Psychology/Social Work
SCRS, ranked one of the best College Counseling Centers in the nation by the Gourman Report (1997, 1998) and in operation for 50 years, is a comprehensive student mental health clinic that is available to all undergraduate and graduate students matriculating at The University of Chicago. We provide individual, couple and group counseling, crisis intervention, academic skills assessment, alcohol/drug abuse intervention, psychopharmacology, consultation to faculty and staff, and 24-hour/365-day emergency on-call phone service.
The clinic is staffed by 6 psychiatrists, 6 psychologists, 9 clinical social workers, 1 psychiatric nurse and 1 educational therapy specialist. In 2005-2006 2,119 students scheduled a total 17,237 sessions at the clinic, 76% of which were attended; numbers that have continued to climb over the past several years.
Students served are adolescents and adults who bring with them a range of psychological difficulties that are very similar to what one would see in a standard outpatient clinic. And as a highly competitive, internationally recognized university, there is a great deal of ethnic diversity within the student body and the students seeking services at the clinic.
After many years of being staffed solely by counselors with 10 or more years of experience, SCRS is offering a training opportunity to pre-doctoral clinical psychology trainees seeking an advanced psychotherapy practicum (20 hours per week). 2-3 students will be selected annually to train with our highly accomplished staff, which possesses a wide range of theoretical orientations and clinical interests. Currently, SCRS is training 3 advanced psychotherapy practicum students, 1 social work intern, 1 clinical psychology post-doc and 2 third-year psychiatry residents.
Since student-trainees are not expected to provide the bulk of services at SCRS, they have the opportunity to be immersed in a supportive, nurturing and intellectually challenging environment that should serve as an excellent segue to their internship and future professional life.
Student trainees will commit 3 days to SCRS (a total of 20 hours per week). Friday is a mandatory didactic day, while the other days can be negotiated between the needs of the student and the needs of SCRS. The practicum starts in September with a trainee orientation and lasts through June, amounting to approximately 650 hours of supervised experience. Time off from practicum includes all University holidays, sick leave as needed and 2 weeks of vacation to be taken during winter and spring breaks.
All trainees will receive a University e-mail address to aid communication with staff and clients, and extensive training will be given to learn the clinic's electronic network.
Direct Service Activities
Psychotherapy (7-9 hrs per week): Given the amount of students served at SCRS, a brief treatment model is preferred, with exceptions made when clinically appropriate. However, student trainees will be encouraged to carry 2 long-term psychotherapy cases as a way of gaining a more intensive clinical experience. Selecting good long-term cases will be determined collaboratively between the trainee and his/her primary supervisor. Building gradually, the student trainee will be expected to carry a caseload of 7-9 individual students or couples per week.
Academic Skills Assessment Program (ASAP) (2-3 hrs per week): Student trainees will have the opportunity to gain some specialized diagnostic and treatment skills in the area of learning disabilities and difficulties that will be particularly helpful to those student trainees who envision taking an internship or future job within an educational environment. The social worker/educational specialist who coordinates this program will provide training and supervision.
Intake (1-2 hrs per week): While intake is completed predominantly by a few selected staff, student trainees will have the opportunity, as they feel comfortable, to hone their clinical assessment skills. This would be done under close supervision by their primary supervisor, with whom cases will be discussed and dispositions determined.
Outreach (1-2 hrs per week): SCRS is committed to doing more outreach on campus, including to the more than 400 student organizations and 10 undergraduate residence halls, in order to increase our visibility and accessibility to those who might be reluctant to seek help from SCRS. With the assistance of staff, student trainees will present brief workshops and/or be available for questions at "table events" on campus that address issues relevant to student well-being. Additional supervision will be provided as needed.
Group Psychotherapy (1-2 hrs per week): While individual/couple psychotherapy is predominant at SCRS, we are committed to developing more group psychotherapy opportunities. Currently, there are 3 groups available to students: Procrastination, Eating Concerns, and Interpersonal Relationships. A Sexual Abuse Group and a Gay & Lesbian Support Group have successfully run in the past. Student trainees will be encouraged to develop and co-lead a group, with the support of staff, based on their clinical interests and needs of the University community.
Clinical Training Activities
Supervision (2 hrs per week): Student trainees will receive 2 hours of individual supervision per week, 1 by a primary supervisor and 1 by a secondary supervisor. The primary supervisor will track the trainee's experience for the entire 9 month commitment, while the secondary supervisor will be a "rotating" supervisor who will provide the trainee with specialty supervision in clinical areas of interest. Trainees are encouraged to receive secondary supervision from a variety of staff in order to increase their breadth of experience at SCRS.
Trainee Seminar (1 hr per week): Every Friday student trainees will meet for 1 hour with the Director of Training, to present and discuss clinical cases, and discuss relevant clinical topics to a college population with invited guest speakers.
ASAP Supervision (1 hr per week): This training and supervision will be provided in a group format prior to the Trainee Seminar.
Reading Group (bi-weekly): Trainees will be exposed to writings in the area of early adult development in order to enhance their conceptualization of cases and effectiveness in working with this population. Readings and discussion topics include the process of separation/individuation and implications for therapy of working with students from diverse backgrounds.
Outreach Supervision: Provided on an "as-needed" basis depending on the outreach activities that are planned and/or developed by the student trainees.
Grand Rounds: Trainees are permitted to attend Grand Rounds at the Department of Psychiatry on Thursday at noon, where guest speakers from across the country, discuss a variety of research and clinical topics.
Application Process
Applicant's should submit a cover letter stating their clinical interests and reasons for applying to SCRS, along with their CV, 3 letters of reference, and a statement of academic standing or a transcript to the following address:
The University of Chicago-SCRS
5737 S. University Avenue
Chicago, IL. 60637
If applying as a social work applicant, send to attention of: Erika Schmidt, L.C.S.W.
If applying as a doctoral student in clinical psychology, send to attention of: John McPherrin, Psy.D.
Applications should be received no later than 2 weeks prior to the notification day set forth by the Association of Chicagoland Externship and Practicum Training Sites (ACEPT) and offers will be made on notification day at 9:00 AM.
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