THE PROGRAM

2011 Eight-week Summer Program

General Description

The eight-week CCIP is offered for undergraduate and for graduate students from Psychology, Basic Sciences, Neuroscience, Pre-Med, and Nursing schools who would like to acquire and/or practice their assessment and intervention skills and obtain a better knowledge of the Hispanic culture while becoming more fluent in Spanish by working on a clinical setting, living with a Costa Rican family, and additionally taking Spanish lessons.

By providing this learning experiences this program facilitates the training of American psychology students to become better prepared professionals to work with Hispanic populations.

Program Objectives

To acquire and/or practice some skills on psychological assessment and intervention:

Assessment and intervention are key topics on psychology curricula. Graduate students participating in the program will acquire some skills by observing professional psychologist doing some assessment and intervention with children, and by actually doing it in individual and group assessment and intervention as their previous psychology training and command of Spanish language permits, and always supervised by a licensed psychologist.

By working in a clinical facility four days a week from 8AM to 12PM. Students will acquire knowledge of psychological services to children and youth in Costa Rica; act as consultants to clinicians, teachers and other mental health service providers, and provide needed services as requested, and according to the required level of Spanish and previous psychological training. Each student is expected to complete a total of 120 contact hours of practicum work.

Students will be assigned to various practicum sites. Those students coming from Clinical, Forensic Psychology or Neuropsychology majors will do their practicum at a Neuropsychiatric School and at the Universidad de Iberoamérica Neuropsychological Clinic (www.unibe.ac.cr). Those students coming from School Psychology or Counseling Psychology majors will be placed at public schools.

A clinical session for all students will take place once a week (Friday morning) to discuss clinical practices with licensed psychologists supervising their work (see section Faculty).

Students can acquire 9 graduate credits for their practicum work.
To acquire and/or improve Spanish skills:

Students will have the opportunity to acquire and improve their Spanish skills by using Spanish daily with their families, at the practicum settings, through a language training program, and being exposed to the language through media and other social activities. This immersion method help students gain confidence in using Spanish and learn the language skills that facilitates their cultural adjustment to the new culture.

Students will receive Spanish language instruction four afternoons a week from 1PM to 5PM designed to promote further language competence, for a total of 128 contact hours. For this purpose students will be grouped according to their entry level of Spanish command.

Spanish classes include more experiential learning, like “Let’s go to the bank,” “Let’s learn Latino dance,” “Let’s cook,” “Let’s go to the museum,” among others.
To learn the specific cultural aspects and technical terms used in Psychology:
Communication is essential in professional psychological work. While shadowing, observing or doing assessment and intervention in Spanish as well as in case reporting to parents, teachers and other health professionals, students learn and practice the specialized psychological jargon related to their practicum work, including basic Spanish terms commonly used in client-professional interaction.
To acquire knowledge of Hispanic Culture

By living in Costa Rica with a local family and engaging in community activities students will experience a Hispanic culture. Each student will have the chance to discuss issues relevant to understanding the culture, while living in a family environment. The value of family life, education, religion, personal health care and extended family interactions are some of those relevant issues.

Costa Rica is a well-known destination because of its ecological richness, rain forests, beautiful beaches and the mix of adventure and scientific tourism. The program gives students the chance of enjoying planned excursions on weekend trips travel around the country.

Academic Program

Students who come from Clinical, Forensic and Counseling Psychology majors enroll on Clinical Practicum (7 credits) and a class on Contemporary Topics (2 credits) of the Clinical Psychology Master program from the University.

Students who come from School Psychology major enroll on Internship (5 credits) and a class on Contemporary Topics in School Psychology (2 credits) of the School Psychology Master program from the University.

During the class of Contemporary Topics course, you will have discussions and readings centered on understanding psychology in Costa Rica as compared to American psychology. This will be guided by specialized faculty members of Universidad de Iberoamérica.

Additional presentations given by leaders in Psychology and Education will provide the needed introductory background for the program during the first week: “Costa Rican Educational System,” “Costa Rican Health System and Epidemiology,” “Costa Rican Mental Health Care,” and “Childhood and Adolescent Services in Costa Rica.”

Program Cost

The cost per student covers the academic program issues (practicum and courses enrollment), room and board, language instruction, insurance, and tuition. Expenses associated with books and traveling outside and within Costa Rica are not included.

Scholarships or financial aids are not available. However, we suggest contacting your home university for this matter.

Program Coordinators

Dr. Roberto G. Rodriguez serves as the On-Site Program coordinator. His office phone number is (506)2297-2242 ext. 133 or 119; or e-mail him to rrodriguez@unibe.ac.cr

Karla Carballo is the International Programs and Field coordinator. Her office phone number is (506)2297-2242 ext. 150; or e-mail her to kcarballo@unibe.ac.cr

*When calling from the US, dial 011-506-22972242.

More information

Students interested in learning more about this 2011 Cultural Immersion Summer Program and applying to it should consult the program website at www.unibe.ac.cr/ccip/

To see the photo gallery from previous students who attended international programs at the University, click here:
http://www.unibe.ac.cr/ccip/my_gallery.html
To read the resume of clinical supervisors, click here:
www.unibe.ac.cr/ccip/faculty/
To read some feedback comments, click here:
www.unibe.ac.cr/ccip/testimonials/
To review additional information about Clinic Sites, click here:
http://www.unibe.ac.cr/ccip/other_features.php