Counselor Training Clinic - Counseling, Human Development, and Family Science

About the CTC

The CTC provides outpatient counseling services through the Department of Counseling, Human Development, and Family Science. Our counselors are graduate students enrolled in the master’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program or doctoral Counselor Education program. All counselors have completed coursework to begin working with clients, have active liability insurance, and adhere to the American Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics. Our counselors are supervised by the CTC Director in collaboration with the CTC leadership team and/or Counselor Education faculty.

CTC offices and counseling rooms are located on the fourth and fifth floors of the Bailey Education Complex and the Claxton Complex. After you schedule an appointment, we will provide clear directions for where and when to meet your counselor. If you cannot find the waiting area or your specific counseling room, please call us at 865-974-9291.

How to Book an Appointment

If you are interested in seeking counseling services at the CTC, please fill out our appointment request. We will call you for a brief screening before matching you with a counselor. Typically, we respond to inquiries within two business days; however, our response time will be longer at the beginning and end of the semester and during university breaks. Your counselor will contact you to schedule a time, date, and room number for your first counseling session.

Request an Appointment

About Counseling and Counselors

Navigating the world of mental health services can be confusing and often leaves individuals with more questions than answers. There is much confusion among clients (and some professionals) about the differences between counselors, psychologists, social workers, and other helping professionals. All professions are regulated through state licensure which requires graduate-level preparation, supervised professional practice, and successful completion of licensing examinations. Our professions include some similar values and processes, and there are some fundamental differences between these professions.

In professional counseling, we take a strength-based, developmental, and wellness-focused approach to counseling. By strength-based, we mean we tend to focus on supporting what is going well in your life and helping your leverage those strengths to address areas of difficulty. By developmental, we mean that we believe all humans are constantly in the process of growing and changing. Sometimes things happen in our lives that lead us to develop certain ways of coping or surviving that serve us for a time but no longer work or have unanticipated consequences at other times. By wellness, we mean that we believe all aspects of our lives (e.g., emotional, relational, spiritual, physical, occupational, environmental) are interconnected, and we can influence our sense of well-being in a number of ways.

We stive to meet each client with utmost respect and address concerns ranging from typical developmental changes to trauma and stress reactions that impact well-being and functioning. We believe every individual is a unique, complex person and work to discover the essence of that person through our work together in counseling. That means your counselor will visit with you about your life experiences, goals for counseling, and preferences in the counseling relationship.

The CTC welcomes individuals of all races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, religions, and ability statuses and denounces any practice of discrimination within the mental health community. All counseling and related services are provided by graduate students in counseling who work under close supervision. All CTC staff adhere to the American Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics.

Is Counseling Right for Me?

Sometimes, individuals wonder if they are “right” for counseling, or if it is the right time for them to meet with a counselor. We believe all people may benefit from counseling at different times in their lives. You may benefit from seeing a counselor if you are:

Finding that you are not as happy or content with your life as you were before
Wanting to understand yourself and your relationships better
Struggling with feelings of anxiety, depression, or hopelessness
Seeing your grades begin to slip and aren’t sure what to do
Feeling homesick or that you don’t fit in
Concerned with your alcohol and/or drug use
Having problems in a romantic or personal relationship
Not sure what to do after graduation
Feeling oppressed or struggling to feel accepted because of who you are
Feeling anxious about specific situations, such as taking tests or being in certain places
Dealing with the effects of a physical, emotional, or sexual trauma

Your First Visit

Beginning any new endeavor can be a challenge. We strive to make your first visit as helpful and free of anxiety as possible. Read below to find out how to begin.

Your first session will last around one hour. During that time, your counselor will provide you with information about the counseling process, address any questions or concerns about counseling, review your questionnaire, and help you explore how counseling may be helpful for you.

You will schedule additional sessions directly with your counselor. There is no “right” or “wrong” when it comes to duration, frequency, or total number of counseling sessions. Given that, most counselor–client pairs choose to meet once a week for 45–55 minutes. Some clients find that their needs are met in 8-10 sessions, while others continue in counseling for longer periods of time. Your counselor will work with you to determine what timing is right for you.

If you need to cancel or reschedule for any reason, please do so as soon as possible. You may contact your counselor directly or email the CTC staff.

Email the CTC

CTC FAQs

The Counseling Training Clinic (CTC) is an invaluable asset to our department and the student population at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. By providing high-quality counseling services and supporting the development of graduate students in the Counselor Education programs, the CTC plays a crucial role in promoting student wellness and success. We strive to build a community within the CTC that advocates for our profession and the mental health of students.

Jess Hoch, Class of 2022 and 2025

CTC Clinic Coordinator

Crisis Situations

If you believe you or someone you know may be in a life-threatening situation, please call 911. If the crisis is on campus, you may also call the UT Police at 865-974-3114.

If you or someone you know is a UT student experiencing a non-life-threatening mental health crisis, you may call the Student Counseling Center at 865-974-2196 or UT’s 24-hour helpline at 974-HELP (4357) to speak with a trained, crisis professional. UT students and others may also call, text, or chat with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.

Meet our Counselors

Counselors working at the Counselor Training Clinic are master’s or doctoral-level interns completing their practicum or internship experiences. All work is supervised by the CTC Director in collaboration with the CTC leadership team and/or Counselor Education faculty.