university.
- Research, training, professional development, and other activities.
- Attendance and participation in staff, Clinical Assessment Team (consultation), joint provider (Student Health Center), and cluster (Student Wellness unit) meetings
Doctoral psychology interns are expected to achieve the following aims during the training year:
To prepare entry level generalist psychologists for practice in health service psychology through:
- the development of competencies in clinical practice, outreach programming, consultation, and supervision
- the development of scientific and professional knowledge, identity, and ethical integrity
- cultivating a commitment to diversity and provision of culturally competent services
This is accomplished through training focused on nine profession-wide competencies:
- Research
- Ethical and Legal Standards
- Individual and Cultural Diversity
- Professional Values and Attitudes
- Communication and Interpersonal Skills
- Assessment
- Intervention
- Individual therapy
- Crisis Intervention
- Group therapy
- Supervision
- Consultation and Interprofessional/Interdisciplinary Skills
- Outreach Programming
- Staff/Faculty Consultations
- Behavioral Health Team
Internship Admissions, Support, and Initial Placement Data
Minimal Eligibility and Qualifications
Applicants must complete all formal requirements towards Ph.D. or Psy.D. candidacy in Counseling or Clinical Psychology (preferably APA accredited), including:
- All course work necessary for the title of doctoral candidate including comprehensive exams.
- Acceptance of dissertation proposal by dissertation committee no later than the APPIC ranking date.
- Clinical experience with college student population preferred.
- A minimum of 500 cumulative supervised hours in direct clinical service as defined by APPIC criteria.
- At least 400 direct therapy hours; with no less than 300 accrued during the doctoral program.
- Experience with intellectual and personality assessment measures.
- Hours must be accumulated no later than the APPIC ranking date.
- CAPS seeks individuals who are team players, have strong communication skills, practice good self-care, are open to learning, value consultation and supervision, and value self-reflection as a tool for professional development.
Internship Program Admissions
Date Program Tables are updated: 08/12/21
| Briefly describe in narrative form important information to assist potential applicants in assessing their likely fit with your program. This description must be consistent with the program’s policies on intern selection and practicum and academic preparation requirements |
|---|
| The University of Nevada-Las Vegas Student and Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is currently accepting applications for four full-time, one-year paid (2000 hour) positions for the 2022-2023 internship year. All the internship training is based on a Practitioner-Scholar model with a primary emphasis on competence in the practice of professional psychology that is influenced by the science of psychology. Theory, research, and practice mutually inform each other. Interns are guided and encouraged in their pursuit of observing, inferring, formulating, and evaluating clinical hypotheses. The integration of science and practice is encouraged through the use of seminars, readings from scholarly publications, generating clinical hypotheses to explore in supervision, learning the empirical bases that guide the use of comprehensive assessment, and participating in professional development activities on best current practices in clinical practice. A part of competent practice also includes being informed about the influential and current theoretical and research-bases of psychology and other related fields, especially evidence-based treatment. |
| Does the program require that applicants have received a minimum number of hours of the following at time of application? If Yes, indicate how many: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Total Direct Contact Intervention Hours | Yes | Amount: 500 |
| Total Direct Contact Assessment Hours | No | Amount: 0 |
| Describe Any Other Required Minimum Criteria Used to Screen Applicants |
|---|
| Applicants must complete all formal requirements towards Ph.D. or Psy.D. candidacy in Counseling ot Clinical Psychology (preferably APA accredited), including: all coursework necessary for the title of doctoral candidate including comprehensive exams. Acceptance of dissertation proposal by dissertation committee no later than the APPIC ranking date. Clinical experience with college student population preferred. A minimum of 500 cumulative supervised hours in direct clinical services as defined by APPIC criteria. At least 400 direct therapy hours; with no less than 300 accrued during the doctoral program. Hours must be accumulated no later than the APPIC ranking date. |
Financial and Other Benefit Support for Upcoming Training Year*
| Annual Stipend/Salary for Full-time Interns | $35,568 |
| Annual Stipend/Salary for Half-time Interns | N/A |
| Program provides access to medical insurance for intern? | Yes |
| If access to medical insurance is provided: | |
|---|---|
| Trainee contribution to cost required? | No |
| Coverage of family member(s) available? | Yes |
| Coverage of legally married partner available? | Yes |
| Coverage of domestic partner available? | Yes |
| Hours of Annual Paid Personal Time Off (PTO and/or Vacation) | 120 hours |
| Hours of Annual Paid Sick Leave | 80 hours |
| In the event of medical conditions and/or family needs that require extended leave, does the program allow reasonable unpaid leave to interns/residents in excess of personal time off and sick leave? | Yes |
| Other Benefits (please describe): Parental Leave Policy If an intern needs parental leave, they should consult with the Training Director as soon as feasible, who will consider a multitude of factors and come up with a plan that is in the best interest of the intern’s training needs, CAPS, cohort members, and UNLV. |
|
Initial Post-Internship Positions
| 2017-2020 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Total # of interns who were in the 3 cohorts | 10 | |
| Total # of interns who did not seek employment because they returned to their doctoral program/are completing doctoral degree | 0 | |
| PD | EP | |
| Academic teaching | 1 | 0 |
| Community mental health center | 0 | 0 |
| Consortium | 0 | 0 |
| University Counseling Center | 1 | 0 |
| Hospital/Medical center | 0 | 0 |
| Veterans Affairs Health Care System | 0 | 0 |
| Psychiatric facility | 0 | 0 |
| Correctional facility | 0 | 0 |
| Health maintenance organization | 0 | 0 |
| School district/system | 0 | 0 |
| Independent practice setting | 4 | 3 |
| Other | 1 | 0 |
Note: “PD” = Post-doctoral residency position; “EP” = Employed Position. Each individual represented in this table should be counted only one time. For former trainees working in more than one setting, select the setting that represents their primary position.
Application Procedures
APPIC Match Number 2293
Refer to the APPIC website for more details and complete application instructions for applying online. All application materials listed below are uploaded via the APPIC applicant portal. We do not accept any paper materials. Interested candidates should submit:
- Completed AAPI online.
- Cover letter.
- Current curriculum vitae.
- Official graduate transcript(s).
- The Academic Program’s Verification of Internship Eligibility and Readiness.
- Three letters of recommendation, with at least two from clinical supervisors who will speak directly about the quality of your clinical work and your engagement in clinical supervision.
- Background check upon hire, based on Student Wellness requirements.
- All materials must be submitted for review online by December 1, 2021. This internship site agrees to abide by the APPIC policy that no person at this training facility will solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information from any intern applicant.
- We will notify applicants of selection for an interview by December 15, 2021. Interviews will be conducted by phone and/or Skype and will be set up and conducted in late December and early-mid January.
- Match Day is Friday, February 18, 2022. Our APPIC Code is 2293.
Training Year and Benefits
We will offer four positions for the 2022-2023 internship year. The internship is 40 hours per week starting August 1, 2022. The stipend will be $35,568 plus benefits paid monthly. Interns also receive university holidays and annual, sick, and professional development leave. The leave is intended for an intern’s dissertation defense, job interviews, and conferences. The timing of this leave is subject to approval of the Training Director. All interns will have a private office with a computer, printer, webcam for videotaping, and library privileges.
Internship Responsibilities
The UNLV CAPS Doctoral Internship is a 2000 hour experience, with the expectation of 500 hours of direct service activities. Interns will be able to gain experience through a wide range of activities some of which will be negotiated individually by each trainee based on their interest areas and the needs of the center. The doctoral internship in includes these components:
Direct Service
- Intake Assessments
- Brief Individual and Couples Counseling
- Group Counseling
- Triage Coverage (4 hours/week)
- Supervision of a therapist in training
- Consultation
Training Activities
- Training Seminars, including: Multicultural Seminar, Intern Case Conference, Supervision of Supervision, and Clinical and Professional Issues Seminar. Additionally, training seminars will include didactics such as:
- Brief Psychotherapy
- Crisis/Suicidal/At-Risk Clients
- Ethics
- Group Counseling
- Couples Counseling
- Mindfulness
- Theories of Psychotherapy
- Eating Disorders
- Clinical Assessment Team meeting
- Individual Supervision
- Supervision of Group Therapy
- Meeting with the Training Director
- Staff Meeting
Other Activities
- Prep time/Admin time/Dissertation time.
- Rotation depending on intern interests and center needs. Examples include, but are not limited to: Behavioral Health, Eating Disorders, Sport Psychology, Trauma, Multicultural Competence, LGBTQ+ and Outreach.
Sample Schedule
| Intern weekly Activities | Fall Hours/Week August–December |
Spring Hours/Week January–May |
Summer Hours/Week May–July |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct Service | |||
| Individual/Couples Therapy* | 12 | 12 | 14 |
| Intakes | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Group Therapy | 1.5-3 | 1.5-3 | 1.5 |
| Triage | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Clinical Total *Hours will adjust depending on number of groups |
20.5-22 | 20.5-22 | 22.5 |
| Other Service | |||
| Supervision of Practicum Student | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Outreach/Consultation | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Total | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Training | |||
| Clinical and Professional Issues Seminar | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Individual Supervision | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Group Supervision | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Intern Case Conference (every other week) | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| CAT Meeting | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Supervision Seminar/Sup of Sup (weekly) | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Multicultural Seminar (every other week) | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Rotation Supervision | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Professional Development Supervision | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Outreach Seminar | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Training Total | 11 | 11 | 7 |
| Support Activities | |||
| Dissertation/Research Time | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Administrative/Case Management | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Staff Meeting | .5-1.5 | .5-1.5 | .5-1.5 |
| Support Activities Total | 7.5-8.5 | 7.5-8.5 | 7.5-8.5 |
| Total | 40-41.5 | 40-41.5 | 40 |
Commitment to Diversity
The UNLV CAPS doctoral internship recognizes the importance of cultural and individual differences and diversity in the training of psychologists. The training program is committed to providing a rich multicultural experience for interns. As a campus community, U.S. News and World Report named UNLV as tied for the most diverse college campus in 2016-2017. Additionally, UNLV was designated as a Minority Serving Institution (MSI) by the U. S. Department of Education in December 2012. See the following links for additional information:
- Minority-Serving Institution (MSI)
- U.S. News Ranks UNLV Among Nation's Most Diverse College Campuses
The University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV) is a large, urban, and diverse campus located in the heart of Las Vegas. According to the 2013 US Census estimate, the population of the Las Vegas metropolitan area was 2,027,828. The 2018 Census reported that the racial composition of Las Vegas was 62.7% White, 32.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Black or African American, 6.7% Asian, 4.8% Multiracial, .7% Native American and .7% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. At UNLV, the main Paradise campus, where CAPS is located, is just over a mile east of the Las Vegas Strip.
UNLV is an Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action Employer Committed to Achieving Excellence Through Diversity.
CAPS offers bilingual therapy (Spanish).
CAPS/Student Wellness has ADA approved wheelchair accommodations for doors, hallways, and an emergency wheelchair stairwell system (Evacu Trac).