CENTER FOR HEALTH AND COUNSELING
CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY

Match Code - 141616

Harper Center for Life & Learning
602 North 20th Street, Suite 1034
Omaha, Nebraska 68178
402.280.2735
Fax 402.280.1819

Training Director

Thomas G. Grandy, Ph.D.
Phone: 402.280.2735
Email: tgrandy@creighton.edu

Type of Facility

Counseling Services, located within the Center for Health and Counseling, is a university mental health center serving approximately 7,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. Counseling Services is joined with the Student Health Services to provide comprehensive physical and mental health services to the university student population. These two departments enjoy a cooperative, congenial relationship with mutual referrals and consultation. Creighton University, one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the nation, enrolls students in nine schools and colleges, including medicine, dentistry, law, allied health professions, and nursing. Creighton has been consistently ranked as one of the finest comprehensive universities in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. Counseling Services has maintained accreditation by the International Association of Counseling Services (IACS) since 1963.

Internship Training Model

Interns within the Nebraska Internship Consortium in Professional Psychology who are matched with Counseling Services will receive training based in individual psychotherapy, assessment, and structured groups. The training model emphasizes professional and personal development in these three areas. Individual therapy with university students includes brief, moderate, and long-term intervention with a variety of problems. The most typical presenting problems include anxiety, depression, concentration, sleep, academics, and relationships. Assessment focuses on learning disabilities, ADHD, substance abuse, and personality.

Groups are offered to address specific issues related to personal and academic development. Recent groups offered to students include bipolar, DBT, impaired parents, adjustment to college, anxiety, depression, disordered eating, coping skills, self-esteem, body image, test anxiety, and social anxiety.

In addition, Interns may select other experiences to participate in throughout their Internship year. A menu of these experiences includes eating disorders treatment team, personality assessment, discipline referrals, development and implementation of outreach programs, lectures to university classes, supervision of practicum students, academic success groups, counseling service administration, consultation with residence life staff, and counseling on specific issues.

Clinical training occurs on a regular weekly schedule. The training may involve all staff members or only Interns. Training before the academic year begins involves 12-20 hours weekly for three weeks. Throughout the academic year, didactic training occurs at least one hour weekly on specific clinical topics. Typical topics for didactic training include treatment of mental disorders (depression, panic attacks, trauma, bipolar, generalized anxiety, obsessive-compulsive behavior, social anxiety); systems of therapy (emotional focused, cognitive-behavioral, affective cognitive-behavioral, brief dynamic, gestalt) or specific techniques (motivational interviewing, culture sensitive counseling, chemical dependency assessment). A weekly 90-minute case conference focuses on presentation and discussion of difficult cases with all clinical staff. The presentation rotates among staff. Interns typically spend 50-60 percent of their time in direct service (individual therapy, assessment, structured groups) during the academic year. The remainder of the Interns' time is divided among documentation, preparation, report writing, supervision, staff meetings, consultation, and training.

Supervision involves three hours of individual contact weekly with a licensed psychologist. Group supervision involving other Interns may be arranged. The content of the experience usually includes discussion of cases, treatment plans, and counseling strategies and techniques; review of recorded counseling sessions; discussion of personal reactions to clients; review of assessment data; and discussion of therapist-client interactions. Informal supervision and consultation with other staff members is encouraged to obtain different perspectives.

Interns have their own offices within Counseling Services. Interns' offices are completely furnished and include a computer and a telephone. The Internship starts on August 1st and ends July 31st of the following year. Interns receive an annual stipend of $24,500. University benefits (medical insurance, dental insurance, disability insurance, life insurance, vacation, sick leave) are available.

Employment will be contingent on satisfactory completion of a background check.

More information concerning Internships can be found on the Counseling Services website, www.creighton.edu/chc.

Clinical Services

Counseling services are provided to full-time enrolled students in the University at no charge. The number of therapy sessions allowed for students is not limited. Students may be charged fees for some types of assessment services (learning disabilities, $400.00; ADHD, $200.00). Consultation services are provided to administration, faculty, staff, and family members of students. The Counseling Service staff serves 750-850 individual clients throughout the year (June 1–May 31). Our clients generate 5,500-6,200 kept appointments. The average number of sessions per client is 5.8 visits per year. Twenty percent of our clients are seen for 10 or more visits. Two-thirds of our clients are seen for personal counseling; one-third of our clients are seen for academic-related difficulties including evaluations for learning disabilities. Sixty to eighty assessments for learning disabilities and ADHD are conducted each year. Sixty-five percent of our clients are undergraduates and thirty-five percent are graduate or professional students.

Services usually begin with a scheduled intake session, although walk-ins are permitted, especially in times of crisis. Clients are typically referred by residence life staff, faculty, university staff members, friends, and family members. Clients are usually seen in individual therapy or groups. On occasion, clients are seen with friends, significant others, roommates, or family members. There may be referrals for medication to either our Student Health Services or to our Consulting Psychiatrist. The referral depends upon the nature and severity of the presenting problem. The psychiatrist is available for appointments once weekly for a four-hour period to consult with our clients. Hospitalization, if needed, is provided through the Creighton University Medical Center, the University of Nebraska Medical Center, or the Lasting Hope Recovery Center.

Location

Creighton University is located in metropolitan Omaha, an area with a population of nearly 500,000, situated on the banks of the Missouri River. Council Bluffs, with a population of 75,000, is directly across the Missouri in Iowa. Omaha is home to Mutual of Omaha, Union Pacific Railroad, ConAgra Foods, and a variety of thriving ethnic districts. Offutt Air Force Base, located in nearby Bellevue, is headquarters for the merger of the United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM). Within the city limits are Bellevue University, College of St. Mary, Grace University, and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Fifty miles to the southwest is the state capital, Lincoln, and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Omaha boasts an excellent zoo, botanical gardens, and, within twenty minutes' drive, several state parks. Two riverboat casinos are located in Council Bluffs.

Cultural activities include the Omaha Playhouse, the Omaha Symphony, the Omaha Ballet, and Joslyn Art Museum. Venues such as the Orpheum Theatre, the Holland Center, and the Quest Center provide opportunities for a variety of entertainment events. Creighton University and the University of Nebraska at Omaha provide intercollegiate athletic events. The city sponsors a AAA baseball team, the Storm Chasers, and a junior hockey team, the Lancers.

Staff

Michael R. Kelley, Ph.D., Counseling Service Director
California School of Professional Psychology, 1976

Developmental issues of college students, grief reactions, family influences upon mental health, suicide prevention, management of psychological crises, personality assessment.

Thomas G. Grandy, Ph.D., Director of Training
University of Iowa, 1975

Training and clinical supervision, change process in psychotherapy, anxiety and mood disorders, sleep disturbances, academic success, hypnosis, nutritional approaches, assessment of learning disabilities and ADHD, self-care of professionals, sports psychology.

Catherine (Kitty) Brougham, M.S.
San Francisco State University, 1994

Women's issues, addiction and recovery, adolescent and adult development, cultural identity development, mindfulness, nutrition, weight control, wellness.

Kevin W. Powers, Ph.D.
Southern Illinois University, 2008

Individual and group therapy, learning disability and personality assessment, college adjustment issues, mood disorders and anxiety, anger management, standardized treatment modalities, academic success.

Hope B. Russell, M.S.
University of Nebraska at Omaha, 2007

Anger management, women's issues, depression and anxiety, self-esteem.

Allison Harlow, Ph.D.
University of Akron, 2007

Women's issues, depression, supervision and training, multicultural counseling, assessment of learning disabilities and personality, interpersonal process in psychotherapy.