Basic Skills:
Primary Emphasis Skills
1. Intake and
Assessment
The assessment of incoming clients is made
during the initial intake. All staff members do intakes. The intake person
is responsible for clarifying the presenting problem, assessing the severity
and need for immediate intervention, providing appropriate diagnosis when
necessary, developing a treatment program, which may or may not include
Center involvement, and presenting these impressions at regularly scheduled
dispositional meetings or team supervision meetings, Depending on student
demand for service, interns would be expected to be involved in about one to
four intakes per week.
2. Knowledge of
Psychopathology
A prerequisite to success in any type of
psychotherapy or counseling is a fundamental knowledge of personality
functioning and psychopathology. With help through supervision, seminars,
case conferences and presentations the intern is expected to demonstrate a
growing ability to provide sound theoretical explanations and rationale for
human behavior and problems.
3. Advanced Psychotherapy
and Counseling
Direct one-to-one treatment of clients is
considered an essential and basic part of our program. All staff members do
individual counseling. The philosophy of treatment has always been to
provide the best possible care to the student. Although we are a short term
facility, the intern will likely have experience with a number of treatment
modalities as well as a number of short-, medium- or long-term cases.
Possible treatment alternatives to individual therapy include group therapy,
couples or partner counseling, co-counseling, or occasionally family
therapy. Length of treatment may vary from one session to an entire year or
longer. Each intern will generally schedule 16-18 clinical hours each week.
4. Crisis Intervention
The ability to acquire the skills and
competence necessary to respond to a crisis is considered an important
aspect of any professional's training. All clinical staff provide some
emergency time for walk-in daytime emergencies. Interns generally serve one
morning and one afternoon per week for these possible emergencies. For
evening and weekend emergencies of clients, an on-call emergency telephone
consultation system has been in effect for the past ten years. All staff,
including interns, participate in this system. Through this opportunity to
participate directly in crisis work along with our ongoing didactic
seminars, interns will have ample exposure to crisis intervention skills.
5. Professional Functioning
Knowledge of ethical and professional codes
of behavior, and the necessity to practice in an ethical and professional
way, is essential to any person who plans to continue in the field of
psychology. Furthermore, with such rapid changes occurring in the
interpretation of areas such as confidentiality, legal rights, insurance,
managed care, etc., all staff need to remain up to date. These issues will
be regularly addressed through supervision, training seminars and case
conferences
6. Personal Functioning
In the practice of psychology, the ability
to recognize and deal appropriately with personal issues as they affect
professional functioning is a necessary skill. It is important for any
practicing psychotherapist to appropriately manage personal stress, remain
emotionally stable and be open to feedback and suggestions. Through
individual intern supervision this area will be monitored and explored.
7. Sensitivity to Cultural
Diversity
One of the most important values of our
Center is the commitment to diversity and the recognition and support of
cultural and individual differences. A Diversity Seminar offers interns an
opportunity to experientially learn and share their own unique heritage and
background, as well as to be exposed to mentors who are members of cultural
groups on campus. Consultation with a diversity site such as the
Multicultural or ALANA Center, the Office of International Programs or
Campus Ministry, also allows interns to learn about new areas or to expand
their prior knowledge. Additional optional summer rotations are occasionally
available at multicultural sites, such as a nearby Native American community
and are still another way to broaden cultural and diversity experience and
knowledge. Periodic brown-bag luncheons at the Counseling Center, in which
diversity issues are discussed, are also available for intern participation.
Basic Skills: Secondary
Emphasis Skills
8. Vocational, Career and
Educational Counseling
We consider knowledge of career and
vocational counseling and testing to be valuable for any psychologist
planning to work at a counseling center. A weekly one-semester seminar,
co-facilitated by the Director of the Career Center and our Assistant
Training Director is required. Additional experience at the Career Center
facility is a possibility for those interns who are especially interested in
this area.
9. Group Facilitation
We are strongly
committed to group therapy as a treatment of choice.
For many clients, group therapy is considered as appropriate or even
more appropriate than individual approaches. Each year we offer general
therapy groups as well as other groups, both structured and unstructured.
In recent years some examples of the groups we have offered include personal
growth groups, men's and women's groups, groups for anxiety and trauma,
general skills groups, and a variety of other support groups. As a center
we are committed to high quality training in group therapy. Interns learn
about groups through serving as observers in groups, co-leading groups, and
through discussions during case conference and group seminar. Interns also
meet following each group session with their group co-leaders to receive
ongoing supervision. Additionally, opportunities for learning group
dynamics and facilitating groups may occur in prevention workshops and in
consultation activities. We have recently updated our group room by
installing advanced AV equipment to promote even better training and
supervision. We are extremely fortunate to have on our staff, two very
experienced specialists in the systems-centered group approach.
10. Prevention and Education
Programming
The Counseling Center offers a wide variety
of prevention and education programming, and training as part of our mission
to positively influence the greater campus community. We seek to promote an
integrated learning environment that is conducive to growth and optimal
student development. All members of our staff participate in the delivery
of programs and workshops each year. Much of this program delivery is part
of our formal consultation activities or other on-going relationships. Each
year, however, we are challenged and eager to be both proactive and reactive
in the development and implementation of innovative prevention and education
programming. Because of this evolving commitment, interns are encouraged
to develop at least one new program or workshop, as well as to participate
in prevention education and training activities on some evenings and
weekends. Examples of previous program topics include: stress management,
leadership skills, communication and effective listening skills, improving
body image and recognizing depression. The Counseling Center Prevention and
Education Coordinator oversees the programming efforts of the Counseling
Center.
11. Consultation
Consultation, both clinical and
organizational, is an important responsibility for staff members. In order
to help encourage the development of consultation skills, all interns are
encouraged to provide consultation to at least one primary site. Possible
consultation sites might include Residential Life, Academics, the Department
of Athletics and Recreation, the Multicultural Programs and ALANA Center,
the Office of International Programs, the Campus Ministry, and the GLBT
Allies Council The sites we consult with may vary, so involvement from
year to year is based on need and interest. Our Consultation Coordinator
holds a seminar in the beginning of the year to deal with issues and
questions in this area. In addition to formal consultation relationships,
interns actively consult with physicians, nurses and other health services
personnel, including our psychiatric consultant. Furthermore, staff members
are frequently consulted regarding concerns about individual students by
parents, Residence Life and Programming staff, Judicial Affairs, faculty,
administrators and other students.
12. Formal Assessment
The Counseling Center does not routinely
conduct psychological assessment through testing. We expect interns to have
had some prior testing courses before starting the internship. Due to a
recent change in our staff structure, we are unable to continue to offer our
Psychological Assessment Seminar. We do require that each intern complete
one formal career assessment.
13. Supervisory Skills
We will attempt to provide an opportunity to
supervise practicum students in the spring semester. These students may be
from the Clinical Psychology, Counselor Education or the Social Work
Graduate Programs of the University. Depending on the structure of the
practicum, supervision will probably average one or two hours per week.
Senior staff provide supervision of this experience, and a Supervision of
Supervision Seminar is offered to interns in the spring.
Basic Skills: Other
Professional Skills
14. Knowledge of
Medical/Psychiatric Issues
Since our Counseling Center provides a full
range of mental health services, we sometimes work with students who are
seriously disturbed and require medication. Through case conferences,
seminars and direct contact with our medical colleagues and consulting
psychiatrist, interns are encouraged to become familiar with commonly used
medications and related medical/psychiatric issues. A Clinical Seminar is
offered weekly.
15. Research and
Dissertation Support
The professional staff encourages interns to
be involved in any ongoing research activity. Interns are especially
encouraged in working toward completion of their dissertations, but such
work must not interfere with the responsibilities and commitment to the
internship. A research screening committee reviews all proposed research.
Interns are expected to balance their schedules so that excessive time is
not spent on the dissertation or other activity at the expense of clinical
activities. A staff psychologist from the Center conducts a research seminar
on an as needed basis, in which interns have the opportunity to discuss
their dissertation and to help structure their dissertation time. Summer
months and student vacation periods provide considerable time for research.
Interns may also work with the Director of the Center on specific research
projects throughout the year.
16. Teaching
On occasion, interns may assist in the
teaching of courses through various departments when such opportunities
present themselves. Realistically, formal teaching opportunities are not
common and interns should not expect them. Interns are encouraged, however,
to make case presentations and didactic presentations in team supervision
or in various classes, and to provide informal presentations to residential
life staff, medical staff, etc.
17. Administration
Interns are involved as fully participating
staff members in weekly administrative meetings. Interns are involved in
working on committees, such as a planning committee to organize a major
conference, the intern training committee, or a selection committee to
choose next year's interns. Interns may also choose to work with the
Director on specific administrative tasks or projects.
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