Special Emphasis Areas

Four hours per week each semester have been set aside for psychology interns to individualize their training experience in the form of Special Emphasis Areas (SEA). SEA’s provide level-appropriate training and level-appropriate expectations and are sequential, cumulative, and graded in complexity differentiating the experiences of psychology interns. At a minimum, the psychology intern or post-doc will meet individually with the area supervisor on a bi-weekly basis to discuss issues related to the SEA.

Each semester, a psychology intern or post-doc will choose a content area from the descriptions below or they can create their own unique area based on individual interests with the approval of the Training Director. If a psychology intern has an interest in gaining more extensive experience in a particular content area, that area may be chosen for two semesters depending on staff availability.

SEA’s are outlined below. Questions regarding the content areas should be directed to the area supervisor or the Training Director.

Administration of a Counseling Center
Grief & Loss
Suicide Prevention
Group Therapy
Outreach
Self-Help
Community Engagement & Belonging
Eating Disorder

Special Emphasis Area: Administration of a Counseling Center Area Supervisor: Kristen Sievert, Ph.D., LP & Shelly McQueeney, MSW, LISW

This SEA will include opportunities to learn about the general administration of a counseling center as well as clinical services in a counseling center. Both areas are outlined in further detail below.

Administration of a Counseling Center

The purpose of this part of the SEA is to give an intern an understanding of the function of the Director of a large university counseling center. The intern will have an opportunity to learn about developing policies and procedures, organizational structure, supporting staff in their work, promoting mental health topics on campus, and working with campus partners. The intern will have an opportunity to accompany the Director and/or Associate Director to some university meetings, when appropriate.

Administration of Counseling Center Clinical Services

The purpose of this part of the SEA is to gain an understanding of how clinical services are directed in a counseling center. The intern will learn from the Director and Associate/Clinical Director about setting policy and procedures, developing forms, coordinating case review, and setting staff schedules. The intern or post-doc may attend some Clinical Committee and other committee meetings, when appropriate.

Specific topics that may be covered during the semester include the following:

1) Director Introduction to Counseling Center Administration

General overview of counseling center administration
How to become an administrator
Exploring different administrative roles

2) Clinical Director or Director Tasks of a Clinical Director- Overview

Monitoring client usage and treatment availability
Monitoring disposition and referral decisions
Leadership of clinical policy development
Collecting clinical usage data

3) Director Setting up the Organization

The organizational chart
Management team concept
Types of organizational problems and how to manage them
Performance evaluation

4) Clinical Director or Director Clinical Policies and Procedures

Policy Manuals
Use of Clinical Committee
Input and Communication with Admin and All Staff

5) Director Staff Recruitment & Retainment

Professional development opportunities
Sustainable work environment
Recruiting new staff

6) Clinical Director Clinical Record Keeping

Legal and Ethical Issues
Structure of PHI notes
Disclosure of Information
Database issues

7) Director Developing a Budget

The structure of budgets
Setting up a budget tracking system
Doing budget projections

8) Associate Director Accountability Issues

Outcome Data
Clarity of the Mission
Annual Reports to Various Constituents

SCS Administrative Projects and Experiences

Of the 4 hours per week for this SEA, one hour per week will be dedicated toward attending a committee or university meeting or supporting a project and one hour per week will be dedicated toward providing an outreach or clinical service.
At a minimum, the intern will meet individually with the area supervisor on a bi-weekly basis to discuss issues related to the SEA.

Special Emphasis Area: Grief and Loss Area Supervisor: Kristen Sievert, Ph.D., LP

This SEA provides the opportunity to focus on grief and loss. Interns will collaborate with a senior staff member to create a special emphasis plan based on the opportunities listed below, tailoring the experience to their interests and training needs. In most cases, the special emphasis would involve receiving training and supervision, providing direct grief counseling services and completing outreach. Depending on an intern’s prior training and experience, opportunities during the semester could include:

Maintain at least two individual clients with grief and loss concerns on your caseload throughout the semester. The SEA supervisor will provide consultation.
Assist in facilitating campus debriefings after a student death or emergency.
Complete and discuss reading assignments with the Grief SEA supervisor.
Topics may include traumatic grief, complicated grief, anticipatory grief, ambiguous loss, and grief reactions within a cultural context.
Readings may include Understanding your grief: Ten essential touchstones; Techniques of Grief Therapy; Grief Counseling: A handbook for Mental Health Professionals; Treatment of Complicated Mourning.
Present in a practicum class, SCS staff training, or to another department on campus on a grief and loss topic (i.e., providing counseling for bereaved college students, how to support grieving college students, etc.).