Society of Counseling P s yc h o l o gy Section on College and University Counseling Centers

I n si d e t hi s i s s ue : From the SCUCC Chair-Elect

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From the SCUCC Newsletter

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Editor Confessions of an Intern Applicant

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Leadership

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Roster Upcoming

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Photos—APA Membership Information

Fall 2013

From the SCUCC Chair sion regarding ways to reenergize our section. SCUCC provides university and counseling center staff a unique forum in which to dialogue about issues relevant to our profession. While AUCCD and ACCTA provide wonderful support for directors and Lauren Woolley, Ph.D. training directors, those of us Staff Psychologist who do not fall into either of University of San Diego these roles can benefit from a Greetings SCUCC members! I professional home. During my time at the convention this hope the light at the end of year, I realized that the numthe tunnel is shining brighter bers of practitioners in APA is with the holidays approaching. Our section business meet- small and falling. I think our ing at the APA 2013 Conven- colleagues doing research can tion produced a fruitful discus- benefit from our perspective

and vice versa. Hence, I would like to grow our voice in APA and need your help. Please consider joining or renewing your membership. We now have a wonderful online membership form thanks to our wonderful student volunteer, Jon Weber, http:// www.div17.org/SCUCC/ Membership.html I also encourage you to invite colleagues to join. Our membership fee is nominal - $10.00. My hope is to increase membership this year, so we can have funds to provide small travel stipends (Continued Page 2)

From the SCUCC Newsletter Editor Hello fellow SCUCC members!

Feature SCUCC Meeting

Volume 8, Issue 1

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Conferences Ask Us Anything

SCUCC Fall 2013 Newsletter

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Here’s hoping that as the fall academic semester draws to an end, you are all providing self-care and looking forward to a restful winter break. This edition of the newsletter is so packed with important and interesting information, there was not even room for a feature article!

Kristin Harris-McDonald, Ph.D. We have an informative letter Staff Psychologist from our Chair, and then you Texas Christian University will find an article written by Jonathan Dator, our previous student liaison. Jonathan

hopes to assist other graduate students in their journeys toward internship. Also, please enjoy our new feature “Ask Us Anything” in which graduate students pose questions that counseling center staff answer! Also, please enjoy the photos from our business meeting and discussion hour at APA. Finally, I hope that everyone remembers to pay her/his dues and join or renew membership in our great section! Warm wishes for a smooth end to the semester for us all.

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Continued from the SCUCC Chair Elect : with our student and early career professional awards. As of August 2013 we had 150 members on the listserv and only 38 dues paying members. I know our low number of dues-paying members was likely due to the extra step of having to mail in dues. Division 17 is currently working on an online payment option for the section, and we eagerly await this development! I think SCUCC has wonderful potential to be a meeting place for all the various players in the college counseling center world. Our listserv is unique in that it contains students, interns, staff members, training directors and directors. My hope is that members will start utilizing this resource more frequently. If you have a question regarding our work or stumble upon interesting re-

search or resources, I encourage you to post it to the listserv. Additionally, if you are posting to AUCCD or ACCTA, I encourage you to cross post to our listserv too. Some exciting new developments in SCUCC include our Communications Chair and Leadership Academy participant, James Lyda, creating a Threat Assessment webinar for members. Please be on the lookout for details. We also added a fun column to the newsletter, “Ask Us Anything,” in an effort to increase student involvement. We had a group of trainees from Saddleback Community College ask us some great questions. Many thanks to those members who answered this round of questions! Our past-chair, Jan Collins-Eaglin, will be

hosting a SCUCC discussion hour on March 13th at the Counseling Psychology Conference, so please join her if you plan to attend. We will send more details out via the listserv as we move closer to the conference. Several of us are collaborating to create a symposium at APA to address several hot topics in college and university counseling centers, so please be on the watch for us at APA. The officers of SCUCC are always eager to hear your ideas for making the section relevant and useful to its members, so please feel free to contact any of us http:// www.div17.org/SCUCC/ Officers.html. We look forward to hearing from you!

Of Note... Dan Jones, Ph.D., President AUCCCD, Director Appalachian State University Counseling Center and Jan Collins-Eaglin, Ph.D., Associate Dean of Students for Student Support and Learning at Pomona College, are participating on a committee chaired by Louise Douce, Ph.D., Member-at-Large, APA Board of Directors, to support initiatives developing from the White House Conference on Mental Health. SCUCC eagerly awaits updates on Jan and Dan’s exciting and important participation in this endeavor!

Volume 8, Issue 1

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The following SCUCC members were awarded SCUCC Annual Awards at the Div. 17/SCUCC Business & Discussion meeting at APA in Honolulu: Counseling Center Outstanding Contribution to Counseling Center Work Award – Frances Harris, Ph.D., The University of Utah Counseling Center Counseling Center Outstanding Early Career Psychologist Award – Rashanta Bledman, Ph.D., University of Maryland Counseling Center Counseling Center Outstanding Graduate Student/Intern Award – Valene Whittaker, Ph.D., UC Berkeley Counseling & Psychological Services

Special thanks to the selection committee, including Dr. Adriana Molina, Dr. Jill Lee-Barber, and Petra McGuire, M.A.

Have Something to Say? We’d love to hear your voice in our next newsletter. All submissions with information relevant to the needs of University and College Counseling Centers are encouraged. The deadline for submissions for the Spring 2014 Newsletter is April 15, 2014. Articles should be ap-

proximately 500-700 words in length. For more information contact: Kristin Harris-McDonald, Ph.D. SCUCC Newsletter Editor [email protected]

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Confessions of a Psychology Intern Applicant Jonathan W. Dator, M.Ed. 2012-2013 Student Liaison Division 17 SCUCC

“Embrace

your moment. Embrace all of the feelings that surround this process and know that it is perfectly alright to sit with the frustrations, too.”

“This is your captain speaking. Due to inclement weather and temperatures below zero, our takeoff is going to be delayed a bit while the ground crew de-ices our aircraft.” Cohorts above yours, former applicants, as well as your program faculty may advise you that there will be a moment during the internship application process when you just lose it. You may not believe them, neither did I. But, it will happen. Maybe it will be as you struggle to write an essay that fully captures a piece of who you are personally or professionally in 500 words or less. Maybe it will be as you obsessively check email for interview notifications. Maybe it will be at some point during the weeks of waiting leading up to Match Day. Or maybe it will be a moment of complete exhaustion as you are sitting on a plane, unable to remember what cold weather city you are in and what part of the country you are heading to next, as pure panic sets in when the woman sitting next to you provides a detailed

history of planes that have gone down because they were not de-iced properly. Either way, if you fail to get anything out of this article at least take this piece of advice with you: Embrace your moment. Embrace all of the feelings that surround this process and know that it is perfectly alright to sit with the frustrations, too. Here are some things I did and others that I wish I had done differently, that may assist you through the process a bit: 1.“I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.”: This line comes from the very funny Stuart Smalley skit on Saturday Night Live titled “Daily Affirmations” as he stands in front of a mirror and utters that famous line repeatedly (http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=-DIETlxquzY) . While it might be classic comedy, it applies to the internship application process in that it is important to know who you are and to own that. If your ultimate goal is to work at a college or universi-

ty counseling center (or any other setting, for that matter), shout it from the rooftop in your cover letters, your essays, and/or your interviews! Remember, you are not doing this because you want them to think this is the setting of your dreams, you are doing this because it actually is the setting of your dreams and that is what being who you are and owning it is all about. As well, this process can be incredibly intimidating because those other 4,400+ folks are in doctoral programs and are just as “good enough,” “smart enough,” and qualified as you are. But doggone it, people like you too. So, tell these sites why you are likeable. Be yourself and share what you bring to the table professionally while also sharing what makes you a unique individual and a person others would want to spend time being around during a stressful 40+ hour work week. Remember that this is a “match” so you are going to want to be somewhere that liked who (Continued Page 6)

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SCUCC Leadership Roster Lauren Woolley—Chair

Barbara Meehan—Chair Elect

Jan Collins-Eaglin—Past Chair

Jon Brunner—Treasurer

James Lyda—Communications Chair

Christine Zhou—Research Committee

Kristin Harris-McDonald—Newsletter Editor

Larry Marks—Webmaster

Vacant—Student Liaison

Upcoming Conferences American College Personnel Convention March 30-April 2, 2014 – Indianapolis, IN www.myacpa.org American Group Psychotherapy Association March 3-8, 2014– Boston, MA www.agpa.org

American Counseling Association March 26-30, 2014 – Honolulu, HI www.counseling.org/convention American Psychological Association Convention August 7—10, 2014—Washington, D.C. www.apa.org/convention

Asian American Psychological Association TBA www.aapaonline.org

Association of Black Psychologists Annual International Convention July 13—21, 2014– Indianapolis, IN www.abpsi.org

Division 17 Counseling Psychologist Conference March 13-16, 2014—Atlanta, GA

Association for Women in Psychology Conference March 6-9, 2014—Columbus, OH www.awpsych.org

http://www.div17.org

Association for University & College Counseling Center Directors TBA www.aucccd.org

NASPA March 15-19, 2014 – Baltimore, MD http://www.naspa.org/conf

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Confessions of an Intern Applicant continued…

“internship applicatio ns and essay writing can often be a lonely time… Your fellow cohort members are in the same boat as you, use them for support!”

you were when you were yourself. You are also interviewing them, so finding a place where it is safe and comfortable to be yourself is equally as important as what they think of you. 2. Save the ranking for February: After I did my research and solidified my final list of the 20 sites I planned to apply to, it was suggested to me by classmates that I put this list of sites into an excel spreadsheet and then rank them. This might work for some of you, but it was the biggest waste of my time during the process. Putting a list of sites into an excel spreadsheet was well worth it, but looking back on it ranking them made absolutely no sense. I can confidently share that those rankings looked completely different than the ranking I submitted on the date Rank Order Lists were due in February. Why the drastic difference? Because the odds are that you are not going to get an interview at every site you apply to and besides, a site you may be in love with on paper might turn you off when you interview with them and a site you had not given much consideration to might blow you away during the interview. That could create a domino effect that changes just about everything. Once this happened to me after my first or second interview I decided there would be no more ranking or “favorites” until my final interview. After that happened, I sat down and ranked the sites with a clearer lens.3. Do not go it

alone: After spending four years in classes, practicum, and at assistantships in which you are constantly around your colleagues, internship applications and essay writing can often be a lonely time as you sit in front of the computer and keep to yourself for days on end. Do not allow it to turn into that. Your Training Director has seen students go off on internship every year. Use him/her as a resource! Your fellow cohort members are in the same boat as you, use them for support! In my program at Seton Hall University, we meet once a week from September to November when applications are due and we discuss where we are applying, we review our essays together and with our Training Director Dr. Laura Palmer, and we share our CV’s and cover letters for any feedback our fellow students and Training Director can provide. Then, in the winter we meet and hold mock interviews with our fellow students and our Training Director. This time together was beyond valuable for me and it made all the difference. If your program does not have such a structure in place, I recommend meeting with your peers informally or at the very least having close friends or former supervisors check out your essays for editing purposes. 4. Do not try to figure this process out: Once notifications about interviews start rolling in, your next goal in life is going to be to analyze why certain sites offered you an interview and oth-

ers did not. I tried my best to avoid doing this, but was still guilty of it at certain times. Then, you will meet other applicants on interviews and realize that you received interviews at sites where they were rejected and that you were rejected at sites where they received interviews. Therefore, the interview invitation portion of this process defies clear logic and you can choose to overanalyze it or choose to prepare for the interviews you actually did receive. Which would you choose? 5. This does not have to be a competition: Here is one major guarantee about applying for internship: When it comes to compiling your hours from Time 2 Track or other software you may have used, or to reviewing and editing each others’ essays, or simply when it comes to venting, you are going to feel a huge sense of encouragement and support from your cohort or fellow students in your program who are applying for internship. Then, a funny thing happens on the way to peace, love, and happiness with your friends: the interview invitations. Suddenly, you will be asking your colleagues how many interviews they received, or they may be asking you, or because you applied to some of the same sites you might be wondering but feeling too awkward to ask. Then, when you actually go on your interviews you are going to be in group interviews with students from other programs or you might be sitting next to

Volume 8, Issue 1

them in the counseling center’s waiting room as you go from one interview to the next. Keeping in mind that most sites only have 3-5 slots, you are technically competing with your peers. But, you really are not. Similar to tip one about being who you are and owning it, this should not be a competition because this is about you and not the other applicants. This should be about who you are and what you want out of your capstone training experience. If you turn it into what is going on with everyone else you will lose sight of what this is all about and find yourself too distracted than you need to be. 6. Make connections!: I must say I felt extremely positive about all of the 16 sites where I interviewed last year. This is definitely going to happen to you, too. Remember you got strong letters of recommendation because of your ability to form quality connections and relationships with others, so it is bound to happen on your interviews as well. My feeling when this was all said and done was that I made some deep and powerful connections with staff members and Training Directors at various sites during this process and I hope our paths cross again in the future whether that be collaborating/working together, or simply sharing good conversation over some coffee at a future conference. As I write this, I have already start-

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ed my internship and feel absolutely thrilled to have matched where I did! So, trust that the match will place you where you are meant to be, as cliché as it sounds. You are going to interview at many sites and only end up at one, but make every interview meaningful! I am also so happy that I met some stellar fellow applicants on my interviews, people I would have never met otherwise and many of us have remained in touch despite matching at all different sites across the country. Those connections are just as important. At least they are to me. 7. Have fun!: This article began with a story exemplifying that it is crucial and necessary to embrace all feelings, including frustrations. But, it is also important to have fun! This process is “like no other” and that usually holds negative connotations, but it is also an extremely positive thing. You are going to get to travel to parts of the country you never thought you would see or visit. Spend the night there, explore a new city, or try out a local restaurant. If you can, bring a partner, friend, or family member along for the ride and create memories with them. That is what I did and it made the intense traveling much more bearable and so much fun. Maybe you will be in layers of clothing and walking in the snow one day and flying down to the tropics the next morning. At what other time

in your life will you get to experience something like this? Enjoy it to the fullest and partake in the special regional differences that exist throughout the country! I noticed that I had some amazing phone interviews, but all of those sites were lower on my Rank Order List because I did not get as good a feel for what it would be like to be there on a daily basis for the next year of my life. So, if an option is given for an open house or an in-person interview and you have the means to do it, then I strongly recommend traveling. Finally, I would like to share that my one year term as Student Liaison to the Section on College and University Counseling Centers (SCUCC) of Division 17 has come to an end. It has been a privilege to be the first person to serve in this position and to give the students a voice within the section and Division 17. That being said, I still plan to be very involved with the SCUCC and will fully support the incoming Student Liaison. I am also still here if any current students would like someone to reach out to. If you are going through the internship application process and have concerns, questions, or just would like someone who has gone through it to talk to, do not even hesitate. Please reach out to me!

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Are you a student interested in networking with fellow students and professionals employed in counseling centers?

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Do you want to possibly work in a counseling center when you complete your degree?

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Are you interested in finding out more about counseling center work through involvement in SCUCC?

If so…..we would love for you to consider becoming our 2013-2014 SCUCC Student Liaison!! To express your interest, or for more information, please contact SCUCC Chair Lauren Woolley. [email protected]

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Ask Us Anything...

This is a new section of the SCUCC Newsletter, in which counseling center professionals answer questions posed by graduate students who are interested in counseling center work. Our fall contributors are listed below . We offer them a warm thank you!

Read our new feature on counseling center work: Advantage s and disadvanta ges, typical weekly schedule, and critical knowledge.

What are the major advantages and disadvantages of working in a university counseling center? Dr. Epstein Advantages: 1. Diversity of job functions: individual therapy, couples therapy, group therapy, outreach, consultation 2. 2. Interdisciplinary milieu: work with staff in other areas of the college, typically student health, housing, disability, conduct 3. Place the concept of "learning" in therapy into a learning environment, higher education 4. Play a key role in retention and graduation rates 5. Typically work with a diverse group of staff members and clients (albeit often clients who are traditionally college-aged) 6. Work in a setting that stays cutting-edge with rotation of new graduate interns each year 7. In some centers, there are supervision opportunities 8. Many centers have incorporated good outcome measurement (such as the CCAPS instrument) into the therapy process 9. Program evaluation, research opportunities, and in some cases, teaching opportunities 10. You and your services will be in demand Disadvantages: - I cannot think of any!

Dr. Barnette Advantages: exposure to several areas as a psychologist: therapy-indiv & group with young adolescents/adults), crisis management, Intakes, consultation, training, mentoring, supervision, career appraisals, testing, professional development, teaching, engagement in higher education, use of various theories and approaches, peer supervision, research, grant writing, short term therapy, and administrative duties (hiring, report writing, management of staff, budgeting, and collaboration of services on- and off-campus) Disadvantages: pay, office space, resources, low budgets, turnover, university high demands with limited supplies, morale of staff (at times, can be a thankless job) and trauma/death of students

Dr. Harris Advantages: 1) opportunity to train/supervise new professionals-in-training; 2) opportunities to assist student-clients with major life transitions including career development; 3) variety of tasks; 4) diverse clients often with multiple resources (e.g., sexual diversity clients; international clients; ethnic minority US clients; physically challenged clients; Veteran clients; etc.) Disadvantages: 1) low pay compared to private practice or hospital practice; 2) agency at the mercy of budget cuts and/or administrators who do not understand or value mental health/counseling

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What is the breakdown of your typical day in terms of therapy, supervision, administration? Dr. Barnette

Dr. Harris-McDonald

50% administration

60% direct service (individual, couples, group, intake assessments)

20% supervision

20% administrative (case documentation/management, other duties)

30% therapy

10% supervision and supervision preparation 10% staff and committee meetings/training seminars

Dr. Harris At present, I spend about 50% of each day providing counseling services---group, individual, couples, and intake assessments; 10% providing clinical supervision; 20% in meetings or providing training seminar; 20% with case documentation and case management

What do you feel are areas of critical knowledge for someone entering the UCC field (e.g., substance abuse, crisis intervention)? Dr. Barnette Crisis Intervention, sexual assault, substance abuse, and some grant writing skills

Dr. Harris Multicultural competence; effects of childhood sexual abuse; trauma treatment; suicide prevention/intervention

Dr. Harris-McDonald Crisis intervention, multicultural competence, sexual assault, suicide prevention and intervention, solid clinical writing skills, strong interpersonal and collaboration skills, short-term models of psychotherapy

Contributor Information Bert H. Epstein, Psy.D.,

Vivian Barnette, Ph.D., HSP-P

Licensed Psychologist

Executive Director

Assistant Director, Student Health Services,

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

Mental Health Programs

Counseling Services

Santa Rosa Junior College

Greensboro, NC

Santa Rosa, CA Frances N. Harris, Ph.D.,

Kristin Harris-McDonald, Ph.D.,

Staff Psychologist

Licensed/Staff Psychologist

University Counseling Center

Practicum Coordinator

201 South 1460 East RM 426

Texas Christian University Counseling and Mental Health

Salt Lake City, UT

Fort Worth, TX

Thank you to Dr. Tiffany O’Shaughnessy, who has been with SCUCC for many years and has endeavored to keep the section afloat throughout many transitions by remaining as Communications Chair and Newsletter Editor. A big, warm thank you to Tiffany for your service!

Membership Application Section on College and University Counseling Centers A Section of the Society of Counseling Psychology—Division 17American Psychological Association

Name: ____________________________________________________________________________________ Name of College/University: ___________________________________________________________________ Highest Degree Awarded: _____________________________________________________________________ Work Setting: _________________________________ Position: _____________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________ Gender: ( ) Male ( ) Female ( ) Transgendered APA Membership #:: _________________________________ Indicate Type of Membership: ( ) Section Member - Associate Member, Member, or Fellow of Division 17 ( ) Professional Affiliate - Affiliates of the Division, or Fellows or Members of APA who are not members of the Division but who have an interest in the purposes of the Section ( ) Student Affiliate - Any student belonging to APAGS or Division 17 SAG (Membership Fee Waived) Phone Number: ________________________________ Fax Number: _________________________________ ( ) New Membership

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Signature: ____________________________________ Date: _______________________________________ Please list any ideas you have for future SCUCC Projects

Please Send the $10 Membership Dues and Completed Application To: Jon Brunner Counseling and Psychological Services

Alternatively, fill out our new on-line membership form! Use the below link:

Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers, Florida 33965-6565 Checks Payable To: Division 17 SCUCC EIN for Division 17 is 52-1564001

http://www.div17.org/SCUCC/Membership.html