Counseling Psychology

Specializations

Counseling Psychology

Donna Schultheiss Ph.D

Elizabeth Welfel Ph.D

Brochures & Newsletter


			Newsletter Fall 2011	Newsletter Fall 2012	Special Event Dr Y. Barry Chung photos

Welcome! Thank you for your interest in our Counseling Psychology training in the College of Education and Human Services at Cleveland State University. We have designed this Website to help you gain an accurate and comprehensive view of our program. Our central mission is to educate counseling psychologists who are competent to work effectively with diverse urban populations – competent in assessment, intervention, research, and supervision tasks. Our program is designed to immerse students in the issues facing urban populations as well as to help students develop the competencies they need to function as professional psychologists. Counseling psychology became a designated specialization in the Urban Education Ph.D. program in 2006 and earned its APA accreditation in 2010, its graduates have been eligible for psychology licensing in Ohio since 1992. In the years between 1992 and 2006, it was identified as a counseling training sequence.

Counseling Psychology at CSU follows the scientist-practitioner model of training and it has these major goals:

Training counseling psychologists who have the requisite knowledge base and therapeutic skills for entry into the practice of professional psychology..
Training counseling psychologists who have the necessary knowledge and skills for competent practice and research within a multicultural diverse urban society.
Training counseling psychologists who will contribute to and apply the scientific knowledge base of psychology using skills in qualitative and quantitative research methods.

NEW DEVELOPMENTS

Cleveland State has been chosen as the host institution for the Student Affiliates of Seventeen (SAS) for 2013-2016! And, we are delighted to announce that our students were nationally recognized by being selected over other APA accredited programs and will have a major role in the Society for Counseling Psychology for the next three years. Congratulations to this amazing group of students! Students entering the program during these years will also have a chance to be involved with SAS activities on the national level.

April 15th, 2013 The program is delighted to announce that the cohort beginning in Fall, 2013 will be comprised of 7 students who present with graduate degrees with across the nation and internationally and impressive clinical, research, and academic training!

New Faculty

We are pleased to announce that in August, 2013, Dr. Julia Phillips will be joining us as an Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology. She has been Associate Director of Training for the APA accredited internship at the University of Akron Counseling Center and has published widely in the areas of professional education and diversity.

STUDENT ADMISSIONS, OUTCOMES, AND OTHER DATA

Time To Completion:

Outcome	Year in which Degrees were conferred
Outcome	2006- 2007	2007- 2008	2008- 2009	2009- 2010	2010- 2011	2011- 2012	2012- 2013	Total
Total number of students with doctoral degree conferred on transcript		2					6	8
Mean number of years to complete the program		6					6.7	6.5
Median number of years to complete the program		6					6	6

Time to Degree Ranges	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	Nv	%	N	%	N	%
Students in less than 5 years
Students in 5 years													1	16.6	1	12.5
Students in 6 years			2	100									3	50	5	62.5
Students in 7 years													1	16.6	1	12.5
Students in more than 7 years													1	16.6	1	12.5

The program can be completed in 5 years of full-time graduate study and requires a Master’s degree in counseling, clinical psychology, or closely related field as a pre-requisite to admission. Most current students are taking between 6 years to completion, including pre-doctoral internship. Two of our Summer, 2013 graduates will be completing the program in 5 years. If a student elects to complete a 2 year half-time pre-doctoral internship the program, it will take a minimum of 6 years to complete. Any applicant with questions about pre-requisites may contact Dr. Elizabeth Welfel at welfeler@yahoo.com or by phone at 216 687-4605.

If a prospective student is missing a few of the pre-requisites, but otherwise qualifies for the program, that student may complete the missing pre-requisite courses early in their doctoral program. Some newly admitted students elect to complete the pre-requisites in the summer before starting doctoral studies. Students who are deficient in several pre-requisites are likely to extend their programs if they do not begin to enroll in the pre-requisites at the beginning of doctoral studies.

ATTRITION DATA

Variable	Year of First Enrollment
	2006- 2007		2007- 2008		2008- 2009		2009- 2010		2010- 2011		2011- 2012		2012- 2013
	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Students for whom this is the year of first enrollment (i.e. new students)	*9	-	7	-	4	-	6	-	5	-	4	-	2	-
Students whose doctoral degrees were conferred on their transcripts	7	78	1	17
Students still enrolled in program	2	22	5	66	4	100	5	83	4	80	3	75	2	100
Students no longer enrolled for any reason other than conferral of doctoral degree			1	17			1	17	1	20	1	25

*This number includes 4 students who transferred from the prior counseling doctoral program.

STUDENT SUPPORT AND COSTS:

Description	2012-2013 1st-year Cohort Cost
Tuition for full-time students (in-state)	$6,297.00/Semester $524.75/Credit Hour
Tuition for full-time students (out-of-state)	$8,524.20/Semester $710.35/Credit Hour
Tuition per credit hour for part-time students (if applicable)	N/A
University/institution fees or costs	$25
Additional estimated fees or costs to students (e.g. books, travel, etc.)	$500

The program strives to provide graduate assistantships or tuition grants for all first and second year students who request funding. After that period of time, students may be eligible for additional assistantships if positions exist in our program. In the 2011-2012 academic year, four students beyond the second year requested an assistantship, and three were awarded one. Assistantships are given for one year and students must reapply on an annual basis. The Co-Directors of Training organize student applications for assistantships, and make placement decisions in coordination with the Directors of the various student service areas. Students who are awarded a graduate assistantship must be enrolled as full-time doctoral students with at least 7-9 semester hours of credit each semester.

A variety of 10 hour tuition grants (tuition remission for 7 - 9 semester hours per semester) and 20 hour graduate assistantships (tuition remission for 8 semester hours plus stipend for each semester) have been made available to students including research, teaching and professional service (i.e., University Counseling Center, University Disability Services, and University Tutoring Center). For 2012-2013 the stipend for assistantships is $5,900.00 per academic year. A tuition scholarship was also provided recently to an international student. The specific times that students work are negotiated with the supervising faculty member so as not to conflict with any courses students may be taking. Typically, graduate research assistants are involved in research activities such as library searches, literature reviews, data collection, data entry and analysis, manuscript preparation, report writing, often resulting in opportunities to collaborate on presentations and publications. In addition, assistants may be asked to help with classes faculty are teaching by grading exams, keeping records, helping with library research for classes, and other tasks.

INTERNSHIP ACCEPTANCE RATES
Internship Placement — Table 1

Outcome	Year Applied for Internship
	2006- 2007*		2007- 2008*		2008- 2009*		2009- 2010*		2010- 2011		2011- 2012		2012- 2013
	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Students who sought or applied for internships*	2	-	1	-	0	-	1	-	6	-	8	-	7*	-
Students who obtained internships	2	100	1	100			1	100	3	-	6	75	4	57
Students who obtained APA/CPA-accredited internships							1	100	3	60	4	50	2	29
Students who obtained APPIC member internships that were not APA/CPA-accredited (if applicable)													2	29
Students who obtained other membership organization internships (e.g. CAPIC) that were not APA/CPA-accredited (if applicable)
Students who obtained internships conforming to CDSPP guidelines that were not APA/CPA-accredited (if applicable)
Students who obtained other internships that were not APA/CPA-accredited (if applicable)	2	100	1	100	1	100			1	20	2	25

**This includes students that withdrew from the internship application process
* These were years prior to the program’s initial APA accreditation

Internship Placement — Table 2

Outcome	Year Applied for Internship
	2006- 2007		2007- 2008		2008- 2009		2009- 2010		2010- 2011		2011- 2012		2012- 2013
	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Students who obtained internships	2	100	1	100	0	-	1	100	4	67	6	75	4	57
Students who obtained paid internships							1	100	4	67	4	50	4	43
Students who obtained half-time internships* (if applicable)			1	100							2	33

LICENSING OUTCOMES:

Outcome	2002-2003 to 2009-2010
Total number of students with doctoral degrees conferred on transcript in time period	8
Number of students with doctoral degrees conferred on transcripts who became licensed doctoral psychologists in time period	1 (of 2 eligible) 6 others graduated in Summer, 2012 and are accumulating post-doc hours
Licensure percentage	50%

ADMISSIONS :

Application Requirements:

• Successful completion of a Master’s degree in counseling, clinical psychology or closely related field.
• Research experience
• Experience in an applied setting
• Strong academic records: minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.85 and 3.5 graduate GPA
• Competitive GRE scores (see mean scores below)
• Good communication skills
• Strong letters of recommendation (including at least one from a graduate faculty member)

Admissions Decisions Influenced by:

• Evidence of the applicant’s commitment and interest in urban multicultural issues
• Match between the student’s interest and faculty expertise
• Space limitations (6-8 students as a maximum in each cohort)

Application Deadline: January 15th (if that date falls on a weekend, the following Monday)

APPLICANT MATERIALS

• Graduate application
• Resume
• Personal statement

The statement should not exceed 3 pages single spaced and should include:
• The factors attracted you to counseling psychology and to Cleveland State’s program in particular
• The experiences you have had in applied settings (e.g., hotline experience, residential treatment, case management, clinical counseling, field placements)
• Description of your research experience (e.g. assisting with a faculty member’s research, presentations, publications a, Master’s thesis)
• Description of your goals for doctoral study and for your career
• Description of your interests in research and practice, particularly as they relate to diverse urban populations

Official copies of all undergraduate and graduate transcripts.
Official GRE scores (Scores must be within the past 5 years. Only the general tests are required; the Psychology Subject Area Test is not required).
Three letters of recommendation, at least one of which must be from a faculty member from the applicant’s prior graduate program

APPLICANT DATA:

Admitted Students 2006 - 2011 Mean GRE Scores

Verbal	491
Quantitative	505
Mean Undergraduate GPA:	3.51
Mean Master’s GPA:	3.82

Admitted Students 2010 – 2012 Mean GRE Scores

Verbal	482
Quantitative	446
Mean Undergraduate GPA:	3.31
Mean Master’s GPA:	3.81

Admitted Students, 2012-2013 Mean GRE Scores

Verbal	143 (New scoring system)
Quantitative	145 (New scoring system)
Mean Undergraduate GPA:	3.72
Mean Master’s GPA:	3.73

Mean GRE scores and Grades of Admitted Students 2013-2014

Verbal	156
Quantitative	151
Mean Undergraduate GPA:	3.45
Mean Master’s GPA:	3.87

STRUCTURE OF THE PROGRAM:

Year 1:Full time course enrollment for each semester and summer session
Year 2:Full time course enrollment for each semester, practicum, and at least one summer session course
Year 3:Practicum, half time courses, and comprehensive examinations
Year 4:Dissertation research and optional 3rd year of practicum
Year 5: Predoctoral internship*

*Students who elect to do a 2-year half time internship will complete the program in at least 6 years

PRACTICUM :

Students begin a 4-semester sequence of enrollment in practicum at the beginning of their second year of enrollment in the program. The first practicum focuses on psychotherapy and the second on assessment. All practicum placements are community based. All practica must be supervised by licensed psychologists. The following represent the community sites in Northeast Ohio in which counseling psychology students have been placed in the last 3 years

Northcoast Behavioral Healthcare
Oberlin College Counseling Center
Cleveland State University Counseling Center
Guidestone, Cleveland Ohio
University of Akron Counseling Center
Baldwin Wallace College, Health and Counseling Services
Cleveland Clinic, Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Program
Neurology and Neuroscience Associates, Inc.
Portage Path Behavioral Health, Akron

ACCREDITATION:

The University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and by the American Psychological Association. Contact information for the The Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association is as follows:

American Psychological Association
Office of Program Accreditation and Consultation
750 First Street NE
Washington, D.C. 20002-4242
Phone: (202) 336-5979 Fax: (202) 336-5978
Email: apaaccred@apa.org
Website:http://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation

CORE COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGY FACULTY

For 2012-2013 there are 4 core counseling psychology faculty members along with numerous other faculty who teach research, general psychology courses, Urban Education and Urban Studies courses, and counselor education faculty. In fall, 2013, Dr. Julia Phillips will be joining the faculty as an Associate Professor. All faculty are available to assist students with their development as competent professionals. Faculty profiles are available at http://facultyprofile.csuohio.edu/csufacultyprofile/index.cfm?college=EDU

Justin C. Perry, Ph.D. Associate Professor
Donna E. Schultheiss, Ph.D. Professor and Co-Director of Training
Graham Stead, Professor, Director Urban Education Ph.D. Program
Elizabeth Reynolds Welfel, Ph.D. Professor and Co-Director of Training
Julia C. Phillips, Ph.D. Associate Professor (as of 9/13)

Spotlight on Graduates:

Dr. Shondale DeLoach, Ph.D

Dr. DeLoach completed his doctoral degree in counseling psychology in August, 2012 immediately after completing his APA accredited pre-doctoral internship at the Counseling Center at Michigan State University.

He has accepted a position as a staff psychologist at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Prior to his entry into the doctoral program Dr. DeLoach earned a Masters degree in clinical psychology at Cleveland State and a Bachelors in psychology and religious studies so he qualifies as a triple Viking, earning all of his degrees at CSU.

His doctoral dissertation, completed under the direction of Dr. Donna Schultheiss, was entitled, “Same Race Regulatory Resource Depletion: Obstacles of Black High Achievers”.

He tested the hypothesis that there is a temporary depletion of mental resources after high achieving Black students interact with Black low achieving students, causing temporary executive function depletion. His doctoral practica were completed at the Case Western University Counseling Center and the Cleveland State University Counseling Center. He also spent several years prior to doctoral study working as a psychology technician at the Louis Stokes Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Cleveland. We are proud to count Shondale as one of our graduates.

The attached photo shows Shondale with his poster presentation at APA in San Diego in 2010.

Tira Stebbins, Ph.D.

Dr. Tira Stebbins finished her doctoral degree in counseling psychology in August, 2012 after completing an APA accredited internship at Heartland Behavioral Healthcare, part of the Ohio Psychology Internship consortium and successfully defending her dissertation, entitled, “Effects of an Equine Assisted Activities Program on Youth with Emotional Disturbance: A Pilot Study”.

Dr. Justin Perry served as her dissertation director. She is currently working as a post doctoral trainee at Bellefaire JCB and is studying for the EPPP.

Tira completed the program in 5 years after earning her Master’s degree in clinical psychology at East Carolina University and working as a therapist at Bellfaire JCB, in Cleveland.

Tira deserves accolades not only for finishing her degree in a timely fashion (despite giving birth to her first child in the middle of the program), but also for conducting the first empirical study of equine assisted therapy with children with special needs as her dissertation.

CAMPUS SERVICES FOR STUDENTS

Student Handbooks

Copies of student handbooks are available through the link on this page
adobe pdf Counseling Psychology Student Handbook

Counseling Psychology Practicum Handbook

APA Accreditation

Ms Word Icon APA Accreditation Self Study

The program is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA).
Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation: Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation, American Psychological Association, 750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002

Phone: 202.336.5979/ Email: apaaccred@apa.org/ Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1.	Is there an admissions interview? An admissions interview day takes place each February. Candidates who are not able to attend the admissions day in person may ask for an interview via videoconference.
2.	If a student is missing a few of the Master’s course requirements, can they be taken during doctoral study? The omission of a few of the Master’s courses (or their equivalents) does not make any applicant ineligible for the program. Students are notified about which pre-requisites they need to make up either at the point of admission, or at the beginning of their doctoral program when they design their program of studies with their advisors. Students may take these courses concurrent with the Urban Education core courses. Several students have elected to enroll in their courses or their equivalents at CSU the summer prior to entry into the program.
3.	How important is prior research experience? Research experience is important. It can be obtained through the completion of a Master’s thesis, other collaboration with faculty or community-based psychologists on research projects. In some cases a student may demonstrate this experience based on an exceptional undergraduate thesis. Presentations of research findings at peer-reviewed conferences also should be noted in the application.
4.	How many students are admitted each year? Approximately 3-8 Counseling Psychology doctoral students are admitted yearly.
5.	May I do an admissions interview via videoconference if I am not able to travel to Cleveland? If traveling to the University presents a hardship, telephone/Skype interviews may be substituted and do not reduce the individual’s likelihood of acceptance.
6.	How are advisors assigned and can a student request a change if his or her interests change? Advisors are assigned by the Training Directors at the time of admission, based on research and practice interests of the student and faculty member. Students may request a change of advisor through the Administrative Coordinator of the Urban Education Program, Ms. Wanda Pruett-Butler. If a student’s research interests shift during the program, a change in advisor for the purposes of dissertation direction is easily made. In fact, the faculty strongly encourages students to work with the faculty member most suited to assist the student on the dissertation.
7.	What exactly does the placement of the program within the Urban Education Ph.D. program mean for the training of counseling psychologists? The placement of the program offers students an interdisciplinary experience. Some of the courses they take in the first two years of doctoral study include students from other specializations in the Urban Education program, including disciplines such as adult development, educational policy, learning and development, nursing, and educational leadership. In addition, students enroll one course in the College of Urban Studies to help them understand how the urban context affects the psychosocial functioning of urban populations. In other words, this program is designed for counseling psychology students who seek to learn about other disciplines and interact with professionals and doctoral students in those disciplines while they are developing as competent counseling psychologists.
8.	Can a student work while completing the program? This is a full time program that requires registration in four courses each semester for the first two years as well as summer courses. Consequently, the faculty discourages outside employment during the first few years of this highly demanding program. Students who have worked more than a few hours per week have found juggling work, classes, practicum, research team commitments, and assistantships exceptionally stressful. It is important to keep in mind that all students are expected to join research teams and engage in scholarly activity beyond their courses and practica.
9.	How many semesters of doctoral practicum are required? Four semesters, beginning in the second year. At least one placement must be in a setting that serves a diverse urban population. The first year of placement focuses primarily on psychotherapy and the second on assessment. An option for a third year of practicum is available and some students elect to do an additional experience to better prepare themselves for predoctoral internship. Whether an extra practicum is a wise choice for any particular student is a matter students discuss with their advisors.
10.	What settings are available for practicum and internship placements? Northcoast Behavioral Healthcare Oberlin College Counseling Center Cleveland State University Counseling Center Guidestone, Ohio University of Akron Counseling Center Baldwin Wallace College, Health and Counseling Services Cleveland Clinic, Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Program Neurology and Neuroscience Associates, Inc. Portage Path Behavioral Health, Akron
11.	Will a student be allowed to complete internship on a half-time basis over 2 years? Yes. The program requires all students to go through the APPIC internship match process and give preference to APA accredited internships.
12.	Must I apply for predoctoral internship through the APPIC process and must I give preference to APA accredited internship placements? Yes. Three students have elected to complete half-time predoctoral internships. It is important to note that few APA accredited half time internships are available and they are highly competitive.
13.	What research topics have been of interest to recent doctoral students? The topics of the dissertations of our recent graduates are as follows: Culturally sensitive in-home psychotherapy for urban low-income African American adolescents. African American psychologists' attitudes toward psychotherapy. Resiliency in youth who have been exposed to violence The relationship between cognitive, spiritual, and wisdom development Same-race regulatory resource depletion obstacles of Black high achievers Psychologist self-disclosure with court-mandated and self-referred clients s Do psychologists demonstrate bias based on female client weight and ethnicity: An analogue study In addition, doctoral students have collaborated with faculty on projects dealing with career and self development of urban youth, the interface of work and family life, work and family issues for immigrant families, LGBQ identity and workplace discrimination, the duty to protect with clients at risk for violence, ethics and technology in psychological practice, psychotherapy and spirituality, models for ethics education, and others.
14.	What kinds of jobs have graduates obtained? We have 8 counseling psychology graduates, two from 2008 and six from 2012.Of the counseling psychology graduates from 2008, one directs an Intensive Outpatient Treatment Center for adolescents at a major Cleveland hospital, the other works as a therapist at a community mental health center. One graduate is a staff psychologist at a VA hospital, another is completing a post-doctoral fellowship in a hospital, a third is post-doctoral trainee in a children’s service agency, and another is a faculty member in a graduate program in psychology. One is an adjunct faculty member in a counseling program and another is a therapist in a mental health agency. All 2012 graduates report that they are completing their post-doctoral hours for licensure and studying for the licensing examination
15.	Where should an applicant go to get additional questions answered? Applicants may contact Dr. Elizabeth Welfel at welfeler@yahoo.com or by phone at 216 687 4605. For information about the status of their application file, applicants should contact Ms. Wanda Pruett-Butler at w.pruett-butler@csuohio.edu or by phone at 216 687 4697.Graduate Admissions contact information can be found at http://www.csuohio.edu/engagecsugradschool/
16.	What are the licensing requirements for psychologists in Ohio? Licensing requirements vary somewhat by state. Ohio is one of the few states that recently changed its regulations to waive the post-doctoral supervision requirement. Ohio allows new graduates who have completed sufficient pre-doctoral internship and practicum experiences to sit for the licensing examination. However, the clinical experiences that are required during training are extensive and any doctoral students or prospective doctoral students entertaining this option should carefully discuss this matter with an advisor and should consult the details of the regulations. (See http://www.psychology.ohio.gov/pdfs/HB503%20Summary%20of%20Rules.pdffor a summary of the new rules). It is also important to note that most states still require at least a year of post-doctoral supervision to qualify for licensing. Any prospective student seeking licensing in a particular jurisdiction after graduation should consult the board of psychology licensing requirements in that state.
17.	Will I need a criminal background check to qualify for licensing as a psychologist? The answer is affirmative in Ohio and several other states. Again, a check of board websites is likely to provide that information. .

LINKS

Link to the Urban Education Ph.D. program Website:
http://www.csuohio.edu/cehs/departments/DOC/ep_doc.html

Links to Professional Associations

American Psychological Association (APA)
Based in Washington, DC, the American Psychological Association (APA) is a scientific and professional organization that represents psychology in the United States. With 150,000 members, APA is the largest association of psychologists worldwide.

American Counseling Association (ACA)
Founded in 1952, the American Counseling Association (ACA) is the world's largest association exclusively representing professional counselors in various practice settings.

American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS)
The American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS) is the voice of student concerns within the APA.

Counseling Psychology Division 17
Division 17 brings together psychologists, students, and international/professional affiliates who are dedicated to promoting education and training, scientific investigation, practice, and diversity and public interest in professional psychology.

Student Affiliates of Division 17
SAS is a national graduate student organization that is associated with APA Division 17 - The Society of Counseling Psychology. It is designated to address issues specifically related to counseling psychology students.

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Contact

Mailing Address
Cleveland State University
College of Education and Human Services
Doctoral Studies
2121 Euclid Avenue
Julka Hall 215
Cleveland, OH 44115

Campus Location
2485 Euclid Avenue
Julka Hall 215
Phone: 216-687-4697
Fax: 216-875-9697

Program Coordinators
Elizabeth Welfel
Phone: (216) 687-4605
Email: e.welfel@csuohio.edu

Donna Schultheiss
Phone: (216) 687-5063
Email: d.schultheiss@csuohio.edu