Frequently Asked Questions

Counseling interns meet each week in a group with a faculty member from the Department of Counseling and Human Development for instruction and group supervision. They are also supervised one-on-one by a doctoral student or a staff member.

Our master's students have completed the bulk of their academic preparation to become counselors, so they have the knowledge they need. They understand counseling theories and skills, and are now learning how to apply them. Under the supervision of more experienced counselors, they are ready to begin counseling clients. Doctoral interns have already completed a master’s degree, so they have more experience.

Because we are a training facility, all counseling sessions are digitally recorded so that students can review and reflect on the session to improve their skills, as well as receive supervision and feedback on their work. This also allows supervisors to ensure you receive quality services that will genuinely help you meet your therapy goals.

No. Supervisors would have a hard time ensuring the quality of your sessions and the counseling interns would lose an important means for meeting their educational goals.

Very secure. They are housed on a separate server from the rest of the University’s computer systems and can be accessed on-site only. No one can transmit, download or in any way transport a video outside the CCSC. Those who view these recordings are ethically obligated to protect your confidentiality.

Tapes are viewed by the counseling intern; the counseling intern’s supervisor; the instructor; and the members of the intern’s or supervisor’s practicum class or supervision group. All of these persons follow the ethical code of the American Counseling Association and will face severe penalties if they fail in their obligations to keep confidential the information they learn about you. These penalties can include expulsion from the counseling program; termination of employment; suspension or loss of their counseling license; or inability to obtain a counseling license.

Instructors look at notes from the supervisor or counselor who interviewed you and determine which of their students to assign.

If you are looking for a counseling intern with certain characteristics, for example a person of color or a certain gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or other characteristic, the instructor assigning the counseling interns will, whenever possible, assign the counseling intern who fits your preference. This is not always possible, however, all of our counseling interns have completed coursework that prepares them to work with people of diverse background and identities. Please give the counseling intern a chance and see if you can find ways to work together amid important differences.

If you have concerns about how counseling is going, please try addressing them with your counseling intern. This might be difficult, but it often turns out to be a very important experience for both you and your intern. You can also call your CCSC location to talk with a supervisor.