Community-Based
Counseling Program (CBCP)

In support of the communities we serve, the JFK School of Psychology and Social Sciences partners with many school districts and community agencies to provide counseling services via practicum placement in our Community Based Counseling Program (CBCP), internally managed by the OPT.

Graduate- and post-graduate-level psychology students provide in-person counseling services in K-12, college, and community agency settings throughout the local region.

Counselors who participate in the CBCP receive individual and group supervision from highly experienced NU clinical supervisors licensed in clinical psychology, professional counseling, social work, and marriage and family therapy. Counselors also receive extensive clinical orientation and didactic trainings to enhance their knowledge and skills.

Lindsay Sweetnam, LMFT

Lindsay Sweetnam, LMFT is the Manager of Clinical Training and oversees the Community-Based Counseling Program and operations for the Psychological Assessment Clinic at the JFK School of Psychology and Social Sciences (formerly JFKU) at National University. After receiving her BA from the University of Oregon, she returned to her native Bay Area, CA to pursue her Master’s in Counseling Psychology at the University of San Francisco. She had direct clinical experience working in a variety of settings including K-12 schools, shelter-based and permanent supportive housing for homeless and formerly homeless families, and an adolescent inpatient psychiatric facility before moving into the field of domestic violence. She spent 10 years in the field of domestic violence in roles from direct services and community education to Community Programs Director at the oldest and largest domestic violence agency in San Francisco. She joined JFK School of Psychology and Social Sciences (formerly JFKU) in 2017 as a Clinical Supervisor before moving into her current role in 2022.

Partner with our Community-Based Counseling Program

Agencies or schools that are interested in more information regarding the counseling services provided through our CBCP can email cbcp@nu.edu.

Through the OPT’s Community-Based Counseling Program (CBCP), our counselors provide mental health services in school, college, and partnering agency settings in the local community. Our counselors utilize a variety of treatment approaches, including, but not limited to, solution-focused brief therapy, humanistic therapy, expressive arts, and play therapy. Services offered include:

Individual counseling for adults and youth
Group therapy
Couples counseling
Family therapy
Referrals for acute crisis intervention
Services are tailored to the needs of each client, many who seek help coping with:
Depression, anxiety, grief, divorce, trauma, and other personal concerns
Youth issues: self-esteem, bullying, sexuality, and school-related problems
Family issues: parenting, child-parent conflicts, blended families, and violence prevention

The CBCP currently provides services to the following districts and community agencies:

Mt. Diablo Unified School District
Pittsburg Unified School District
Contra Costa Community College District
Solano Community College District
Family Justice Center

Clinical Training Experience

The CBCP provides a comprehensive clinical training experience that enables counselors to become well-rounded mental health professionals:

MFT, PCC, & MSW trainees and associates from the JFK School of Psychology and Social Sciences community and beyond are able to complete their mandated practicum and licensure hours and prepare for the state licensing exam
PsyD clinical trainees at the JFK School of Psychology and Social Sciences are able to gain hours and an array of experience that will meet their practicum and/or externship requirements
Clinical supervision is provided by professionals employed by the OPT and licensed in clinical psychology, marriage and family therapy, and social work

Training Emphasis

The CBCP empowers counselors to provide therapy to diverse populations and to be professionally successful in a diverse range of settings.

Therapy

CBCP training emphasizes the practice of solution-focused brief therapy, family systems, and humanistic approaches. Counselors are also supported in exploring populations and theories they are passionate about and that are relevant to graduation and to the licensing exams. All counselors are supported in their growth as mental health clinicians through ongoing clinical trainings.

Professional Skills

Counselors are also equipped to expand their repertoire of experience beyond the therapy setting. Our program uniquely teaches counselors how to work in community-based settings and introduces them to the policies and procedures inherent to our community-based program. Counselors learn how to collaborate with other helping professionals such as teachers, nurses, and social workers, how to provide community presentations/workshops, and how to represent themselves as professional clinicians in the community.

Clinical training topics include, but are not limited to:

Theories and Modalities

Solution-focused brief therapy
Humanistic and holistic approaches
Play/expressive arts/drama therapy techniques
Individual therapy
Group therapy
Family collateral and therapy work

Clinical Issues Relevant to CBCP Populations

Depression/anger/anxiety
Grief and loss
Crisis and trauma
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Working with Veterans
Diversity and cultural competency
Developmental stages

Professional Skills

Comprehensive clinical assessment and screening
Case conceptualization and treatment planning
Law and ethics
HIPAA compliancy regulations and electronic medical record keeping system

Commitment

The program typically requires a one year (four quarter) commitment and begins just before the fall quarter (September-October), with some exceptions due to program needs. Winter quarter is usually the next best time to start, although placement opportunities may not be as plentiful.

Counselors are typically required to work at least 20-25 hours per week, which includes a minimum of 10 client hours, paperwork, supervision, and trainings. This schedule gears counselors who are in graduate programs toward graduating in a timely manner. However, this schedule can be negotiated for trainees and MFT associates who work and/or in other placements.

Students or associate therapists who are interested in more information regarding the clinical training provided through our CBCP can email cbcp@nu.edu or submit an application below.

The philosophy and mission of the Community-Based Counseling Program (CBCP) is two-fold. First, we believe that the status of one’s mental health determines how successful one can be in school, in their career, and in their personal life. Therefore, we believe that quality mental health services should be easily accessible and affordable for all who require them. The CBCP provides these services to schools, colleges, and agencies in our community.

Additionally, we serve as a clinical training program for graduate students and associates learning to become mental health professionals. We pride ourselves on delivering a unique and comprehensive training experience while also inspiring and empowering mental health trainees to become actively involved in the community.

The majority of placements through the Community-Based Counseling Program (CBCP) are school-based. The CBCP currently provides services to the following districts and community agencies:

Mt. Diablo Unified School District
Pittsburg Unified School District
Contra Costa Community College District
Solano Community College District
Family Justice Center

CBCP Services

CBCP counselors receive training that is designed specifically to orient them to the logistics of working in a school/college, as well as clinical issues that often arise within these populations.

Counseling services include:

individual sessions
group/workshop sessions
classroom and schoolyard observations
consultations/collateral meetings with parents, school staff, and/or other helping professionals

CBCP counselors work collaboratively with agency staff, parents, school administration, and faculty members to provide comprehensive therapeutic services tailored to the needs of the school/college/agency and students. Some of the needs CBCP counselors work with our partners to address are:

Depression
Anxiety
Low self-esteem
Grief and loss
Family crisis
Victims of child abuse
Social interaction problems
Classroom behavior problems
Academic underachievement

CBCP services can be delivered in person, via telehealth, or a hybrid version of the two depending on client need and counselor availability.

Our Counselors

CBCP counselors are volunteer trainees and associates who are currently in or have graduated from one of the following graduate programs:

Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT)
Counseling Psychology (PCC)
Psychology Doctorate (PsyD)

Partnering institutions may also request psycho-educational workshops. Workshops may be delivered to students, staff, faculty, and/or parents/families of students. As always, we aim to tailor our services to the institution. The school/college may therefore select a topic that best suits their needs. Potential topics for workshops include, but are not limited to:

Test anxiety (students)
Social skills building (students)
Managing anxiety (agency members, students, parents, staff, faculty)
Time management (agency members, students, parents, staff, faculty)
Positive parenting (parents)
Supporting children with behavioral issues (staff, faculty, parents)

The CBCP partners and contracts with local schools, districts, and agencies to offer free mental health services to students and agency members. The total cost of services to the school/college or district is dependent upon the unit of services requested.

A unit of service is defined as one counselor providing six hours of counseling services within the partnering institution each week for the duration of the agreement. Each unit of counseling service is usually provided in one day each week. However, split days can sometimes be arranged to best accommodate schedules of the school and counselor.

The program cost is dependent on the number of units requested and the length of time in months the counselors are at the site each year.

The current cost per quarter unit of service:

$2,500 per quarter (3 months)
- K-12s typically request 3 quarters
- Community Colleges and Community Agencies typically request 4 quarters

Workshops

If an additional workshop is beyond what their assigned CBCP counselor is able to provide within the units of service requested, an additional fee will be charged.

Workshops can be delivered via zoom.

Parent/Teacher/Staff/Agency Member Workshops:

$150 (covers 2-3 hours and up to 25 participants)
$250 (covers 2-3 hours and up to 50 participants)

Child/Adolescent Workshops:

$75 (covers 2-3 hours and up to 15 participants)
$175 (covers 2-3 hours and up to 30 participants)