Testimonials from our Learning Clinic Alumni

Van Kennedy, LPC; founder of Well Aware Integrative Care

“My time at the Center for Community Counseling has afforded me profound personal and professional growth. From contributing to Project Impact and volunteering at the Dueling Pianos fundraiser, to providing skills building courses, individual counseling, and case management, I have never before been so challenged while simultaneously inspired as I was by my clients and their resilience in the face of adversity. Working with clients on their self-determined, self-defined, and fluid journeys has been a humbling process, to say the least.

Competence, one of six values in the NASW Code of Ethics, is best appreciated in the context of humility. However, I never understood what that looked like in practice until I was in the presence of a client, the expert of their story and what it looks, feels, and means to be them. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities provided by the Center for Community Counseling and the lessons from my clients about empathy, humility, resilience, and what it means to be human."

Advice from CCC Alumni

I became a counseling intern at the Center for Community Counseling in January 2020. At that time, word was swirling in the media about a virus overseas and fears that it would spread. Dr. Jon Davies, a long-time volunteer, took me under his wing to as my supervisor as I worked with individual and couples. He brought me in as a co-facilitator for the men’s group he had been running for 7 years. I’m not quite sure exactly how I viewed my work as a co-facilitator of the men’s group or as a therapist as I started, but it quickly became one of the most important parts of my life.

Then the pandemic hit, and CCC was able to quickly respond and all services were immediately offered virtually. Though being virtual wasn’t the same as being in person, the Men's Group became a lifeline for those of us connected to it. We were able to get together every week and talk about what was happening, how we and our communities were being impacted, and share updates about how we were coping. The stress of the global situation became a shared stress and we supported each other in getting through it. Some of the guys lost their jobs. One of the members of the group also sadly passed away and we were able to grieve the loss together. learned, as men, to lean on one another.

Reflecting on it now, I often had a sense that I was getting more out of the men’s group than I contributed. I was helping them and they were helping me. I saw evidence of that in my individual and couples counseling. I was showing up differently to those relationships as well as my relationships with friends and family and even in the relationship with myself. By the time I graduated, the pandemic was still raging. The world had completely changed. I could see how the stress of the state of our world was impacting us as clinicians on a deep level. Without the support of the Men and the superivosrs at CCC, I may have burned out.

A valuable lesson I learned at CCC, was to have a person-centered approach to counseling. Because all of the clients at CCC pay out of pocket and no insurance is involved, we are not required to diagnose them. Of course, I still had to conceptualize diagnoses for school and my supervisor was helpful in training me to do that. Working a bit outside the medical model during my internship helped me to not pathologize my clients’ symptoms which still impacts my work today. Now that I am using diagnoses and billing insurance, I’m reminded of the emphasis put on client care at CCC.

To anyone that’s considering an internship at CCC, there are not many places you can go where you will receive the care and attention that CCC offers."

Zoza Oberle, CSWA

“The population of focus at your next internship must be different from the population you were just working with,” my academic support advisor tells me on a particularly dreary and rainy day.

Not work with kids? But that was all I had ever known and the only population I had ever wanted to work with. I didn’t think I was suited to work with adults or that I could help them. I remember telling myself that it was just one internship, and that I could get through it. Soon, I would be back to working with kids. Now, nearly a year after completing my internship with the Center for Community Counseling, it’s hard to imagine a future for myself in the social work field that will not include working with adults in a clinical setting.

CCC has fostered a positive learning environment which has enabled me to grow in my competency of providing clinical services to individuals. I am inspired by and passionate to live out CCC’s Mission Statement, especially with the focus given to creating accessible and affordable therapy in Eugene and Springfield. Uninsured and underinsured adults deserve to have access to mental health support and services. Working with this population is extremely rewarding and helps to meet a need in the community. I have had clients inspire me in sessions, challenge me for the better in areas of growth I am actively working on, and widen my own perception of what my future in the world of social work could look like. My experience here will follow me into every future role I have. This internship has been a foundational building block in my desire to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.”

Carley Weixelman, CSWA

Favorite Memories from Alumni

What Our Alumni Enjoyed the Most About Internship at CCC

“Stop considering it and just do it! CCC allows the interns to really develop who they are as a therapist. You can engage with a full spectrum of clients, being there for the community that needs us the most. There are so many learning opportunities if you are willing to try.” ~JS, MFT intern, Class of 2024

“Embrace it! Show up and learn. Be yourself and be open to discussion/feedback. Learn not only to give support but also get support because this is difficult but rewarding”. ~PH, Counseling intern, Class of 2023

“Do your best to realize that you are not alone in your feelings of inadequacy in starting this work; you are not alone and you will do great work. Trust CCC and all your supervisors, they will be there for you. Don't worry about learning all the techniques, it's not about what you have, it's about who you are.” ~ZO, MSW Intern, Class of 2024

“Definitely do it! Be prepared to be uncomfortable - but from the uncomfortability you will grow and improve as a therapist. Use supervision as a time to ask questions and learn.” ~EK, MSW Intern, Class of 2024

“Don't be afraid of jumping in and getting your feet wet. Once you are in there with a client and you both go through your fears of the first session, the experience of supporting someone in helping themselves is indescribable.” ~BC, MSW Intern, Class of 2024.

“My best moment at the Center for Community Counseling is hard to pin down as my experience was so diverse. I enjoyed building confidence, autonomy, and skills toward group work, individual clinical practice, and speaking to those over the phone.” ~JV, MSW Intern, Class of 2022

“Having my first session with a client is one of my favorite CCC memories. The nerves, the planning, the uncertainty, and the feeling that all of my hard work over the years had finally delivered me to do what I love!” ~MS, Psychology Intern, Class of 2022

“The intimacy of the agency and ability to access supervision when I needed it (in addition to scheduled supervision). I enjoyed being able to learn and to do fluidly; I was able to do mezzo, macro, and micro social work in a supportive atmosphere.” ~KW, MSW Intern, Class of 2020

"The group supervision program at CCC is phenomenal. A rich diversity of perspectives that help all of us to deepen and refine both our work and our personhood". ~CB, Counseling Intern, Class of 2022

“Everything! I loved the community with the other interns, the amount of support from administration and the Case Consultation sessions. And of course, working with my clients! The chance to lead DBT groups was also incredibly impactful.” ~ JO, MSW Intern, Class of 2022