Advanced Practicum Training in Psychology

A Letter From the Training Director

Dear Applicant,

Thank you for your interest in the William & Mary Counseling Center Advanced Practicum Training. The advanced practicum training is an integral part of the preparation necessary to become a clinically skilled and multiculturally competent psychologist. As such, the William & Mary Counseling Center (WMCC) encourages applications from counseling and clinical psychology doctoral students who seek in-depth training, intense supervision, and clinically rich experiences. We seek to foster a collegial environment in which advanced practicum students feel included, supported, and challenged to broaden their knowledge and skills in preparation for a doctoral internship.

The WMCC is known for its clinical rigor, which creates ample opportunities to hone and strengthen clinical skills. Staff members are an integral part of the training program, and place a high value on training and supervision. This provides practicum students with exposure to a wide array of clinical interests, perspectives, and styles. Furthermore, the WMCC deeply values diversity and integrates a multicultural lens across all aspects of training. The advanced practicum offers experience with diverse students in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, socio-economic class, physical ability, and religious affiliations, who are dealing with various presenting concerns on different levels of severity. In addition, the staff represents diversity along many of the same characteristics.

The selection committee seeks applicants who are a) looking for clinical experience in a fast-paced, dynamic setting, b) interested in intense training in individual and group therapy, and c) committed to learning and growing through support and challenge.

Thanks again for your interest in the WMCC Advanced Practicum Training. Please do not hesitate to contact me by telephone at (757) 221-3620 or e-mail at agpappas@wm.edu if you have questions about the training.

Sincerely,
Alexandra Pappas-Bourdage, PhD
Director of Training

Table of Content about the Advanced Practicum
Practicum Goals The primary goal of the Advanced Practicum is to provide generalist training for students to make use of their skills in clinical settings. The WMCC advanced practicum training model is developmental in nature, considering the experiences obtained within academic programs and during other practicum experiences. Trainees are assisted in learning, applying, and refining their counseling and therapy skills, theoretical orientation, and conceptualization of clients through individual supervision, group supervision, seminars, and ongoing feedback.
Training Requirements The PDF documents below provide more information on the Advanced Practicum training requirements: Practicum Training Requirements (PDF) Practicum Weekly Activity Summary (PDF)
Application Requirements Eligibility Criteria Only applicants who have completed at least two (2) years from doctoral programs in counseling psychology or clinical psychology will be accepted for the advanced practicum training. Application Procedure Provide a copy of your CV, a letter of interest, and a letter of recommendation from a recent clinical supervisor to the Training Director. Training Year Practicum students make a commitment for the academic year which includes participating in a mandatory orientation at the beginning of the fall semester. Positions The Counseling Center provides 3 advanced practicum placements per academic year. Stipend and Benefits The Advanced Practicum position offers an hourly rate of payment. Advanced Practicum students receive 5 days of combined annual leave, sick leave, and professional development leave for professional activities such as dissertation proposal defense, internship interviews, and conferences. Advanced Practicum students have access to offices with digital recording equipment, a personal computer linked to the University network, library privileges, eligibility to purchase a faculty/staff parking pass, and access to the Recreation Center. Contact Information Alexandra Pappas, Ph.D. Associate Director and Director of Training Counseling Center William & Mary P.O. Box 8795 Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795 Phone: (757) 221-3620 Fax: (757) 221-3615 Email: agpappas@wm.edu
About the William & Mary Counseling Center The Counseling Center provides a wide range of assessment, intervention, and consultation services for William & Mary. We are the primary mental health resource on campus, and we address problems ranging from stress management to suicidality. Advanced practicum students at the Center function as integral parts of our program, while receiving intensive training and supervision. While the demands for services and needs of clients may change from semester to semester and from year to year, the following generalizations apply fairly well to our work: Our clients are enrolled undergraduate or graduate students. Roughly 65% of our clients are women, and a large majority (94.9%) are 18-22 years of age. Approximately 26.6% of our clients are ethnic minority students and 13.3% identify as LGBT-Q students. Additionally, 3.7% of our clients are international students. Our clients present with a wide range of symptoms and presenting concerns. Examples include: depression, anxiety, adjustment difficulties, body image/eating concerns, grief/loss, family of origin concerns, substance use, interpersonal issues and challenges, personality disorders, suicidality, Bipolar disorder, and psychosis. Our primary treatment modality is short-term, problem-oriented individual psychotherapy. The average course of treatment is 5-10 sessions. Longer-term individual psychotherapy is an option when appropriate. This will be determined during the disposition meetings and in conjunction with supervisors. We see some couples and we sometimes invite families in for brief assessment and treatment interventions. We have a strong group therapy program, and the types of groups offered tend to change with staff interests and clinical needs. Every semester, there are typically a mix of interpersonal process groups as well as thematic groups. Our process groups are called “Understanding Self and Others” (USO,) and they can be co-ed, women only, or graduate/non-traditional students. Examples of thematic groups offered over the years include: LGBT-Q support group, body image/eating concerns group, family of origin group, grief/loss group, and support groups for international students. We are open to starting new groups based on the needs of our client population and the professional interests and availability of staff members. There are multiple theoretical orientations represented by the WMCC counseling senior staff, such as interpersonal, feminist-multicultural, humanistic, psychodynamic, systems, and cognitive-behavioral theories that guide their clinical work. It is recognized that within a brief therapy model, an eclectic approach is often utilized in order to best meet clients’ needs. Practicum students are encouraged to build upon and strengthen their theoretical orientation throughout the training year by integrating preferred approaches to psychotherapy with personal strengths and values.

Practicum Goals

Training Requirements

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria

Application Procedure

Training Year

Positions

Stipend and Benefits

Contact Information

About the William & Mary Counseling Center