Practicum Requirement

I've gotten a few questions about the Counseling Practicum requirement in the first year curriculum of the CMHS program so I thought I'd provide an overview for you guys. During early summer, the internship coordinators, who are two current faculty in the program, will email you about your practicum preferences -- mental health agency vs school and population (children, adolescents, adults, etc). Throughout the summer before classes begin, they will look for a fitting site according to your preferences. Once you arrive on campus, everyone will most likely have individual meetings with the internship coordinators about your given site and they will address any questions or concerns that you have about it during that time.

Practicum requirements state that you must work at the site 8-10 hours a week, depending on what your supervisor suggests, and it lasts the whole year. Practicum students usually provide individual counseling or group counseling or both. The site is required to provide you with supervision hours throughout your time there. Your supervisor has to be a certified school counselor or licensed mental health professional. In addition, you will be enrolled in a year-long Counseling Practicum course that supplements your practicum experience. This course will go over counseling techniques and skills as well as interventions for specific populations. It's a fun class, ultilizing mostly collaborative work and class discussions on various counseling topics.

My placement this year is at an inner-city public high school. I have worked with students individually and in groups on various issues and topics -- including personal matters and college/career concerns. My experience at my site has been very educational and beneficial to my personal growth as a counselor. I admit it was a bit intimidating in the beginning, but my supervisor was helpful in familiarizing me with the school culture and preparing me to work with certain issues that are common in that population. One of the main reasons I decided to attend PennGSE was the practicum requirement during the first semester. I thought bridging classroom with experiential learning early in my studies would be an effective way to gain skill and it seems to be the case!

Feel free to comment here or email me at CarusoL@gse.upenn.edu if you have any questions about the practicum experience!

Planes, Trains, & Automobiles...& Buses

I apologize for being MIA for a little while! I just returned from my spring break travels and had an amazing time. Although I have visited New York and Washington, D.C. in the past, this time I spent more days in outlying neighborhoods like Brooklyn, NY and Dupont Circle/Adams Morgan in DC. There is never enough time to visit all the sites and good eateries in NY and DC which is why it is so wonderful that I'm only a few hours away in Philadelphia!

The benefit of being in a centralized, mid-atlantic east coast city is the ease of travel (unfortunately usually a complete oxymoron). For all you prospective or accepted students out there who are not from the east coast and wondering how easy it is to travel to other major cities, I wanted to let you know that, well, it's pretty easy. I can't guarantee that you won't run into minor speed bumps along the way, like delays, but the affordability of certain options makes it worthwhile. You have many modes of transportation to choose from. You could rent a car, take a charter bus, ride the train, or fly to majority of the cities you would want to visit. I have been utilizing an interstate bus service, personally, because it is the most affordable and accessible option. I spent $8 to go to NYC from Philly (2hrs) on a Saturday afternoon and $16 from NYC to Washington DC (4hrs). The buses stop in Philly at 30th Street Station (Philly's major train station) which is only 4 or so blocks away from campus. It couldn't be more convenient :). The travel time may have been a bit longer than the other options (2 hours vs ~1), but free Wifi and outlets made the ride seem much shorter. The two major bus companies that most people I know utilize are BoltBus and Megabus. Check out their websites for a list of their destinations!

Graduate Associate (Resident Advisor) Position

I mentioned in my first post that I am a Graduate Associate (GA), which is essentially a resident advisor (RA) that is a graduate student, in one of the undergraduate college houses on campus. The application process for the GA position is now available for the next academic year! I am really glad I decided to be a GA this year because I have been exposed to other aspects of campus that I may not have known about otherwise. I feel integrated into both the undergraduate and graduate communities on campus. This has perks because I hear about events and services that may not be directly advertised to graduate students, like certain Career Center workshops, performing arts shows, speakers, and informal meetings with Penn faculty. Other benefits of the GA position include free housing that is on campus and close to classes, a meal plan, and a great network of undergraduate and graduate staff! My close friends at Penn include many members of my college house staff. If you are interested, I encourage you to check out the college housing website (link below). Feel free to ask me specific questions about the position as well!

For more information on the GA position and to apply, click on the link provided:
http://www.collegehouses.upenn.edu/raga/index.asp

-L

Here are some photos of my college house and the staff I work and live with!

Juggling Work, Practicum, and Classes

I have received a few emails from future/prospective students about what it's like juggling multiple commitments in graduate school. It can defiinitely be overwhelming at times but, ultimately, it's completely manageable. Time and stress management is key of course and, conveniently, the Graduate Student Center (http://www.gsc.upenn.edu/) offers plenty of free workshops around those topics (among other useful and fun things :-)) if you feel like you need some tips. I would say I am lucky to be in a program with such understanding and caring professors. If you ever run into a crisis or conundrum, they are always there to talk and support you in whatever way they can. Your peers will become a great resource as well. Because the Counseling and Mental Health Services (CMHS) cohort is relatively small (~30-35), many have grown very close as friends. We consistently have hangouts together throughout the semester to destress. Gym membership, unfortunately, is not free for graduate students but it is offered at a decent price (~$30/month) and all instructional classes (dance, karate, yoga, etc.) are open to us as well for a small fee. I am currently taking a karate class at Penn's Pottruck Health and Fitness Center (http://www.upenn.edu/recreation/facilities/pottruck.html) and am loving it! There are definitely many ways to keep yourself sane during your graduate studies, so don't worry about it too much :)!

-L

Just a reminder:

The opportunity to interview with a Penn GSE alumnus/a ends this month! If you are interested in participating in the alumni interview program, you must submit your application and request form before the end Feb. (Interviews are an optional component of the application to our master’s degree programs. The interviews serve as an opportunity for you to get a better sense of GSE from an alumnus and an opportunity for GSE to get to know you better!) Follow the link provided if you are interested!

http://www.gse.upenn.edu/admissions_financial/alumni-interview-request


**Please note that GSE may not be able to accommodate all requests for interviews and you are in no way disadvantaged if you do not request or receive an interview.

Winter!...?

As promised, here are some photos of the one night of snowfall we've had this Winter season!

**Pictured are University of Pennsylvania's College Hall (top), Fisher Fine Arts Library (middle), and College Green/Van Pelt Library (bottom).

I hope it snows again soon! It has been in the 40s and 50s since the last snowfall...bizarre weather patterns for Philadelphia, apparently.

On a side note...
I received a comment on last week's post about the admissions interview process for the Counseling and Mental Health Services. The specific request was to "...talk more about what it was like, and maybe what questions they might ask." In my opinion, the interview is an opportunity for applicants to introduce themselves, talk about why they want to get into the field of counseling and what their interests and goals are, and get questions answered. The interview questions, from what I remember, are pretty standard and straight forward, so don't stress :)! Hope that helps!

If anyone has anymore questions, feel free to comment on my posts!

-Lisa

Gone curlin'

In my first post, I told you guys about a random experience I had last semester (working/walking in the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Parade). This semester has just begun and I'm excited to say that I already have another to share with you guys! I let you know in a previous post that I am a Graduate (residential) Advisor in undergraduate housing on campus. Residential advisors in the college houses have fall and spring training before each semester begins. For a social/bonding activity during training this semester, we went CURLING! To my surprise, I had an aaamazing time and really enjoyed the rather simple (yet, difficult) sport. I encourage everyone to try this sport if you ever get the random chance!

 

SNOW. Yes, it snowed in Philly this past Saturday...and today it was almost 50 degrees. Bipolar much? I took some photos! Share them with you in the next post!

-L

In 'n Out of the Classroom

In: Classes have officially begun! Last semester, I took courses that were required for all first years in my program. The fall schedule is set for the purpose of making sure each student is provided a solid counseling foundation. The courses emphasize counseling skills and theory and how to apply what you learn to your practicum experience (yes, experiential learning starts first semester :D). Another benefit of a set first semester curriculum is the opportunity to take courses together as a cohort. My (wonderful!) cohort has really bonded as a result. This semester, I had more autonomy in choosing my courses which I was quite excited about! In case you're curious, here's my first year schedule:

Fall Semester
Counseling Interventions
Counseling Practicum (Part 1) + Seminar
Ethics in Counseling
Assessment in Counseling

Spring Semester
Sociocultural Foundations in Counseling
Group Counseling
Adolescent Development
Counseling Practicum (Part 2) + Seminar

There are many more course options available to counseling students. Be sure to check out the Counseling and Mental Health Services (CMHS) page on the Penn GSE website to see the full range of courses offered in our program!

Out: First year students in the CMHS program are required to do a counseling practicum at a school or mental health agency site in addition to coursework. It is an 8-hr/wk requirement for the year and, so far, I have found it to be a great learning and skill-building opportunity. I am currently doing my practicum at a high school in the Center City neighborhood of Philadelphia and have had the opportunity to run individual counseling sessions with students. Some of you may be concerned about the program requirement to start field work during the first semester of graduate studies. I remember being quite nervous about it myself. My first couple of sessions with students were pretty nerve-wrecking, but I quickly learned a significant amount from those experiences. I also knew that I wasn't in it alone. I am lucky to have a dedicated and caring supervisor at my site who constantly reminded me that she was there to support me whenever needed. The practical component has been the major contributor to my personal and professional growth in the program.

And before I forget, there will be an Applied Psychology and Human Development Division information session this Saturday! If you are interested in the following programs at GSE, you should definitely check it out!

-- Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Development
-- Counseling and Mental Health Services
-- School and Mental Health Counseling 

Again, it is this Saturday, January 21st, from 10am-noon at the Terrace Room  in Claudia Cohen Hall (249 South 36th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104)! This will be a great opportunity for you to ask any questions you have! Faculty, current students, and program and admissions staff will be there to provide information about the various programs. If you haven't RSVPd, you can do so at http://bit.ly/y1ERGK.

Cohen Hall

 
-L