Counseling Psychology Ph.D. Program

Training and Opportunities

In accordance with the ASPPB guidelines for practicum experience (October 2008), the IU Counseling Psychology program provides an organized, sequential, and increasingly complex set of training opportunities designed to help our students achieve the associated program goals, objectives, and competencies. In addition, practicum training is designed to help prepare our students for pre-doctoral internship in an increasingly competitive environment. All counseling trainees receive clinical supervision from a faculty member and an appropriately licensed mental health professional in keeping with Indiana state law which requires a minimum of one hour per week of face-to-face individual supervision for trainees providing psychological services.

In order to prepare students for pre-doctoral internship, the IU Counseling Psychology program strongly encourages students to engage in a minimum of the equivalent of three academic years (six semesters) of clinical fieldwork during their doctoral course of study (not including the student’s fieldwork in a previous master’s degree program). Most clinical placements require a 16-20 hour commitment per week with a range of 25-40% of the trainee’s time spent in direct contact with clients, depending upon the placement site. The faculty recognizes that this level of time commitment in addition to coursework, assistantship, and research responsibilities can be extremely challenging. However, it is in your best interest to be aware of the trends with regard to the accumulation of intervention/assessment hours. Research regarding practicum training hours using data collected from applicants and from internship training directors indicates that the mean intervention/assessment hours for applicants applying to university counseling centers is 875 with a range between 590 and 1277. Total practicum site hours ranged from 1571 to 2905 with a mean of 2153. There is debate in the research about the quantity versus quality considerations on these figures and the length of time taken to accumulate the hours (Ko & Rodolfa, 2005; Rodolfa, Owen, & Clark, 2007). Rodolfa et al. suggest that practicum students complete somewhere between 1500 and 2000 total practicum site hours in order to prepare for state licensure requirements which may move to eliminate post-doctoral hour requirements, as recommended in the ASPPB model licensure act.

Several practicum opportunities for Counseling Psychology doctoral students are administered directly by the program and several are off-site placements to which students may choose to apply based on training interests and goals for internship preparation. Off site placements not administered by the program must sign a placement contract and be able to provide individual supervision in accordance with training requirements and Indiana state law. http://education.indiana.edu/Portals/201/Documents/phd/Counseling%20Psy.%20Site%20Contract.pdf

It is imperative that students keep accurate and detailed records of all of their practicum experiences during their graduate career. To facilitate this process the Counseling Psychology program, in collaboration with Education Technology Services (ETS), has developed and will implement an electronic hours log system that will be available beginning in the fall of 2010. A PDF copy of the online form is available in the appendix. This form was created using the AAPI form as a template. The number of practicum hours accrued each semester must be submitted electronically and verified by the clinical supervisor. These hours will be reviewed by the faculty as part of the readiness for internship endorsement procedure. The number of practicum hours expected by predoctoral internship sites varies from site to site, so students are encouraged to visit and explore the APPIC website early in their graduate work in order to get a sense of what different predoctoral internship settings are looking for in their intern applicants.

Center for Human Growth Practicum (all incoming students with Master’s degrees)

All students who enter the doctoral program with a counseling or psychology-related master’s degree that included clinical fieldwork begin practicum training in the first year of the IU Counseling Psychology doctoral program. Students who enter the program without a master’s degree must fulfill a number of prerequisites during their first year in the program prior to placement in the CHG for practicum. Please see the recommended course sequence on page xx for the specific requirements. The practicum experience consists of a 3 credit hour classroom portion and approximately 12 to16 hours per week of clinical experience. Practicum students complete a two-semester (30 weeks) training experience at the Center for Human Growth (CHG). Students can expect to carry a caseload of approximately 4 to 6 clients per week. Students must attend an extensive orientation session at the CHG prior to beginning this first practicum. Formative feedback is provided throughout the practicum experience with summative evaluation at the end of each semester. A copy of the practicum evaluation can be found in the appendices.

The CHG is our department’s training clinic, which features state-of-the-art digital video recording capabilities and electronic medical record-keeping. The Center for Human Growth was established in 1970 as a training clinic providing affordable counseling services to the local community. Each counselor receives extensive supervision from a faculty member who teaches the practicum course and an individual supervisor who meets for one hour per week of face-to-face supervision in addition to the group supervision provided in class. The practicum experience at the CHG is designed to help the trainee develop basic clinical competencies. These include conducting intake interviews according to the established CHG protocol, and providing treatment or making an appropriate referral to meet the clients’ needs if the those needs are beyond the scope of clinical competence available at the CHG.
Faculty Supervisors: Rex Stockton, Ed.D., Indiana Licensed Psychologist, LMHC, LCSW, LMFT; Michael Tracy, Ph.D., HSPP; Thomas L. Sexton, Ph.D., HSPP; Lynn Gilman, Ph.D.
http://education.indiana.edu/Doctoral/tabid/5542/Default.aspx

Program administered Advanced Practic

During subsequent semesters of field experience, students must enroll in a minimum of one credit of practicum each semester they engage in clinical work. Students should begin their inquiries into the 2nd year placement around mid-February of their first year and should contact the Director of Training for the list of approved sites. In many cases, information about placement will be distributed or discussed during the G600 (Professional Seminar) course in the spring semester. Sites must be approved by the training director and provide a signed contract. Students receive formative feedback and performance evaluation by the clinical supervisor at the end of each semester, which is also shared with the program faculty.

• Ivy Tech Counseling and Outreach Program (IT-COP) Counselor Positions – Advanced Practicum (1 to 2 advanced students per year)
  The Ivy Tech Outreach program primarily provides individual counseling services to Ivy Tech Community College students on the Bloomington campus (unclear – are the ivy tech students also taking classes at IU or are the services physically available on the IUB campus?). There is also the opportunity to provide outreach presentations, group counseling, and couples counseling (if appropriate coursework has been completed and a qualified supervisor is available). This program provides counseling experience with a college population consisting of both traditional and non-traditional students with a range of presenting issues. Counselors typically hold hours during two days a week at Ivy Tech and have caseloads of approximately 6-8 clients per week. These positions are open to students who have completed the first year practicum at the CHG.
  Faculty Supervisor: Lynn Gilman, Ph.D., Licensed Supervisor: Michael Tracy, Ph.D., HSPP
• Ivy Tech Counseling and Outreach Program (IT-COP) Coordinator Position– Advanced Practicum (1 advanced student per year) The coordinator position of this outreach program provides both counseling and valuable administrative experience. The coordinator typically spends the equivalent of two full days at Ivy Tech and can carry a caseload of approximately 6-8 clients per week. While the coordinator does not provide clinical supervision to the other counselors, the coordinator is the primary administrative contact for the program. The coordinator is also responsible for producing an end of semester and end of year report regarding the services provided to Ivy Tech. This position is open to advanced students who have completed their CHG practicum and preferably an additional field experience. Faculty Supervisor: Lynn Gilman, Ph.D., Licensed Supervisor: Michael Tracy, Ph.D., HSPP
• OASIS Program Coordinator and CHG Outreach Practicum – Advanced Practicum (1 advanced student per year)
  The Outreach and Assistance for International Students and Scholars (OASIS) is an outreach program affiliated with the CHG that provides services to international students and scholars to share their experiences and concerns, and learn new perspectives and skills as they adjust to a new cultural environment. This practicum position provides the opportunity to gain experience coordinating and participating in diversity outreach activities on campus, and to increase multicultural awareness and competence. The primary mode of intervention is support/psychoeducational groups conducted in collaboration with the International Center, which is open to all international students and scholars. A wide range of cultural and academic topics are covered, from making friends with Americans to adjusting to the American classroom. The coordinator is expected to facilitate the development and planning of the group program in collaboration with the OASIS team made up of master’s and doctoral level trainees, and coordinate the communication among CHG and other campus organizations and personnel. In addition to the OASIS program, the position is responsible for coordination of general CHG outreach activities including campus health fairs, national mental health screening days, Resident Assistant training, and working with community agencies to cultivate referral relationships. The coordinator has the opportunity to expand the outreach efforts to different counseling modalities and different multicultural student and community organizations.
  Faculty Supervisor: Lynn Gilman, Ph.D., Licensed Supervisor: Michael Tracy, Ph.D., HSPP
• The Indiana Family Project – Advanced Practicum (3-6 advanced students per year)
  The Indiana Family Project is a partnership between the Center for Adolescent and Family Studies and the Monroe Circuit Court Probation Department, providing empirically-supported family-focused services to at-risk youth in Monroe County. Recently, the Project was expanded to serve adult as well as juvenile offenders. Students receive training in an evidence-based treatment, learn about multi-systemic approaches to psychotherapy, and work with at-risk youth and families. The IFP practicum is a 12-month practicum during which therapists learn to implement a systematic clinical model, Functional Family Therapy (FFT), grounded in 30 years of outcome and process research. The practicum includes extensive training in Functional Family Therapy (Alexander & Sexton, 2002; Sexton & Alexander, 2002, 2006; Sexton in press). FFT has been implemented successfully with diverse populations, in multiple sites nationally and internationally.
  Faculty Supervisor: Thomas L. Sexton, Ph.D., HSPP, ABPP
• IU Athletics Department – Sport and Performance Psychology Advanced Practicum (1-2 students per year)
  The practicum in sport psychology provides supervised training to doctoral students in counseling psychology who want to gain experience in providing psychological services to intercollegiate student-athletes at Indiana University. Practicum students will get the opportunity to provide a variety of services, including but not limited to athletic performance enhancement interventions and individual counseling with student-athletes, outreach programming to teams and coaches, individualized support to specific teams, training with coaches, and other services that will be supervised by a licensed psychologist and IU sport psychology consultant.
  Faculty Supervisor: Jesse Steinfeldt, Ph.D. and Licensed Supervisor: Chris Carr, Ph.D., HSPP
• IU Groups Program – Healthy Links Advanced Practicum (1 student per year)
  The Healthy Links Initiative is acollaboration between the Groups Student Support Services Office and the Center for Human Growth. The doctoral student in this position gains experience providing psychological services to first generation college students at Indiana University. This advanced practicum encompasses psychoeducational activities and individual counseling as well as serving as a liaison between the Groups Office and the Center for Human Growth.

Off-Site Advanced Practicum Opportunities

Students may also choose to pursue practicum opportunities that are not directly administered by the IU Counseling Psychology program. Students must enroll in at least one credit of G624 to participate in these off-site field experiences. When available, web links to each site are provided for easy access to more information.

• IUB Counseling and Psychological Services (2-3 students per year)
  University Counseling Center
  Director of Practicum Training: Carolyn Lee, Ph.D., HSPP
  http://www.indiana.edu/~health/departments/caps.html
• IUB SMART/AAIP (number of students varies by year)
  SMART/AAIP is an alcohol and substance use assessment and intervention program that works in collaboration with the student ethics office and campus judicial system to provide services to students who have violated the IU Bloomington campus alcohol/substance policies. SMART, which stands for Successfully Managing Alcohol Responsibly & Together, is a project designed for students to examine their use of alcohol in a safe, confidential, and educational way. Counselors conduct a structured interview regarding substance use and provide psychoeducational material to students who are referred to the program by the campus judicial system.
  Licensed Supervisor: Walt Keller, Ph.D., HSPP
• IUPUI Counseling and Psychological Services (number of students varies by year)
  University Counseling Center
  Director of Training: Julia Lash, Ph.D., HSPP
  http://life.iupui.edu/caps/
• Butler University Counseling and Consultation Services (number of students varies by year)
  Practicum Coordinator: Claire Dean, Psy.D., HSPP
  http://www.butler.edu/counseling-services/
• DePauw University Counseling Services (Number of students varies by year)
  Clinical Supervisor: Ethan Bliss, Ph.D., LMHC
  http://www.depauw.edu/student/counseling/
• Bloomington Hospital Stress Care (Number of students varies by year)
  Short-term inpatient services
  Clinical Supervisor, Julie Chapin, Ph.D., HSPP
  http://www.bloomingtonhospital.org/oth/Page.asp?PageID=OTH000420
• Centerstone (Number of students varies by year)
  Community mental health center
  Clinical Supervisor: Matt Oliver, Ph.D., HSPP
  http://centerstone.org/
• Damar Services (Number of students varies by year)
  Developmental disabilities and residential treatment
  Clinical Supervisor: Jim Dalton, Psy.D., HSPP
  http://www.damar.org/about.cfm
• Roudebush VA Hospital (Number of students varies by year)
  Inpatient and Outpatient services
  Clinical Supervisor: Steve Herman, Ph.D., HSPP
  http://www.indianapolis.va.gov/services/mentalhealth.asp