Training Programs

Practicum Training Program

Training future generations of clinicians is a fundamental component of the mental health profession across disciplines including professional counseling, marriage and family therapy, social work, psychology, and psychiatry. All disciplines require practical experience in various treatment settings. The purpose of a training program at CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is to provide trainees with clinical experience in working with students in a college counseling center setting.

The training program at CSUCI CAPS subscribes to a Practitioner-Scholar model of training, which emphasizes the development of professional skills among clinicians who use evidence-based practices and a commitment to the ongoing cultivation of cultural humility. The training program is sequential and cumulative in nature and builds on the experience obtained at the clinic. The program is a hybrid of on-campus and telehealth services grounded in a brief therapy model.

Benefits

The benefits to the trainees are that they are provided with substantive and integrated clinical experiences in a college counseling center setting while being supervised by licensed mental health professionals. Trainees practice assessment, individual and group therapy, crisis intervention, treatment planning, case management, outreach to the campus community, and building skills in short-term, problem-focused treatment strategies. The practicum also provides an opportunity for professional and personal development. Further, following completion of the practicum, trainees will have skills to compete for employment opportunities in a variety of jobs in the field of behavioral and mental health.

Who are the Trainees?

Trainees are graduate students carefully selected to participate in our program. Currently, CAPS only works with doctoral students in psychology.  They usually work 16-20 hours per week, which can be adjusted to meet the needs of each individual trainee. Full-time and part-time predoctoral interns and postdoctoral fellows are not being considered at this time.

Progression of Training

The training program is designed to be a planned sequence of clinical experience. Trainees will be given the opportunity to shadow senior staff in doing initial assessments, then begin to do their own assessments, and gradually build their own caseloads. The size and breadth of caseloads are expanded as the trainee develops during the course of the year. There are opportunities to provide crisis intervention as part of the daily triage rotation.

Goals of the Practicum Training Program

Practicum students will be developing skills in brief therapy, including building rapport with clients, assessing and setting short-term counseling goals, and continuing the process through to termination. Students will gain experience with both in-person and telehealth delivery of service.

By the end of the year, students will be expected to demonstrate:

• Assessment skills - being able to accurately evaluate the client's presenting concerns, personality dynamics, and psychosocial history.
• Diagnostic and conceptual skills - being able to generate an overview of client's presenting concerns and make an accurate differential diagnosis.
• Theoretical and research knowledge skills - being able to develop skills and habits in seeking and applying evidence-based practices in the clinical setting, including applying scientific knowledge.
• Treatment plans - utilizing assessment and conceptual skills to formulate appropriate goals for brief therapy and/or community referral.
• Group skills - develop a beginning level of understanding of group dynamics and develop the ability to function as a group co-leader.
• Cultural humility skills - including personal awareness, knowledge of the intersectionality of identities and cultural factors, and skills in culturally-sensitive psychological services.  Develop an ongoing commitment to this critical component of this profession.

Personal growth will also be a primary area of emphasis, with students expected to demonstrate:

• Awareness of emotional and cognitive response to client in the context of the counseling relationship.
• Insight into how clinician's personal life experiences can impact oneself, the client, and the counseling process.

Professional development is the final area of emphasis. Students will be expected to demonstrate:

• Principles of ethical practice and decision making, and legal knowledge related to the practice of psychology.
• Ethical awareness of client/therapy issues, including one's own limitations with clients, and how to make appropriate referrals.
• Articulation of professional knowledge and presentation of case material with one's colleagues.

Training Activities

Direct Service

Clinical Service

Indirect Service

Documentation

• Record Keeping in Electronic Health Records 
• Treatment Plans
• Termination Summaries

Meetings

• Individual Supervision
• Clinical Assessment Team(CAT)/Group Supervision
• Practicum Training Seminar
• Professional Development Seminar

Evaluations

• Self-Assessment
• Evaluations (Mid-year and End-of-year)
  
  • Evaluations by supervisor
  • Evaluations of supervisor
  • Case Presentations
• Review of Video Recordings

How to Apply:

We are accepting applications for the 2021-2022 academic year and anticipate scheduling virtual interviews in March 2021. For full consideration, please submit the following documents to our Training Coordinator, Dr. Jill Huang, by March 8, 2021:

• A letter of interest,
• Current CV/resume, and
• An email from the Training Director documenting that you are eligible for practicum placement.

If you have any questions about our training program, please call 805-437-2088 or contact our Training Coordinator, Dr. Jill Huang, at jill.huang@csuci.edu.