Practicum

• SITE DESCRIPTION: Founded in 1969, the Center for Community Solutions (CCS) helps more than 11,000 adults and children each year to heal and prevent relationship and sexual violence. CCS operates the only rape crisis center in the city of San Diego along with a countywide 24-hour bilingual crisis helpline. The nonprofit agency also provides emergency domestic violence shelters, hospital and court accompaniment, as well as legal and counseling services for those affected by rape, domestic violence and elder abuse. CCS also works with local community groups and schools to provide innovative prevention programs to promote healthy relationships and peaceful communities.
• PRACTICUM TRAINING AND DESCRIPTION: As a CCS Trainee/Intern a student can expect to spend 20 hours at their given site for the duration of one year. During this time the student can expect to learn about the clinical and counseling aspects as well as resources in the community involving survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. Students can also expect a great deal of training both prior to placement in the form of a required 60-hour certification crisis intervention training, as well as throughout the entire placement. Topics will include trauma-informed care, neurobiology of trauma, PTSD, dissociation, play therapy, expressive arts, sand tray, group therapy, as well as training and information about community partners such as the District Attorney's office and the office of Victims of Crime - and more. Along with training, students will be asked to see clients directly on an individual, couple, family, child and group basis. Students will be asked to work on ETO software to document and conduct phone intakes in order to schedule clients. The greatest amount of time at the agency will be doing direct service, holding a caseload of about 10 clients, while attending one hour of individual and two hours of group supervision at the site. CCS is a wonderful agency and emphasizes the uniqueness of our clients and so, we meet clients where they are, and do not come from any specific orientation. We have used, CBT, Solution Focused, EMDR, Positive Psychology, Psychoanalytical and Narrative approaches just to name a few. This allows a student to explore her/himself as a Therapist both while conducting individual and group services. We foster growth while providing a supportive environment.

• SITE DESCRIPTION: The Elizabeth Hospice, a nonprofit healthcare leader, has been providing comfort and counsel to children and adults who are facing life’s most difficult challenge, and restoring hope to grieving children and adults who are feeling lost and alone. Since 1978, we have touched the lives of more than 100,000 people in the communities we serve, offering medical, emotional and spiritual support, regardless of the patient’s affiliation or ability to pay. In August 2019, we became one of the founding members of California Hospice Network – a strategic partnership committed to sustaining local, nonprofit, community-based hospice care throughout California. This statewide coalition is dedicated to further enhancing the local delivery of exemplary patient care and end-of-life services. The Elizabeth Hospice is accredited by The Joint Commission and is affiliated with the California Hospice and Palliative Care Association and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.

• SITE DESCRIPTION: Alvarado Parkway Institute Behavioral Health System is a private behavioral health system offering inpatient and outpatient psychiatric services. We are dedicated to the wellness of individuals, their families, and our community through prevention, intervention and treatment in a safe and culturally sensitive environment. Our culture of caring is designed to provide patients and their families with quality-driven psychiatric care and outstanding customer service. We understand the challenges, the stigma and the treatment of mental illness, and we consider it an honor and a privilege to serve those who entrust us with their care.
• PRACTICUM TRAINING AND DESCRIPTION: Alvarado Parkway Institute provides a yearlong structured training experience for advanced students in CMHC promoting further growth and development in the counseling field. Counselor trainees conduct individual and group therapy sessions with an inpatient adult population under a licensed supervisor. Supervision includes review of audiotaped and in-vivo (live) counseling sessions in individual and group formats for all trainees along with constructive feedback for trainee professional growth. Each trainee is assigned a postdoctoral mentor who assists with training, co-facilitation of groups, and documentation training. Individual supervision consists of one-hour face-to-face sessions with the trainee's clinical supervisor. Group supervision consists of three hours of supervision in a group format with the clinical supervisor.

• SITE DESCRIPTION: VVSD's Veterans Rehabilitation Center (VRC) is a state licensed residential early treatment program for homeless veterans who have substance abuse issues. The VRC offers homeless veterans a safe, clean and sober village-like setting for several months to a year, depending upon individual needs. Formulated as a social model, VRC is integrated with structured case management and mental health therapy that simultaneously addresses addiction, issues of mental health as well as medical health, legal issues, familial struggles, etc.
• PRACTICUM TRAINING AND DESCRIPTION: Veteran's Village of San Diego's Veteran's Rehabilitation Center provides a yearlong structured training experience for advanced students in CMHC promoting further growth and development in the counseling field. Counselor trainees work in a variety of different capacities by providing clients with comprehensive clinical assessments, crisis counseling, EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) and art therapy, substance abuse and case management, inpatient psychiatric referrals, and medication management and educational counseling under a licensed supervisor. Supervision includes a review of videotaped and in-vivo (live) counseling sessions in individual and group formats for all trainees.

New Vistas, Vista Balboa, Casa Pacifica, Halcyon Center, Esperanza Center

• SITE DESCRIPTION: These Crisis Centers, affiliated with Community Research Foundation (CRF), are (Short-Term, Acute, Residential Treatment) programs for adults having a psychiatric crisis. Clients meet the admission criteria of hospitalization at a voluntary level of care. The majority of clients are dually-diagnosed with a secondary substance use disorder. Many of the clients are also homeless. Our target population includes individuals with severe and persistent mental illness.
• The purpose of our program is to provide the least intensive level of care by utilizing a psychosocial rehabilitation approach to treatment. Clients receive psychological and psychiatric treatment while learning social and daily living skills with the intention of stabilizing the presenting crisis and hoping to reduce the likelihood of subsequent crisis. Treatment core competencies utilized at START programs include Motivational Interviewing; Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT); Comprehensive, Continuous, Integrated System of Care (CCISC) model for individuals with co-occurring psychiatric and substance disorders; Cultural Competency; and Psychosocial Rehabilitation. Each resident is connected to a variety of social service supports within the community, to aid the transition into successful living beyond the START programs.
• PRACTICUM TRAINING AND DESCRIPTION: The START Programs are dedicated to providing outstanding clinical training to multiple disciplines (clinical psychology, nursing, counseling, marriage and family therapy, social work and psychiatry) along with outcomes-based treatment for a challenging population. These sites provide a structured training experience for advanced students in CMHC promoting further growth and development in the counseling field. The focus of training is on individual and group counseling; intake assessment; diagnostics; treatment planning; consultation; documentation; case presentation; and crisis intervention. Counselor trainees complete their practicum experience under a licensed supervisor. Supervision includes a review of recorded and in-vivo (live) counseling sessions in individual and group formats for all trainees along with constructive feedback for trainee personal growth.

• SITE DESCRIPTION: SCAIR is a nonprofit organization founded in 1997 to provide educational and community services to San Diego's Native American community including both the Native urban and reservation communities of San Diego County. Participants include individuals and families from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds and various levels of mental and physical ability. The types of services offered through SCAIR include Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) training programs through the Southern California Tribal Chairmen's Association.
• TRAINING AND SUPERVISION: SCAIR provides a year-long structured training experience for advanced students in CMHC promoting further growth and development in the counseling field. Counselor trainees conduct individual and group counseling sessions with teens, individual adults and couples, as well as provide career counseling, under a licensed supervisor. Supervision includes a review of videotaped and in-vivo (live) counseling sessions in individual and group formats for all trainees along with constructive feedback for trainee professional growth. SCAIR has provided employment opportunities for trainees during and/or after the completion of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program.

• SITE DESCRIPTION: Juvenile Court and Community Schools provide a fully-accredited educational program and mental health support for school-age youth who are either wards of the court or have been referred by social services, probation or one of the 42 school districts in San Diego County. Services are provided to incarcerated youth, pregnant minors, foster youth, expelled teens, chronically truant youth, students in drug treatment centers and group homes for neglected or abused children, and homeless youth. These sites serve about 12,000 students per year with 52 schools that are split between two networks that cover the entire county. These educators are committed to high expectations, social justice and equality for all students. They value diversity and strive to eradicate institutionalized racism and discrimination in all forms. Their priority is to raise the achievement of all students while eliminating the achievement gap between students of color and white students. They accomplish this through the delivery of culturally and linguistically responsive standards-driven instruction, courageous and advocacy-oriented leadership and relevant professional development. All community members stand personally committed and professionally accountable for the achievement of this mission.
• TRAINING AND SUPERVISION: Practicum students will work in both the court and community school settings. Experiences may include individual and group counseling, as well as whole class workshops or lessons. Supervision will be conducted weekly. Additionally, the practicum students are invited to participate in monthly counselor and school psychologist meetings and professional development.

• SITE DESCRIPTION: The Wellness and Recovery Center's services are based on the principles of psychosocial rehabilitation, with emphasis on attending to the whole person and re-establishing one's life as a result of the consequences of mental illness, rather than simply attending to the symptoms of the illness. The services focus on recovery, rehabilitation and community integration, and are individualized to meet the needs of each client. Clients actively participate in setting service plan goals and are encouraged to involve family and significant others in the recovery plan. The teams at Wellness and Recovery Centers are multi-disciplinary, and consist of licensed professional counselors, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, psychiatrists, nurses and master's level interns. In addition, some of the teams at the Wellness and Recovery Centers are bilingual and bicultural, across all disciplines, in order to linguistically and culturally address the needs of the large diverse populations in the various regions of San Diego County. In addition to outpatient psychiatric services, the Wellness and Recovery Centers can have three specialized programs: Full Service Partnership Case Management, targeted services for Transitional Aged Youth (aged 18-24) and Older Adults (aged 60+).
• TRAINING AND SUPERVISION: The Wellness and Recovery Centers have three on-site clinical supervisors, two licensed clinical psychologists and one licensed clinical social worker. One hour of individual supervision, two hours of group supervision, and two hours of a multidisciplinary treatment team meeting are provided with each practicum/internship experience. These CRF Centers operated by Community Research Foundation (CRF) offer numerous training opportunities on a plethora of topics necessary to the successful delivery of mental health services. Training is delivered in multiple modalities including didactic face-to-face instruction similar to a traditional university classroom as well as synchronous and asynchronous online instruction.

• SITE DESCRIPTION: The mission of the MHCC is to help students benefit fully from the college experience by supporting personal, social, and emotional well-being. San Diego City College Student Services mission is to inspire, empower and support our students to excel in their intellectual, social, and cultural development to enhance student goal completion.
• College students often experience stressors while trying to balance the demands of their academic and personal lives. Without help, stress and problems can intensify, impacting personal wellness and academic success.
• Our goal at the San Diego City College Mental Health Counseling Center is to help students benefit fully from the college experience by supporting personal, social, and emotional well-being. Our confidential and culturally sensitive services include short-term individual, couples and group counseling, crisis intervention, and outreach/prevention. We also provide consultation and referral services to students, staff, and faculty.
• TRAINING AND SUPERVISION: Weekly group and individual supervision is provided onsite by experienced and California licensed mental health practitioners.

• SITE DESCRIPTION: The Monarch School is the largest and most comprehensive K-12 program serving youth experiencing homelessness. We provide programs and services not typically offered at traditional schools, including an accredited education, college preparation, after-school programs, and school-based counseling services, as well as basic necessities such as food clothing, and health care.
• The mission of the Monarch School Clinical Counseling Program (MCCP) is to provide the highest quality clinical services to promote the emotional, relational, and academic potential of all students and their families. We are committed to the core values of respect, inclusion, responsiveness, and quality to enhance the unique experience of each individual at the Monarch School.
• TRAINING AND SUPERVISION: Clinical Counseling trainees and interns are active service providers at MCCP. MCCP staff is composed of 1 Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, 1 Registered Nurse, and we work in close collaboration with Monarch's Parent and Student Advocates, and contracted service providers from the Mobile Adolescent Services Team (MAST) and Counseling Cove, as well as teaching staff.
• Clinical Counseling Students and Interns share furnished offices and office equipment. Monarch maintains a library of relevant and current mental health books and therapy supplies such as therapeutic games, worksheets for activities and exercises, etc.

• SITE DESCRIPTION: MAST provides a full range of services including crisis intervention, individual, family, and group therapy, medication support, case management, rehabilitation and substance use/abuse treatment to children, adolescents and young adults (up to 21) with a Severe Emotional Disturbance (SED) and their families who are underserved, uninsured and /or full scope Medi-Cal. Many of the students have been expelled from their home school districts, are on probation and/or homeless. Outpatient Counseling Services are provided at the JCCS class sites, SDUSD school sites, clients' homes and within the community. We welcome youth and families with co-occurring emotional/behavioral and substance use issues. MAST utilizes the team approach, following the Children's Mental Health Service System of Care Philosophy and Principles (CSOC) guidelines. We emphasize a strength-based collaboration between the child or adolescent, the family, education/school, primary care provider, other community providers, and the MAST team.

• SITE DESCRIPTION: The VA Mission Statement is to fulfill President Lincoln's promise “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan” by serving and honoring the men and women who are America’s veterans. The practicum and internship experience will include working in the Aspire Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (Aspire RRTP).
• TRAINING AND SUPERVISION: The Aspire Center is a 40-bed residential treatment facility designed to promote recovery in Veterans, particularly those who returned from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Center provides a safe, comfortable living environment. Evidence-based, recovery-oriented treatment is provided to eligible male and female Veterans of all ages who desire to once again become fully independent and self-sufficient members of the community. Based on the individualized treatment plan, the average stay from admission to discharge ranges from 90-180 days. The Center provides treatment modalities, including but limited to: Case Management/Social Work/Peer Support; Recovery Focused Vocational/Educational Individualized Assistance; Psychotherapy – Individual, Couples, and/or Group; Occupational Therapy; Educational Classes; Leisure Activities/Socialization Groups; Medication Management; Complementary/Alternative Therapies; Post-traumatic Stress Skill Building/Exposure Therapy; Traumatic Brain Injury; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy; Prolonged Exposure, and Written Exposure Therapy. As an intern, you will provide evidence-based individual and group psychotherapy, participate in vivo exposures, attend daily interdisciplinary team meetings; and collaborate with team members across disciplines such as with nurses, psychiatrists, social workers, chaplains, psychologists, peer support specialists, and dieticians.