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THE SETTING

CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY (CSU) is an urban, commuter university established in 1964 with approximately 14,000 students. The University has over 1,400 international students representing at least 45 countries, with significant numbers from India and Saudi Arabia. The CSU campus is just east of downtown and includes 41 buildings ranging from the historical Mather Mansion to the 2017 Washkewicz College of Engineering building. 

THE COUNSELING CENTER's MISSION is to support and empower our student community through the provision of psychological services. Services provided to the campus community include individual, couple, and group counseling and psychotherapy; psychiatric services; assessment services; outreach presentations, on-going discussions or workshops; emergency and crisis response; and consultations. 

The CSU Counseling Center is currently temporarily located in Rhodes Tower Room RT1722. The facility includes 12 offices, a group room, a reception area, a kitchen and a waiting area. 

The Counseling Center Staff is comprised of psychologists, social workers, counselors, and psychiatrists. The Counseling Center staff are diverse in terms of identity, background, clinical approach, and training. Clinical approaches reflected among our staff include CBT, DBT, ACT, relational, process-oriented, multicultural, and feminist.

The Counseling Center Clients are exclusively CSU students.  They range in age from 16 to 76 with a modal age of 21.  They come to the Counseling Center with a wide range of concerns, but the majority of clients present with anxiety and/or depression; trauma; relationship and family concerns; academic stress and identity concerns. Many clients also have a history of sexual or emotional abuse. We also work with students who present with some suicidal ideation or crisis and some eating or substance abuse concerns.  A number of clients struggle with financial hardship and may be balancing full-time work or caregiving and school.  Among clients seen at our center, approximately 58% are women, 31% men, 5% non-binary, 1% trans women, 3% trans men. In terms of ethnicity, 51% are white, 22% Black, 9% Asian American/Asian, 8% Hispanic/Latino, 4% Multi-racial, and 3% Middle Eastern/North African. Among our clients, 33% are LGBT+, 15% are international students, 30% are first-gen, and about 50% report prior trauma. Minority populations are typically neither over nor underrepresented at the counseling center compared to the CSU student body at-large. 

The Majority of the Counseling Center Services are free and confidential. There is a fee for psychiatric services. The most frequently requested services are individual and group counseling. In addition, the Center offers consultation and outreach services. Some recent group offerings have been Some recent group offerings include: Wise Minds: Building Skills for Acceptance and Change (a DBT-based group), the LGBTQ+ Student Support Hour, Trans Student Support, Connections (an interpersonal process group), Vikes Recovery Group (focused on substance use), Graduate Student Support Hour, Black Women’s Support Group, RIO (a 3-week ACT-based skills group), and Taming the Anxious Mind. Frequently requested outreach presentations are on Time Management, Test Anxiety, Stress Management, Anger Management, and Self-Esteem. Twice a year, the Center provides campus-wide screenings for depression and anxiety.

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THE TRAINING EXPERIENCE

The CSU Counseling Center is committed to providing a training experience that prepares students to function as generalists, comfortable in the many roles assumed by university counseling center practitioners. Therefore, a broad range of training experiences are offered. 

DIRECT SERVICE ACTIVITIES include a range of services and comprise at least 50% of a trainee's duties. These include, but are not limited to:

Individual Counseling and Psychotherapy: Part-time trainees carry an individual caseload of approximately 8-12 clients per week. The cases are pre-screened through our screening process so that progressively more difficult cases can be assigned as the trainee's ability and confidence develop. Cases typically reflect the diversity of the students seen at the CSU Counseling Center, both demographically and in terms of the severity of concerns.

Couple's Counseling: Trainees may have the opportunity to see one couple in conjoint therapy with a senior staff member.

Group Counseling:  Trainees are encouraged, but not required, to co-lead counseling/therapy groups together with senior staff members.

Outreach and Consultation Activities: The CSU Counseling Center receives a number of requests for psycho-educational programming each semester from various campus departments as well as from the community. Trainees are offered the opportunity to provide these workshops together with a senior staff member. More advanced trainees may have the opportunity to provide educational programming on their own. 

SUPERVISION AND TRAINING ACTIVITIES are the most important part of a trainee's experience at the CSU Counseling Center. Training activities are designed to expose trainees to a variety of supervisory styles and orientations in a supportive yet challenging environment. Trainees are assigned supervisors according to their particular needs, but are also able to consult with any member of the senior staff. 

Individual Supervision (1 hour per week): Trainees are assigned a clinical supervisor each semester and will meet with that supervisor for one hour each week. During fall semester, supervisors will be senior staff members. During spring semester, if available, a doctoral level intern may be assigned to do umbrella supervision with a less advanced trainee under the supervision of one of the senior staff members. Assignments are made based on the trainee's supervision needs as well as their preferences. This supervision focuses on the trainee's individual caseload and intake sessions. Individual supervisors use client test results, trainees' client notes, and videos of trainees' sessions with clients in order to give feedback to help the trainee develop as a clinician. This is also an opportunity for trainees to discuss problems they are having in their work and get feedback from their supervisor. 

Supervision of Other Activities (as needed):  All of the professional activities engaged in by trainees are supervised by a senior staff member. Usually, this is the senior staff member with whom the trainee is doing the activity whether co-leading a group or an outreach program, or conducting research together. When a trainee is doing such an activity alone, the work is supervised by their individual supervisor or another person designated by the supervisor. 

Case Conference (1 hour every other week): Practicum students and clinical graduate assistants meet together as a group with clinical staff for a case presentation by one of the trainees on a regular basis. The trainees rotate responsibility for presenting cases. Trainees are expected to provide the group with a written case summary prior to the meeting which gives demographic information, background history, diagnostic impressions, process observations, and questions for discussion. 

Trainee Seminars:  Trainees are kept informed of other training activities going on in the center (such as intern field trips or guest speakers) and invited to attend. 

Professional Development (variable):  Trainees are encouraged to attend professional conferences and seminars. When there are not Counseling Center tasks to be accomplished, trainees are welcome to work on their research or other professional development projects. 

ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITIES

Staff Meetings: One hour staff meetings occur weekly and are optional for practicum level trainees. Trainee input is highly valued at these meetings due to their fresh perspective and creative ideas. Very often these staff meetings are used for in-service training and senior staff case consultations.

Committee Meetings (variable): Trainees are encouraged to serve both on internal Counseling Center Committees as well as on University-wide committees. This committee work may be short-term (in the case of an ad-hoc committee formed to address a particular issue) or the work may span the entire year in a standing committee. 

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APPLICATION INFORMATION

Positions Available: The Counseling Center can typically accommodate 3-4 practicum students each year.

Term of Service: Trainees begin working on the first day of Fall semester each year but may be required to come for orientation activities in August before the semester starts.  We expect trainees to work 16-20 hours a week. We ask that practicum level trainees split their hours between at least two different days of the week. Trainees may be present and working in the Center during any hours between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. 

Stipend and Benefits:  We are not currently able to offer a stipend or benefits for practicum students. Please note that students will need to pay for parking passes if they wish to park on campus. Students who already have a parking pass at the University of Akron will not need to purchase another pass.
                                                                                                                       
APPLICATION

Qualifications:  
1. Currently a student in a doctoral program in counseling, clinical psychology, or counseling psychology.  2. Preference will be given to students who have completed at least one prior practicum experience.

Application Procedure: We will accept and review application materials and offer interviews early in the spring semester. Please submit:

1. Letter of interest summarizing relevant experience and training and clearly specifying number of practicum hours/week needed as well as required licensure of supervisor.
2. Current resume or vita.
3. Contact information for at least three references.

Send all application materials and other correspondence via email to Dr. Brittany Sommers at:

b.sommers52@csuohio.edu

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