Antioch's Community Counseling and Psychology Clinic is a dynamic benefit for students enrolled in the School of Applied Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy.

The Clinic offers you opportunities to gain supervised experience with the diagnosis and treatment of a range of mental health disorders. Those served are widely diverse in age, ethnicity and socio-economic status. Because Antioch is a learning institution actively engaged in community outreach, clients are referred by a variety of local agencies, as well as self-referred. Payment for services is on a sliding-fee scale.

The Clinic's mental health services feature:

• Individual therapy
• Couples therapy
• Family therapy
• Group therapy
• Art therapy/Drama therapy
• Play therapy
• Clinical consultation
• Psychological testing and evaluations

FAQ

Do my Clinic hours count toward my internship/pre-internship? This depends on the program in which you are enrolled and your status in it. For master's degree students, Clinic hours may count towards the required hours of your internship. For doctoral students, Clinic hours may count for hours required for licensure.

Do my Clinic hours count toward my licensure? This also depends on the program in which you are enrolled. Master's degree students may count hours towards licensure only after they graduate from their program. Doctoral students may begin counting their hours towards state licensure, provided they are obtaining the required level of supervision.

What are the qualifications of the supervisors? Master's level students receive supervision from licensed mental health professionals who hold a license in at least one of the mental health professions. Students in family therapy receive supervision from professionals who have been specifically trained in family therapy supervision. Doctoral students receive supervision from faculty who are licensed psychologists.

What type of supervision would I receive? Digital video recordings are made of your therapy sessions. You will receive individual and/or group supervision depending on your program requirements and your status in the program.

What is the benefit of digitally recorded video sessions? At your convenience, you and/or your supervisor can view digital recordings of therapy sessions. Because the recordings are placed on a secured Internet site, you and your supervisor may review your session anywhere you have a high-speed Internet connection.

How many clients can I see? Most courses require from one to three clients as a caseload. Clinic policy states that student therapists be available for at least 5 hours of therapy per week. Depending on your status and level of supervision, this can vary up to full time.

Do I have to choose a theory for my work? If I have a theoretical orientation, can I use this with my clients? You do not have to choose a single theoretical orientation to work with clients at the Antioch Clinic. If you already have a theoretical orientation or are enrolled in a class that focuses on a particular theory, you may use it with your clients.

Do I have to have a set schedule at the Clinic? You must schedule your availability so clients can be assigned. Once you have a client, you are free to schedule your clients at times that are convenient for both of you.

Do I get paid for my Clinic hours? You are not paid for your hours at the Clinic.

What is the client population like? The Antioch Clinic sees a variety of clients from the local community, including students, adults, couples and families. Clinic clients are anywhere from high functioning to chronically mentally ill, across the socio-economic spectrum and ethnic and cultural groups.

What kind of paperwork/documentation is involved with counseling clients at the Clinic? Clients fill out an intake form that covers basic demographics and individual history. There is also a counseling agreement as well as a payment form. Other documentation and paperwork may be required or recommended. Progress notes and other documentation are entered electronically into the client database.

Technology

Video on demand is a state-of-the-art learning tool for master's and doctoral students enrolled in Antioch's School of Applied Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy. Therapy sessions are digitally recorded. Students also can view sessions live via a secured site on the Internet.

The Clinic also has a one-way mirror to allow for observing someone else's therapy session.

Clients realize a video of their sessions is in their best interests. To protect client confidentiality, these digital recordings do not become part of the client's clinical record and are destroyed after three months. Videos are also invaluable for supervision because the learning curve can be increased significantly through focused clinical feedback based on viewing live interactions.

Internships

Interns at Antioch's Community Counseling and Psychology Clinic develop basic professional skills and move toward establishing an integrated professional identity. Qualified doctoral and master's degree students enrolled at Antioch are eligible to become interns.

As an internship site, the Clinic recruits, selects and trains Antioch Students whose career goals include:

• Providing clinical services to populations on an individual and group outpatient basis
• Supervising therapists-in-training
• Engaging in consultation and outreach efforts

Primary objectives of interns may include developing conceptual knowledge, applied skills and competence in the following areas:

• Couples and family counseling
• Individual counseling
• Child and adolescent counseling
• Group counseling
• Clinical assessment
• Individual and cultural diversity
• Crisis intervention
• Clinical supervision
• Consultation
• Outreach in the community
• Legal and forensic issues
• Professional functioning in an agency setting

Student Stories

"I appreciated the convenience of the streaming video. It was easy to set up the video and access it later. I liked that I could ask my supervisor to watch a segment of the video ahead of time or we could watch a particular part of the video together. This allowed me to receive concrete feedback on different levels more efficiently."

– Tracey Cunningham
MA, CFT/MHC 2006

"I really appreciated the practical opportunity provided by the Antioch Psychology Clinic. For me, seeing clients at the Clinic was the perfect adjunct to the experience I received at my internship site. The sliding-scale fee meant that my clients received services at a great discount.

"Because it is a training facility, clients are told up front that sessions will be videotaped. These video recordings were essential in providing the observation hours needed for my degree. They also served as a great learning tool in my development as a therapist. I would recommend to anyone to take advantage of the opportunity to get practical experience at the clinic BEFORE his or her off-site internship starts. It is a great chance to get your feet wet and get started without the added paperwork to learn at off-site locations."

– Katy Greenleaf
MA, CFT/MHC 2007