Social Work Interns and Psychology/Counseling Practicum Trainees
The University of Texas at Arlington
The University of Texas at Arlington enrolls approximately 33,000 students, who pursue more than 180 bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees within 10 colleges and schools. UT Arlington is a diverse campus, with 53% of students being of Hispanic, African American, Asian American, Native American or International origin. U.S. News and World Report recently named UT Arlington in the top 10 percent of the 200 national universities listed in its 2008 report card on racial diversity.
Counseling Services
UT Arlington Counseling Services falls within the purview of Academic Affairs. “The mission of Counseling Services is to foster students' personal, academic, and career development by providing counseling, outreach, and consultation services that facilitate personal adjustment and growth, prevent distress, and help remediate problems.” Our goal is to provide professional counseling services to help students maintain emotional well-being necessary to achieve personal, academic and life goals. We work with students who can benefit from short-term therapy, as well as those who require longer-term services. Some issues may require treatment and/or monitoring that is beyond the scope of what our office can accommodate. In these cases, referrals to appropriate campus and community resources are provided.
Counseling Services’ staff includes a multidisciplinary team of 8 mental health professionals and 2 pre-doctoral psychology interns. Team members are licensed as counselors, marriage and family therapists, clinical social workers and psychologists. A variety of theoretical perspectives are represented among the staff, including interpersonal/ psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, family systems, and feminist.
Services are available for students with a variety of concerns ranging from adjustment issues to more serious mental health concerns. Students are seen by appointment or on a walk-in basis. Counseling Services also provides crisis management on a walk-in basis during business hours.
Some typical concerns for which students seek assistance include:
• dealing with stress and adjusting to college
• depression
• maintaining long-term relationships with friends and family
• anxiety
• understanding sexuality
• difficulty expressing feelings
• career planning
• balancing school, work and relationships
• improving self-esteem
• grief and loss
• trauma and abuse
• eating disorders and body image
• substance use/abuse
• issues of cultural identity and international student concerns
UT Arlington Counseling Services routinely provides experience using career assessments, in particular the Strong Interest Inventory (SII) and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Mental health screening measures such as the Beck Depression Inventory, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and the EAT-26 are also commonly used.
Trainees will be primarily involved in individual psychotherapy, with some opportunities for couples and/or group work. Crisis intervention and short-term counseling are typical, however, many clients are seen longer-term when needed. There are not session limits imposed by UT Arlington Counseling Services at this time. Psycho-educational groups and workshops on topics related to assertiveness, healthy relationships, and grief and loss may be available, as well as process groups focusing on developing interpersonal skills. Trainees can expect to work with a highly diverse population of students, given the demographic composition of the university.
A 2 semester commitment and attendance at staff meetings are required. A criminal background check will be conducted.
Typical Weekly Schedule (approximately 20 hours per week)
Direct Client Contact: 8-10 hours (average)
Training: 1.5
Individual supervision: 1-1.5
Administrative: 4-5
Group supervision/case management: 1.5
Sample List of Didactic Presentations
CBT and Depression
Emotion-Focused Therapy
Working with International Students
Feminist Relational Therapy for Depression
ADHD and LD Assessment
Assessment of Treatment of Eating Disorders in a College Population
Application Procedure
A complete application includes:
• A current vita describing your educational/employment experiences + 3 professional references
• Cover letter stating your interest and confirmation of your completion of prerequisite coursework
• Please direct questions or application materials to Adria Villarreal, Ph.D., 817.272.3671 or adriav@uta.edu.