Clinical Services
Individual/Relationship Counseling
UT Dallas Student Counseling Center (SCC) interns see an average of 15 individuals per week. The majority of clients will be seen for brief therapy. Interns have the option of maintaining some long-term clients over the course of the year. Interns will have access to a diverse client load with a broad spectrum of presenting issues.
Group Counseling
The SCC has a robust group therapy program. Interns are required to co-facilitate two groups with senior staff members. As the year progresses, they are encouraged to develop and lead groups in their own areas of interest. Groups can be process-oriented, topical and skills based. Examples of previous groups offered include Attention and Motivation Group; Personal Growth Group, Healthy Relationships; DBT-U; HUE: Black and Latinx Student Personal Growth; International Student Support Group; OuterSpace (LGBTQIA+ Support); Getting Unstuck (Depression Skills); Anxiety Toolbox; WISE (Women of Color Support Group); Trauma Recovery Skills; Graduate Student Support; Neurodiversity Connection Group; and Self-Compassion.
Initial Consultation
Interns conduct approximately four intake assessments each week. The initial consultation process is designed to determine the client’s appropriateness for our setting, urgency of client’s need, appropriate treatment modality and to assign the client to an appropriate trainee or staff member.
Crisis Intervention
Interns provide crisis intervention and consultation to students, faculty, staff and families of students. Crisis intervention is provided during regular business hours to students in immediate distress. Interns will cover a weekly two-hour walk-in crisis block. Supervisory support is an integral part of all crisis coverage.
Outreach Programming
Interns will have many opportunities to participate in the center’s psychoeducational programming. Interns will engage in at least six outreach activities, such as creating an awareness table or presenting to a class. Faculty, staff and student organizations frequently request presentations. Recent topics have included How to Help a Student in Distress, Healthy Relationships and Connection, Stress Management and Mental Health and SCC Services 101. Additionally, interns will represent the center at university functions (e.g., new student orientation). Interns will also complete an individual or group outreach project (e.g., creating an online workshop, developing programming for an awareness week, co-facilitating an Instagram Live session). The SCC has an active social media presence and interns are invited to create content for the SCC Instagram page as a form of outreach programming.
Liaisonship
Interns will shadow a senior staff member as a liaison to a campus partner. A significant part of the liaisonship experience is creating a consultative and collaborative relationship with a campus department by partnering with a senior staff member in their interactions with that department. Examples of this include attending department meetings, providing programming and providing one-on-one consultation about student services or organizational needs. Potential liaisonship opportunities vary depending on availability and may include the Student Health Center, International Student Services, Residence Hall, The Student Wellness Center, Military and Veteran Center, Athletics, and other campus partners.
Practicum Supervision
The Student Counseling Center provides practicum experiences for master and doctoral students in counseling and clinical psychology from a variety of local universities. In both the fall and spring, there is an opportunity to co-facilitate the practicum group supervision with the practicum training coordinator. In the spring semester, interns will also be the primary individual supervisor for a practicum therapist. Responsibilities will include monitoring clinical work, evaluation and administrative responsibility.
Training Activities
Orientation
Interns will begin their internship with a three-week orientation. The orientation provides an opportunity for interns to learn about the specifics of UT Dallas and the Student Counseling Center. Interns will have the opportunity to interact with all of the staff and learn about the theoretical orientations and supervisory styles of potential supervisors. Interns will also participate in didactic and experiential seminars on key topics such as teletherapy, clinical services, self-care, etc. All staff participates in orientation. Interns will also have an opportunity to connect with their fellow intern cohort and practicum trainees. The orientation culminates in an intern/training director retreat.
Supervision
Individual Supervision
The individual supervisory relationship is one of the cornerstones of professional growth during the internship year. Interns receive two hours of individual supervision each week by a licensed psychologist. Additional supervision or consultation is available and encouraged as needed. Interns may choose to work with two different primary supervisors across the year, or they may have the opportunity work with the same supervisor for the duration of internship. Interns will have the opportunity to work closely with other senior staff members and experience multiple supervisory styles throughout the year. Assignment of supervisors is based on intern’s preference, goals, theoretical orientation and fit.
Group Supervision
UT Dallas staff and interns meet weekly for one hour to discuss cases and clinical issues. Interns and staff will also present formal and informal case presentations on a rotating basis. Interns will be expected to present a formal case presentation in the fall and spring semesters. Group supervision allows in-depth exploration of cases and the opportunity to receive feedback from multiple therapeutic perspectives and theoretical orientations.
Supervision of Group Therapy
Interns will have a half hour of supervision with their group co-facilitator. Supervision will include exploration of group process, group dynamics and co-facilitator dynamics.
Supervision of Supervision
In the spring, each intern will provide individual supervision to a master’s or doctoral level practicum student. This will involve weekly review of videotaped supervision sessions and discussion and/or tape review of the practicum students’ individual sessions in a group format. The focus will be on conceptualization and assessment of the supervisees’ needs and developmental process; providing constructive feedback; self-awareness of developmental process as a supervisor; transference and counter transference; knowledge of ethical issues; and awareness of identity-related considerations in supervision, etc.
Seminars
Supervision Seminar
Interns will attend a one-hour supervision seminar in the fall. This biweekly seminar will be a didactic training seminar focusing on preparation for the role of supervisor. Topics will include models of supervision, supervisory skill development, ethical issues in supervision, consideration of identity and power in supervision, etc.
Clinical Issues Seminar
The Clinical Issues Seminar is an educational seminar focused on topics of therapeutic relevance and professional issues. Seminars are generally two hours and are presented by SCC staff. The seminar is attended by interns and senior staff, providing a rich dialogue and multiple perspectives for each topic. The seminar rotates through different components each month:
- Clinical Applications: The clinical applications component is designed to address clinical and theoretical issues in therapy. Staff will provide presentations in their area of expertise and incorporate professional readings. Trainings have included topics such as Crisis Intervention Skills, Biofeedback, Somatic Experiencing, Mindfulness Techniques, Using Expressive Arts in Therapy, Navigating Advocate Burnout, Grief and Loss, Integrative and Non-Pharmacological Advances in Psychiatry, and Internal Family Systems. The intern’s input is elicited when choosing topics.
- Intern Professional Development Seminar: This component is specifically focused on intern development issues, including licensure, EPPP, postdoc/job search, interviewing skills, etc.
- Intersectional Access Forum: Although attention to issues identity and intersectionality are components of all training, the Intersectional Access Forum focuses more in-depth in best practices and clinical considerations in considering identity and intersectionality in clinical work, such as Affirming Autism in Clinical Work, Disability Identity and Accessibility, Working with South Asian Students, Clinical Considerations in Gender-Affirming Care Services, etc.
Special Emphasis Rotation
Interns can focus more in-depth in a particular area. Additional training may include readings, discussion, experiential components and/or clinical service delivery. Rotations are semester-long and interns complete three rotations during the internship year. Each semester, interns will have four to five rotation options to choose from. Options are based on staff expertise and availability. Examples of potential rotations include:
- Supervision (Practicum Case Consultation Co-Facilitator)
- Training (Practicum Training Seminar Co-Facilitator; Training Administration Rotation)
- Assessment (Gender Affirming Care Assessment for Clients Seeking Gender Affirmation Services; Eating Disorder Concerns; Neurodiversity Assessment)
- SCC Social Media Rotation
- Center for Students in Recovery- Program Management and Development
- Relationship Counseling
- Counseling Center Administration (e.g., with Clinical, Community Engagement or Training Director)
- Polyamory/Consensual Non-Monogamy and Sex Positivity in Therapy
- Sexual Assault and Interpersonal Violence
- Working with East and Southeast Asian Students
- Psychopharmacology
- Theoretical Emphasis (e.g., ACT, RCT)
- Mindfulness Interventions
Intern Consultation Meeting
Each week, interns will attend an intern consultation meeting. Interns will meet with the SCC intersectional access training coordinator 3x/month and have opportunity to consult about their clinical work and explore professional development through an intersectionality lens. Once per month, interns will meet with the outreach coordinator during the intern consultation meeting to discuss outreach engagement and plan for the intern outreach project.
Intern Selection Committee
Interns may have the opportunity to participate as a member of the intern selection committee. Involvement will include reviewing applications, selecting candidates for interviews, conducting interviews, and participating in ranking decisions. All interns will participate in various capacities during intern selection interviews.
Additional Weekly Activities
Intern Support Time
Although interns will connect with one another in a variety of trainings and supervision, one hour per week is protected intern support time. This time is reserved for the intern cohort to connect and process any issues as needed. The training director will routinely check in with the interns during this time to address any questions and concerns interns may have.
Staff Meeting
Interns will attend the weekly staff meeting and provide input into decision-making regarding the operation of the center.
Dissertation
If interns have not completed their dissertation, they will have two hours weekly throughout the year to devote to work on their dissertation. With approval from the training director, this time can be used for other professional development projects (e.g., submitting a publication). Based on the ebb and flow of the university calendar, there may be additional times during the year in which interns could devote more time to their dissertation.
Administrative
Interns will have approximately seven allotted hours to engage in case management, including writing case notes, returning phone calls, consulting with staff or the SCC psychiatrist and reviewing tape.
Schedules
In general, interns’ schedules are from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.