Counseling Center Residency Program

The intent of the residency is to provide an entry-level professional with the type of supervised experience necessary for licensure as a professional counselor or psychologist. The residency experience may include the provision of the following services:

• Short-term individual, group, and crisis counseling
• Consultation services and outreach programming
• Initial assessments and closing clinician emergency coverage

The resident will also participate in organizational and clinical staff meetings and other university-wide meetings as appropriate. Further, the post-doctoral resident may gain additional experience in areas such as administrative leadership, eating disorders, sexual trauma empowerment, suicide risk reduction, and supervision and training for graduate students (note: provision of supervision is a requirement of a post-doctoral residency). The residency position is a 40 hour per week, 12-month position that begins in August. To avoid ethical issues that may occur when the Counseling Center staff relate to an individual in a role other than as a client, all current and former Counseling Center clients will be excluded from training and employment opportunities at the Counseling Center.

The successful candidate must have:

• Completed all requirements for their master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from a CACREP-accredited graduate program OR their doctoral degree in counseling or clinical psychology from an APA-approved graduate program, including an APA-accredited doctoral internship, prior to the start of residency
• Well-developed skills in providing brief therapy for a college student population

Preferred qualities of the candidate include:

• Interest in and commitment to university counseling work and college student development
• A collaborative spirit of warmth, acceptance, respect, and trust towards colleagues
• Interest in working within the program's developmental-practitioner model
• A willingness and ability to explore one's sense of self, have the capacity to self-reflect, and use one's self-awareness effectively to further personal and professional growth
• Energy to flexibly manage the professional demands of a challenging caseload while maintaining positive and healthy perspectives and relationships
• Self-motivation, self-direction, and commitment to high professional ideals
• An appreciation for, and experience with, working with students from traditionally underrepresented groups and issues pertinent to these populations
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Dedication to the exploration of diversity variables in professional and personal settings

 To view available residency opportunities and apply: visit joblink.jmu.edu, then select “faculty” and search keyword “resident” for any available residency openings within the Counseling Center Department.

Questions about Post-Masters Residency opportunities at the Counseling Center should be directed to Nina Critz, LPC (critznh@jmu.edu) and Wendy Gerlach, LPC (gerlacws@jmu.edu), Co-Coordinators of LPC Training, Counseling Center, MSC 0801, 540-568-6552.

Questions about Post-Doctoral Residency opportunities should be directed to Leslie Gerrard, Ph.D. (gerrarll@jmu.edu), Associate Director of Training, MSC 0801, 540-568-6552.