DV prac vs substance use prac--interested in college counselling internship?

[annel]

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Hey all!
I'm in my 3rd year of a PsyD program. Currently, I'm at a college counseling site, and last year I was in a community mental health clinic.

Next year, I have the choice of doing my last prac at:

A) A clinic that specializes in DV/abuse. I would be co-facilitating 2-3 abuse intervention groups. The agency has a lot of training and support for prac students, while at the same time they expect a lot from us. I think this site would really push me personally and professionally, and I imagine I'd learn a lot.

B) A residential treatment center specializing in the treatment of minorities who have drug/alcohol addiction. I get the impression that I would be more autonomous at this site. I don't think I'd be pushed as hard personally or professionally, nor do I imagine I would learn as much. I could co-facilitate groups, but I don't think I'd get supervision around this.

So, I'm almost positive I'm going to go with A. I want to run groups, and the idea of being at a site that will really push my skills and train me further sounds great. B sounds like it'd be nice because it would not be as challenging for me, but I don't think that's the wisest reason to make the decision.

So my questions are:
1) When applying to internship, do college counseling centers not value DV training as much as substance use training? Someone mentioned this in a previous thread and I wanted other perspectives.

2) Assuming I go with the DV site and a college counseling internship, is it possible for me to work later on in substance use treatment center even though I've had no experience with that (besides a chemical dependency class and a couple of clients with substance use presenting problems)?

Thanks!!

 

[cara susanna]

I have no experience with CC internship application, but I completed an externship at a DV agency and I still apply what I learned there with clients today. I think experience treating DV would be especially helpful in CCs where you may often find clients in controlling or abusive relationships. Granted, SA treatment experience is very useful for that population as well.

 

[CheetahGirl]

So my questions are:
1) When applying to internship, do college counseling centers not value DV training as much as substance use training? Someone mentioned this in a previous thread and I wanted other perspectives.

2) Assuming I go with the DV site and a college counseling internship, is it possible for me to work later on in substance use treatment center even though I've had no experience with that (besides a chemical dependency class and a couple of clients with substance use presenting problems)?

Thanks!!

I think you are making a good decision going with the DV externship. Do not discount your "couple of clients with substance use presenting problems" because it is experience with that population. Although it may not be a prior training "model," you become a more "open" applicant with experience if you'd like to further your techniques in a SA treatment center.

I can't imagine any CC not valuing experience with DV populations over SA. Most CC must refer their heavily-addicted clients out to inpatient treatment facilities because of liability. However, there usally isn't anywhere else to refer the DV clients if they present for therapy and support. Substance use (like exposure to domestic violence) is often systemic, and you will eventually be exposed to enough of the complex dilemmas to know if you would like to go into further training. Also, in my experience, some substance use/abuse training may be manualized, which helps guide each sites' training methodology. What strikes me is your point about supervision between the two sites.

Good supervision is hard to compromise, and it sounds like the DV site has much stronger support. Unfortunately, substance use/abuse will pop up, either directly or indirectly. So you'll still have the opportunity to decide if you'd like to focus on SA one day.

Good luck!

 

[KillerDiller]

I'm interning at a UCC currently, have done a prac at a different UCC, and will be moving on to UCC work in the future. I'm confident that these sites do value substance abuse work over domestic violence experience. Not that DV experience will ever be irrelevant, but more students who come into UCCs will have substance abuse issues than will be involved with DV. For serious debilitating substance abuse, UCCs will refer out, but plenty of them also do BASICS and other motivational interviewing interventions with students who receive alcohol/drug sanctions. Also, it's a good tool to have in your belt when dealing with students who drink heavily, but are coming in for different presenting concerns.

I don't intend to work in substance abuse myself, so I'm not sure about the possibility of getting a post-doc or employment in that area without direct experience. It might be a bit of a stretch.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

As long as you have prior CC experience, I'm sure either opportunity would be worthwhile. If I were choosing...I'd go with substance abuse because that would be more prevalent (albeit DV is still an issue in the college pop.). I also think sub abuse may generalize a bit better and you'll still capture a decent % of DV.

 

[docma]

I'd say choose the path with the best training "fit" and feel and recognize that DV clients will have substance use problems so you will not be treating just a single disorder. (And if you end up in the SUD setting, it will be equally true that you will be learning about DV in some cases.) Single diagnosis treatment is only done in RCT any more I think. At least in most community settings you will be learning about co-occurring disorders and you can certainly present that as relevant to any college counseling setting. And learning to treat complex co-occurring disorders will serve you well the rest of your career regardless of where you land eventually.

 

[cara susanna]

I asked my friend who applied to only UCCs and matched to one this year. She said that she thinks you could spin both favorably on your applications, but there'd probably be a slight advantage with getting substance abuse practicum training.

 

[CheetahGirl]

Wow! Based on my original and the subsequent responses...you learn something new every day! It looks like UCCs favor SA training more as the OP read elsewhere.

And learning to treat complex co-occurring disorders will serve you well the rest of your career regardless of where you land eventually.

I wholeheartedly agree with this, but for the OP - I wonder if you weren't exposed to this in your community mental health training?

I asked my friend who applied to only UCCs and matched to one this year. She said that she thinks you could spin both favorably on your applications, but there'd probably be a slight advantage with getting substance abuse practicum training.

I agree and feel you could spin them both favorably if you decide to apply to SA-focused internship or program (remember most training sites still want to 'train' you and want you to benefit from their training so they never expect you to come 100% "experienced").

With that said, I still think good/plentiful supervision is important in your decision-making. And I'm also still bias because I work with the DV population, and my CC experience was limited in SA clients - I had a few, but really limited to EtOH. Most of my SA experience was clients w/ dual-diagnoses in the community mental health setting.

Annel, let us know what you decide!

 

[annel]

Thanks for the comments all!

I decided to go with the DV site. I'm not sure I made it entirely clear, but the choice here wasn't an apples to apples comparison. The DV site will provide lots of training in DV and around the "art" of doing group therapy that integrates multiple orientations. In that way, the DV site feels more like an internship than a prac site, at least to me. The supervision will be more plentiful, and the supervisor is on site(not the case for the substance use site). I would be working with some mandated clients, which I anticipate will be difficult but a great experience.

So basically, it seems like the reason I would have chosen the substance use site would have been purely for how it might look and that it would give me substance use experience. I am interested in relationship dynamics, so the DV site has that appeal. Finally, I was looking for a site where group therapy is emphasized. At the substance use site, I could co-faciliate some groups, but they would be based off of manuals, and I don't think I would be learning the "art" of doing group therapy. I'm thinking one way I could spin the DV site to appeal to colleges is by the training I'll get in co-facilitating pretty complex groups?

At the end of the day, I chose the site that has the most potential for growth for me as a clinician, and in that regard the choice was not difficult. I just hope that it serves me well in internship and beyond. Opinions/comments welcome!

As long as you have prior CC experience, I'm sure either opportunity would be worthwhile. If I were choosing...I'd go with substance abuse because that would be more prevalent (albeit DV is still an issue in the college pop.). I also think sub abuse may generalize a bit better and you'll still capture a decent % of DV.

Based on what I said above, you'd still choose the substance site?

I'd say choose the path with the best training "fit" and feel and recognize that DV clients will have substance use problems so you will not be treating just a single disorder. (And if you end up in the SUD setting, it will be equally true that you will be learning about DV in some cases.) Single diagnosis treatment is only done in RCT any more I think. At least in most community settings you will be learning about co-occurring disorders and you can certainly present that as relevant to any college counseling setting. And learning to treat complex co-occurring disorders will serve you well the rest of your career regardless of where you land eventually.

Thanks for your thoughts--this makes sense to me. Fit rather than just appearances.

Wow! Based on my original and the subsequent responses...you learn something new every day! It looks like UCCs favor SA training more as the OP read elsewhere.



I wholeheartedly agree with this, but for the OP - I wonder if you weren't exposed to this in your community mental health training?



I agree and feel you could spin them both favorably if you decide to apply to SA-focused internship or program (remember most training sites still want to 'train' you and want you to benefit from their training so they never expect you to come 100% "experienced").

With that said, I still think good/plentiful supervision is important in your decision-making. And I'm also still bias because I work with the DV population, and my CC experience was limited in SA clients - I had a few, but really limited to EtOH. Most of my SA experience was clients w/ dual-diagnoses in the community mental health setting.

Annel, let us know what you decide!

Co-occurring disorders as in mental health diagnosis and substance use? Yeah--definitely had some clients that would fit that. Thanks for sharing your experience.