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Richard Eichler
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Columbia's Counseling and Psychological Services(CPS) has expanded, bolstering expertise and making the diversity of Columbia's counselors more reflective of the diversity of the University's student body. CPS's minority counselors now constitute 31% of the staff, while the minority representation among Columiba's undergraduate student body is aproximately 40%.
Over the past few months five new counselors, including three post-doctoral fellows, have joined the CPS staff.
Christine Li, a Chinese-American therapist specializing in couples and group therapy came on board full-time as an assistant psychologist, and psychiatrist Alan Medina, a Latino, became a permanent staff member in February.
In September, three new post-doctoral fellows began counseling under supervision: Calvin Chin, full-time Chinese-American counselor committed to minority, gay and lesbian students; Robin Cautin, full-time Jewish counselor specializing in eating disorders and trauma; and part-time African-American counselor, Addette Williams.
Two additional positions held by minority counselors have been expanded. Janice Bennett, an African-American psychologist who leads Columbia's Women of Color support group, is now on campus 40 hours a week, and Shinhee Han, a Korean-born social worker, has an added responsibility as coordinator of CPS's outreach program.
As members of minority groups, CPS's counselors all share a common gift--a sensitivity to individual issues that stems from different cultures, origins and orientations.
"I know what its like to be in the middle of two cultures," said Dr. Medina, who provides psychiatric evaluations and prescriptions for CPS's collegiate clients. "My mother came from Puerto Rico and my father was from Cuba, and I was caught in the middle of their struggle with acculturation, growing up American in New York City."
Striving for Diversity
When Richard Eichler took over as the Center's director in 1992, the counseling staff was 100% Caucasian, 100% heterosexual. Upon his arrival, Eichler began an active campaign for qualified counselors of color--a campaign that would shape CPS as it exist today.
Shinhee Han, Korean-born clinical social worker became the first minority counselor of a 16 member staff in 1992. Mary Segarra, a Latina, joined the CPS team one year later.
In a market where counselors of color are in high demand, Eichler developed contacts at other universities and counseling programs, particularly targeting the diverse student population of CUNY Graduate Program in Clinical Psychology, and expanded the CPS referral list to include a more diverse group of counselors.
During his tenure at CPS, a number of minority counselors, several of whom were post-doctoral fellows, have come and gone. But today, backed by the budgetary support necessary to bring on more full-time counselors and years of perseverance, Eichler has succeeded in increasing the diversity of CPS over the past seven years. Now on par with Columbia's own student diversity, CPS's 23 member staff includes three Asian-Americans, two Latinos, two African-Americans and two gay and lesbian counselors.
"There are plenty of students who wouldn't feel comfortable or even trust a counselor who was not from their own background," said Eichler. "Having counselors who reflect the diversity of Columbia's student population has sent a powerful message of inclusion and sensitivity to the needs of all cultural groups on campus."
One of Eichler's most successful minority recruitment tactics was the creation of a post-doctoral psychology fellowship program three years ago, one of the first of its kind in the country. Through the program, new psychologists who have recently completed their Ph.D.s can fulfill the required one to two years of advanced hands-on clinical training by counseling clients under the supervision of permanent CPS therapists. Eichler noted that the program was spearheaded with minority recruitment in mind.
"Columbia holds a certain appeal to counselors who are beginning a career," said Eichler. "The fellows program serves young counselors by providing them with an opportunity for clinical experience in college mental health and expert guidance at a premier Ivy League university."
In the case of Christine Li the strategy paid off. Li, a Chinese-American counselor, originally came to Columbia for a year in the fellowship program. Then, a year later she returned, this time as a full-time staff member.
"People have different perspectives based on cultural factors," said Li. "I came back to Columbia to work with Asian-American and international students because it is not in every work environment that a counselor has Asian patients. I have worked with patients from all races and backgrounds, but not many from my own."
Expanded Support Groups
Just as diversity has taken hold with the growth of CPS, so has outreach to the greater campus community--largely motivated by the professional commitments and interests of CPS counselors old and new.
It was not until CPS counselors met with Opportunity Programs and Undergraduate Services, a student affairs group dedicated to the support of non-traditional Columbia students, that they learned of a particular segment of the Columbia population in need of support--young, single parents juggling full-time class schedules.
At an Outreach planning meeting, led by counselor Shinhee Han, it was suggested that students might be interested in attending a group on procrastination. And when over 50 students responded to an email invitation to a session on the issue, another discovery was made about the needs of Columbia's students.
When CPS counselors go beyond the four walls of the CPS office, they discover issues plaguing students and identify common themes of concern. Armed with this awareness, CPS has formed support groups which convene each semester. Group counseling offers an alternative forum of discussion for students who may be uncomfortable with one-on-one counseling.
"When students come to these sessions they see that they are not the only one struggling but that these are life issues with which we all struggle," said Han. "And in a group setting they get to see psychologists as people who speak their own language and it is easier for them to make a connection."
This year the group support program, which is open to all Columbia students for a minimal one-time fee, was expanded to include 15 different sessions lead by counselors with specific interests and expertise, many of whom are new staff members.
Groups exist for Asian-American Students, Women of Color, Multicultural Coming Out and International Support Groups, in addition to groups discussing body image, sexual abuse, bereavement and depression.
"By forming a more proactive group approach to counseling, CPS is redefining counseling as "a normative process for young adults," said Han, CPS outreach coordinator.
Calvin Chin who is co-leading the Multicultural Coming Out program to be launched soon said: "Outreach is very important because it demystifies who we are and lets the community see that there are people on staff who come from similar backgrounds and perspectives. Though outreach, I especially hope to reach out to those communities who are typically underserved in the mental health field."
Enhanced Outreach
CPS counselors participate in a variety of outreach programs and collaborations with other departments. By collaborating with a variety of departments on campus, the counseling process is "demystified," enabling qualified professionals to reach a wider audience.
CPS staff have trained Residents Assistants bringing informal programming to dorms. In collaboration with the health education program Alice!, CPS counselors assist with workshops on relationships, body image, and procrastination. Seminars covering class-specific issues are being coordinated through Class Centers, including adjustment to college for first-years and a "transition to the real world" session for seniors.
The bottom line is CPS is a diverse, energetic, experienced group of professionals who are committed to the well-being of their clients.
"Training, experience, sensitivity, imagination and intelligence are all necessary for the conduct of psychotherapy, but above all else, to be a good therapist one has got to be a good and caring person," said Eichler.
"The great variety in the sociocultural experiences of our students also requires corresponding diversity in our counselors so that our staff can draw creatively upon richly varied backgrounds to engage and support students. At Columbia, we now have a terrific group of counselors, with dedication and heart, from all walks of life, and students seem to know it because we are reaching them in ever greater numbers. But with all of our new staff and new initiatives, I think all of us at CPS agree that what we've accomplished is only a beginning. Stay tuned!"
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