Letter from the Training Director
Dear Student,
Congratulations on reaching the next milestone in your graduate training!
As you are now considering a practicum, graduate assistant, and/or internship position, I would like to inform you of the opportunities at the UCA Counseling Center. The information contained in this document will provide you with the information you need to further investigate these opportunities.
Each graduate trainee is offered supervised experience in individual and couples counseling, intake interviewing, report writing, crisis intervention, and personality assessment. Additionally, graduate assistants and interns are offered supervised experience in group counseling, and outreach/programming. We also provide a variety of training activities, including weekly supervision, seminars, and case conferences.
We welcome your interest in working at the counseling center. The counseling center professional staff members have trained psychology and counseling graduate students since the 1980s, and interns since 1990. We have an excellent reputation for training and supervision. Further, the counseling center has been accredited by the International Association of Counseling Services (IACS) since 1981.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me by email: tjordan@uca.edu or call the counseling center at 450-3138.
Sincerely,
Tina Jordan Livingston, LPC
Selection Procedures
The deadline for submitting applications is typically scheduled at mid-semester (i.e., Fall positions have a mid-October deadline, Spring positions a mid-March deadline). Every eligible student will be scheduled for an interview upon submitting an application.
Please go to this link for more specific information, as well as an update on a specific semester deadline:
UCA Counseling Center Training Program
Training and supervision are designed to concomitantly consider each trainee’s individual professional needs & interests, along with the required expectations and experiences necessary for:
(a) fulfilling the practicum or internship
(b) preparing for licensure
(c) entering the job market.
Therefore, the training program will include (but is not limited to):
Supervision: Graduate trainees meet weekly with supervisors, to supervise their client case load, and facilitate their growth and development. Consultation with other supervisors is also available.
Individual Counseling: Graduate trainees are matched with clients whose presenting issues and demographics fit their individual training needs and experience.
Group & Couples Counseling: Interns and graduate assistants are required to co-lead a short-term, structured group (practicum students may co-lead depending on group availability). Couples counseling will be assigned based on trainee experience and the availability of the couple.
Intake Interviewing & Crisis Intervention: All graduate trainees are expected to conduct intake interviews as assigned. Crisis intervention hours will be assigned to each trainee based on their training level and available hours in the center. Trainees who see a priority client during crisis intervention time will always have at least one senior staff member on the floor for consultation. Further, trainees are not expected or scheduled for any crisis intervention after business hours.
Outreach/Programming: Interns and graduate assistants are expected to lead and/or co-lead programs based on their training needs and experience. Programs (e.g., eating disorders, stress management, sexual assault prevention) are typically assigned by the Outreach Coordinator.
Professional Development: The first three days before classes start each Fall and Spring all new graduate trainees will participate in orientation before seeing clients. Seminars are held weekly, typically led by senior staff members, and grouped under one of the following themes: (a) Assessment & Testing, (b) Counseling Approaches & Techniques, (c) Client Populations, and (d) Professional Development.
POLICY ON CLIENTS AS APPLICANTS TO THE TRAINING PROGRAM
The ethical guidelines of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Counseling Association (ACA) discourage counselors and psychologists from entering into dual relationships with clients.
Therefore, any graduate student who has received counseling at the UCA Counseling Center as a graduate student will NOT be eligible for a future training position in the counseling center. Likewise, any current or former trainee will not be eligible for counseling. Essentially a graduate student must choose between receiving therapy or training.
Please note this restriction does not necessarily apply to students who received counseling at the center while they were undergraduates.
Policy on Selecting Master’s level students to the Counseling Center for multiple semesters
The counseling faculty historically have encouraged master’s students to seek out different settings for the three “legs” of their counseling experience: practicum I, practicum II, and the internship. Starting with the 2019-2020 academic year, all master’s students will be eligible for selection at the counseling center for no more than TWO legs of their training experience.
Therefore, the following scenarios all fit within this guideline:
Student does both practicum I and II at the counseling center – that student cannot apply and be selected as a counseling center intern.
Student does only practicum I or practicum II at the counseling center – that student is still eligible to apply and be selected as a counseling center intern.
Students are encouraged to discuss this policy with the center staff during the application and selection process, to avoid any confusion / misunderstanding.