The staff is selected each year on the basis of competence, interest in serving college students, and freedom from bias in meeting the needs of a diverse population.
Full details about the Post-Doctoral fellowship are available on the Human Resources page.
The Student Counseling Center serves only Whittier College undergraduate students. Whittier College is a private liberal arts college of approximately 1,150 students. In addition to undergraduate degrees, the College awards Masters Degrees in Education. It is primarily a residential school and attracts students from across the United States. As a Minority-Majority school, more than 70% of the student population is from ethnic/ minority and diverse backgrounds and many are first-generation college students.
The mission of Student Counseling Services is to promote and foster the emotional and psychological growth and well-being of all students attending Whittier College through supportive, short-term individual and/or couples counseling, psychiatric and community referrals, educational outreach events, and consultation with staff, faculty, and families. Our staff is committed to providing high-quality services in a safe, confidential and non-judgmental atmosphere by creating safe spaces to learn, develop and grow. Individual therapy includes crisis intervention, consultation, short-term, and extended term. Group therapy and conjoint therapy may be offered on a limited basis. There is also the opportunity to provide brief consultations to students in informal settings such as the residence hall following Cornell University’s “Let’s Talk” program.
Student therapists receive training in models of consultation and short-term therapy. Supervision is integrative, with an emphasis on assessing client needs and developing treatment strategies that fit those needs. Clinical and diagnostic assessment skills are developed, and student therapists learn to contract with their clients for focused treatment goals. Certain cases may be selected for longer treatment, when appropriate to clients’ needs. DSM-5 diagnoses are utilized.
Each week, student therapists will receive individual supervision with a licensed Psychologist/Director; group supervision may be led separately by a licensed psychologist or LCSW and consultation, based on tape review, led by a post-doctoral fellow when staffing is filled. Practicum students will also participate in weekly staff meetings and outreach consultation meetings.
Work with the college population offers a range of presenting problems including developmental issues, as well as problems prevalent in this age group (alcohol/substance abuse, adjustment, grief, relational issues, mood disorders, etc.). Practicum students will provide counseling to students, learn consultation skills, and be involved in outreach programming events. Practicum students will join the staff in attending weekly didactic seminars on issues such as diversity, suicide, law and ethics, and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). Practicum students may serve in the after-hours, on-call rotation for one week, approximately four to eight times during this practicum.
Training is nine months in length, beginning mid-August and including a 3-day mandatory orientation (August 12-14, 2024). The training runs through approximately May 16, 2025.
Practicum therapists are expected to take vacation the week of Thanksgiving break (November 25-29, 2024), the four weeks of the College’s winter break (December 16, 2024-January 14, 2025), and the week of spring break (March 10-14, 2025). Other time off, including that for internship interviews, must be negotiated with the Director in advance.
The Counseling Center is open 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Practicum students are required to be present on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Other days/times can be negotiated depending on trainee schedule, office availability, and center staffing needs. Outreach activities, such as workshops, occur periodically outside of the typical workday. Staff members are expected to be flexible with their schedules to attend these events.
Application will be made only after clearance has been received from DCT and will include:
The Whittier College Counseling Center (WCCC) follows SCAPTP guidelines for practicum notification. If WCCC is not a captive site for your program, the electronic match/Uniform Practicum Notification Day, typically the second Monday in April, will be followed.
