Georgia Tech Counseling Center Annual Report 2007-2008

Georgia Tech Counseling Center Annual Report 2007-2008

Division of Student Affairs Enriching the Educational Experience (E3)

Executive Summary Counseling Center Annual Report 2007-2008

T

he Counseling Center is a unit of the Division of Student Affairs at Georgia Tech. The Center is dedicated to enhancing the academic experience and success of all students by providing a variety of counseling and psychological services to individuals and the campus community. We provide short-term counseling services to address a wide range of personal and career concerns. Our services are available at no charge to currently enrolled students. The Counseling Center is accredited by the International Association of Counseling Services (IACS).

The Counseling Center supports the personal and professional development of Georgia Tech students, the educational mission of the Institute and the Division of Student Affairs by providing shortterm counseling, psychotherapy, and assessment to students, and outreach and consultative services to the Georgia Tech community. These services are offered with respect for others, appreciation of individual differences, and compassion. To provide quality clinical services, the Center's staff engages in ongoing professional development.

In addition, the Counseling Center is also a training site for graduate practicum students and predoctoral interns. The practicum training program offers supervised training experiences in providing direct psychological services to students and the campus community. The predoctoral internship training program is the capstone training experience for doctoral students in applied psychology. The internship training program offers training to those who are interested in gaining additional experience in working in a counseling center setting. The internship program attracts applicants from across the country who are placed at the Counseling Center through the National Matching Service. The predoctoral internship training program is a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC).

Counseling Services

Total Number of Counseling Hours Provided

6,126

Total Number of Counseling Sessions per Client

  

Average Number of Sessions per Client

6.06

Most Frequently Assessed Client Concerns

   

Total Number of Client Hospitalizations

6

1 Session Only (28%) 2-10 Sessions (53%) > 10 Sessions (19%)

Depression Anxiety Alcohol/Drug Bipolar

(30%) (19%) (16%) (14%)

Counseling Center Annual Report 2007-2008

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percent

Counseling Center Annual Data FY 2007-2008 (client demographic data)

75 70 65 60 55 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 As

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Group Counseling Total Number of Groups Offered per Semester Total Number of Clients Total Number of Contact Hours

12 70 1086.5

Outreach & Consultation Total Number of Programs Offered Total Number of Contact Hours Total Number of Evening/Weekend Programs

151 218.6 24

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Counseling Center Annual Report 2007-2008 Table of Contents

Executive Summary ................................................................................................... i Introduction................................................................................................................1 Counseling Services...................................................................................................4 Client Characteristics ..............................................................................................5 Client Outcomes......................................................................................................8 Group Counseling ......................................................................................................9 Outreach & Consultation ........................................................................................ 11 Emergency & Crisis Services ................................................................................. 15 Training................................................................................................................... 15 Professional Development ...................................................................................... 19 Committee Work & Division/Institute Service ...................................................... 23 Professional Membership & Leadership ................................................................ 25

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Introduction

T

he Georgia Tech Counseling Center is a unit of the Division of Student Affairs. The Center is dedicated to enhancing the academic experience and success of all students by providing a variety of counseling and psychological services to individuals and the campus community. The Center is staffed by licensed mental health professionals and counselors-in-training. We provide short-term counseling services to address personal and career concerns. Our services are available at no charge to currently enrolled students. These services include:  Individual & Couples Counseling  Group Counseling  Outreach & Consultation    

Emergency & Crisis Services Referral Services Testing and Assessment After-hours On-call Services

The Counseling Center supports the personal and professional development of Georgia Tech students, the educational mission of the Institute and the Division of Student Affairs by providing short-term counseling, psychotherapy, and assessment to students, and outreach and consultative services to the Georgia Tech community. These services are offered with respect for others, appreciation of individual differences, and compassion. To provide quality clinical services, the Center's staff engages in ongoing professional development.

The Center was recently granted reaccreditation by the International Association of Counseling Services (IACS).

The Counseling Center also serves as a training site for graduate practicum students and post-doctoral residents. The practicum training program offers supervised training experiences in providing direct psychological services to students and the campus community. The predoctoral internship training program is the capstone training experience for doctoral students in applied psychology. The internship training program offers training to those who are interested in gaining additional experience in working in a counseling center setting. The internship program attracts applicants from across the country who are placed at the Counseling Center through the National Matching Service. The predoctoral internship training program is a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC).

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Staff The Counseling Center has 9 (8.5 FTE) counseling staff (inclusive of the director). The Director, Associate Director, and Assistant Director comprise the administrative group of the Counseling Center responsible for overall administration of the agency as well as overseeing and coordinating policies and procedures for the Center. The following is a listing of the counseling staff at the Counseling Center for 2007-2008: Jill Barber, PhD Nelson Binggeli, PhD Mack S. Bowers, PhD Irene Dalton, PhD Kenneth C. Frontman, PhD Belen T. Gutter, PhD Vacant Rome Lester, LMFT Ruperto M. Perez, PhD

• • • • • • • • •

Assistant Director, Licensed Psychologist Licensed Psychologist Associate Director, Licensed Psychologist Licensed Psychologist Licensed Psychologist Licensed Psychologist Licensed Psychologist Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Director, Licensed Psychologist

The Center also has 3 (2.5 FTE) administrative support positions (administrative assistant II, secretary/receptionist, administrative clerk). The following is a listing of the administrative support staff at the Counseling Center for 2007-2008: Tamika Love Sherry Johnson Nadine Robinson

• Administrative Assistant II • Administrative Clerk • Secretary/Receptionist

In September 2007, Rebecca Lapidus, PhD resigned her role as staff psychologist. A national search was conducted to fill the vacant position. The search resulted in a pool of highly qualified candidates, 4 of whom were invited for an on-campus interview during Spring 2008.

An offer was extended and accepted by Mahlet Endale, PhD and she will be joining the Counseling Center staff in August 2008. During the interim (October 2007-May 2008), the following persons served as Tech Temps to provide counseling services: Sandra Petrakis-Childs, M.S.W., L.C.S.W. Deborah Weisshaar, Ph.D. In addition, Wayne Strother, L.P.C. continued to provide Tech Temp services during 20072008. In May 2008, all Tech Temp services were discontinued.

Two predoctoral positions were made available for the first time in 2007-2008 for a one year, full-time predoctoral internship. Two candidates were selected from an applicant pool to become the Center’s first internship class, Mandy Talma (Argosy University), and Edward Wright (George Mason University). Both will complete the internship in August 2008.

In addition, the Counseling Center has openings for practicum students each year from graduate counseling or psychology programs. In 2007-2008, the Counseling Center accepted the following into the practicum training program: Counseling Center Annual Report 2007-2008

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Francilla Allen Teresa Blevins Jessica Kordansky Anthony Pollard Seda Sumer Monique Tavares

(Argosy University) (Auburn University) (Georgia State University) (Argosy University) (Georgia State University) (Georgia State University)

Overview of Counseling Services Individual & Couples Counseling. The Center offers individual counseling for students who present with a wide variety of psychological, vocational, and academic concerns. The most frequently assessed concerns are depression, anxiety, and relationship issues. In addition, the Center provides couples counseling to currently enrolled students and their partners/spouses. To be eligible for couples counseling, one member of the couple must be a currently enrolled student. The Counseling Center uses a short-term model of counseling to assist them in addressing their concerns.

Group Counseling. The Center offers several groups each semester. These include support group, therapy groups, and educational groups.

Outreach & Consultation. The Counseling Center offers campus consultation to various campus groups and a number of educational programs and workshops as well. These workshops are open to all Georgia Tech students, faculty, and staff. Some of the workshops that are offered are on topics such as stress management, managing anxiety, relationships, and study skills.

Emergency & Crisis Services. The counseling staff provides crisis and emergency services during regular office hours as well as after-hours and during the weekend. Emergency walk-in times are available during the week for students experiencing a personal crisis. In addition, after-hours consultation and crisis service is available through the counselor-on-duty.

The counseling staff is also available to provide emergency response to campus incidents and events.

Referral Services. Psychiatric referrals for medication evaluation and treatment are available through the psychiatrist at the Student Health Center. The Counseling Center works closely with the psychiatrist to facilitate referrals for psychiatric evaluations and follow-up as needed. In addition, a comprehensive listing is maintained by the Counseling Center for students who are in need of extended services or whose presenting concerns are beyond the scope of service at the Center.

Testing & Assessment. A variety of psychological, intellectual, and personality tests are available from licensed psychologists for clients. These include screenings for ADHD, personality assessment, and interest inventories. Mandatory assessments (e.g., drug and alcohol, stress, anger, psychological) were also provided via referrals from the Office of Student Integrity.

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Counseling Services

T

he Counseling Center continued to provide quality services through 2007-2008 and continued to meet the needs of students and the campus by providing a range of counseling and outreach/consultation services. The demand for initial counseling services remained high, particularly during the early part of Fall and Spring semesters.

Counseling Center Annual Data 2007-2008 Total Screenings 120

# screenings

100 80 60 40 20 0 May-07 Jun-07

Jul-07

Aug-07 Sep-07 Oct-07 Nov-07 Dec-07 Jan-08 Feb-08 Mar-08 Apr-08 May-08

During 2007-2008, the Center continued to implement the clinical team system which allowed for greater efficiency in managing the demand for individual counseling services.

Despite the implementation of the clinical teams, the Center continued to experience an increase (2%) in the number of new students seeking counseling from last year and continued to maintain a waitlist of students. The waitlist of students seeking individual counseling continued to be greater during the Spring semester than the Fall, with the range of wait time ranging from 2-3 weeks for individual counseling.

During 2007-2008, a total of 919 students were seen at the Center for initial screenings (individual, couples, group, crisis/emergency/urgent). The Center provided a total of 5734 client appointments with a total of 6125 client hours. While the total number of scheduled initial screenings decreased (n=581, 3%), there was a dramatic increase in the total number of clients seen for urgent/emergency screenings and crisis interventions (n=288) which represents an increase of 38% from last year. Of these clients, 206 were seen for crisis intervention (↑ 15%) and 82 were seen for an urgent/emergency screening (↑ 173%). Overall, this increase in demand for service continues to mirror the reported trend across counseling centers nationally.

Counseling staff also provided a total of 31.25 hours of emergency after hours on-call services.

Additionally, counseling staff were involved in 6 client hospitalizations during 2007-2008.

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As a result of the continued increase in the number of new students seeking services at the Center, a number of students were placed on a wait-list during the end of Fall semester and the latter half of Spring semester. Despite the increase in the demand for services, the clinical teams made a number of attempts to staff and assign students from the wait list to available counseling appointments and to provide referrals to the community when appropriate.

Students presented to the Counseling Center with a variety of concerns. Of the concerns presented by students, the most frequently assessed client concern was depression (30%), followed by anxiety (19%), alcohol/drug (16%), and bipolar (14%). The average number of sessions provided to students was 6 sessions.

Counseling Center Annual Data 2007-2008 (clients by assessed concern) relationships 5% eating disorder 5%

ADHD 9%

bipolar 14%

learning disorder 2%

alcohol/drug 16% depression 30% anxiety 19%

Client Characteristics

The Counseling Center continued to serve a number of diverse students during 2006-2007.

Over one-third of the clients seen were racial/ethnic minority students and Couns e ling Ce nte r Annual Data 2007-2008 (Total % Ethnic/Racial M inority Stude nts ) international students (39%).

70

In examining the racial/ethnic minority demographic client data alone (excluding international students and “other� category), the proportion seen at the Center was greater than the Georgia Tech population as a whole, based on 2007 enrollment data at Georgia Tech. The exception to this is the percentage of Asian clients seen at the Center. The percentage of Asian clients seen at the Center (17%) was more than half of the total population at Georgia Tech (26%).

65 60 55 50

percent

45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Counseling

GT

Center Clients

Population

The percent of racial/ethnic minority students seen at the Center is as follows: Asian (17%), African-American (9%), Hispanic/Latino(a) (7%), Multiracial (4%).

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Counse ling Ce nte r Annual Data 2007-2008 (% Ethnic/Racial M inority Stude nts) Counseling Center Clients

GT Population

30

25

percent

20

15

10

5

0 A sian

Black/A f rican A merican

Hispanic/Latino(a)

Multiracial

Native A merican

Other client characteristics are presented in Tables 1-3 below: Table 1

Gender Male Female Status Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior Graduate Relationship Status Dating Regularly Married/Partnered Single

% Counseling Center Clients

% GT Campus

57 43

72 28

18 23 15 18 26

17 15 15 19 33

35 10 65

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Table 2

College Architecture Computing Engineering Ivan Allen Management Sciences GPA Equal to 0.0  0.0 and less than 0.5  0.5 and less than 1.0  1.0 and less than 1.5  1.5 and less than 2.0  2.0 and less than 2.5  2.5 and less than 3.0  3.0 and less than 3.5  3.5 and less than 4.0 Equal to 4.0

% Counseling Center Clients

% GT Campus

8 11 51 9 7 14

7 9 59 6 9 10 0 0 .2 1 8 13 18 26 24 9

Table 3 % Counseling Center Clients Residence Fraternity/Sorority Off Campus Parents/Family Residence Hall

6 39 4 50

Referral Source Career Services Friend Housing Self OMED Dean of Students Faculty/Staff Health Center Disability Services Other

1 17 2 18 .2 15 4 21 8 13 Counseling Center Annual Report 2007-2008

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Client Outcomes Client Satisfaction Survey. The Counseling Center engages in ongoing assessment of client experiences at the Center. Each year, the Center surveys its clients to assess the degree of their satisfaction with the Counseling Center, the degree of satisfaction of their progress during counseling, and the degree to which counseling has been helpful to them in their academic success. The survey is based on a 7-point Likert-scale rating from 1 (not at all satisfied) to 7 (very satisfied). In sum, clients indicated that they were satisfied with their overall counseling experience and that counseling was helpful in improving or maintaining their academic performance. Results from other items are listed in Table 4.

Table 4

How satisfied are you with the services you have received at the Counseling Center?

Do you think you are making progress on the problems that brought you in?

How helpful has your counselor been?

Do you feel that your counselor understands the nature of your concerns?

If Applicable, how helpful is the assistance you have received in improving or maintaining your academic performance?

Have you found the receptionist and office staff easy to interact with?

Would you recommend our services to a friend?

Avg. Rating 6 5 6 6 5

6 6

OQ-45 Results. As a regular part of the initial screening paperwork, clients were asked to complete the Outcome Questionaire-45 (OQ-45). The OQ-45 is comprised of 45 items (3 subscales) designed to assess overall distress in clients as reported in the total score. The 3 subscales include symptom distress, interpersonal relations, and social role. Overall interpretation of the OQ-45 is focused on the total score which reflects the general level of distress. A total score of 63 or higher is indicative of significant overall distress. Reliability estimates of the OQ-45 (total score) range from Îą = .90 - .77; test-retest reliability range from r = .90-.78 (Lambert et al., 1996*).

_______________ (*Lambert, M.W., Burlingame, G.M., Umphress, V., Hansen, N.B., Vermeersch, D.A., Clouse, G.C.., & Yanchar, S.C. (1996). The reliability and validity of the Outcome Questionnaire. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 3, 249-258) Counseling Center Annual Report 2007-2008

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total score

Clients were administered the Counseling Center Annual Data 2007-2008 OQ-45 data OQ-45 at initial screening and at 70 termination. The average total score 60 at initial screening was 66, indicating 50 a significant level 40 of overall distress.

The average client 30 total score upon termination was 20 49.

Statistical 10 analysis was performed on the 0 pre and post data. pre post A significant difference was found between pre and post test results (t(838) = 4.49, p < .05). Based on prepost OQ-45 data, clients reported significant improvement in their overall level of distress after completion of counseling.

Group Counseling

G

roup counseling continued to be offered by the Counseling Center. For 2007-2008, the Center was successful in offering a total of 12 groups during Fall and Spring semesters.

The groups program resulted in a total of 1086 client hours. Senior staff facilitated a number of groups throughout the year. Groups were also facilitated/co-facilitated by interns and practicum students. To address the increased demand for services and to manage the waitlist for individual services during the Spring semester, a Feeling Better group was once again offered to provide wait-list clients with services prior to their assignment to an individual counselor. A limited number of groups were also offered during the Summer semester based on student demand. The following is a listing of groups offered by the Counseling Center during 20072008: Counseling Center Groups 2007-2008 CHANGES Changes is an interpersonal group designed to help members reach their goals and overcome obstacles. Members focus on enhancing self-awareness and discovering meaningful ways to connect with others.

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Counseling Center Groups 2007-2008 (cont.)

CONNECTIONS Provides a safe affirming place for GLB students to share experiences and connect with others.

Topics of discussion are open and have included: relationships, family, coming out,religion/spirituality,career, as well as ways of enhancing general well-being.

GRADUATE WOMEN'S THERAPY GROUP This group is designed to provide a safe forum for female graduate students interested in exploring issues related to personal growth and relationships. Typical concerns brought to the group have included: finding a way to connect with other women, interpersonal patterns, romantic relationships, body image, academic stress, family dynamics, self-esteem and victimization.

INTERNATIONAL SPOUSE/PARTNER GROUP A support group for the spouses of International students. This group will provide an opportunity for International Spouses to connect with one another, to learn about resources and to practice English with native speakers.

INTERPERSONAL PROCESS GROUP A mixed gender personal growth therapy group focusing on understanding relationship patterns and improving connections with others.

MEN'S THERAPY GROUP A therapy group for the men of Georgia Tech. Some of the issues that are typically discussed in group are academic stress, relationships and family concerns.

MENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S AND WOMENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S THERAPY GROUP This interpersonal therapy group offers the opportunity to learn about oneself in relation to others.

PERSONAL GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT GROUP This general therapy group is designed to explore and talk about various concerns, such as relationships, coping with anxiety and depression, adjustment to new situations, and how to find ways to develop greater understanding and acceptance of self and others.

REFLECTIONS A group for women students who want to feel better about themselves from the inside out. This group focuses on increasing women's global self-esteem, including body image.

SISTER TIME: AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN'S GROUP Provides the opportunity for African American women to come together to gain support in balancing the multiple roles within their lives. The group focuses on enhancing one's sense of self, understanding personal and professional relationships, overcoming obstacles, gaining support and strategies to improve overall wellness.

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Counseling Center Groups 2007-2008 (cont.)

STRESS BUSTERS A group that will teach techniques and coping skills that will reduce stress in an academically challenging environment.

THESIS SUPPORT GROUP A small, size-limited group for graduate students who are working towards balancing their academic and personal life while trying to complete a thesis. This group is designed to be a safe and supportive space where students can air concerns they might not feel comfortable sharing within their home department.

Outreach & Consultation

T

he Counseling Center continued its service in the area of outreach and consultation, providing a wide variety of programs and workshops to students and the campus community. Outreach programs were offered from a core set of offerings each year in addition to responding to individual outreach requests from consultation contacts, student groups, organizations, and departments. Overall, the Counseling Center was very successful in its efforts to provide quality outreach and consultation to the campus community. A total of 151 educational workshops and outreach programs were presented to the campus community and a total of 216.8 contact hours, The Counseling Center continued to partner with Housing to offer programs to residents and training programs for housing staff. In addition, the Counseling Center continued its partnership with the Library to offer outreach programming. Consultation and educational outreach programs were also requested and offered by the Athletic Association in offering programs on stress management. The outreach and consultation programs offered by the Counseling Center during 2007-2008 are listed below: Counseling Center Outreach & Consultation 2007-2008 Workshop Topics Got Questions About Stress? Come on in…….

Balancing Mind and Body to Reduce Your Stress Maintaining a Healthy Mind/Body Balance-Stress Management for Student Athletes Managing Stress Through Time Management Managing Your Stress Before It Manages You Stress Management for Women My Doctor Said Stress Caused My…

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Counseling Center Outreach & Consultation (cont.)

Being a Minority on a Majority Campus: Identifying Stressors and Overcoming Challenges Drawing on Your Right Brain to Turn Stress into Useful Information Stress Management through Effective Communication & Conflict Resolution All your drama is not on cable? Relationship stress addressed!

Overcoming the Stressors of Perfectionism & Procrastination Stress Management for International Students Mind Matters: Using Psychology to Enhance Test Performance Stress Management for Ethnic Minorities Don’t believe everything you think: Using logic to overcome stress Counseling Center General Information Sessions Campus Events/Trainings/Panels Take Back the Night When the Whistle Blows Training for Housing Student Staff (Listening Skills, Recognizing and Referring a Student in Distress) Weekly Support and Educational Group for International Spouses in Housing FASET and transfer FASET Guest lectures in GT1000 classes Diversity Training for Housing How to Work with Distressed Students (CETL) In addition, the Counseling Center presented monthly workshop on internet addiction as well as a monthly relationship workshop on “Surviving a Break-Up.” During February 2008, the Counseling Center co-sponsored Love Your Body month along with the CRC, Ferst Center for the Arts, Athletic Association, and Health Promotions. The month included a number of activities including a performance of Eve Ensler's The Good Body, an invited talk by Dr Dina Zeckhausen, psychologist and executive director of Eating Disorders Information Network, a book club discussion, a film festival with panel discussions after the films, as well as photo montages and information in the CRC, student center and library on the issue of healthy body image for men and women.

Evaluations are conducted for outreach programs provided to students and the campus.

Ratings are based on a 5-point Likert scale. Overall, this year’s evaluation results point to the general effectiveness of outreach programs for the campus. These results indicate the ongoing and increased efforts of our outreach program to intentionally target students and campus needs and the Center’s efforts in effectively meeting those needs (Table 5).

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Counseling Center Annual Data 2007-2008 Outreach Evluations

Arrangem ents

Addres s ed Concern

Goal Accom plis hm ent

Pres enter

General Works hop Evaluation

1

2

3

4

5

Table 5 General Workshop Evaluation • Breadth of Coverage • Personal/Practical Relevance • Effectiveness of Presentation Presenter • Knowledge • Preparation • Engagement of Audience Goal Accomplishment Addressed My Concern Arrangements • Convenience • Notification of Event • Location/Room Environment • Format/Multimedia Use

Avg. Rating (1-5 scale) 3.99 3.96 4.06 3.96 4.14 4.27 4.10 4.06 3.81 3.45 3.86 3.93 3.82 3.93 3.75

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Other Services Counseling Center Video. In collaboration with Academic Affairs, the Counseling Center and Division of Student Affairs produced a video for faculty entitled, “Stressed or Distressed: A Resource for Georgia Tech Faculty Regarding Student Stress.”

This initiative was conceived as part of student feedback from a focus group conducted last year and in the wake of the events at Virginia Tech.

The video featured members of the Counseling Center, Dean of Students office, and the faculty in talking about student stress and providing information on how faculty may assist students in times of stress and intervene in moments of distress.

The video may be accessed www.counseling.gatech.edu/php/video.php

at

Stress Management/Relaxation Room. At the beginning of 2007, the Counseling Center was able to establish a stress management/relaxation room as a self-help resource for any Georgia Tech student to use to manage their stress and to also learn about other areas of personal interest. The initiative to establish the room was, in part, born out of the Difficult Dialogues feedback that students gave during last year’s Finding Common Ground regarding the need to establish additional resources to assist students in managing stress. As a result, the Counseling Center invested in the furnishings and the audio and video equipment for the room in addition to purchasing a variety of DVDs and CDs for students to use.

Throughout the year, Counseling Center clients were made aware of the stress management/relaxation room and the Center advertised the room on the Student Center plasma screen during peak times of year.

A total of 90 appointments were made by students throughout the semester to use the room. Overall, the relaxation room has been a useful investment and a benefit to Georgia Tech students this past year.

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Emergency & Crisis Services

E

mergency and crisis services continued to be provided by the Counseling Center during 2007-2008. The Counseling Center offers a number of walk-in emergency times during regular office hours for students. During these times, students may meet with the counselor-on-duty to discuss their concern.

Appointments for additional intake or recommendations for counseling at the Center may be made during this time. In addition, for students whose presenting concerns require more on-going counseling than can be provided at the Center, counseling staff work with students to provide community referral options.

During 2007-2008, there was a dramatic increase in the total number of clients seen for urgent/emergency screenings and crisis interventions (n=288) which represents an increase of 38% from last year. Of these clients, 206 were seen for crisis intervention (↑ 15%) and 82 were seen for an urgent/emergency screening (↑ 173%). Overall, this increase in demand for service continues to mirror the reported trend across counseling centers nationally. Counseling staff also provided a total of 31.25 hours of emergency after hours on-call services. Additionally, counseling staff were involved in 6 client hospitalizations during 2007-2008.

Training

D

uring 2007-2008, the Counseling Center’s training program continued its post-doctoral training program in psychology. In addition, the Counseling Center also accepted a number of graduate students in counseling and psychology from area institutions for its practicum training program. The Training Committee is responsible for the review and selection of applicants as trainees at the Center.

At present, 61% of Georgia Tech’s peer and aspirational institutions have an APAaccredited counseling center internship program and 55% of ACC institutions have an APAaccredited counseling center internship program. Within the state of Georgia, only Emory University and Georgia State University have APA-accredited internship programs. The Center has continued to make progress in working towards an APA-accredited internship during 20072008. This past year, the Center’s predoctoral training program became a member of the Association of Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC), the national educational organization of agencies with training programs (e.g., internship, postdoctoral residencies) in psychology. 2007-2008 was also the inaugural year for the predoctoral internship program made possible through the conversion of the Center’s 2 postdoctoral resident positions to 2 predoctoral internship positions. These positions were filled by Mandy Talma (Argosy University) and Edward Wright (George Mason University). Both will end their term of appointment in August 2008.

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In 2007-2008, the internship program also entered the National Internship Match program for the first time. The National Internship Match program matches intern applicants to predoctoral internships nationwide. The Counseling Center submitted a list of ranked applicants for next yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interns and successfully matched with 2 applicants. The two interns who will comprise the Centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2nd internship class beginning Fall 2008 will be: J. Marshall Bruner LaKeisha Gantt

(Argosy University) (University of Georgia)

The Counseling Center is continuing to make strides towards reaching the goal of becoming an APA-accredited internship program. The current projected timeline, including the major objectives and goals is illustrated below. At the present time, the first 4 phases have been completed (years 2005-2007). The remaining objectives and goals are highlighted in the table below: Table 6 Counseling Center Internship Program Timeline to APA Accreditation 2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

assess current budget and training program (COMPLETE)

develop/propose plan for transition (post-doc to pre-doc) (COMPLETE)

implement plan for transition (COMPLETE) est. 1st intern class APPIC* membership APPIC Match (COMPLETE)

dev. self-study dev. intern/prac manuals

mock site-visit revise self-study prepare for site visit

application to APA APA site visit * Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers Counseling Center Annual Report 2007-2008

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The Counseling Center is continuing its efforts in completing the next stage of the process and is dedicated to establishing an APA-accredited internship program. Establishing an APA-accredited internship at the Counseling Center would put the Counseling Center on par with other counseling centers at our peer and aspirational institutions, provide services to the campus community, and raise the visibility of the Counseling Center at a national level. In addition, an APA-accredited internship site is highly valued among counseling center staff who provide training and supervision to interns as well as those persons who wish to be a part of a nationally-accredited training program.

In addition to the internship program, the Center continues to sponsor a practicum training program for graduate students in counseling and psychology, accepting 5-6 graduate students each year. During 2007-2008, 6 graduate students were accepted as practicum trainees: Francilla Allen Teresa Blevins Jessica Kordansky Anthony Pollard Seda Sumer Monique Tavares

(Argosy University) (Auburn University) (Georgia State University) (Argosy University) (Georgia State University) (Georgia State University)

During their time at the Center, practicum students take part in conducting individual and group counseling under the supervision of senior counseling staff or postdoctoral resident. In addition, practicum students may become involved in outreach opportunities presented to the Center. As part of the training experience, senior staff provide weekly orientation and training seminars for intern and practicum students. Below is the schedule of the training seminars provided during 2007-2008: Training Seminars – Fall 2007 August 23 August 30

Orientation Beginning the Counseling Process – Mack Bowers

September 6 September 13 September 20 September 27

Continuing the Counseling Process –Mack Bowers Associate Dean for Diversity – Stephanie Ray Outreach Presentations – Jill Barber Career Counseling – Ken Frontman

October 4 October 11 October 18 October 25

Career Counseling – Ken Frontman Mood Disorders – Belen Gutter Mood Disorders – Belen Gutter Case Discussions – Belen Gutter

November 1 November 8 November 15

Multicultural Counseling – Jill Barber Case Discussions – Jill Barber Case Presentations

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Training Seminars – Fall 2007 (cont.)

November 22 November 29

Thanksgiving Case Presentations

December 6

Case Presentations

Training Seminars – Spring 2008 January 10 January 17 January 24 January 31

Group and Outreach Opportunities – Jill Barber Intakes – Irene Dalton Case Discussion – Mack Bowers Counseling from a Feminist Perspective – Jill Barber

February 7 February 14 February 21 February 28

Group Therapy – Rome Lester LGBT Issues – Toti Perez OCD Treatments – Edward Wright International Students – Mack Bowers

March 6 March 13 March 20 March 27

Addiction and Recovery – Ken Frontman Case Discussion – Ken Frontman Spring Break Evidence-based Practice – Nelson Binggeli

April 3 April 10 April 17 April 24

Case Discussion – Nelson Binggeli Case Presentations Case Presentations Case Presentations

May 1

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow – Rome Lester

The following graduate students will join the Counseling Center as practicum trainees for 2007-2008: Kristin Aycock Lisa Browning Will Bruer Robert Poynter, III Sandra Rodriguez-Siuts Michael Rothman

(Georgia State University) (University of Georgia) (Argosy University) (Georgia State University) (Texas Tech University) (Emory University)

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Professional Development

T

he Counseling staff are required to obtain continuing education in order to maintain their professional license and to provide services through the Counseling Center. Continuing education may be obtained through attendance at workshops, seminars, or professional conferences/conventions. The counseling staff continued their individual professional development through attendance at a number of various workshops and programs. In addition, counseling staff attended and/or presented at various professional meetings, and were involved in research and publication throughout the year as listed below: Jill Barber Continuing Education: Powerful and Personal: Multicultural Feminist Mentoring Women Racial Identity Skills For Life Cultural Competence in LGB Mental Health Issues APA Diversity Guidelines and The Ethics Code Multicultural Competence in the Provision of Clinical Supervision What's On Your Plate? Using Art for Self-Exploration and Self-Expression Professional Development Opportunities for Counseling Center Staff: Issues of Retention Innovations in College Counseling Understanding and Challenging Lesser Known Privileges and Oppressions Multicultural Use of Self-Supervision Treating the Person with the Symptom: Personality Focused Psychotherapy as Evidence Based Practice Meetings/Conferences Attended: Georgia Psychological Association Annual Conference (Atlanta, GA) American Psychological Association convention (San Francisco, CA) International Counseling Psychology Conference (Chicago, IL) American College Personnel Association Conference (Atlanta, GA) Georgia State University 3rd Biannual Cultural Competency Conference (Atlanta, GA) Research Publications/Conference Presentations: Barber, J. (2008) Counseling Center Consultation with Student Athletes: A Collaborative Model. Presented as a part of Innovations in College Counseling, American College Personnel Association, Atlanta, GA. Barber, J. (2008) Exploring our multiple identities: Working with LGBTQIQ issues as therapists, allies, individuals and advocates for social change. Presentation at Georgia State University 3rd Annual Cultural Competency, Atlanta, GA. Barber, J. & Singh A. (2008) Powerful and Personal: Multicultural/Feminist Mentoring.

Composite Mentoring. International Counseling Psychology Conference, Chicago, Illinois.

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Barber, J. (2008). Addressing the Needs of Children in Same-Sex Families in the Classroom.

Invited Presentation at Diversity Issues in School Counseling: Supporting ALL Georgiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Students. Athens, Georgia.

Nelson Binggeli Continuing Education: Granted psychology licensure, 1/25/08 (Georgia State Board of Examiners of Psychology) Mack S. Bowers Continuing Education: Strength-based approaches to Counseling Practice, Supervision/Training, & Outreach in College & University Counseling Centers Ethical and Licensure Issues for Practitioners and Trainers Bullies, Victims and Bystanders: Why would young people do such things?

How Do I...? Resources for New Training Directors Developing Ethical Competencies During Internship Multicultural Training with a Twist (of Ethnicities) & The Complexity of Multicultural Responsibility in Training Passages thru ACCTA Meetings/Conferences Attended: Association of Counseling Center Training Agencies (Atlanta, GA) International Society of Counseling Psychology (Chicago, IL) Research Publications/Conference Presentations: Bowers, M. (2008, February). Working with International College Students. Presented at the Society of Counseling Psychology International Conference, Chicago, IL. Kenneth C. Frontman Continuing Education: SCT Group Therapy Trainings and License Consultation Prime for Life Revision Training Meetings/Conferences Attended: American College Personnel Association Conference (Atlanta, GA) Georgia Psychological Association Annual Conference (Atlanta, GA) Belen T. Gutter Continuing Education: Intimate Partner Violence Contemporary Elements of Infertility Counseling: Ethical, Clinical and Legal Issues Innovative Collaboration for Campus Suicide Prevention: ALIVE @ Purdue Innovations in College Counseling 2007-2008 Professional Development Opportunities for Counseling Center Staff: Issues of Retention Beyond the Binary: The Power of Language in Transgender Communities

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Relational Psychotherapy: What Therapists Can Learn from Contemporary Psychodynamic Approaches Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health: What is the Role of Psychologists Court Testimony: Becoming an Expert, Expert Witness Ethical Issues for Psychologists Working with the Media Creating a Successful Private Practice in Today's Marketplace Ethnopsychopharmacology and Treatments for Mood and Psychotic D/o Gottman Method Marital Therapy Legal and Ethical Risk Management in Professional Psychology Practice Tips and Techniques in Running Your Practice Meetings/Conferences Attended: American Psychological Association convention (San Francisco, CA) American College Personnel Association convention (Atlanta, GA) Georgia Psychological Association Annual Conference (Atlanta, GA) Rome Lester Continuing Education: Ethics Workshop--The Essential Seven American Red Cross Disaster Training for Mental Health Workers Therapeutic Strategies in Couples Counseling Understanding Anxiety Gottman Method of Marital Therapy Cultural Diversity Meetings/Conferences Attended: Georgia Association of MFT Spring Conference (St. Simon Island, GA) Ruperto M. Perez Continuing Education: It Takes a Team: Working with LGBT Athletes Depression and Health: Maximizing Understanding and Intervention Efficacy New Data on Student Suicidal Crises: Implications or Policy, Prevention, and Intervention Dream Interpretation: Successful Counseling Techniques Domestic Violence II: Intimate Partner Violence Preventing Medical Errors and Improving Patient Safety Innovations in College Counseling 2007-2008 Innovations in College Counseling 2006-2007 Beyond the Binary: The Power of Language in Transgender Communities Enhancing the Psychological Well-Being and Academic Success of First Generation College Students Stressed-out Millennials: Interviews with High Involvement Students Diversity Guidelines and the APA Ethics Code New Developments in Psychopharmacology 2007: The Good, the Bad, and the Exciting Deepening Cultural Competence for Working with LGBT Clients and Their Families Looking Into the Mirror: Examining Therapist Bias The Basics of Affirmative Psychotherapy Counseling Center Annual Report 2007-2008

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Meetings/Conferences Attended: American Psychological Association convention (San Francisco, CA) Association of University and College Counseling Center Directors conference (Indianapolis, IN) American College Personnel Association convention (Washington, DC) APA Presidential Task Force Meeting (Washington, DC) APA Commission on Accreditation (Washington, DC) University of Georgia System of Counseling Center Directors meetings (Milledgeville, GA; Macon, GA; Atlanta, GA) Research Publications/Conference Presentations: Amadio, D. M., & Perez, R. M. (2008). Affirmative psychotherapy with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender clients. In C. Negy (Ed.), Cross-cultural psychotherapy, 2nd ed. (pp. 363399). Reno, NV: Bent Tree Press.

Bieschke, K.J, Perez, R.M., & DeBord, K.A. (Eds.). (2007). Handbook of counseling and psychotherapy with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender clients, 2nd ed. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Bieschke, K.J., Perez, R.M., & DeBord, K.A. (2007). Introduction: The challenge of providing affirmative psychotherapy while honoring diverse contexts. In K.J. Bieschke, R.M. Perez, & K.A. DeBord (Eds.), Handbook of counseling and psychotherapy with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender clients, 2nd ed. (pp. 3-11). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Brown, S.D., Perez, R.M., & Reeder, B.L. (2007). The costs and benefits of merging counseling centers with student health services: Perceptions of the experienced. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 22, 3-16.

Perez, R.M. (2007). The “boring” state of research and psychotherapy with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender clients: Revisiting Barón (1991). In K.J. Bieschke, R.M. Perez, & K.A. DeBord (Eds.), Handbook of counseling and psychotherapy with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender clients, 2nd ed. (pp.399-418). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Perez, R.M. (2007, August). Making LGBT psychology “boring.” In M. Mobley & K.J. Bieschke (Co-chairs), Advancing social justice perspectives in counseling and psychotherapy with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender clients. Symposium conducted at the 115th annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, San Francisco, CA. Perez, R.M. (2007, August). Discussant. In K.J. Bieschke (Chair), Clinical and counseling issues with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender clients. Roundtable program conducted at the 1115th annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, San Francisco, CA. Perez, R.M. (2008, March). Discussant. In N.G. Smith (Chair), Experiences of early career psychologists involved in professional leadership. Symposium presented at the 2008 International Counseling Psychology Conference, Chicago, IL. Counseling Center Annual Report 2007-2008

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Invited Presentations: Perez, R.M. (2007, June). The basics of affirmative psychotherapy: Theory, practice and challenge. Workshop presented at the Multicultural Drive-In Conference, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX. Perez, R.M. (2007, June). Looking into the mirror: Examining therapist bias. Workshop presented at the Multicultural Drive-In Conference, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX. Perez, R.M. (2007, November). Affirmative psychotherapy with LGBT clients. Program presented to the University of Wisconsin Counseling Center, Madison, WI. Perez, R.M. (2007, November). Integrating LGBT psychology into the curriculum. Program presented to the University of Wisconsin Department of Counseling Psychology, Madison, WI. Perez, R.M. (2007, November). Diversity and sexual orientation: The Wisconsin idea. Keynote address presented at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI. Perez, R.M. (2008, March). Exploring intersecting identities for LGBT people. Symposium (Chair) presented at the 3rd biannual Georgia State University Cultural Competency Conference, Atlanta, GA. Perez, R.M. (2008, March). An overview of identity development for LGBT persons. In R.M. Perez (Chair), Exploring intersecting identities for LGBT people. Symposium presented at the 3rd biannual Georgia State University Cultural Competency Conference, Atlanta, GA.

Committee Work & Division/Institute Service

D

uring 2007-2008, the Counseling Center staff have been active in their work as a part of the various committees within the Center. These committees serve to coordinate the functional areas of the Center and serve to coordinate services to students and the campus. In addition, staff have also participated in service to the Division and/or Institute through their involvement in a number of committees and task forces. Their involvement is listed below: Jill Barber Counseling Center Committees: Clinical Services Committee Outreach Committee Training Committee Wellness Committee

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Service to the Division/Institute: Academic Resource Committee (with the Vice Provost) Sophomore Initiative Committee (housing) GT Parent Support Committee (WRC, HR, GSA) Housing Diversity Committee Partner Mack S. Bowers Counseling Center Committees: Training Committee Wellness Committee Service to the Division/Institute: Technology Committee Kenneth C. Frontman Counseling Center Committees: Wellness Committee Belen T. Gutter Counseling Center Committees: Internship Selection Committee Rome Lester Counseling Center Committees: Intake Committee Group Coordinator Service to the Division/Institute: Sexual Assault Task Force Advisory Board--Women's Resource Center Student Affairs Strategic Planning Committee Ruperto M. Perez Service to the Division/Institute: Member, Student Affairs Alcohol Education Strategic Planning Committee Member, Student Affairs Critical Incident Response Team Member, LEAD Advisory Board Member, Student Affairs Award of Excellence Committee Chair, Professional Development Committee Chair, Divisional Strategic Planning Committee (Goal #2) Advisor, Active Minds at Georgia Tech Instructor, GT1000

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Professional Membership & Leadership

V

arious staff are members of a number of state, regional and/or national professional organizations. In addition, some counseling staff are actively involved within their professional organizations and/or involved in areas of leadership within their professional organizations as listed below: Jill Barber American Psychological Association Division 17 - Chair, Section for LGBT Awareness - Chair Elect Section for College and University Counseling Centers - Section for Advancement of Women, co-chair Mentoring Women conference at International Counseling Psychology Conference, Chicago 2008 - Member Section for Racial and Ethnic Diversity Georgia Psychological Association - Human Welfare Committee Member - Member Division of Women Psychologists - Member Division of GLBT Psychologists American College Personnel Association - Member Directorate for Commission of Counseling and Psychological Services Mack S. Bowers Member, Georgia Psychological Association Kenneth C. Frontman Member, American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists Member, American Group Psychotherapy Association Member, American Psychological Association Member, Georgia Psychological Association Member, National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology System's Centered Training & Research Institute (Annual Conference PR Co-Coordinator) Volunteer, Rainbow Center, Jewish Family & Career Services Outreach to Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Questioning Individuals and Families Belen T. Gutter Member, American Psychological Association - Member, Division 17 (Society of Counseling Psychology) Fellow, Georgia Psychological Association - Chair, Division of Women Psychologists (Division F) Rome Lester Member, American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists Member, Georgia Association of Marriage & Family Therapists

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Ruperto M. Perez American Psychological Association (APA) - Fellow, Division 17 (Counseling Psychology) o Member, Section on Ethnic and Racial Diversity o Member, Section for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Awareness - Fellow, Division 44 (Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Issues) - Member, Division 51 (Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinity) - Member, APA Presidential Task Force on Implementation of the Multicultural Guidelines - Member, APA Centering on Mentoring Task Force - Member, APA Commission on Accreditation Member, American College Personnel Association - Member, Commission for Counseling and Psychological Services (CCAPS) - Member, ACPA 2008 Convention Planning Team (Program Chair for Constituent and Ancillary Programs) Member, Southeastern Psychological Association Member, Georgia Psychological Association Member, Asian American Psychological Association Member, Advisory Committee, Department of Counseling and Psychological Services, Georgia State University.

______________________________________________________________________________

Note Some year-end data (i.e., Professional Development, Committee Work & Division/Institute Service, and Professional Membership & Leadership) were not available for Irene Dalton, PhD. Dr. Dalton took maternity leave in May and plans to return to the Center in July 2008.

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