Service Delivery

Clinical Services

Initial Consultation (IC):  These are 45-minute meetings with students seeking CAPS services. Collaboratively, the counselor and student make decisions about the most effective next steps, including individual therapy, group therapy, or referral to other departments, agencies, or providers in the UM and greater-Ann Arbor community.

Ongoing Appointments: The philosophy and policy of CAPS is to provide brief therapy, though there is no set session limit. Trainees, with supervisor and practicum coordinator consultation, learn to manage their caseload with the aim of having 50-60% of their weekly hours consist of direct services. There may be an opportunity to carry one or two longer-term clients. .

Other service delivery options (to be decided in conjunction with supervisor and Program Coordinator):

Counselor on Duty (COD): Since the trainee is still building up a caseload, the early winter semester is an excellent time to shadow permanent staff on COD, which includes same-day student appointments and consultations with faculty, staff, and concerned others. Given that trainees are on site only 16-20 hours per week and are NOT supervised by licensed psychologists, practicum trainees are generally not assigned to the regular 3-hour shifts. A trainee interested in this experience must arrange this with the practicum coordinator and/or the training director.

Group Counseling: Every semester, CAPS offers several different types of groups, such as drop-in workshops and ongoing interpersonal process groups. Generally, due to the limited time that practicum trainees are on-site and because full-time trainees are required to co-facilitate a group, opportunities for practicum trainees are limited.

Outreach: CAPS’s vibrant outreach program offers many opportunities for practicum trainees to pair up with permanent staff to shadow and/or engage in outreach presentations and experiences, particularly around specialized areas of interest. This is especially true during the first few weeks of the academic year and then again at the beginning of the Winter semester.

Application Information

Training Philosophy & Goals
Service Delivery
Learning Supports
Sample Schedule
Meet Our Staff
Qualifications / Application Process
Current & Previous Trainees