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PHOTO COURTESY OF PLU

CLINICAL CLASS. Marriage and family therapy graduate students practice therapy skills in the on-campus clinic at Pacific Lutheran University. The clinic offers sliding-scale fees for community members who may otherwise be unable to afford counseling.

Resource for students seeks more clients

By Clare Jensen

An onsite counseling center can be a coveted feature for graduate students practicing therapy. It allows students to tally working hours without the hassle of setting up an outside internship, and can create a smooth transition for students as they go from the classroom to the work force.

At the Marriage and Family Therapy graduate program, Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) students have considered themselves lucky to work at an on-campus clinic since 1984. However, since the program’s enrollment increased three years ago, getting enough clients for student-therapists to work with has been somewhat of a struggle.

PLU’s clinic is open to all members of the community who need support as a couple or as a family. Therapy is offered to families with no insurance at an income-appropriate price, allowing families who may not otherwise be able to afford counseling – and those who may need it most – to get the help they need from professionals in training.

Clinic Director Jane Ryan noted the stress of finances for a family “certainly takes a toll on a relationship after awhile.” The clinic offers services based on a family’s monthly income and strives to provide service at a price that really works for each unique family situation.

“We’re training people how to become therapists while we’re reaching out to the community,” Ryan said.

David Ward, director of clinical training, has worked with two other universities in the nation with on-campus clinics. He said the difference between them and PLU is the clients they serve.

“Often on-campus clinics serve student populations, giving the therapists a much more narrow realm of experience. What makes this clinic different is (it serves) almost all members of the community… our students work with a diverse population. They’re really in the thick of what we’re struggling with in (the real world).”

Ryan noted seeing more military families is a goal for the clinic.

“They’re probably really needing some extra support. That’s a culture we’re trying to reach out to.”

The student therapists at the clinic have bachelor’s degrees, and have gone through at least one year of master’s course work before meeting with their first clients.

The sessions are either videotaped, or watched “live” through a one-sided mirror for supervisors and colleagues to provide instant feedback for the new therapist.

Clients may be somewhat apprehensive about being “watched” while discussing personal information, or about the idea of working with a student, but therapists at PLU insist there is nothing to be afraid of.

“We’re very new doing this,” said Renee Johnson, a student who began seeing clients in June. “But we have all these ideas – and we really want to help people. We’re willing to take that extra step.”

And as for the one-sided mirror and the camera, “once you’re in there, you forget about it.”

For more information on receiving therapy through PLU’s Couples and Family Therapy Center, contact (253) 535-7659 or e-mail mfth@plu.edu.

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