Our Counselors
Our counselors are students in the 60-hour CACREP-approved masters degree counseling program at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). At the time of providing services, they are necessarily enrolled in one of their three “field” courses—Practicum, Internship I, or Internship II—in which they accrue direct counseling experience in schools, in the UTRGV CTC, or in external agency venues in the community.
During the COVID-19 crisis, UTRGV students were unable to see their clients in face-to-face physical settings. Thus the UTRGV Clinics have adapted by providing telehealth—through Zoom videoconferencing—as a way to continue serving the training needs of UTRGV students and the mental health needs of the public.
Our student counselors cannot practice independently, nor can they receive compensation for their services. However, they have completed most of their coursework by the time they enroll in their field courses. Thus, they are familiar with the major theories and interventions used in contemporary counseling, and have practiced a variety of counseling methods. All of our student counselors are supervised by the CTC supervisors, as well as by their Practicum or Internship professors. Our student counselors must maintain their own liability insurance coverage, and they have been cleared by criminal background checks.