Practicum Program Description

The Practicum Program at the Texas State University Counseling Center provides training in individual counseling.  Practicum counselors are typically students in their second or third year of their doctoral program in counseling or clinical psychology or students in the second year of a master's program in psychology or counseling.  The practicum is a 9-month training program that focuses on: (a) becoming an effective practitioner who is guided by knowledge of clinical theory, (b) developing an increasing awareness of ethical/legal/professional standards of practice, (c) developing sensitivity to individual differences while integrating the significance of multiculturalism and diversity, and (d) developing an openness to learning.  We strive to meet you where you are as a trainee and encourage you to develop your own therapeutic orientation during your year here as a practicum counselor.  Practicum counselors work with Texas State students who present with a wide variety of issues, ranging from adjustment disorders, difficulties in managing stress and affective concerns, relationship and developmental problems, to issues of self-esteem and self-worth and challenges in transitioning to college life.  Our staff and training program is multidisciplinary, involving psychologists, licensed professional counselors, and psychiatric residents.  We value a range of therapeutic perspectives within our staff and hope that our training environment enriches the professional development of our trainees.  The Counseling Center encourages an "open-door" policy which helps form a productive working alliance between staff and trainees in our Center.

Eligibility

We require potential applicants to our program to have obtained at least two semesters (preferably three) of basic graduate coursework in counseling or psychology.  While it is advantageous for an applicant to have had some prior clinical experience, what we value more is a genuine interest and willingness to learn from our counseling setting.

We have three positions in our practicum program annually.  We recruit our practicum counselors from Master's and Doctoral Programs in the Austin-San Antonio area. 

Activities and Responsibilities

Practicum counselors are expected to spend two days a week (approximately 16 hours) at the Counseling Center, with one of those days being Friday.  Practicum counselors are supervised by pre-doctoral psychology interns, who in turn are supervised by a licensed psychologist.  Practicum counselors receive one hour of individual supervision from their intern supervisor, one hour of group supervision with their fellow practicum trainees and their supervisors, and one hour of group supervision with a staff psychologist weekly.  All supervision of the practicum counselors is overseen by the Practicum Coordinator.  Prior to seeing clients, practicum counselors participate in two weeks of extensive orientation to the Center.  During this orientation, practicum counselors are given an overview of the policies and procedures of the Center as well as the opportunity to meet the staff in a relaxed, collegial setting.  An introduction to key offices that we often interact with regularly (such as the Office of Disability Services, the Alcohol and Drug Compliance Services, and Multicultural Student Affairs) as well as psycho-educational issues in college/university life is also provided during Practicum Orientation.

Opportunities for group psychotherapy experiences, the administration of objective and projective assessments, and university community outreach activities may be available for practicum counselors who express an interest in participating in these areas.

An important aspect of our program is attention to the learning needs of each practicum counselor.  While you are part of "the practicum counselors" as a group, we attend to your individual learning goals as a beginning therapist as we integrate you into the collaborative setting of the Counseling Center.

APPLICATION PROCESS

If you are interested in applying for our Psychotherapy Practicum you will need to provide:

• An official transcript of your graduate coursework with at least 24 hours completed or in progress.
• Two references (these could be email addresses or phone numbers where they could be reached) to give information on your academic and/or clinical work.
• Curriculum vita
• Statement of interest (How would a practicum training experience at Texas State University benefit your professional and academic goals/plans?)
• Texas State Practicum Application Form
• An on-site interview

Application deadline is February 10, 2012. 

On-site interview dates are February 7, 8, 9, 14 and 17, 2012 by appointment only.

If you have any questions about our application process, please contact me.  I appreciate your interest in our practicum program and hope that you will apply should you feel our program can meet your training needs.

Sincerely,

Pamela R. Moore, PhD

Practicum Program Coordinator