Counseling and Psychological Services

Service Activities



Initial Consultation:


All new clients to the center are scheduled for a 30 minute consultation appointment where the counselor makes recommendations on what services both within and outside the center that may be helpful for that particular client. Interns are expected to have two consult appointments per week. Each week, consults are discussed at the case staffing meeting where they are divided up amount the staff based on schedules, caseload, and interest.


Walk-In Crisis:


All interns will schedule one hour of crisis time per week that is utilized when a student needs to be seen the day they come in. These cases are also discussed at the weekly case staffing meeting.


Intakes:


After a student has been assigned an individual therapist, an intake is scheduled. During this one-hour appointment, the intern will gather information from various parts of the client's life that are relevant to their counseling experience.


Counseling and Psychotherapy:


Individual counseling and psychotherapy is a large emphasis of the internship experience. Couples counseling, including co-therapy with a professional staff member, may also be possible depending on interest and availability. Interns are expected to have about ten face-to-face individual and couples counseling clients per week. The center operates in a short-term psychotherapy model but there may be opportunity for a few long-term cases. There is not session limit; however, a utilization review is required after 20 sessions to ensure the necessity of individual therapy and intentional treatment planning.


Group Counseling:


Group counseling is another emphasis area during the internship year. Interns are expected to co-lead at least one process group each semester and one psychoeducational group or workshop series Click here for a list of common groups held at CAPS.


Workshops:


Workshops ranging from 1 to 2 hours are open to students, faculty, and staff who might be interested in learning more about depression, anxiety, life planning, body image and mindfulness. These workshops meet once a week for 1-4 weeks, and focus on skills so each session stands alone and students can attend as many sessions as they desire. Click here to read common topics for workshops. Interns are expected to co-lead at least one workshop prior to leading on their own.


Assessment:


CAPS provides evaluation of academic/learning problems with a referral from the Disability Resource Center (DRC). We also provide other types of psychological assessment as needed. Interns typically complete two evaluations per month.


Outreach and Consultation:


Our outreach programs provide valuable information for students, faculty, staff and the community. Frequently requested topics include: stress management, depression, anxiety, eating issues/body image, and relationship issues.

In addition to outreach presentations, interns are also given the opportunity to develop a specialty area in the form of a yearlong formal outreach consultation project. Interns are expected to devote three hours per week to the project. Examples of projects are described below:


  • Access and Diversity Center: providing counseling and presentations for students of diverse backgrounds
  • Student Health and Wellness Center: providing outreach efforts on campus to educate and prevent substance abuse; working with medical staff in providing integrated care to students.
  • Housing: providing consultation for resident assistants and directors in on-campus housing units
  • International Students and Scholars: providing counseling and outreach to international students
  • Allies on Campus: co-leading training seminars for the Allies on Campus program and providing outreach to GLBT students
  • Disability Resource Center: providing support groups and consultation for students with disabilities
  • Career Services: providing career counseling and/or vocational assessment services. Possibly co-teaching the Career Development Course offered through the Psychology Department
  • Athletics: providing workshops and consultation to coaches and athletes. Possibly co-teaching the sport psychology class

Supervision of Trainees:


Interns are expected to engage in a yearlong weekly supervisory relationship with an undergraduate REACH Peer. Interns may also provide supervision to practicum student completing and advanced practicum at CAPS or graduate assistant from the combined clinical/counseling/school psychology Ph.D. program at USU.


Professional Development Project


Interns are encouraged to develop their own interests and ideas or select from some of the following:


Administration:


Management of Student Services is a skill that some interns may find of interest. Interaction with other offices within Student Services is available under the supervision of their secondary supervisor. Examples include:


  • REACH Peers: assist in the organization, recruitment and training of the REACH Peer program
  • Practicum Training: assist in the coordination of the Practicum program and co-teach the Practicum class offered at CAPS.
  • Intern Selection: assist in the evaluating, interviewing and selection of doctoral interns
  • Clinical Services: assist in the development and implementation of intake case assignment record management, termination or outcome assessment
  • Computer Services: assist in the development of the center web page and efforts to develop computer literacy and technological competence amongst the staff
  • Counseling and Psychological Services Conference: assist in the selection, organization, advertising, and administration of the annual CAPS Conference

Research


Ongoing clinical research is highly encouraged of inters, both in terms of doctoral dissertations and CAPS data collection. Interns are supported in utilizing our extensive data sets and designing their own research. Examples of past projects include:


  • Depression/Power/Status: Investigation of the relationship between perceived importance, sense of efficacy and self-reports of depression
  • Group Therapy Outcome: comparisons of brief strategic and time limited psychodynamic group therapy
  • Eating Issues/Body Image: explorations of body image with a population of eating disordered college women
  • Outcome Research: assessment of therapy outcomes related to CAPS services

Teaching:


Interns have the opportunity to co-teach with a senior staff therapist either the REACH Peer training or the Practicum class. At times, opportunities to teach or co-teach psychology courses exist on campus and through extension classes. When classes are available, and with the approval of the internship coordinator, interested interns may choose to teach in an area of expertise and interest.


Summer Project:


Summer project goals are set in April and interns are given four hours a week during the months of May, June and July to work on their projects. Past summer projects have included:


  • Continuing with on-campus outreach, such as, providing services to Access and Diversity Center, Wellness Center, etc.
  • Creating a Facebook page for the center, researching the relevant security issues and ethics.
  • Conducting a research project.
  • Engaging in a combination of individual projects (i.e. turning dissertation into an article for publication, developing clinical forms and/or outreach handouts, working on a book chapter, developing a training handbook, etc.