Advanced Practicum Counselors
Description of Program
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)' Clinical Training Program is a nine-month training program that generally begins in mid-August and ends in late May.
The major goal of the SJSU CAPS' doctoral-level practicum program is to provide high quality learning experiences to graduate students in counseling and clinical psychology in preparation for a career in mental health. Unfortunately, we do not have positions available for trainees toward MFT, social work, or other disciplines.
To help attain the goal, our staff has a strong commitment to supervise, teach, and mentor our practicum counselors. Additionally, our specific goals for practicum counselors are to assist them in:
- Increasing their levels of effectiveness and confidence;
- Understanding and integrating theoretical learning with clinical experiences;
- Finding their individual therapeutic style;
- Developing professional relationships and assuming a professional identity; and
- Learning about agency norms and decision-making processes.
These goals are addressed and facilitated by supervision, modeling, didactic training, experiential learning, peer group consultation, and mentoring. Our supervision staff currently is composed of approximately twelve licensed psychologists and one licensed social worker.
Qualifications
Students who are a strong fit for our program have experience or interest in working with diverse clients, are enrolled in the third or fourth year of their doctoral program, interest in college counseling/college student population, and will have completed a minimum of 2 years of practicum experience.
Responsibilities
Responsibilities for practicum counselors vary and depend greatly upon the maturity and experience level of the trainee. In general, practicum counselors do individual, group and couple counseling, receive supervision, attend a weekly trainee seminar, participate in weekly clinical meetings, perform intakes, do weekly paperwork such as writing intakes and case notes, and participate in consultation and outreach activities for student groups. Practicum counselors are also provided additional training through the in house trainings for all staff and trainees, the annual Northern California Training Directors Conference (a one-day training conference focusing on topics related to college mental health), and Multicultural Training Day.
Salary Range
We regret there is no financial stipend for practicum counselors. Practicum counselors do receive paid parking.
Starting Date:
August 12, 2019
Eligibility
Employment is contingent upon proof of eligibility to work in the United States.
Application Procedure
Our training program for practicum counselors is nine months. Practicum counselors are expected to be at CAPS 3 days/24 hours per week (additional hours are negotiable). Trainees must be available all day (8:00-5:00) on Thursdays and Fridays to attend weekly clinical consultation meetings, and training seminar. The third day is negotiable, but Wednesday is highly preferred. The training generally begins around mid-August and ends in late May. We generally have program accommodations for 2 advanced practicum trainees each year.
Applicants for our Clinical Practicum Training Program need to submit:
- SJSU Counseling and Psychological Services Practicum Application (doc) [docx]
- A letter of interest
Please be sure to date and sign the letter. Electronic signatures are not accepted by HR. - Transcripts from graduate program
Copies are acceptable for application process. Originals will be needed if a position offer is made. - Three recent (less than 3 years old and at least 2 from clinical supervisors) original
recommendation letters
Please ask writers to date and sign the letter. Electronic signatures are not accepted by HR. - A curriculum vita indicating the number of face-to-face individual and group therapy hours provided from previous sites
Appointments to the University are contingent upon the completion of all documents prior to the start date. These documents include all transcripts, appropriate recommendations and references, completed SC-1, I-9 form, Accurate background check, and other related hire documents.
We apologize that emailed or faxed application materials cannot be accepted.
Please mail application materials to:
San José State University
Counseling and Psychological Services
Attention: Stephanie Preston, Psy.D.
One Washington Square, SWC 300B
San José, CA 95192-0035
Applications must be postmarked by February 20, 2019.
Interview offers will be made to select candidates. It is our hope to make interview offers by mid-March. Interviews will occur in mid March through early April and will occur on the SJSU campus. Each candidate will be interviewed by 1-2 members of the Training Committee. We will participate in the Practicum Uniform Notification Day, as regulated by the Bay Area Practicum Information Collaborative (BAPIC) guidelines. Please see the BAPIC website for more information. We understand the selection process can be stressful. We wish you the best in your application process and are happy to answer any questions that might make the process more positive.
San José State University is California’s oldest institution of public higher learning. The campus is located on the southern end of San Francisco Bay in downtown San José (Pop. 1,000,000), hub of the world-famous Silicon Valley high-technology research and development center. Many of California’s most popular national, recreational, and cultural attractions are conveniently close. A member of the 23-campus CSU system, San José State University enrolls approximately 30,000 students, a significant percentage of whom are members of minority groups. The University is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty so our disciplines, students and the community can benefit from multiple ethnic and gender perspectives.
San José State University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, medical condition, marital status, veteran status, or disability. This policy applies to all San José State University students, faculty, and staff as well as University programs and activities. Reasonable accommodations are made for applicants with disabilities who self-disclose. Note that all San José State University employees are considered mandated reporters under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and are required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.
A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily before any candidate can be offered a position with the CSU. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the application status of applicants or continued employment of current CSU employees who apply for the position.
The latest San José State University Safety 101 Uniform Campus Crime and Security Report is available. You may request a copy of San José State University’s annual safety report by contacting the University Police Department at 408-924-2222 or by visiting the University Police Department website.
