New UT Permian Basin Counseling Training Clinic
Opens Doors for Future Counselors
Like most new things in life, whether it be signing up for a gym membership, taking a new job or opening up for the first time, we often find that taking the first step is always the most difficult. The University of Texas Permian Basin’s counseling department is helping make the first step to talking to a professional easier.
“People are talking. It used to be taboo, but we’re finding people are more open to it,” Dr. Maria Avalos, the UT Permian Basin Counseling Program Coordinator said. “Something happens that hits your heart and you just need to talk to someone. All you have to do is show up.”
The department has kick started a new student-led counseling training center that offers services free of charge to people both at the university and in the community. Dr. Avalos says given the conversation about mental health happening around the country and in pop culture, the center could not have started at a more perfect time.
“It’s not enough to be a university where we teach students. We need to bridge the gap between the campus and the community,” she said. “This has been the missing piece for us.”
Dr. Avalos and Clinical Coordinator Dr. Samantha Klassen-Bolding started the training clinic in January, with just two makeshift counseling offices that used to be workspace. Within two weeks, they added two more counseling offices and made the spaces look and feel like what one would see in a traditional clinic.
“Every single thing was donated in every office,” Dr. Avalos said. Laughing, she added, “I would leave sticky notes in people’s offices saying ‘I borrowed your plant!’”
Dr. Avalos and Dr. Klassen-Bolding spent weeks dragging desks, chairs and everything else they needed to get the training clinic ready. With the offices staged, they were ‘open for business’ for students and clients.
Until now, students would take their course work and have practice sessions with their classmates. Their first taste of a real counseling session wouldn’t be until they were off campus at an internship. Now, they get that first taste on campus at UT Permian Basin.
“This helps them develop a solid skill set before we just throw them wherever they’re going,” Dr. Avalos said.
The training counseling center gives students the opportunity to get real world experience in a comfortable setting.
“It was the missing component where they could do their work in front of faculty that they’ve had since they began the program,” Dr. Avalos said.
Students conduct real counseling sessions with people in the community and then get immediate feedback from their peers and professors.
Dr. Klassen-Bolding says it has been the perfect fit.
“They get to build the foundation here before they fly the nest out into the real world,” Dr. Klassen-Bolding said. “It’s purely developmental for them. Students are able to get the experience of what it feels like to be part of a real clinic.”
Dr. Avalos says it’s real experience for students and a resource for people in the community, free of charge. She says it opens the door for services to people who have no access to insurance or may not be able to afford counseling sessions.
“For some people, we’re their only resort,” she said. “I think it’s a beautiful thing that our students will be part of. It’s bringing people who otherwise don’t have the option.”
More than half a year into the clinic, Dr. Avalos and Dr. Klassen-Bolding say so far, so good. They have seen their students’ confidence skyrocket and are able to keep all counseling sessions booked.
“I love that we’re giving them a solid foundation,” Dr. Klassen-Bolding said. “They are growing up in a clinic that nurtures them to be the kind of practitioners they need to become.”
The vision is to eventually grow the clinic and give students the option to practice anywhere in the country. Dr. Avalos is working to get national accreditation through CACREP, The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs.
Dr. Avalos says the training clinic embodies what counseling is all about: a spirit of service.
“If you need to talk to someone, all you have to do is show up,” she said. “Call us. We’re ready.”
To get matched with a student counselor and to set up an appointment, call: 432-552-2153.