00:00:00
Human Development Counseling
Jonathan Pierce
01:00:13 PM
Autumn, I'm here just to learn more about the HDC program : )
We can now wait for a few more people to come through.
And you all hear me.
Yep, I can hear you.
Nancy Meza
01:00:33 PM
Yes
OK.
Alexis Harms
01:00:36 PM
Yes
Hello, can you hear me?
Yep.
Can hear you. Can you hear me?
Nancy Meza
01:00:46 PM
Yes
Yes. Hi, autumn.
I don't know.
So if I click on the microphone.
Can't hear you now.
Ariane Bogay
01:01:03 PM
Hello
So when it's green is when.
It's muted.
Yeah, and now your camera's gone.
OK.
I can't hear you, autumn.
OK. Just making sure we have a few more people. I guess I can get started then.
You are a host.
Yes.
Great.
OK. So hello everyone. My name is Autumn Harris. I'm part of the admission team here at the University of Illinois, Springfield. So before we get into this presentation today, I have a couple of housekeeping items to go over so that you're all aware this webinar is being recorded and will be made available for viewing. So don't feel like you need to take frantic notes. And within your share screen you'll see that there is a closed captioning button. It's the bar top right corner, little C button right next to it is the option to make the video full screen.
If you'd like that as well, and if you need to resync your audio or video at any point in time, just refresh the browser and that should clear things up.
Um, so we'd love to hear your questions in the chat. Feel free to post those throughout. We're going to be looking at questions at the end of the session. So we'll put those on pause until the later point and then we'll go through those. And I know there are a lot of people on today, which is wonderful. We're happy to have you here. And with that, I want to introduce you to doctor Tiffany Nelson. Are you also doing it as well?
Yep, we're both sharing.
OK. Then I want to introduce you to doctor Tiffany Nelson and Doctor Jim Klein from the Human Development Counseling program. Thank you both for joining us today. And with that, I will hand it over to you.
You.
Great. Thanks, autumn. It's fun to have autumn here because she's also a student in our program, so it's a win win.
Sam Rickman
01:03:27 PM
I am having trouble hearing anyone I am working on it.
So I'll briefly introduce myself. I am Tiffany Nielsen, as autumn mentioned, and I am the department chair. I'm getting some weird feedback. I'm not sure if it's ohh that just cleared up. OK, and the department chair for Counseling and social work. And then even though we're a department with social work, our program, human development counseling or just counseling program operates as the Masters program. And so we have three different concentrations. And I.
Co coordinate the marriage couple and family concentration with Doctor Hackworth, one of our other faculty, and also teach other classes like some of the clinical classes, practicum, internship, child nellesen, counseling and again, a lot of the American family classes. So that's a little bit about me, Jim. I'll let you kind of take over.
Yeah. Can you hear me OK, Tiffany?
It's it's not as good as it was with the headphones on.
OK, yeah, I don't need headphones are not. I can't hear with the headphones on. I can only speak. Sorry, it's like muffled.
Ohh weird.
So that's better.
Yes, that is better.
There you go. OK.
You know.
OK. I'll try to keep one of these off my ear so I can hear. OK um, I'm not sure how to adjust for that. But welcome, everybody. I'm not sure what all we have what, 10 participants? It's great. You're awful. I'm Jim Klein, as Doctor Nielsen said, and I am in my 16th year here at UIS and probably all of those years I have maybe all but one I have coordinated.
Ariane Bogay
01:04:52 PM
I can't hear
Ariane Bogay
01:05:02 PM
the connection gone
Uh, admissions for the program. So you know, this is, you know, this is very exciting. We've only been doing this experience a couple of times. I think it can be really helpful for students and certainly convenient. So we're delighted to have you here. In addition to coordinating admissions, I coordinate the school counseling concentration and I have probably taught just about every class that we have in the department at this point.
Autumn Harris
01:05:28 PM
Wonderful! I'm glad to hear that Jonathan!
Belindah Nampijja
01:05:36 PM
Hello, the network sounds scratchy... Can hardly comprehend to the information passed...
Uh, I'm originally from suburban Chicago, and when I, I did my undergraduate work at the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, and then I did both my Masters and doctorate at Northern Illinois University. And when I finished up there, my first teaching position was at Georgia Southern University, just outside of Savannah, GA and so this is, this is a great place, a great program, great faculty. We're very, very proud of the program that we've been able to.
Put together in that you are interested in. And so it's an easy sell because I think you have a group of faculty that care very deeply about each other and about what we do and about training counselors to go out and serve Illinois. So glad you could be here, but it's enough about me. I think we also have, I don't know, Haley, if you're able to.
You know speak on your end but it might be you know nice to to hear a little bit from you we're we're fortunate that that uh our current graduate assistant is able to join us and wondering Haley if you're.
Haley Wold
01:06:24 PM
I can only type it appears, but I will put content in the chat :)
If you can hear me, if you can say a few things.
Awesome. Looks like she's putting something in the chat.
Autumn Harris
01:06:43 PM
This webinar will be recorded and made available for viewing, so if the scratchiness persists, you can watch it then Belindah.
I have to remember to toggle back and forth between the two.
Hmm.
Haley Wold
01:06:55 PM
Hello everyone, my name is Haley and I am a first year on the school counseling track
All right. So Hailey just put in the chat that she is a first year student in the school counseling track. And again, like Doctor Klein mentioned, she is our graduate assistant. So that's one of the benefits as a graduate student, you're eligible to also apply simultaneously when you apply for the school.
Um, for a graduate assistantship or uh, GPSI, which is similar but a more state based placement job that then pays your tuition and gives you a monthly stipend for the work that you do. So it's a great, great program that they have available here.
And a lot of our students are able to do that. They are able to do that program to help cut, manage the cost of tuition.
Well, I think sometimes the best use do we have, uh, a full hour? How much time do we have?
In just 30 minutes.
Haley Wold
01:08:27 PM
I am typing as fast as I can, but it seems that is not very fast. I am happy to be available as a resource as I have experience with both GPSI and GA programs. I can be contacted via my email hwold3@uis.edu if anyone would like to connect and ask any questions from the perspective of a current student as the HDC GA :)
Ohh just 30 minutes. OK. Well, I, I know you know maybe in the past the the best use of this time has been able has been I think us making sure that we get any questions that you have answered and that tends to, you know either other candidates have similar questions or closely related or that might.
Will motivate you to think of it of some other question that you have. So I guess we'll just kind of open it up to see how we could be of assistance.
Autumn Harris
01:08:39 PM
The webinar goes until 2pm Dr. Nielson and Dr. Klein
What does good?
And Doctor Nielsen will will the questions come through the chat?
It looks like it.
OK, autumn says the webinar goes till 2.
OK.
Alexis Harms
01:08:56 PM
When will we know of our acceptance status?
Great.
OK. Yeah. So the first question that came through is when will we know of our acceptance status and so we, you know, even though today.
Belindah Nampijja
01:09:41 PM
Through June, perfect
It, I think it says on the website that today is the deadline. We actually, if you look through some of the admissions language, we'll accept applications all the way through June. And so it's kind of like the spring and summer we have ongoing or rolling admissions we will conduct multiple times throughout this spring and maybe once or twice in the summer, the 2nd.
Nancy Meza
01:10:04 PM
At UIS, specifically in the Human Development Counseling program, how likely is it to receive a graduate assistantship?
Phase of admissions which are group interviews and we're actually going to be having those on campus this year as opposed to zoom. We'll we may keep that flexible that if we need to offer one through zoom for those that can't readily make it to campus for transportation reasons, we may be able to offer that and conduct it through zoom as a convenience but.
After the group interviews, whether they're in person, on campus or through zoom, we typically take maybe.
I would say a week and 1/2 to two weeks. Uh to, you know, go back through, verify everything in the application package, review the reference letters.
Salt with each other because there's no one single individual that makes an admission decision. It's actually all of us as a faculty. So while I coordinate admissions, it's really just making sure that all of the pieces are in place. But it's a collective effort by all of us as a faculty, and I would argue that it is as much you all interviewing us as it is us interviewing you. You want to make sure, I think, in a graduate program such as.
Counseling that it's a good fit for you that the that the faculty or a group of faculty that you want to learn with. It's a it's a really I think different process learning how to become a counselor and so making sure that that relational dynamic is in place from your end is is really important. So that can be a very empowering thing to know heading into it is that you are interviewing us as much as we are you and so depending on how complete.
For phase one, materials are will determine at what point we're able to either invite you to campus or do something through zoom.
And then about like I said, maybe two weeks after that you would know.
Belindah Nampijja
01:11:59 PM
How many students are admitted in the clinical mental health counseling program yearly?
Yeah. And, you know, we, we provide that flexibility because people don't always know right now what you know, if you're ready to apply and if you think you want to do it, I'd encourage you to apply now.
Part of that being the graduate assistantship. The initial round of interviews for the graduate assistantship starts March 15th. And so the sooner you can be admitted to the program, the sooner you're eligible for that. And that's when the majority of graduate assistantship positions get filled. And so to give you maximum opportunity for that program, we want to do our initial round of interviews in time to to give folks who are interested in that and the opportunity to do that again. And then we'll continue to do.
Uh, interviews as as we can to give students an opportunity to to join us and again making sure this is a fit for you and and a program that you want to join. I mean obviously I'm biased and think that our program is fantastic. I think you know I echo what Jim had said earlier that we've built a really meaningful program and something that trains you all to be.
Stellar counselors once you enter the field and also personal growth so we care about you. We attend to what you need and all the learning that you need to be able to be effective as a counselor.
Alexis Harms
01:13:14 PM
Thank you, Belindah. That was my next question
It looks like there's a question I saw, Nancy, your question about how likely is it to receive a graduate assistantship? So again, that's where that.
Priority deadline is is helpful. If if that's something you're wanting, then getting in the first round of interviews would be important, so making sure your entire application packet is complete to make you eligible for, you know, being able to join us for an interview and not holding anything back from being able to fully admit you to the program.
And, and they still do. I think they do another round of interviews in the in early June for graduate assistantships as positions fill up. And for some students, you don't have to start off with it. They also open positions in the fall semester to start in the spring semester. So Haley is an example of that. She joined us this spring semester and so.
Ariane Bogay
01:14:12 PM
I am from Philippines,my visa right now is tourist.Can anyone help me assist for student visa?
Autumn Harris
01:14:21 PM
If you have any personal Admission questions, please feel free to email admissions@uis.edu
I think the majority of our students have who have been interested in a graduate assistantship or a GPS, I have been able to do it. It may not be in their first or second semester of applying, but usually throughout their program they're able to do that.
I'm just gonna go in order. So how many?
Yeah, it says how many students are admitted in the clinical mental health counseling program yearly. We don't. The only cap that we have are the total number of students that we can admit, which is usually we can admit as many as 30, but the number usually comes in somewhere between 20 and 30 when it's all said and done. And so we don't kind of say, well, there's only so many in clinical mental health care, well, couple family, that sort of thing.
So I wouldn't worry so much about that.
The question about um.
You know.
Your visa and can anyone assist you with that? I would say, you know, we defer for international students to our international Student Support Office for questions related to the visa. I think the most important thing that we have learned on our end is, you know, we'll be offering a virtual or Zoom Group interview for international candidates probably in the next couple of weeks.
Belindah Nampijja
01:15:45 PM
Are there any application fee waivers for graduate applications?
Uh, so that we can get those turned around a little more quickly, but we work very closely with, um, you know, the International Student Services Office and representatives from the Office of admission to make sure that those pieces are being attended to. But I would be cautious on my end to speak to the nuances of that since I don't really work within kind of international student services. So I apologize for that.
Um.
Let's see, are there any I, you know, I don't know, I mean, you know, autumn might be able to to help us with that. Autumn, are there any application fee waivers for graduate applications?
Alexis Harms
01:16:26 PM
Yes, Belindah. My fee was waived
I know there was a time during the pandemic that they were waiving that fee, but I'm not sure if that's still.
Nancy Meza
01:16:56 PM
Are there any course requirements or recommended courses that should be taken during one's undergraduate schooling prior to applying to the Human Development Counseling program?
Yeah. And I don't even know what it is. And you know, I would apologize. I think a good rule of thumb is not to ask faculty financial aid questions or or like really detailed admissions questions about like those things. I mean, I would like to say I know, but I have a hard enough time tracking the details of, you know, state counseling, licensure and and curriculum and accreditation, let alone some of those things.
So I will apologize in advance for that.
Autumn Harris
01:17:04 PM
Please email admissions@uis.edu for any personal questions about your application.
Uh.
And I will say our, our, our admissions crew are are a wonderful resource, so reach out to them with those.
Question, yeah.
Yeah. And I would echo what Doctor Nielsen said. I mean what you know, we're a small campus and so, you know, we work really closely with whether it's the graduate Assistantship Office, the GSI office, which is the graduate Public Service, Internship Office, admissions. I mean we have great relationships and like I said, most of us as in our department or program have been here for quite a while. And so, you know, we can usually turn these things around pretty quickly.
Get an answer for you pretty quickly.
One of the questions, Nancy, that you had about, you know, are there any course requirements or recommended courses that that should be taken during one's undergraduate schooling? There are no undergraduate course prerequisites required for our program, and I don't know that I would even go so far as to make any specific recommendations. I think one of the things that I really appreciate about counseling and graduate programs in counseling.
Is the fact that there is no sort of single way of arriving there, meaning there's not.
You know, it's not like in maybe social work or psychology where there are undergraduate degrees in those fields. And I think what that ends up doing is, is really populating our courses with a great diversity of thought and discipline, which really enriches the learning experience.
Alexis Harms
01:18:45 PM
With clinical mental health counseling, an LCPC is also awarded after completion of the HDC program, correct?
I'm gonna mute myself real quick. I need to cough. I apologize.
OK. Yeah, yeah. No, I just wanted to follow up with what you were saying, Jim, of how there is no undergraduate that.
Is necessary or required for the Masters program because we train you in everything that you need to know to be a counselor and whatever your specialty is. And so we've had students from all different backgrounds, right? So we've had students who have had a career and run their own business and then decide they want to be a counselor. We've had students who have, in fact, one of our current adjunct faculty who is an alumni of our program was a veterinarian.
Belindah Nampijja
01:19:33 PM
Can a clinical mental health counselor still be qualified or have qualifications to be a mental health nurse?
Before coming to our program and so obviously didn't have an undergraduate in psychology or you know, but she was a veterinarian and came and has done incredible work as a counselor and is now an adjunct faculty for us. And so I think that's an excellent example of how you'll, you'll be able to learn the skills that you need to.
Yeah, I think in terms of Alexis, the the licensure question, always a great question. I mean, you know, one thing to keep in mind as you're looking at graduate programs is every graduate programs responsibilities to prepare you to be licensed eligible for the state in which you work. And I think it's a huge advantage of our program to be situated in the state capital. I know for myself I was fortunate enough to serve for a little over a decade on the counseling, licensure and disciplinary board and so.
I feel pretty comfortable answering licensure related questions. Illinois is A2 tiered state Alexis, which means there are there's an LPC which is a licensed professional counselor that you are immediately eligible for upon graduation from our program and successfully passing the National Council exam, which you will be eligible to take your last semester in our program. And I don't want to get off into too many of the details because it can be a little bit overwhelming, but.
The face to say you are, then.
You know, in route to the LCPC, which is ultimately for anyone wanting to go into clinical mental health or private practice or or do that sort of work in a community agency type of setting, the LCPC is really where you want to be because that second C, the LC is a clinical demarcation that really affords you a great many options. The only way that you are eligible for that is that's a postmasters credential and you have to be out of your graduate program.
Uh, for a minimum of two years, uh, before you're even eligible for that. Then you have to get a requisite number of supervised hours, take another exam. And those are things that we would go over in your first class in our program as we kind of go through the alphabet soup of all things counseling related. But I'm fearful that that would veer us off into a different direction.
Um, Belinda, I think your question about, you know, being trained as a clinical mental health counselor, let me say a bit about that and then Doctor Nielsen, if you wanna weigh in on that, I would say that most, most titles, certainly in the state of Illinois, are going to be protected by law and by statute. And so when you graduate from our program, you know, like not anybody can call themselves a professional school counselor or a professional counselor or professional, you know?
Clinical counselor, those are protected by law and require specific education, supervised experience, clock hours. So I would imagine that, you know, when I think of like a mental health nurse, I kind of think of like a psychiatric nurse. I would imagine that that would be a separate training altogether. So like you would be trained to come out and do as a clinical mental health counselor, talk therapy in a community agency at.
The.
Uh, maybe a substance abuse facility, a private practice, that sort of thing. I don't know, Doctor Nielsen, if you would have anything to, to maybe add to that.
Yeah, I would. If you know where you might want to land or where that profession is, then I would encourage you to look at that licensing and programs that might be specific to a mental health nurse because I I don't know the qualifications or the training requirements for the nursing because we don't have the medical component here.
And again, like uh Doctor Klein was saying, we all of our graduates are eligible for the first year of licensure upon graduation. So you would be eligible as a licensed professional counselor in the state of Illinois. And many of our students do also move to different States and so.
Each state has its own licensure laws, and that's where you just wanna look at those. And sometimes it might take a little bit of extra work, but the majority of the requirements overlap. There's just occasional times where you might need an additional course or a few more hours clinically to to meet those requirements.
Nancy Meza
01:24:05 PM
What other concentrations does the HDC program offer? I know Dr. Nielson mentioned family, couple, and marriage counseling
So we've got the, uh, the clinical mental health, the marriage couple and family, and then we also have the school counseling concentration. We're going to be going through some shifts with that concentration. So I don't think we're going to be admitting school counseling folks for this admissions cycle just so people don't get caught in between those changes. But we anticipate future admissions that students will be able to do some training specific to school.
Counseling again, we're restructuring that a little bit.
I will add, so just a little bit about the program and this is some similar to most counseling programs, but I'll speak specifically to ours.
We are a cake repair credited program. So what that means is the curriculum has been approved by an accrediting body which says you are training your students in the coursework and the content and the the skill knowledge that they need to be counselors. So some licensure bodies look at that, some don't, but that can be helpful for licensure as well. Like what cake rub also structures is what we call the core and so the core.
Belindah Nampijja
01:25:53 PM
Kindly pardon on me, did u say admission is ongoing throughout June? Meaning the deadline ain't today, right?
It is consistent across all concentrations. And so your core courses that you'll take is really 80 to 90% of the credit hours that you do. And so regardless of what concentration you end up selecting, the majority of your coursework will be the same. There's only in the marriage couple and family track, there's only four specialized courses that you'll take and clinical mental health.
There's two, and then you have two electives to take. Uh, the rest of them, it's kind of.
Nice. And that if you're not sure when you start what concentration you want to be in, you can change. So we have students sometimes change their concentration because the majority of your coursework is the same. So courses such as.
You know the ethics class, multicultural counseling, um, group counseling, your basic skills course, the diagnosis.
Like manual, the DSM, appraisal, all of those courses everybody takes. It's just a few select specialty courses that you'll take that differentiate your concentration. And then when you get into your clinical experience, certainly you want to tailor the clientele that you're working with, with your concentration.
Alexis Harms
01:27:05 PM
If we are accepted as a GA, are we able to choose where in the departments of UIS we wish to work?
So it looks like there's a question about um.
Admissions ongoing through June.
Um, meaning the deadline isn't today, right?
Yes. So if you don't make today's deadline, keep applying. We'll we'll accept applications, yeah.
Later.
So if we are accepting.
Yeah, that was just I was. Yeah, I'm sorry to interrupt. Can you hear me OK?
Yep.
Yeah, and.
Belinda, can I ask really quick? I was just, I'm sorry, I was moving between um participants. Can I ask specifically have you, have you submitted?
The application at all.
Belindah Nampijja
01:28:23 PM
haven't submitted
And while Belinda, while you're responding to that, Alexis, the I, I think the way it works with the GA and correct me if I'm wrong, is that, you know, you would go into an eligible applicant pool and then departments and programs on campus go through and select those that they want to interview. Is that how it's still done, Doctor Nielsen?
Autumn Harris
01:28:33 PM
Yes, that is correct.
Yep. And so you would be, uh, receive a job, like a specific job. So maybe you know some of the positions are.
Current students are at like the School of Education has some GA's, even our counseling. Our Student counseling center here, sometimes our.
The disability office, uh.
Autumn Harris
01:29:07 PM
If you are wanting to know more about the GA program, please email gaprog@uis.edu
Student union building, I mean, there's just a lot of positions across campus. And so they would reach out to you to interview for that specific position, and then you could choose based on the job whether to accept that position if they offer it to you.
And you can interview for multiple positions.
Yeah. Thanks, autumn.
Belindah Nampijja
01:29:18 PM
But will submit soon, in early February
Yes, thanks Adam, for putting that e-mail about the GA program. I think, yeah, if that's something you're interested in, you can seek it out again, applying for the GA doesn't mean that you're accepting a position in the GA you can apply for it and then see what what interviews you get or opportunities you get. You don't have to accept it by applying for it. Same for our program, right? Like you're you're not.
You we want you to interview us and know that this is a good fit for you as as you're applying for the program.
Yeah, and I am putting.
Jim Klein
01:30:24 PM
Jim Klein: jklei4@uis.edu
My e-mail in the chat and for for those of you that might be in particular um, I'm thinking about those of you that are international applicants, if you haven't made an application. While we're waiting for those pieces, I want to make sure that we can include you in the remote or virtual group interview that we're going to be doing here in the next couple of weeks. And so as you have questions relative to that, I mean please feel free to send me an e-mail so I can make sure that.
That happens.
Yeah, there's a lot of emphasis to that because it can take six months to a year to get the the visas and everything processed and so we need to get the international applicants interviewed.
To give you that opportunity to be able to come.
Feel free to continue popping questions in. I was just going to give more overview about the program. So like I said, we have the core courses and content that we cover and then the clinical experience is another important piece to consider. So again, because you are eligible for licensure upon graduation, it's important that you have the skill set to be a counselor because once you graduate then.
You will have your own client caseload that you are managing. Um and so.
In starting in your second semester, you'll take a basic skills course. This is if you're full time again, you're also.
Welcome to do part time and you would work with your advisor in terms of how to structure your your core sequence. But for full time folks, in your second semester you would take a basic basic skills course called pre practicum and in that course you would role play with different students.
Counseling skills and you would practice with one another those counseling skills. So kind of a lower stakes opportunity to make mistakes and try out these core counseling skills of how to have empathy and paraphrase and sit with the client and and then in the following fall semester, you would take group counseling and then in the spring semester of your second year, you would begin your practicum. And so this is a field placement where you are in the fields at a site of your choosing. We have a list of sites that we already have.
Autumn Harris
01:32:33 PM
I've loved all of my classes in the HDC program so far!
Agreements with and have worked with those site supervisors and students sometimes also find their own site outside of that. And then we create agreements with them. But you choose your site, so we don't tell you or assign you where to go and you get to pick a site that is a population and a place that you want to work with.
And so then you're able to.
Uh, start off that practicum experience is 100 hours, and so you are spending roughly a day at your site, seeing clients and learning all the nuance of what it means to be at the place that you're at, whether it be a school or a community agency or an inpatient mental health facility.
Alexis Harms
01:33:16 PM
To recap, the initial round of interviews for students who have already applied is March 15, correct?
You are in it, you know and and you are seeing clients on your own, but at A at a structured pace to help you learn. And then you're receiving regular feedback on the work that you're doing. And then your third year in the program really shifts a lot to where the majority of your work is in internship. And this is where you are taking on more of a caseload and developing your your approach to counseling to where again when you graduate.
You become a professional counselor and are able to transition into a professional placement.
Alright, looks like we've gotten. Thanks autumn for that vote of approval. I love all my classes and HC program.
Good to hear.
Alexis Tricap the initial round of interviews for students who have already applied as March 15th. We're hoping to have decisions by March 15th.
If client, remember when we had set that initial date for interviews.
I can look it up real quick.
Haley Wold
01:34:17 PM
I have it down as 3/2/2023
Uh, looks like we had looked at uh, March 2nd.
Thursday. Is that fit for you?
Jim.
OK, yeah, Haley wrote it down too. So Thursday, March 2nd.
Haley Wold
01:34:46 PM
9:30a-1p
Yeah.
Yeah, I, I that's what I have in my calendar and looks like that's what Haley has written down to. Um.
So I think that's right. Yeah, because we were going to use.
Belindah Nampijja
01:35:16 PM
Jim Klein, patiently awaiting on for your email....
And then go to lunch. So part of that interview experience you would be again coming to campus. Obviously if you're not in the area then we would do an alternative type of interview opportunity, but for those that are able to attend, we would do an in person interview.
With some some group structured interviews and then we'll shift to a lunch and we'll we'll provide lunch for you all.
Belindah Nampijja
01:35:46 PM
What is the minimum gpa required for clinical mental health counseling?
And that part of the reason for that March 2nd date again is so that ideally we can make decisions to have your application done in time for the GA.
Uh process, which begins March 15th.
And what that March 15th deadline basically means then your name is in that pool that Doctor Klein mentioned, where those that are have open GTA positions would be able to look at the list of applicants.
Nancy Meza
01:36:16 PM
About how many semesters/years does the HDC take to finish if you enroll as a full-time student?
Yeah. So about how many semesters years does the HC take to finish? So it's a three-year program full time. So full time for us is 3 classes.
Three graduate courses, and so it's they're each three.
3 credits for each class of 9 credits each semester. And then we do have some summer classes that are that you take in your 2 summers. So it's.
They're gonna three-year full time program.
Students, some students. Uh, particularly if you're working full time, we'll spread that out more. So it might be 3 1/2 for 4 1/2 years, whatever. You need to kind of spread that out.
OK.
Tiffany Nielson
01:37:35 PM
Face to Face Interviews:
Tiffany Nielson
01:37:45 PM
March 2 9:30 - 1
Tiffany Nielson
01:37:52 PM
April 22
Tiffany Nielson
01:38:10 PM
International interview via zoom in the next couple of weeks
Belindah Nampijja
01:38:19 PM
Hahhaha
The 27th, OK.
Hello.
Tiffany Nielson
01:38:29 PM
April 27th (correction)
That's your father.
Alexis Harms
01:38:41 PM
The interviews are group and individual?
Yeah, and I think a lot of this is just consistent to how we run the program. If we want to know who you are and have moments for self reflection and authenticity is really what guides our program of being able to know yourself and and be congruent in your encounters with others.
It's it's not about what you know you know, it's not. It's really not about knowledge. And again, we we're providing that knowledge. Anything you need to know. We just want to know who you are. What brings you here?
Alexis Harms
01:41:59 PM
I agree, Dr. Klein! That is what drew me to the HDC program
Yeah, absolutely. Where my mind went as you were talking about that Jim too is just the uh.
One that the need for counselors right. So as we shift to normalizing that the value and and place for counseling for everybody you know you don't have to be there's.
You know, certainly mental illness that is part of counseling and.
All people can benefit from that, and we all need that. We all need meaningful relationship. We all need space to be heard and valued and.
And.
We need more counselors there. There's such a high demand for that and for good counselors who are are trained to.
To support and help.
Help folks.
Yes.
Yeah.
Alexis Harms
01:45:15 PM
I am a little worried about the interviews because that brings an initial nervousness. However, I like the way you both, Dr. Neilson and Dr. Klein, explained how the interviews will go. It is a great perspective to think of the interviews and the program in general as bringing out your authentic self
What's interesting?
Hmm.
And that may not you know fully appease the the nervousness. I think that's just some of that is just naturally there and again for those that are able to do the in person interviews, this is where the benefit of having both you know the formal conversation and the informal. So there will be opportunities where like maybe you didn't feel like you were able to really.
Communicate yourself well in in the group interview. Well, we'll have informal opportunities of in between the interviews and during the lunch time where we get to know you in a different way. Because I know you know you show different parts of yourself based on what is happening in that moment. And so that's part of why we have different opportunities to get to know you.
I was also going to share.
Um.
Again, kind of back to the earlier questions of, you know, like they're being caps for different concentrations. We don't have a set quota or amount. You know, everyone. It's possible that everyone who interviews may get admitted to the program.
Albert Owusu-Konadu
01:48:48 PM
Thank you Dr. Klein. I did enjoy my group interview with you last year. It was relaxing despite the earlier nerves.
It's it's not about meeting a cap it's about admitting folks that we think are in a place in their life to be trained as a counselor and.
Haley Wold
01:49:16 PM
I remember being very nervous for my HDC interview last year! I think I forgot to answer one of the questions altogether, but by the end of the interview I felt a sense of calmness having met some potential future classmates and meeting several professors as well. I promptly enrolled once I was admitted because of that feeling :)
And so I, you know, it brings me back to I have a, a memory of going to a different institution that I didn't end up choosing. And I was at the interview and it was very clear that there were X number of spots and exponentially more of us at the interview. So I was sitting in a room with people who were my competition. So then it became a competition for those seats.
That's not the case for us, right? It's not a competition. Everyone can win, right? It's a win, win situation. Just be yourself and you're not competing against anybody in the room.
OK.
Autumn Harris
01:50:08 PM
I feel the same. I went in thinking the interviews were going to be so nerve-wracking, but it wasn't even as bad as I thought.
Haley Wold
01:50:36 PM
I am really looking forward to a non-Zoom interview experience this time around
We.
I'm just sitting back here, Jim, like enjoying this. I'm like, yes, like, I don't know, I just love being around you and hearing you talk about um.
You know what it means to be a counselor in this work? That.
Living in the Gray.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Right. There's a right or wrong answer, and in counseling, rarely is there a right or wrong answer. And so.
Changing ourselves, like you said, being able to to be in that place of exploration and reflection and self-awareness.
To be ready for the ambiguity of our profession.
Alexis Harms
01:55:42 PM
I feel this was a great way to get to know the program and you both, Dr. Neilson and Dr. Klein. I feel better about the program, the interviews, and my future in HDC
Tiffany Nielson
01:56:15 PM
tniel3@uis.edu
Haley Wold
01:56:17 PM
Before the meeting ends I wanted to share my email one more time: hwold3@uis.edu
I am happy to correspond via email or to set up a Zoom and discuss all things HDC. I am not an authoritative body within the program for admissions as the GA, but I can speak on my experience since I was in your position just one year ago if you wanted the perspective of a current first-year :)
I'll put my e-mail in there as well. I mean, Doctor Klein coordinates the admission, so admissions related stuff, you really need to send his way, but I'm happy to answer any questions as well. And Haley is here, so sometimes it's really nice to get the student perspective.
So yeah, I appreciate you being available, Haley.
Haley Wold
01:56:37 PM
Absolutely :)
Ohh.
I think you all pretty much said it. I was kind of listening, just agreeing.
But were there any last minute questions?
If not, like they said, they put their emails in the chat, so feel free to e-mail them by any questions or concerns you had about the program. Anything you're wondering if you had any personal questions about your application that you can e-mail admissions or you can e-mail me. I'll also put my e-mail in the chat if you have any personal questions or just questions about the program like as I'm a second year in the program. So any questions about that?
Autumn Harris
01:57:27 PM
aharri62@uis.edu- Autumn Harris
Hmm, awesome.
I specifically signed up for this.
OK. Any final questions?
All right. Well, thank you all so much for joining us today. And.
Adeyinka Adetunji
01:57:49 PM
Nice being in this space with you all. I can promise you that Dr Jim replied promptly to mails
Alexis Harms
01:57:49 PM
Thank you all!
Thanks again.
Yes, hopefully we don't get the many of you in the interviews, so.
No problem.
Alright, bye.