Clincial Counseling
In keeping with CACREP/CORE accreditation standards, as a student in Portland State University’s Graduate Counseling program I was required to fulfill two quarters (20 weeks) of practicum as a student counselor.
This was a fantastic opportunity and invaluable experience. Over the course of the two quarters, I saw 3 individual clients once a week for 50 minute sessions in the PSU clinic under the expert supervision of Dr. Russell Miars.
Each session was videotaped and monitored by a student clinical supervisor and Dr. Miars. At the end of each session I met with my supervisor and was provided feedback from them; I watched the videotapes as well to gain further awareness of myself as a counselor.
The experience of working in a clinical setting with the benefit of being videotaped and receiving direct feedback was exceptional and gave me the opportunity to implement some of the counseling theories and techniques I had been learning about in class and to develop my own personal counseling style.
Techniques and Theories I utilized with my clients were:
In keeping with CACREP/CORE accreditation standards, as a student in Portland State University’s Graduate Counseling program I was required to fulfill two quarters (20 weeks) of practicum as a student counselor.
This was a fantastic opportunity and invaluable experience. Over the course of the two quarters, I saw 3 individual clients once a week for 50 minute sessions in the PSU clinic under the expert supervision of Dr. Russell Miars.
Each session was videotaped and monitored by a student clinical supervisor and Dr. Miars. At the end of each session I met with my supervisor and was provided feedback from them; I watched the videotapes as well to gain further awareness of myself as a counselor.
The experience of working in a clinical setting with the benefit of being videotaped and receiving direct feedback was exceptional and gave me the opportunity to implement some of the counseling theories and techniques I had been learning about in class and to develop my own personal counseling style.
Techniques and Theories I utilized with my clients were:
- Art therapy
- Sand tray
- Unconditional Positive Regard
- Solution focused brief therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Mindfulness
- Motivational Interviewing
Clinical Supervision
Upon the successful completion of two quarters of practicum seeing my own clients as a counselor at the Portland State University, I was afforded the opportunity to complete two quarters of practicum as a supervisor at the clinic.
Just as my peer supervisor had watched my counseling sessions and provided me feedback under the tutelage of Dr. Miars, I was now to do the same. For 20 weeks, I was able to meet with the student counselor I was assigned and to provide them feedback regarding what I noticed in their sessions with their clients.
This experience was invaluable. Being on the other side of the glass/video-camera and out of the room provided a unique opportunity to see another counselor in action, to note their personal style, and the freedom to see their client from a different perspective than if I had been in the room being the counselor. At the end of each session, I met with the student I was supervising and we discussed their technique, and things like potential theories that might be useful for them to implement with their clients, how to utilize the silence better, or ensuring they used open ended questions more. Dr. Miars was a wonderful resource to bounce ideas off of, or just to check with to ensure I was the on the right track.
Being a supervisor also helped me see myself better as a counselor and flushed out things I would like to do better as a counselor going forward in the future. Supervision was another opportunity for professional growth and a wonderful experience.
Upon the successful completion of two quarters of practicum seeing my own clients as a counselor at the Portland State University, I was afforded the opportunity to complete two quarters of practicum as a supervisor at the clinic.
Just as my peer supervisor had watched my counseling sessions and provided me feedback under the tutelage of Dr. Miars, I was now to do the same. For 20 weeks, I was able to meet with the student counselor I was assigned and to provide them feedback regarding what I noticed in their sessions with their clients.
This experience was invaluable. Being on the other side of the glass/video-camera and out of the room provided a unique opportunity to see another counselor in action, to note their personal style, and the freedom to see their client from a different perspective than if I had been in the room being the counselor. At the end of each session, I met with the student I was supervising and we discussed their technique, and things like potential theories that might be useful for them to implement with their clients, how to utilize the silence better, or ensuring they used open ended questions more. Dr. Miars was a wonderful resource to bounce ideas off of, or just to check with to ensure I was the on the right track.
Being a supervisor also helped me see myself better as a counselor and flushed out things I would like to do better as a counselor going forward in the future. Supervision was another opportunity for professional growth and a wonderful experience.