Clinicians in our counseling center serve the mental health needs of students in a variety of ways. General Services includes individual psychotherapy, a vibrant group therapy program, and crisis intervention services. We work to foster team-based collaboration between our medical staff and mental health professionals and provide experience working within a medical context through several interdisciplinary treatment teams. Specialty programs including the DAY Programs (treatment related to substance use/abuse and other addictions) and the iTEAM (DBT-informed post-hospitalization program providing integrated care to clients experiencing an acute mental health crisis) provide additional opportunities for students to receive specialized care. The CSUHN has a strong commitment to social justice advocacy and has solid working relationships with the various Student Diversity Programs and Services offices on campus.
The training of clinically-competent, ethical, self-aware, and culturally sensitive psychologists is central to our mission. (Please click here for more information on the training program’s commitment to diversity.) We provide training to as many as thirty graduate students from diverse disciplines each year. All training is provided on site. The CSUHN does not use any distance education technologies for training or supervision. The seven training cohorts that comprise our training program are described very briefly below.
Our Doctoral Internship in Health Service Psychology has been accredited by the American Psychological Association since 1973 and was one of the first university counseling services to earn this recognition. Our Master’s Internships in Social Work and Counseling are offered to students from CSU and other regional institutions. Advanced Practicum placements are open to third, fourth, and fifth year doctoral psychology graduate students from CSU and nearby universities, and GSA positions are sometimes offered to advanced-level doctoral psychology graduate students in CSU’s Counseling Psychology graduate program. The second year Psychology Practicum (Prac 1) also is offered in conjunction with CSU’s doctoral program in Counseling Psychology and is only open to their students. We also offer Post-Doctoral and Post-Masters Fellowships. These fellowships provide opportunities to continue to build skills as a generalist clinician while also developing skills working with one or more specialized areas (DAY Programs and iTEAM).
Broad-based training is essential for developing professionals.
We value the contributions of our own and other professional disciplines to the training program, recognizing that a diverse set of knowledge and skills are essential for effective practice.
Psychological theory and research are the foundation for competent practice.
The training staff believes that psychological theory and scientific research provide a foundation for conceptualization and intervention. The practice of mental health professionals should be grounded in theories relevant to their discipline and the supporting scientific literature.
An optimal learning environment is supportive and challenging.
We believe that learning is facilitated by an environment in which challenge is balanced with support. We value an open environment in which ideas can be explored and it is safe to make mistakes. We encourage trainees to honestly assess their professional strengths and limitations so that we may collaboratively establish training goals.
A commitment to self-awareness and a willingness to monitor the impact of personal needs on professional behavior are expected of all members of the staff.
Effectiveness as a mental health professional is not simply the result of skills acquisition, but rather the successful synthesis of competence and personal maturity that results in self-regulated, ethical behavior. Self-knowledge, self-care, and the ability to balance one’s personal and professional lives are essential to being an effective role model and instrument of change.
Each trainee and staff member has the right to be treated with respect.
Respect, honest communication, cooperation in meeting goals, and the support of one’s colleagues are central to a productive work environment. Evidence of bias, stereotyped thinking, and prejudicial beliefs and attitudes will not go unchallenged, even when such behavior is rationalized as a being a function of ignorance, joking, or cultural differences.
Respect for human diversity is a fundamental component of all activities.
The CSU Health Network bases all its programs and services, including training, on a philosophy that affirms the dignity of all people. We expect staff and trainees to be committed to the social values of respect for diversity, inclusion and equity. Both trainers and trainees should demonstrate a willingness to examine their own assumptions, behaviors, and values so that they may work effectively (as clinicians, teachers, mentors, and advocates) with “cultural, individual, and role differences, including those based on age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, and socioeconomic status” (APA Ethics Code, 2002, Principle E).
We believe that becoming a competent psychologist, social worker or counselor is a developmental process requiring graduated experiences and training. Consequently, the CSUHN offers training experiences from beginning practica through postdoctoral fellowships. The didactic instruction and supervised practice opportunities vary according to the level of training and the readiness of the individual student. As trainees gain experience, expectations for more advanced professional skills, greater self-awareness and autonomous functioning increase.
We place a high value on the integration of one’s personal and professional identities. We strive to tailor each student’s experience to their individual needs within the structured activities of our training program. Ongoing self-assessment of one’s strengths and limitations is encouraged. When coupled with the supervisory feedback of multiple staff members who are committed to training new professionals, there is great opportunity for personal and professional development.
Service Delivery Experiences
Fall Semester
In the fall semester it is expected that each student will have a minimum of 50 hours of client contact. These hours will be broken down as follows:
- 40 hours conducting/observing counseling sessions
- Minimum of 30 therapy sessions with own caseload
- Maximum of 10 hours observing others’ therapy sessions
- 10 hours of Initial Consultations (ICs)
- Phase I: Observe two ICs
- Phase II: Co-conduct ICs (minimum of 3)
- Phase III: Independently conduct remainder of ICs
Spring Semester
In the spring semester it is expected that each student will have a minimum of 50 hours of client contacts. These hours will be broken down as follows:
- 40 hours conducting therapy sessions
- 10 hours of ICs
In summary, all practicum students will have a minimum of 100 hours of direct client contact throughout the academic year in order to satisfactorily complete the practicum. It should be noted that the 50 hours of client contact per semester are a minimum requirement. Therefore, students are not permitted to “cram” their hours into the early part of the semester. If a student completes the 50-hour commitment early in either semester, she/he must continue to fulfill their contract with the CSU Health Network until that semester ends. This is done by designating four hours each week as therapy hours or ICs and attending weekly supervision and the practicum seminar. Learning how to be a more effective therapist is a developmental task that cannot be completed in the same manner that some other graduate practica or classes may be. Therefore, the expectation is that all students will maintain an ongoing caseload throughout the academic year. This means that students will be required to maintain a minimum of four client hours each week during the semester.
Evaluation of Practicum Student Performance:
At the beginning of each semester, the practicum student and their supervisor will prioritize goals for the semester. The goals will be based upon the requisite clinical competencies, professional standards and behaviors, and personal functioning that are expected of students during their practicum. Evaluation criteria are detailed in the Supervisor’s Evaluation of UCC Practicum Student.
It is the philosophy of the agency and the Psychology Department that the CSU Health Network Practicum Program is a joint training responsibility. Feedback, both to and from the trainee, will be an ongoing process. Practicum students should receive regular feedback about their performance during weekly supervision sessions. In addition, there will be four times each year when formal evaluations will take place. At mid-semester and at the end of each semester, practicum supervisors will communicate their evaluations to their trainee and elicit feedback about the supervisory process. Feedback will be both verbal and written. The trainee will then meet with his/her supervisor, the practicum course instructors, and the Training Director. The practicum student should invite his/her academic advisor to this meeting. The Supervision of Supervision Seminar leader and other representatives of the Psychology Department faculty may also attend. Although the practicum student will already have heard the feedback from their individual supervisor, this evaluation meeting is held to make sure that everyone involved is aware of the student’s progress and training goals. Competencies identified on the evaluation form will be marked as “Pass,” “Needs Improvement,” or “Needs Individualized Treatment Plan (ITP).” As noted above, expectations for performance are greater as the year progresses. What was deemed passing in October may be viewed as needing improvement in March.
When a student receives a “Needs Improvement” mark, the expectation is that they will receive specific feedback from their supervisor or seminar leaders about the changes they should make in this/these area(s). The purpose is to highlight the student’s growth edges. This does not indicate that the student is in danger of not passing the practicum experience, rather, it indicates areas where they should focus effort as they continue their training experience.
When a student receives a “Needs Individualized Training Plan” mark, an Individualized Training Plan (ITP) will be developed in conjunction with the supervisor, Practicum Seminar leaders, and the Training Director. The Counseling Psychology Program Training Director will also receive a copy of the written plan. Typically a period of time (e.g., one month) is established for additional training and skill evaluation by the supervisor and other members of the senior staff. At the conclusion of the training period, a review meeting is scheduled for all those participating in the plan. An additional training period may be specified if the goals of the plan have not been attained. A follow-up letter is forwarded to the Counseling Psychology Program Training Director at this time. (See section on Remediation Stages and Procedures for more information.)
Except in unusual circumstances, such as when a problematic behavior occurs late in the semester, concerns should be formally addressed and an ITP initiated by the time of the mid-semester evaluation. If the ITP is not completed before the end of the semester, the student will receive an incomplete. The grade will be changed upon successful completion of the plan.
Although we recognize that an ITP can be stressful for the student, the goal is educational. The practicum program is designed to be competency-based. That means that we generally work with a student until they successfully complete the practicum and are ready to move to the next practicum experience. Since the evaluation of therapy skills can be subjective, involving multiple staff members in the ITP protects the student from the possibility of a negative evaluation by only one person. (See section on Remediation Procedures at the beginning of this Training Manual.)
Evaluation of Supervisors and Training Staff
During supervision it is typical for a supervisor to elicit feedback from the practicum student about the supervision experience. Whenever a practicum student has concerns about a supervisor or other staff member, it is best to first discuss those concerns with the person directly. In most cases, open and honest dialogue will resolve the conflict and can even lead to better working relationships. Students should always feel free to ask for advice and support from any staff member with whom they are comfortable. If the problem is too large or continues after attempts at remediation by the practicum student, the practicum course instructor(s) and the Training Director should be notified. The Training Director and practicum course instructor(s), unless they are involved in the situation, will meet with the supervisor and supervisee and mediate the problem. Should this fail, the larger training staff will be notified and plans will be set in motion to ameliorate the problem (see section on Grievance Procedures).
Students are asked for their perceptions about their supervisory experience and given the opportunity to make suggestions for ways to improve their training. At both mid-semester and at the conclusion of the semester, each practicum student will evaluate her/his supervisor by completing the Trainee’s Evaluation of Supervisor Form, which will be shared in the final supervision session. All evaluation forms will be returned to the Training Director at semester’s end and kept in a permanent file. A copy of the evaluation of the supervisee may also be made and sent to the Psychology Department’s Training Director at the end of each semester to aid in goal‑setting for the 3rd year practicum.
All prospective Beginning Practicum students interested in applying for the 2023-2024 training year should submit the following materials in Word or PDF format to Ginny.Laahs@colostate.edu by midnight on April 2, 2023.
- A letter of interest in the program;
- A C.V. or professional resume;
- A completed “Information Form;”
- If you are NOT enrolled in PSY610/611 this year, please provide names, phone numbers, and email addresses of two professional references. At least one of these references should be someone who is familiar with your clinical skills, and let them know that we will be calling them in early April. (The course instructor automatically will provide us with information on students enrolled in 610/611).
30-minute Zoom interviews will be scheduled in April.
Please note that students who have received counseling services from the CSUHN within the last two years are not eligible for this position. The eligibility of students who received counseling services from the CSUHN more than two years ago will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, to avoid potential dual role relationships. Please contact the CSUHN Training Director, Aki Hosoi (Aki.Hosoi@colostate.edu), if you have questions concerning your eligibility.
Helen Bowden
Senior Staff, General Services
Licensed Psychologist (2008)
PhD (Counseling Psychology) – University of Florida (2005)
Jenny Brandsma
Associate Director, Clinical Services
Licensed Professional Counselor (2011)
MA – University of Denver (2007)
Andrew L. Brimhall
Senior Staff, General Services
Licensed Psychologist (2019)
PhD (Counseling Psychology) – Ball State University (2018)
Jessie Charbonneau
Senior Staff, General Services
Licensed Professional Counselor (2018)
MS – University of Northern Colorado (2015)
Lisa Cline
Senior Staff, iTEAM
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (2013)
MSW – Colorado State University (2008)
Dee Colombini
Senior Staff, DAY Programs
Licensed Professional Counselor (1999)
Licensed Addictions Counselor (2014)
MA – University of Missouri (1990)
Karen Eichel
Senior Staff, Interpersonal Violence Counselor
Licensed Professional Counselor (2018)
M.Ed.—Colorado State University (2015)
Michèle Faris
Assistant Director, Academic Year Staff
Licensed Psychologist (1993)
PsyD (Counseling Psychology) – University of Northern Colorado (1988)
Beit Gorski
Licensed Professional Counselor (less than 3 years)
Naropa University – 2013
Aki Hosoi
Associate Director/Training Director
Licensed Psychologist (2011)
PhD (Counseling Psychology) – Colorado State University (2010)
Christopher Leck
Assistant Director, DAY Programs
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (2009)
MSW – Colorado State University (2006)
Pam McCracken
Senior Staff, DAY Programs
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (2014)
MSW – University of Kansas (1993)
Jeff Nepute
Senior Staff (team lead), iTEAM
Licensed Psychologist (2016)
PhD (Counseling Psychology) – Colorado State University (2014)
Stephen Okiyama
Senior Staff, General Services
Licensed Psychologist (2013 – CO)
PhD (Clinical Psychology) – Fuller Graduate School of Psychology (1989)
Jeffrey Paulez
Senior Staff, Trauma Psychologist
Licensed Psychologist (2020)
PhD (Counseling Psychology) – University of Northern Colorado (2019)
Adam Sargent
Assistant Director, Group Program
Licensed Psychologist (2016)
PhD (Counseling Psychology) – Colorado State University (2015)
Jesse Wolf
Senior Staff, iTEAM
Licensed Psychologist (2020)
PsyD (Clinical Psychologist) – William James College (2018)
Britney Worley
Senior Staff, DAY Programs
Licensed Professional Counselor (2021)
MA- University of Northern Colorado (2019)
The University’s 2018-2019 resident instruction enrollment was 28,679 with students from every state and more than 110 countries. Approximately 62% of the students are Coloradoans. Our U.S. student population identifies as 27.3% ethnic minority and 72.7% Caucasian. There are over 2300 students and scholars from foreign countries with the highest percentage from Saudi Arabia, China, Oman, and Vietnam. Women represent approximately 51.8% of CSU’s enrollment. Last year, 6084 students (approximately 21% of CSU’s 2018-2019 enrollment) were seen at the CSUHN Counseling Services. We saw primarily undergraduate students, with graduate/professional students making up 19.5% of the population we served. Of the clients who came to the CSUHN Counseling Services, 58.2% identified as female, 41.3% identified as male, and 0.5% identified in another way. In terms of ethnicity, 20.7% of our clients identified as ethnically diverse: American Indian/Alaska Native (0.3%), Asian American/Pacific Islander (2.5%), Black/African American (2.2%), Latinx (11.8%) and multiracial (3.8%). These numbers closely parallel the representation of these populations within the student body. International students comprised 8.5% of the students we served. Many more of these historically underrepresented students were served through outreach programming.
Colorado State University is one of our nation’s leading research universities with world-class research in infectious disease, atmospheric science, clean energy technologies, and environmental science. It was founded in 1870 as the Colorado Agricultural College, six years before the Colorado Territory became a state. Colorado State is a land-grant institution and a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University-Extensive.
Colorado State University is a “university of choice” for Colorado residents – 37% of all of Colorado’s science, math, engineering and technology majors pursue degrees at CSU. In addition to its excellent programs in those areas, CSU offers among the very best professional programs in the United States in veterinary medicine, occupational therapy, journalism, agriculture and construction management. Colorado State faculty are researching and tackling critical global issues, such as the reemergence of tuberculosis, air pollution in Asian cities, severe weather forecasting, nutrition and wellness, and bioterrorism. CSU’s faculty provides an enriched student learning experience by offering laboratory and field experiences from a major research university. This approach – combining the intellectual experience of the classroom with the practical experience of the field and laboratory – is based on the land-grant philosophy.
Colorado State’s Student Leadership, Involvement and Community Engagement office hosts some of the strongest community-service programs in the country, allowing more than 6,000 students to participate in the university’s proud tradition of public outreach. CSU faculty played a significant role in the founding of the Peace Corps, and CSU remains one of the primary sources of Peace Corps volunteers today.
Colorado State is ranked in the top tier of universities in U.S. News and World Report’s rankings of “America’s Best Colleges and Universities,” while Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine named CSU one of the top public universities in the United States in terms of educational quality and affordability. For more information on Colorado State University, please visit http://www.colostate.edu.
Fort Collins is a city that has garnered an array of honors:
∙ One of the Top 10 Best College Towns: Small-Sized Cities Category, USA Today– September 2019
∙ One of the top six ‘Smarter Cities’ for Energy: Natural Resources Defense Council, (population 100,000-249,999)– August 2010
∙ 6th Best Place to Live in the Nation: Money Magazine– July 2010
∙ One of the Most Underrated Cities in the West: com– June 2010
∙ One of the Greatest Places to Live in the West: American Cowboy magazine– April 2010
∙ Ranked 4th Best Places for Business and Careers: Forbes– April 2010
∙ One of a Dozen Distinctive Destinations: National Trust for Historic Preservation– February 2010
∙ Ranked 3rd ‘Smarter City’ for sustainability: Natural Resources Defense Council– July 2009
∙ One of America’s 20 Most Economically Vibrant College Towns: com– September 2011
∙ Ranked First, Safest Drivers in America: Allstate Insurance Company– 2011
∙ Ranked 3rd on the Best Bicycle Cities list: League of American Bicyclists and TheStreet.com– August 2011
∙ One of the top 15 Best Places for triathletes to live and train: Triathlete Magazine– August 2011
∙ Ranked 1st Best Place to Live and Work for Young Professionals (pop. 100,000-200,000): Next Generation Consulting– March 2009
Fort Collins has more than 300 days of sunshine per year (rivaling Miami or San Diego), so Colorado State University students can sample the city life and a variety of recreational opportunities throughout the year. Fort Collins is located 65 miles north of Denver and 45 miles south of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Transportation between Fort Collins and Denver International Airport is provided by both bus and limousine service.
At the foot of the Rocky Mountains, Fort Collins is within a one-hour drive of such major recreational areas as Estes Park, Red Feather Lakes, Horsetooth Reservoir, and several national parks, including the 790,000 acre Roosevelt National Forest and Rocky Mountain National Park. A wide variety of recreational activities is fostered not only by the presence of such areas but also by the climate in the Fort Collins region. Located at an elevation of 5,000 feet, Fort Collins has a clear, dry atmosphere and generally pleasant temperatures throughout the year. The summer temperature ranges from an average high of 82 to an average low of 52 degrees; the winter temperature ranges from an average high of 41 to an average low of 13 degrees.
Indicative of the cultural life of Fort Collins is the museum, public library, Lincoln Center, and Civic Symphony. An active University calendar — guest speakers, art exhibits, theater, cinema, concerts — adds to community life. This broad spectrum of cultural and outdoor recreational facilities, the excellent climate, and the mountain surroundings contributes to the ideal university setting of Fort Collins.
For more information on Fort Collins, please visit http://www.fcgov.com/visitor/.