Other Training Opportunities


Graduate Assistantship for Psychology Doctoral Students:

The Counseling Center sponsors two half-time (20 hours per week), 8-month assistantships. Graduate Assistants are recruited from the Combined Clinical/Counseling/School Psychology Ph.D. program at USU and have typically participated successfully in the doctoral practicum class at the Center prior to or at the time of application.

GA therapists participate fully in the life of the Counseling Center

They provide services:

  • intake interviews
  • individual psychtherapy
  • group & couples counseling
  • crisis and one-time consultation
  • outreach presentations/activies
  • supervised supervison of a REACH Peer

They participate with staff:

  • weekly case staffing
  • weekly staff meeting
  • Fall Staff Retreat
  • Annual Counseling Center Conference
  • Utah Counseling Centers Conference
  • staff-related social gatherings

They receive training and supervision:

  • attend the weekly advanced training seminars with pre-doctoral interns
  • receive one hour per week of individual supervision with a senior (Ph.D.) staff member
  • are invited to all staff in-service trainings and continuing education workshop debriefings

Assistantship positions are posted in the Psychology Department. Selection occurs in February for the following acadmic year

To view a recent position announcement, click here: GA Announcement


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Counseling/Psychology Practica:

The Counseling Center is a practicum site for the USU Psychology Department. We accept up to six practicum students per academic year. The Counseling Center Practicum is offered to students in their third year and beyond in the Pro-sci Psychology doctoral program. The aim of the practicum is four-fold: 1. To provide supervised experience in psychotherapy, outreach, and prevention with a college student population; 2. To promote purposeful therapeutic practice by expanding students' knowledge and understanding of mainstream principles of therapeutic change and fostering effective application of those principles; 3. To provide role models in professional life worthy of student emulation; and 4. To promote self-evaluation of personal beliefs and behaviors to enhance quality of therapy.

The practicum experience involves seeing clients for individual counseling, participating in Center Outreach activities, receiving weekly individual and group supervision, and actively participating in the weekly classroom experience. The practicum is a two semester, 10 hour per week commitment. For more information, contact Amy Kleiner, Practicum Coordinator in the Counseling Center: 797-1012, amy.kleiner@usu.edu. Students may also discuss their practicum options with the training coordinator in the Psychology Department.


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REACH Peer Program:

What is the REACH Peer Program?

It is a volunteer program designed for undergraduate students who would like to obtain experience working in a counseling center. Generally, ten (10) volunteers are selected each year. The program takes approximately six hours per week during Fall and Spring semesters. Some students may be eligible for credit through the Psychology or Family, Consumer and Human Development departments.

Peers divide their time between clinical hours when they are available to work with clients doing skills training and programming hours when they work on outreach projects (e.g. Anxiety, Depression, and Eating Issues Awareness/Screening Days) or workshop presentations. Peers receive supervision for both their clinical and outreach work. They also go through an intensive training program, beginning shortly after they are selected and continuing during the first four weeks of the academic year. The training program covers professional ethics and basic counseling skills.


What does REACH stand for?

Resourceful, Educational, Accepting, Coaching, Helpful


What do the REACH peers do?

Clinical work with individual clients:
REACH peers work with students who are already clients of a therapist in the counseling center (often clients of the peer's clinical supervisor). Generally, peers meet with clients once per week for 50 minutes teaching them skills and practicing the skills with the client. These skills can include progressive muscle relaxation and other forms of stress management, mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, time management, and interpersonal effectiveness. Peers will plan specific interventions in consultation with their supervisor. Each session will be documented and placed in the client's file.

Outreach psychoeducational projects:
These projects are major events, often directed at the whole campus, which concerns some aspect of wellness or mental health. These have included Depression Screening, Stress Bust, Body Image Awareness, Healthy Relationships Panel, and Alcohol Screening. Generally, one peer is the lead person to organize the event (with support from staff of the counseling center or other student services offices) and the other peers will be expected to take a role supporting that effort.

Outreach workshop presentations:
These workshops are designed by the individual peer, with the support of staff and fellow peers, with the goal of presenting the workshop to groups of students on campus during the spring. Topics might include stress management, time management, relationship or communication skills, or parenting. The workshops are expected to run 30-40 minutes.


Persons interested in becoming a REACH Peer should contact the Counseling Center at 797-1012, for details on the application process.