Trouble with Hours

[WhatThePsych]

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There are 6 weeks left in the semester and I have less than 10 face to face contact hours through the clinic I am currently assigned to. I do not currently get contact hours through research; however this will change next semester. I will be assigned to the same clinic next semester and I have been told it is quality of hours not quantity that matter in developing as a therapist. I am a 3rd year student (who will be in the program an extra year due to hours) and this is my first semester of therapy. My other rotations have been 95% diagnostic assessment. I am just starting to feel like my abilities and mainly confidence as a therapist are shrinking. I have been told I have a good foundation for becoming a strong therapist, but how can you get there without practicing? Ugh, sorry I am just in a funk and lost on what to do. Any thoughts?

 

[Ollie123]

Can you apply to pick up a second placement? Or arrange one yourself through the school?

Of course, if you can talk to someone at your current placement to get more hours that might help too. Are there just not any clients? Is attendance poor? Is it too few hours per week and can you work more? Are you expected to focus your efforts on assessment even though you were hoping to do therapy?

I know some schools do things differently, but here it is common for people to do at least 1-2 additional practica placements on top of the school clinic. These are typically 4-10 hours a week, rather than the full 20. Pretty much only paid placements have students pull the 20+ hour shifts here.

I'd say, if it isn't working for you, find a new one. Talk to your DCT. If the practica is giving you so few hours, the school should know is they may want to drop it from the practica listings (unless it is just more assessment-heavy than expected and you are getting hours there). Its very true hours aren't everything, but 10/semester is a bit ludicrous unless you are just getting started.

 

[WhatThePsych]

I cannot personally find and pick up a second placement. The DCT does this and is aware of my situation. The clinic is having trouble recruiting clients and getting them in the door. I have seen 4 different clients this semester ( 2 have dropped after the fisrt visit). I still have 2 and possibly one referal coming in. I can't work more unless there are more clients. This is striclty a clinic for therapy. I am not getting assessment hours and they are not available. The DCT is aware of the problem. I have been very level headed and assertive, but now I am starting to feel helpless, which I think is fueling the decrease in confidence even though it's not very rational. That is related to me finding out I am assigned to the same clinic again next semester. I am not sure how they think that recruitment will increase to an appropriate level when even the supervisor admits they don't know what to do to increase clinic traffic. Blek. I suppose I am just veting now. Thanks for the response.

 

[cara susanna]

I'm a second year so it's not the same situation, but I don't have any clients at our clinic when the rest of my cohort does. As of right now I'm the only student therapist there without a client. Very frustrating.

 

[Ollie123]

The DCT handles selecting placements for students? Have you spoken to them and are certain this is true in all situations?

That seems...odd to me. If this is an external practica, can you pick up additional clients in the school clinic? If your advisor has ties to other treatment sites, perhaps they could work with the DCT to get you set up elsewhere?

This seems like a decidedly strange system to me if you do not have some control over this...I've never heard of a program working that way. Within the school clinic, we rank our desired supervisors and get matched, but if someone was really not having their needs met I'm sure a switch would be made. I can't imagine external sites agreeing to a school sending over whoever they wanted without interviewing candidates.....

Is it a paid placement? I might understand why they wouldn't want you backing out if true since the site likely incurred costs in setting this up (though then I REALLY can't imagine this being left to the dct and not the site), but I can't fathom a program wanting students to continue working at a practica that wasn't getting them the experience they need.

 

[O Gurl]

I agree that 10 hours/semester, particularly for a 3rd year student, is very little intervention time.

How have other students managed this issue? Do you have a faculty advisor you can speak to? I would strongly urge you to not stay quiet on an issue like this. A trainee has to be somewhat selfish at this stage because we only have so much time for training and prep. Also, you are investing too much (whether it is tuition, time, free/cheap assistantship labor) into your graduate training to have to worry about whether or not you will be competent and competitive at the next stage. If this assigned clinic is not cutting it, then do what you have to do to get supplemental experience or reassigned altogether.