Counseling Psychology Policies and Procedures including Grievance

Overview

Policies and procedures are intended to protect students in Counseling Psychology. The Counseling Psychology Program operates in a manner that is consistent with the College of Education and the Graduate College. The College of Education Graduate Student Handbook covers a lot of information from degree requirements to grievance procedures and other actions. Additionally, the graduate students also can find detailed information about policies and procedures affecting them at the Graduate College website.

Although there are many policies and procedures throughout the Counseling Psychology Program, we highlight three here – if a student has a grievance, funding opportunities, and the Program’s position on diversity.

Grievance

If a student has a grievance, they should consult first with their advisor, or, if there is a conflict with the advisor, with the Counseling Psychology Program Chair and Director of Training. These individuals will assist the student in resolving the issue. For further steps, consult The Graduate College Handbook, Chapter 9: conflict resolution and grievance policy for graduate students.  

Fellowship and Funding Opportunities

There are several funding sources for graduate students.

• Teaching assistantships within the Counseling Psychology Program come with a tuition and fee waiver. Since students are required to teach for two semesters, at least two semesters of their studies will include this form of financial support.
• Teaching assistantships outside of the Counseling Psychology Program are acceptable as sources of funding. Students are encouraged to discuss with advisors.
• Graduate assistantships in other units of the university are also available. The Counseling Center has graduate assistant positions that come with tuition and fee waivers.
• Students are encouraged to check Graduate College funding resources.
• Students are encouraged to check APA grants, scholarships, and awards.
• Research assistantships vary by advisor and student are encouraged to check in with their advisor about such funding.
• Some advanced practicum sites offer an hourly wage or stipend. 

Diversity Statement

The Counseling Psychology Program and its faculty view issues of diversity, multiculturalism, and social justice as core values of being an ethical and competent counseling psychologist. We adopt a pluralistic framework in our training in which multicultural issues are infused throughout our curriculum and training, including coursework, research and practice opportunities, and evaluation. As a faculty, we promote social justice through the adoption of anti-racist, anti-sexist, and anti-homophobic policies and practices on campus, in the surrounding community, and in our profession. For example, we have taken public stances to support partner benefits for same-sex couples in the university and to condemn the racially offensive campus mascot, which was retired several years ago. The Counseling Psychology Program endorses and operates from the values articulated in the university’s Diversity Values Statement, which Counseling Psychology Program faculty provided campus leadership to produce.

Student Support and Community

Students’ sense of belonging and connections to peers and faculty can vary, but the CPP strives to support all students in several ways. In addition to the funding opportunities noted above, the program attends to personal, social, and community wellbeing in the context of our training mission. Structured events include the August orientation, the early fall Milestones presentation, the spring State of the Division address, the weekly seminar, the bi-annual, student-only meeting, and occasional social events.

The first three events are intended to provide clear communication and diminish confusion about program requirements and processes. The weekly seminar brings students and faculty together to consider a range of counseling psychology topics, from research to practice to professional development. These seminars are dialogue based, encourage students and faculty to try out their ideas, connect through reflection, and facilitate networking with each other and guest presenters.

Some students find connection within their cohort, across cohorts, within their lab, or with groups and organizations outside of the CPP. Individual faculty vary in their advising and mentoring style, but all faculty are committed to students’ academic progress toward degree completion and professionalization within the field of counseling psychology. The College of Education also supports graduate students from formal, in-person visits for admitted students to help along each step of the way toward graduation, from a comprehensive orientation to hosting the annual graduate student conference. The Graduate Student Services Office has friendly, knowledgeable staff members who are always willing to help, and the College’s Graduate Student Handbook is updated every year.

Sometimes students wish to seek support outside of the college or off campus. The CPP does not keep a list of resources since these often change and online information is easily available. However, students often turn to each other, seek the guidance of their advisors or other faculty, or consult with the Director of Clinical Training for suggestions of trusted resources. The faculty abide by an ethos of respecting students’ private concerns, do not indulge in gossip, and with the student’s permission, will advocate on a student’s behalf.