Agency Description

Valley Community Counseling Clinic is a non-profit community organization. For 46 years, it has provided free and low-cost medical care and health services to the uninsured workforce of the San Fernando Valley, as part of Valley Community Healthcare (VCH). Under the VCH umbrella, the clinic opened its doors in 1970 as a grass-roots counseling center and grew to provide comprehensive care. In 2016, a strategic decision made by VCH regarding their services prompted the clinic to become independent. As its own entity, Valley Community Counseling Clinic has continued to provide excellent and affordable mental health care to the San Fernando Valley and Greater Los Angeles Area.

Agency Mission

The mission of Valley Community Counseling Clinic is to enhance the well-being of the community by providing high-quality, open-ended therapy to those in need, regardless of their ability to pay.

Population

Valley Community Counseling Clinic offers psychotherapy services for adults, adolescents, children, couples and families. Therapists at the clinic treat patients struggling with a variety of issues, including: depression, anxiety and stress; relationship difficulties; parenting difficulties; family conflicts; behavioral problems in children; work and school-related problems; grief and loss; eating disorders; sexual problems and sexual identity issues.

Required days and times

Weekly case conferences take place at the clinic on Wednesday afternoons from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Interns are expected to attend.

Training and Education Offered

The theoretical orientation of counseling services provided by the clinic is psychodynamic/psychoanalytic, with an emphasis on object relations theory. Through supervision and case conference, interns will learn about the application of psychoanalytic concepts and technique to the clinical setting. Interns bring process notes to their supervisory sessions. The patient's material, along with the therapist's interventions, are explored in depth. Through supervision, interns will gain an understanding as to the unconscious processes that are being expressed. Interns will also receive help formulating interpretations, as well as creating a holding and containing environment. Interns also will be taught how to formulate case conceptualizations and to develop treatment plans and goals. When interns begin the program, their level of experience is assessed, and cases are assigned as appropriate to their experience. As interns develop their clinical skills, their patient caseload and patient difficulty are increased to further enhance their learning and growth. Didactic training continues on a regular basis through case conference, reading groups that focus on theory, and in-service training. The goal is to help interns develop professional skills and clinical understanding.

X-Cultural Training

Responsibilities

Predoctoral interns attend one hour of individual supervision weekly, two hours of group supervision weekly, and 1.5 hours of case conference weekly. Didactic training is available for an additional four hours per week. Interns are expected to carry a minimum of ten patient hours. Interns are responsible for in-person intakes, as well as phone intakes on a rotational basis. Clinical responsibilities include diagnosing and fee setting. In addition, interns are responsible for updating files, note taking and process notes.

Prerequisites

Application Procedures