April 11, 2013
The Counseling Center at The Catholic University of America this week received re-accreditation for its internship program from the American Psychological Association (APA) for a period of seven years. The APA also awards re-accreditation for periods of three and five years.
"This re-accreditation of our pre-doctoral psychology internship program for the maximum number of seven years is a seal of approval for our center," says Monroe Rayburn, Ph.D., director of the Counseling Center. "It demonstrates that our practices conform to the highest established standards in the field as well as our commitment to CUA's student body."
The senior staff of the center are all licensed practicing mental health professionals, who include one part-time and five full-time psychologists, one full-time and one part-time social worker, and one part-time psychiatrist. They are all experienced in working with college students.
In addition, the center has three pre-doctoral psychology interns and 16 graduate-level trainees from Washington, D.C.-area psychology and social work programs, including CUA's Department of Psychology and National Catholic School of Social Service. The internship program is led by Internship Training Director Jeffrey Volkmann, Ph.D.
"We have one of the largest training programs among college and university counseling centers in the Washington, D.C. area," says Rayburn.
"Having such a large pool of interns and graduate students allows us to better serve our student clients when they need us with very little waiting time. It provides the opportunity to extend our outreach to faculty and staff and help them in their efforts to support students and make referrals to the Counseling Center. And it allows us to fulfill the University's education mission to further the fields of social work and psychology by providing a training ground for advanced students," adds Rayburn.
The Center offers one-on-one counseling as well as group counseling. In the 2011-2012 academic year, 639 students utilized Counseling Center services, representing a little more than 13 percent of Catholic University's full-time undergraduate and graduate student population.
"CUA, along with university counseling centers across the country, have experienced an increased demand for mental health services in the last decade," says Rayburn.
He attributes this to increased concerns about campus safety, increased awareness and understanding of mental health issues, and an increase of students coming to college who are already in treatment and under the care of a mental health professional.
The Counseling Center is also accredited by the International Association of Counseling Services (IACS). Approximately one-third of university counseling centers nationwide have attained the IACS accreditation, according to Rayburn.
Rayburn encourages any student who is "struggling and finding that the normal methods of coping are not working - or who simply want to get the most out of the college experience - to give the Counseling Center a try. Come once and see how we can help. We are right here on campus, we are confidential, and we are free."
CUA's Counseling Center is located at 127 O'Boyle Hall and is open Monday through Friday. Students are welcome to stop by or call 202-319-5765 to schedule an appointment. For more information about services and hours, visit http://counseling.cua.edu .