CMHC ANNUAL REPORT
2022-2023
CONTENTS 3
LETTER FROM PROGR AM DIRECTOR
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FACULT Y PROFILES
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202 2-2023 GR ADUATES
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CLASS NEWS AND INTERNSHIP HIGHLIGHTS
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RESEARCH AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS FOR 202 2-2023
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PROGR AM ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION
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OVER ALL PROGR AM UPDATES FROM 202 2-2023
PROGRAM MISSION STATEMENT
Trinity’s Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program offers rigorous academic and professional training in counseling, combining theory, empirical research, and practical experience. The program deeply considers what it means to be human by emphasizing our embodied experiences, our relational needs, and our longing for healing and reconciliation. Grounded in a Christian perspective, we train counselors to consider all elements of their own humanity as they encounter both resilience and suffering in their clinical work. The program welcomes students of all faith traditions and emphasizes the formation of the whole person in the training of each student answering God’s call to bring healing and restoration.
CORE COUNSELING FACULT Y
DEBRA MAJEWSKI
EDD, CLINICAL CMHC PROGRAM DIRECTOR
CRYSTAL ZANDERS
PHD, CLINICAL PLACEMENT COORDINATOR
LETTER FROM PROGRAM DIRECTOR ENJOYING THE BENEFITS OF CACREP ACCREDITATION AND LOOKING FORWARD The Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at Trinity is excited to announce the receipt of a successful certificate of accreditation from CACREP, the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs for “demonstrating (sic)… substantial compliance” to the required standards. The accreditation was received in February 2023 and will be extended through 2031. The core education faculty, Drs. Wolff, Roberts, and I worked many hours to achieve this honor. Dr. Wolff in particular devoted an immense amount of time and energy in leading the team toward this wonderful accomplishment that helps us provide excellent programming for our counselors-in-training to better serve their clients. More recently, Dr. Wolff and Dr. Roberts have accepted positions at a different institution and will be leaving Trinity in August 2023. We wish them the best in their future endeavors and thank them for all the gifts they shared with the Trinity community while they were here. I will be assuming the position of department chair of the CMHC program. We have been very fortunate to hire Dr. Crystal Zanders who will also serve as our Clinical Placement Coordinator, and we continue our search for an additional qualified core faculty to fill the third position. I feel confident the program will continue to grow to be a place where our students can discover their calling, develop their skills, and serve their communities as future professional counselors. Deb Majewski, EdD, LCPC, CMHC Program Director
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FACULTY PROFILES CRYSTAL ZANDERS
PH D, LCPC , NCC , AC S AS SI STANT PROFES SOR OF COU N S ELI NG
I recently joined Trinity Christian College as a core faculty member in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. Additionally, I am excited to serve and support the students as the Clinical Placement Coordinator. I previously taught as an adjunct professor at Concordia UniversityChicago. I enjoy teaching Career Counseling, Lifespan Development, Assessment Techniques, and Practicum. Just prior to joining Trinity, I completed my Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision at the University of the Cumberlands. I earned my Master of Arts in Community Counseling from Concordia University-Chicago in 2009. For over a decade, I have worked in community mental health, residential treatment, private practice, and digital healthcare. My research interests include helping professional wellness and clinical issues surrounding grief, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, and infertility distress. I am presently engaged in two studies regarding new counselors’ experience of grief and pastors’ moral distress. Additionally, a former professor and I were invited to submit an article based on our research presentation Prolonged Grief Disorder: Diagnosis and Treatment Strategies for Client Wellness and Resilience to the ADULTSPAN Journal! Lastly, I am preparing to present at the 2023 ICA conference regarding The Role of Counselors in Infertility and the Fertility Treatment Process.
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2022-2023 GRADUATES
SIX-YEAR COMPLETION RATE
12 CMHC GRADUATES IN 2021-2022 8 IN FALL 2022 & 4 IN SPRING 2023
51% FALL 18- SPRING 23
NEWS AND INTERNSHIP HIGHLIGHTS PRACTICUM AND INTERNSHIPS IN 2022-2023 Our students have been serving and learning at a wide range of clinical sites this year. Many have worked both in-person and virtually, providing care for clients in a range of ways.
LI ST OF SITES : Olive Branch Counseling Associates Linden Oaks Hospital Trinity Christian College Counseling Center Balance Counseling and Wellness Maria Potter Counseling Services LLC Hope Enrichment Center Chicago Christian Counseling Center Grace Integrated LLC RIMYA Services
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RESEARCH AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2022-2023 FACULTY SCHOLARSHIP CLEVERI NG Clevering, J. & Wolff, K. (2023, April). The effect of powerlessness on perceived stability and system justification. Presentation at the Midwestern Psychological Association conference, Chicago, IL. Clevering, J. (2023, April). Grading on the ability to understand another’s perspective. Presentation at the Midwestern Psychological Association conference, Chicago, IL. Clevering, J. (2023, February). Power, powerlessness, and empowerment. Faculty Coffee presentation at Trinity Christian College, Palos Heights, IL.
MAJ EWS KI Intentional Self-Care Elim/Bethshan Staff Retreat, 2023
Teaching a Holistic Wellness Course as a Means of Coping with a Pandemic NAKHE Conference/New Orleans, LA, 2023
Wellness & the Importance of Intentional Relaxation Trinity Staff Forum, 2023
Christianity and the Balanced Life Kuyers-INCHE Conference/Calvin College, 2022
In HIS Image: A Return to Magnificence: Life, Love, and Counseling Tenure Lecture/Trinity Christian College, 2023 The Power of Acceptance Feminar Women’s Conference/Trinity Christian College, 2023 Strategies for Responding to Students in Distress Teacher Institute Online Training, 2023
STAT: The Effect of an Interdisciplinary Simulation Training and Teamwork Day on College Students in Education, Social Work, Nursing, and Psychology. ICCTE Conference, 2022 The Importance of Self-Care Feminar Women’s Conference/Trinity Christian College, 2022
HAS S ERT Hassert D. L. (2023). Self and Others: Empirical and Neuropsychoanalytic Considerations of Superego and Conscience. Psychoanalytic Review, 110(1), 1– 22. https://doi.org/10.1521/prev.2023.110.1.1
GUZMAN Guzmán-Sescosse M, Galán-Jiménez JSF & Calderón-Mafud JL (2023). Bienestar psicológico, salud mental y pautas percibidas de apego: estudio comparativo entre mexicanos y estadounidenses durante la pandemia COVID 19 [Psychological Well-Being, Mental Health and Patterns of Perceived Attachment: A Comparative Study between Mexicans and Americans during the COVID 19 Pandemic]. International Journal of Psychology & Psychological Therapy, 23, 1, 67-78. F. Galán Jiménez, J. S., Calderón Mafud, J. L., Sánchez-Armáss Cappello Omar & Guzmán Sescosse, M. (2022) Contextos violentos y desensibilización a la violencia en jóvenes. [Violent contexts and desensitization to violence in young people] Acta de Investigación Psicológica/Psychological Research Records, 12, 3, DOI: https://doi.org/10.22201/ fpsi.20074719e.2022.3.458 https://www.psicologia.unam.mx/documentos/pdf/actas_ip/2022/diciembre/1_violencia_f_copy.pdf 6
STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS/ALUMNI KATHRYN GARCIA Since graduating from Trinity’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling master’s program, I have been working in private practice with a diverse group of clients. I obtained my state licensure and received additional training in Narrative Focused Trauma Care and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). I have recently moved into a specialized practice to focus on working with clients who have experienced trauma. It’s been such a privilege to come alongside such resilient and courageous clients in the middle of some of their hardest stories. Outside of one on one client work, I also teach yoga and love bringing in elements of mindfulness and somatic work into my practice as a clinician.
JAYNEISHA MARSHALL Since graduating from Trinity’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling master’s program, I was able to get a job right afterward, and I love what I do.I also became a mommy, so that has also been an awesome new adventure for me. I still get to hear from my favorite cohort friends. I am currently still waiting to take my NCE. It’s a long process going through the state, but I’m just preparing for when it is time to take the NCE.
ILLINOIS COUNSELING ASSOCIATION CHAPTER NEWS CHAPTER PR ESI DENT U PDATE
This past year has been an exciting time as chapter members, made up of undergrads, graduate students, alumni, and community professionals, redefined goals of our organization and articulated specific objectives. Instead of focusing most of our time and financial resources on the March Wellness Retreat, as we have done in the past, members of the Trinity ICA Chapter decided to broaden the organizational mission in three specific areas: philanthropy, community awareness and service, and professional education and development. An example of community service took place in May, Mental Health Awareness Month, when members volunteered at different locations on campus during Trinity’s finals week by providing stress management activities, listening ears, and mental health resources. It was well received, and we hope to continue providing direct support to the Trinity community in the future. Throughout the coming year, members plan to participate in community based philanthropic opportunities such as volunteering at local soup kitchens. Many chapter members look forward to expanding their professional identify and networking with others in the mental health community by attending ICA’s 75th Annual Conference on November 10 to and 11th in Lisle, Illinois. Final touches are being made to a needs assessment tool for Trinity students and staff to help identify content for future counselor trainings and community workshops. In the 2023/24 school year chapter members will meet monthly, both in-person and virtually, continuing to build community, share ideas, strengthen professional skills, and to find hands-on ways to demonstrate our values of participating in philanthropic opportunities, providing mental health awareness and services, and creating targeted opportunities for professional growth and development. Find out how you can join us by contacting Dr. Deb at d.majewski@trnty.edu or Jeanine Bakker, at jnbbakker@gmail.com. --Jeanine Bakker, President 7
PSYCHOLOGY AND COUNSELING RENEWED 2021-2022 EVENTS
In March, we hosted the Psychology Renewed Conference in person (with a virtual attendance option). Dr Mario Guzman offered an introduction to schema therapy.
PROGRAM ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION Each year the faculty of the CMHC program undertake systematic evaluation of the program and its goals. Annually those findings are reviewed, and adjustments made to the curriculum and training experiences. During the past year we’ve been collecting data as a part of our comprehensive program and student evaluation process.
CLINICAL MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES
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1.
Articulate a professional identity as a Clinical Mental Health Counselor within the broader field of mental health practice.
2.
Demonstrate the ability to integrate a faith perspective into the practice of counseling.
3.
Demonstrate knowledge in the core counseling areas including ethics, multiculturalism, human development, career development, helping relationships, group work, assessment, and research.
4.
Develop case conceptualizations resulting in treatment plans that integrate theoretical perspectives in counseling, research-based approaches, ethical decision-making, and social justice advocacy.
5.
Deliver competent mental health services which attend to the developmental, multicultural, relational, and spiritual concerns of clients.
SURVEY COLLECTION As a part of the multi-year program assessment process an alumni survey is conducted once every three years. In 2023 the survey was sent and completed by 10 alumni. Feedback from this survey provided the counseling faculty with the opportunity to evaluate the curriculum and assess the need for ongoing growth.
Respondents were asked to rate the following prompts in terms of how they experienced the counseling students from Trinity:
Avg response
Strongly Agree (5), Agree (4), Not Applicable (3), Disagree (2), Strongly Disagree (1) Competence with developing a case competency for a client that results in a treatment plan that integrates a specific theoretical perspective.
4.4
Ability to work within a culturally diverse setting.
4
Able to consider the developmental level of clients during assessment.
4.5
Able to help clients set achievable, measurable goals, and regularly assess client progress.
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Able to design appropriate interventions based on a hypothesis that utilizes client strengths.
4.4
Able to intervene with larger systems that impact families, when appropriate.
4
Able to work effectively in group counseling settings.
3.9
Able to consider the spiritual concerns of clients.
4.1
Able to assess clients appropriately for crisis situations including suicide, domestic violence, etc. and take appropriate steps to ensure client safety.
4.1
Able to evaluate clients from a wellness perspective focused on prevention.
4.4
Able to understand the ethical and professional standards of the profession.
4.1
When asked “How relevant is the type of work you have been doing to your education in the counseling program at Trinity?” Respondents scores averaged 4.7 When asked “How do you feel your education prepared you compared to your peers and co-workers from other schools?” Respondents scores averaged 3.9 * (The response was scored based on the following: Much Better (5), Better (4), Similar (3), Worse (2), Much Worse (1). 9
RESPONDENTS ALSO OFFERED QUALITATIVE FEEDBACK ON THE SURVEY In response to the question, “What did you find most valuable about your experience in the counseling program at Trinity?” Alumni shared a variety of strengths including: classes giving opportunities for actual counseling experience through roleplay and professors providing valuable feedback for clinical growth. In response to the question, “What recommendations would you make to improve the counseling program at Trinity?” Areas for growth included: providing class time devoted to preparation for the NCE exam, providing more focus on trauma counseling, reunification therapy, human sexuality, and a domestic violence/ abuse course.
CHAR ACTERISTIC S OF GR ADUATES AND STUDENTS CM HC G R ADUATE LICEN SU RE R ATES In 2023 the CMHC program sent out an alumni survey (this survey is scheduled to occur once every 3 years). 10 alumni responded to the survey. Four indicated they had taken and passed the licensure exam. The remaining respondents reported that were awaiting an exam date from the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation. Based on that data, 100% of respondents who have taken the licensure exam have passed. However, it should be noted that the response rate for this survey was quite low.
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JOB PLACEM ENT In the 2023 CMHC Alumni survey nine of the ten respondents reported being employed in the counseling field. Professional identity appears to be well supported by the survey with respondents indicating they have joined professional organizations such as the Illinois Counseling Association, American Psychological Association, and Psi Chi, The International Honor Society in Psychology. Six respondents indicated progress in their career, while gaining responsibility and/or leadership roles.
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Evergreen Counseling, LLC
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New Leaf Resources
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Arab American Family Services
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Marlin Hoover, PhD -- Hoover & Associates
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Firefly Counseling
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Sinai Community InstituteNew Life
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The Relationship Counseling &
Centers of Chicagoland
Psychotherapy Services
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Naperville Wellness and Counseling
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Dr. Alan Child’s and Associates
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Emotional Management Program
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Balance Counseling and Wellness
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DuPage County Crisis Center
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Restoration Ministries
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Grace Integrated, LLC
2022-2023 STUDENT DEMOGR APHIC S : GENDER AND R ACE
GENDER
R ACE 36%
white only
21%
black/african american only
21%
hispanic/latino only
7%
22%
not indicated
male
93%
female
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SUMMARY OF PROGRAM ASSESSMENT FOR 2022-2023 CYCLE MISSION CENTERED AND RESPONSIVE TO STUDENT NEEDS In 2022-2023 the CMHC Program implemented an extensive process (designed in 2020-2021) related to program-level assessment and individual student assessment in the program. This process involves multiple points of measurement across the curriculum as well as opportunities for student dispositional assessment. During the college’s annual assessment day and again at our annual summer faculty retreat, all assessment data was reviewed. Opportunities for refinement and curriculum modification were identified and discussed.
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PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES Articulate a professional identity as a Clinical Mental Health Counselor within the broader field of mental health practice. Data collected on PLO 1 suggests that the program is partially meeting this goal. Faculty would like to see stronger articulation in the case competency exam. Faculty agreed to the following modifications for the next academic year: We moved the course from a fall offering to a summer offering. Will assess in the fall after data has been collected. Course was moved to have more instructional time for faith articulationthe department will assess if this was a useful change in the fall.
Demonstrate the ability to integrate a faith perspective into the practice of counseling. Data collected on PLO 2 suggests that scores are lower than previous years, so it meets benchmark but has shifted. Faculty hypothesized that this might be due to faculty agreement about how to assess. Made the following modifications for next year: Continue to discuss the role of site expectations around religiosity.
Demonstrate knowledge in the core counseling areas including ethics, multiculturalism, human development, career development, helping relationships, group work, assessment, and research. Data collected on PLO 3 suggests that it meets expectations but could be developed. Modifications for next year include: Continue to incorporate the review process in Coun 606. Will continue to monitor to see if change is effective.
Develop case conceptualizations resulting in treatment plans that integrate theoretical perspectives in counseling, research-based approaches, ethical decision-making, and social justice advocacy.
Data suggests that the program is meeting its goal of emphasizing case conceptualization work and has improved from last year.
Deliver competent mental health services which attend to the developmental, multicultural, relational, and spiritual concerns of clients. Deliver competent mental health services which attend to the developmental, multicultural, relational, and spiritual concerns of clients. Data from this item suggests that counselors in training are successfully navigating their clinical experiences in preparation for entry into practice.
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ASSESSMENT OF STUDENTS Students are assessed on Key Performance Indicators as multiple points with the program. Additionally, dispositional measures are used in the counseling skills, practicum, and internship courses to provide feedback. Initial data tracks student performance, knowledge, skills, and dispositional factors. Annual student feedback memos include attention to these factors.
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OVERALL PROGRAM UPDATES FROM 2022-2023
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Our program underwent a CACREP site visit resulting in becoming accredited through 2031. This involved cooperation from departments all over campus to show support for our program. We also prepared students, administrators, site supervisors, employers, support staff, alumni, adjuncts, advisory council members, and faculty who were involved in the visit.
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The Counseling Program Advisory Council group met twice in 2022-2023 and pondered topics including how we could improve alumni, employer, and site supervisor survey response rates, encourage meaningful experiences for students in practicum/internship and in relationships with site supervisors, how to increase student interest in the exploration of different areas of counseling such as career, substance abuse, and school, and the exploration of any new internship sites.
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The application to the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) is complete which will allow our students to take the National Counselor Exam (NCE) while still in the program. Successful completion of this exam results in designation of Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Illinois which is the first tier of licensure in this state. This is a significant bonus for our students saving them over nine months of wait time compared to graduates of nonCACREP accredited programs who must apply for the exam after graduation.
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Our previous administrative assistant Amber Overocker resigned to pursue another opportunity and we welcomed Liz Revis, who is a graduate of Cohort 15, to the position. Liz is a quick study and has been instrumental in data gathering and other organizational duties for the program. Many thanks to all the great work Amber did in her time with us.
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The rubric for the Case Competency Exam was modified and reviewed to streamline items that measured more than one component to offer more scoring accuracy. We also began requiring students to complete a transcription of one session tape of their work with the client under review. This offered the opportunity for them to recognize strengths and weaknesses and discuss it with their review team.
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