The Wellness Center provides
comprehensive health and counseling services to a diverse student body of
approximately 3,100 undergraduate and graduate students. Our multidisciplinary staff, comprised of
nursing and mental health professionals, work collaboratively on a regular
basis in an attempt to promote overall mental and physical wellness to the
campus community. Likewise, counseling
trainees are expected to work collaboratively as paraprofessionals in a team
environment.
Schedule
·
The
training year at the Wellness Center begins mid-August.
·
Practicum
students are expected to be on-site for a minimum of 24 hours per week and are
required to be here every Wednesday for Group Supervision and Staff Meeting.
·
Trainees
are expected to maintain a consistent schedule during our hours of operation
(i.e., M-F 9am-5pm) throughout the year.
·
Evening availability will be necessary on occasion in order to meet the training
expectations.
·
The
training year concludes in mid-May.
Training Overview & Expectations
Each trainee at the Wellness Center
has the opportunity to develop as a clinician in a demanding yet supportive
environment. Our trainees play an
integral role in the Wellness Center’s aim to provide quality care to Dominican
students. They contribute to the team in
two important ways: (1) by providing
clinical services to students and (2) by playing an active role in campus
outreach.
Here is an overview of the
requirements through the training year:
·
Maintain
a caseload of individual counseling clients.
·
Assist
students with referrals for services in the community as needed.
·
Co-facilitate
at least one psychotherapy, psychoeducational, or support group
·
Participate
in outreach
programming throughout the academic year.
Supervision
At the Wellness Center, clinical
supervision is a collaborative and dynamic process. Areas of development include but are not
limited to biopsychosocial assessment, therapeutic engagement skills, and multicultural
competence.
·
Trainees
are supervised
individually by a licensed staff therapist for one hour each week
throughout the training year. The
trainee and supervisor establish goals at the beginning of training and refine
or revise them as needed throughout the year.
·
Video and audio recordings are utilized to help trainees provide quality care to
clients and to develop as clinicians.
·
Trainees
along with counseling staff meet weekly for Group Supervision when
trainees take turns seeking consultation from the group on a current individual
case.
·
As
part of Group Supervision, we share our professional knowledge and expertise.
Each trainee will present on a clinical area of interest to them at least
once each semester.
·
Group
supervision also serves as an opportunity to get support from one another and
identify positive ways to work and grow together.
Training Philosophy
The Wellness Center’s philosophy of
training hinges on a few core assumptions:
·
Training
is developmental. Building clinical
competency comes from the integration of observation, knowledge, and experience
with thoughtful supervision and self-reflection.
·
Development
as a mental health professional occurs within a relational context. We seek to foster an environment of
understanding, curiosity, collaboration, positive regard, and
authenticity.
·
Training
is a complex, multicultural encounter in which the cultural variables and
contexts of supervisors, trainees, and clients impact one another and are
considered valuable resources.
Areas of competency for the training
year include but are not limited to:
·
Develop
a complex understanding of the self as a clinician – an instrument of change,
which includes understanding of the self as a cultural being.
·
Therapeutic
presence – hone the capacity to be firmly grounded and genuinely available in
the moment during clinical encounters.
·
Develop
the capacity to conceptualize, understand, and accept the client – and oneself
– from a biopsychosocial perspective.
·
Identify
dynamic processes of the therapeutic relationship and recognize ones that
either facilitate or hamper the conditions leading to positive change.
·
Learn
and implement intentional interventions based on thorough assessment of the
client and a complex understanding of cultural contexts.
·
Integrate
knowledge, experience and skills toward positive clinical outcomes for clients.
Additional
Information and Questions
We are glad
you are here to learn more about counseling training at the Wellness
Center! We recognize that you are trying
to learn about our site, so as to discern whether we might be a good fit for
you and your training needs. Toward this
end, our current cohort of trainees are happy to provide some time to share
their experiences here and to answer any questions you may have. Ideally, you will have a chance to speak with
someone as part of your interview; however, scheduling and clinical
responsibilities may make that impossible.
So, please do not hesitate to contact any one of our awesome trainees.
·
Hillary Buzaid – Loyola
University Chicago (MSW)
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays
·
Marc Flores – Chicago
School of Prof Psychology (PsyD)
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays
·
Lekai James – Illinois
School of Prof Psychology (PsyD)
ljames@dom.edu
Mondays,
Wednesdays, and Fridays
·
Kristina Nunez – Illinois
School of Prof Psychology (PsyD)
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays
Application
Process
Each year, the Wellness Center
selects four (4) students from Chicago-area graduate school programs –
psychology and social work – for training in psychotherapy.
·
Doctoral
therapy practicum
·
Master’s
therapy practicum (2nd year)
·
Social
work field placement (2nd year)
Application Requirements
1.
Letter
of interest outlining who you are and what’s important to you
2.
CV/Resume
3.
Two
letters of recommendation (from those familiar with your clinical or academic
work)
Application Timeline
·
Application
Deadline is March 1st (earlier is better)
·
Brief
phone interviews in February and early March (as needed)
·
On-site
interviews begin in late February
·
Offers
are made by late March
·
For
doctoral students, our timeline roughly corresponds with ACEPT. We will not make an offer to a student from a
participating ACEPT site prior to the Match day.
Some desired qualities:
·
Strong
commitment to both personal and professional development
·
Willingness
to develop cultural competence as a clinician
·
Curiosity,
flexibility, and openness in regard to learning about self and others
·
Desire
to receive and provide constructive feedback
·
Capacity
to accept mistakes and the courage to address them
·
A
focused interest in developing skills as an individual therapist and a group
facilitator
·
An
interest in college health
·
Ability
and interest in working collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team
·
Positive
self-care strategies
·
Constructive
communication skills
·
Effective
organizational and time management strategies
·
An
interest in health promotion and some ability/comfort with presenting to groups
