Internship Interviews: Case vignettes and assessment interpretation

[FreudianSlippers]

Having looked through many different resources I finally feel like I have a very good idea of the types of questions asked on interviews. I also know that I need to be able to describe different types of therapy experiences I have had (i.e. hardest case, best case, ethical dilemma, etc).

Does anybody know how common it is for sites to give you case vignettes or outline clinical situations and have you walk them through what you would do?? How would one prepare for this? On the same note, I have heard of sites having interviewees interpret MMPIs and other common measures. Does this happen often or is it a more rare occurrence?

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[PsychPhDone]

YMMV, but I interviewed at ~11 sites (VA/AMC and AMC) and only got one case vignette. Asked me what my assessment would involve. No measures to interpret. It lasted maybe 5 minutes.

Having looked through many different resources I finally feel like I have a very good idea of the types of questions asked on interviews. I also know that I need to be able to describe different types of therapy experiences I have had (i.e. hardest case, best case, ethical dilemma, etc).

Does anybody know how common it is for sites to give you case vignettes or outline clinical situations and have you walk them through what you would do?? How would one prepare for this? On the same note, I have heard of sites having interviewees interpret MMPIs and other common measures. Does this happen often or is it a more rare occurrence?

 

[Member6677]

I wonder if it's site specific; I interviewed at 9 sites (all counseling centers) and had clinical vignette's at I believe every one. Some will give it to you ahead of time so you can prepare. They tend to be pretty basic and transparent in my opinion, e.g. ethical dilemma, diversity issue, SI risk assessment. I don't recall anything throwing me for a super loop by any means. They were usually anxiety or depression. I would say to prepare, just have your theoretical orientation in mind and loose treatment plans/considerations for the common presentations.

 

[IWillSurvive]

Thanks for starting this thread! I have been a bit nervous about this too. Appreciate any tips from folks who have gone through it before...


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[BuckeyeLove]

A few of my sites had me interpret MMPI's in conjunction with WAIS-IV/TOMM results. If I remember correctly they super straightforward (i.e., F-scale through the roof, FSIQ of 50, TOMM scores of 5, 4, 1). Two of them had me interpret Rorschach's, in which I had to hold back a giant smirk throughout.

 

[IWillSurvive]

@BuckeyeLove judging from your title, I'm guessing these were forensic sites? Any generals or VA's ask for this? Thanks!

 

[eremitestar]

Most sites simply asked about previous cases. I interviewed primarily at VAs, and did have 1 or 2 present vignettes. They really weren't bad. They asked things like what additional information I would want about the person, diagnostic hypotheses, and initial treatment ideas. Pretty straightforward. I would answer consistently within the framework of your theoretical orientation, and be sure to address any ethical and diversity dimensions of the vignette. I was never asked to interpret test data, but I didn't apply to any assessment-heavy sites.

 

[Justanothergrad]

We have been discussing this at the VA I am at. Everyone found a great deal of utility for giving case vignettes to see how people think through novel issues/problems (including us who are still interns). They were very common at VAs this last cycle. I would say 50% or so used them based on my discussion with friends who interviewed at VAs.

 

[RejectClinical]

Depends on the site. Two VAs I interviewed at last year had vignettes. You might check with people in your program about their experiences in the past at overlapping sites. In terms of preparing? I wouldn't bother. If you've been paying attention in graduate school and got good training, there's no need to prepare for this.

This doesn't mean don't prepare for other common questions (e.g., what's your plan post internship, what do you want from this site, what's an ethical dilemma you've faced, etc.)....more that you should have been preparing for these vignettes during your graduate training. Last year I got a vignette about substance abuse (and I had absolutely no clinical experience with it before) and was told by the examiner that my approach to the case was just fine. I must have done okay with my other vignette as I got an email a few weeks post interview that I was still under consideration.

I wouldn't worry about this too much. The stock that is put into these interviews isn't that big (at least that's what I keep hearing). A bigger concern is doing something socially inappropriate during the interview day, which will come back to bite you (trust me). That should be #1 on everyone's list. #2 should be knowing the site (so definitely familiarize yourself with the brochure and be prepared to answer questions). I would spend my time (and I did last year) familiarizing myself with the site. Beyond that, just be yourself (unless yourself is to do something socially inappropriate) and try not to worry. Everything will work out just fine...