What is the Summer Workshop?
The annual summer workshop resembles a live virtual conference for the counseling
students at ULM. It is designed to facilitate students’ integration of concepts learned
in foundational first-year coursework into clinical application. The workshop includes
opportunities for students to continue to develop their clinical skills while receiving
live supervision and address advanced-level special topics relevant to professional
practice. Students will be directed to specialty groups during the workshop that will
address School Counseling, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and Addiction Counseling
topics to support further development in their concentration. Students will learn
from practicing counselors and counselor educators in their respective field that
will further promote their professional identity. Students complete the summer workshop
before entering into Practicum and Internship.
History of the Workshop
In the past, the Counseling Program used a hybrid format and required students to
attend an on-site, week-long residence. Students were required to come to campus for
the residence where they would learn and develop their counseling skills. While this
experience was important for students' clinical skills development and helped build
cohesiveness among the students, the Counseling faculty also recognized this was also
difficult for the students logistically. For example, many students had to travel
long distances to attend the residence, were required to sleep in the dorms, and many
had to take time off of work and be away from their families. The cost of the residence
was also high, costing $2,000 for room, board, and the residence (not including travel
costs).
In an attempt to reduce the strain and cost for students, the Counseling faculty changed
the format of the residence from an on-site to a virtual format, and changed the name
from Summer Residence to Summer Workshop. With the implementation of Zoom, students
now meet online and practice their clinical skills in multiple courses throughout
the program and no longer receive this training just during the residnece.
Because the skills training was no longer offered only during the residence, the Counseling
faculty were able to add other activities to the summer workshop to make is more relevant
and meaningful. Even with the clinical skills training and the addition of new activites,
the Counseling faculty were able to reduce the days from five to three, and reduce
the cost from $2,000 to $950. Because of these changes, students can now attend the
summer workshop online without having to travel to campus.
Format and Expectations
The summer workshop is held across three days, via Zoom, in a synchronous format.
Dates and times will be made available annually through the program website. Students
should note that workshop is a live experience. All sessions have interactive components
to enhance student learning and increase personal/professional relevance of material.
Students should be prepared to engage via Zoom throughout the entirety of the workshop
as they would in an in-person setting (video on, participating in activities, asking
questions, and taking part in skill development). Students will have direct access to Counseling Faculty during the workshop.
The Dates for the 2025 Summer Workshop are Set for May 13, 14, and 15th.
Registration Now Open for the 2025 Summer Workshop!
The 2025 Summer Workshop will be held May of 2025. Further details will be provided
at a later time. Students can register for the 2025 Summer Workshop now and either
pay it off in one payment or set up monthly payments that will pay it off by May 2025.
Counseling