Training Opportunities

• Letter from the Training Coordinator
• General Information
• Practicum Experience
• Record Keeping Guidelines
• Application Process
  • Application Form
• Guidelines for Termination

A Letter from the Training Coordinator

Dear Prospective Trainee:

Thank you for your interest in completing a training experience at Rowan University Counseling & Psychological Services Center. Briefly summarizing, the Center’s mission is to promote, within a climate of confidentiality, the psychological well being, personal growth, retention, and graduation of a diverse student body. We accomplish this mission through the provision of a comprehensive variety of individual, group and couples counseling, outreach, workshops, consultation and crisis intervention services.

In addition to completing our training application, please provide a recommendation letter from either a clinical supervisor or a professor familiar with your clinical readiness. I look forward to scheduling an interview to discuss our program and your training needs. Feel free to call me at (856) 256-4222 should you have any additional questions or email me at Mallory@rowan.edu.

Sincerely,

Julie Mallory Church, MA
Assistant Director and Coordinator of Training Experiences

General Information
The Rowan University Counseling and Psychological Services Center, in keeping with its mission, offers supervised practicum experiences for students in related disciplines such as Psychology, Counseling, Social Work and Counseling in Educational Settings. Experiences are tailored to meet the needs of students from masters through the doctoral levels of studies. In conjunction with an approved program of human services study, which includes having completed minimal academic requirements and some previous experiences, the Center will assign students to appropriate individual and group supervisors.

Three doctoral level psychologists, two master’s level counselors, one secretary and students workers staff the Center. We also have a staff psychiatrist available two days per week. Each of these individuals contributes to the general operation of our Center, including answering phones and scheduling appointments when necessary. Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. during the fall and spring semesters. We provide evening appointments on an as needed basis.

The Center provides counseling, consultation, crisis intervention, and outreach services to the Rowan University community. The Center staff conducts intake assessments as well as psychodiagnostic assessments and learning disability screenings for Rowan University students. We offer individual, couple and group counseling services to students. Groups that we have typically run include an Eating Disorder/Body Image Support Group and a Substance Sensitivity and Awareness Program. We further provide consultation services to students, families, faculty, staff and administrators. All counselors are scheduled on a rotating basis to provide emergency coverage during our hours of operation as well as nights and weekends. We conduct many outreach programs each year including Depression and Eating Disorder Screening, Drug and Alcohol Awareness Training, Sexual Assault Prevention and Treatment Training, Stress and Time Management Training, and programs outlining our services. The Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) is coordinated through the Center, and each of our staff is a member of the team. This group responds to crises on campus or in the community by meeting with various groups on campus in order to provide time to process responses to a crisis.

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Practicum Experience
While the details of the practicum experience are to be worked out in accordance with professional preference and individual program requirements, all clinical trainees are expected to receive some exposure to individual counseling. All trainees will be expected to meet for a minimum of one hour of weekly supervision with their assigned supervisor unless otherwise specified in their Practicum Agreement.

Supervision is an opportunity for students to review pertinent information regarding cases as well as to discuss clinical, ethical and administrative issues related to client care. Therefore, trainees must arrive prepared for supervisory conferences with written records and audio or videotaped casework for review. Methods of evaluation may include, but are not limited to, case tapings, direct observation, contracts, supervisory conferences and consultation with any additional staff, who observe or participate in the intern’s supervision.

While some variations in student expectations across programs and institutions are to be expected, all student trainees will receive equal respect by the office staff regardless of the discipline represented. At the same time, all trainees will be uniformly required to uphold the following minimal standards for counseling professionalism:

1. All interns will attend all weekly scheduled case conferences during a practicum experience. All pre-masters, pre and post-doctoral level interns are expected to present minimally one case per semester.
   
2. Trainees may assist with or lead workshops and/or presentations as appropriate to their program levels and goals. Depending upon experience and program requirements, interns may either lead or co-facilitate groups.
3. A trainee may, in consultation with the supervisor, design and execute training for peer staff programs such as Resident Assistants or the HELP Hotline.
4. Trainees are expected to answer telephones, schedule appointments, make appropriate referrals and greet the public as needed. During the hours of practicum experience, personal calls are to be strictly emergency in nature.
   
5. While Rowan provides liability coverage for all trainees in approved programs of study, a trainee may be required to maintain additional insurance coverage as required by state law or their particular program of study.
6. Whenever feasible, trainees may be called upon to assist in after-hours, emergency interventions for which they have been the primary counselor involved.
7. Trainees are expected to collaborate with their assigned supervisor in their evaluation. This would include, but is not limited to, a mutually agreed upon criterion for assessment of their professional duties.
8. Trainees will be assigned appropriate responsibilities for individual student counselees and groups (i.e. – intakes, screening of potential group members, co-facilitation with a supervisor, etc.). Caseload responsibility commensurate with their prior experience and consistent with their individual program goals and requirements will be determined with the immediate supervisor.
9. All trainees will receive minimally one hour per week of individual and, when applicable, one hour per week of peer group supervision.
10. Interns may design and implement training for student peer staff with the assistance and approval of an immediate supervisor.

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Record Keeping Guidelines

• Trainees must adhere to all office policies regarding confidentiality of sessions and records outlined in the Center’s Consent for Treatment Agreement.
• All taping is considering a confidential record and is to be treated in keeping with professional ethical standards and office policies regarding privileged communication. Sharing of audio/videotaped client sessions contacts outside the Center is prohibited.
• The Center adheres to the highest standards in protecting client confidentiality; therefore, audio and videotaped sessions remain the property of the Center. As such, tapes that must be reviewed by the practicum supervisor can only be viewed at the Center.
• All trainees are required to maintain accurate and complete records of client contacts including intake forms, personal counseling contacts, telephone contacts, correspondence, statistics, and consultations.
• No written client files are to be removed from the Center for any reason. Any requests for release of information must be cleared through the supervisor and written records co-signed by the supervisor before release to an outside agency.
• Although trainees will be given responsibilities commensurate with their level of experience and preparation, ultimate responsibility for client care resides with the Center staff.
• All trainees are required to use the forms provided by the Center for intake, progress notes, release of information and data collection. Personal notes and daily logs may vary, but should be approved by the immediate supervisor. These notes may be used for class purposes as long as client names and other identifying information is deleted.
  

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Application Process

• Complete applications must be received at the Center by October 15 for the following spring semester and by March 15 for the following fall semester. Due to a decrease in service demand over the summer sessions, applicants are rarely granted requests for summer training experiences. All application packets should include the following:
  1. A cover letter briefly summarizing the type of clinical training placement experience desired and expected hours of service, including any specific goals the applicant may have.
  2. A completed application
  3. A current curriculum vitae including:
     • A list of all counseling related coursework
     • All clinical experience, including number of hours of actual direct services provided by the applicant and the type of those services should be submitted.
     • Applicants who have no prior clinical experience should provide evidence of prior community service within a human service field.
  4. Current official graduate transcript
  5. A letter from the applicant’s program indicating good standing in your graduate program in a human services field.
• Students desiring clinical training placements for practica and internships at the Counseling and Psychological Services Center should forward their applications to:
  Julie Mallory Church, M.A.
  Assistant Director and Coordinator of Training Experiences
  Counseling and Psychological Services Center
  Rowan University
  201 Mullica Hill Rd.
  Glassboro, NJ 08028
  

Guidelines for Termination
In accordance with the signed practicum agreement, interns may be terminated for lack of professionalism including the following:

1. Repeated absences or tardiness for appointments
2. Failure to perform assigned tasks
3. Grossly inappropriate behavior such as sexual harassment, breech of confidentiality, etc.

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