Individual and Couples Counseling
Interns typically see 12 clients per week. After an initial assessment of the trainees’ needs, supervisors work with each intern to garner cases that will facilitate development in particular areas. Cases are received through brief consultation. The Counseling and Wellness Center endorses a brief psychotherapy model (1-12 sessions) and incorporates a variety of theoretical orientations, such as humanistic, feminist, psychodynamic, and cognitive-behavioral. All interns will see a range of cases that include work with individuals who require very short term (1-6 sessions) problem-oriented interventions as well as brief psychotherapy (7-12 sessions) involving more complex therapeutic interventions.
All interns are expected to provide couples counseling. Couples may be obtained through the brief consultation assignment procedure. During the first semester, interns will do co-therapy with a senior staff member. Interns receive focused couples counseling training within intern seminar, where several sessions are devoted to working with couples. The clinicians who facilitate the couples training are also available for consultation on specific cases throughout the year.
Group Counseling
Interns are very involved in providing group counseling during their time at the Center. We require each intern to run at least one therapy group per semester and one standard USO group during the academic year. In addition, interns are free to run additional groups if they have an interest in this area. Typically, interns run one or two groups per semester. During the fall semester interns co-lead groups with other staff members, and then in the spring and summer they may again co-lead with Senior staff or they may lead groups with each other, an advanced practicum counselor or independently. The Center’s group program is very successful and we typically run 20-30 groups each semester.
These groups cover a broad range of topic areas. Some of our groups are process oriented but we also have a number of psychoeducational and support groups. Interns are encouraged to be involved in running both types of groups. Interns receive focused group counseling training within intern seminar, where several sessions are devoted to working with groups. Supervision of group therapy occurs with the licensed clinician co leading the group or a designated supervisors.
Outreach
The Counseling and Wellness Center is very involved in outreach activities to the UF community. Like all staff members, interns are expected to respond to outreach requests as needed. As an intern, you will do outreach programs (3 per semester) and tabling sessions (2 per semester) for a variety of campus groups. We encourage you to develop and present programs in areas of special interest to you and to work with new topics and populations. Interns and senior staff often work in teams in presenting such programs. The outreach coordinator will provide interns with 1-2 outreach seminars on how to effectively create outreach programs and will provide feedback and training in this area.
Clinical Assessment
Every student who comes to the Center is initially seen for a brief consultation. The purpose of this consultation is to assess the problem and make the appropriate disposition, either within the Center or to an outside agency/practitioner. If the client remains at the Center, a new client appointment is scheduled in which a formal clinical assessment interview takes place. The brief consultation helps inform and direct the nature of this assessment. As an intern, you will receive training in conducting brief consultations and new client interviews and then be assigned three brief consultations per week. Interns also receive training in psychological assessment via a series of assessment seminars. In these seminars interns are introduced to various approaches of assessment. In addition, interns will gain experience using various psychological assessment tools for use in therapy.
Assessment can be chosen as an area of concentration. Interns may choose to receive assessment training at three different levels of intensity ranging from 1 short assessment to weekly assessment training. All levels of involvement include attending the assessment seminars. Interns can chose from the following areas: Personality, Career, or LD/ADHD assessment. Interns can choose to begin an area of concentration during Fall, Spring, or Summer or during all three semesters.
Crisis Intervention
Interns provide both day on-call and after-hours on- call urgent services. A licensed clinician will serve as backup and consultant during these service hours. Interns will begin shadowing their supervisors and other clinicians during the Fall semester to prepare for being on-call starting mid-Fall. Crisis intervention strategies and techniques are discussed by individual supervisors, in group supervision, and in the intern seminars. Interns receive several seminars during orientation and over the course of internship with regard to assessing and responding to varying levels of crisis situations. A clinician is always available for crisis consultation.
Supervision of Practicum Trainees
Each intern will have the opportunity to supervise the work of a doctoral level or master’s level trainee for the Spring semester with an option of supervising a trainee in the summer. These trainees see 4-6 clients per week. The interns serve as their primary clinical supervisors during the Spring term. Their responsibilities include supervising their case management and clinical work. Interns receive supervision of their supervision from: (1) their individual supervisor, and (2) a group supervision of supervision seminar that meets bi-weekly.
Our Center provides training for second-year UF Counseling Psychology students in a required practicum sequence. We also receive doctoral students from the Counseling Psychology Program and doctoral and master’s students from the Counselor Education Program.