Practicum Description
I have been a practicum student at Summit Community Services Society in Cranbrook and Kimberley, British Columbia, from September 2024 to April 2025, providing Stopping the Violence (STV) counselling. STV counselling is available free of charge to self-identified women age 19 or older who have experienced trauma resulting from intimate partner violence, sexualized assault/abuse, and/or childhood abuse or neglect.
Summit Community Services Society is a non-profit organization under the Ending Violence Association of British Columbia that provides qualifying clients with up to 12 counselling sessions or counselling over 6 months. The goals of this program include emotional and psychological support, empowerment, safety planning, healing and recovery, advocacy and resources and prevention and awareness. STV counselling aims to provide trauma-informed therapy integrating a feminist lens that supports women to process trauma and develop coping strategies to encourage self-determination, confidence, and resilience.
The STV counselling team comprises two full-time counsellors and a practicum student (when available). STV counsellors offer individual counselling appointments in person, via video, and by telephone. The social services team at Summit includes an executive director, a community program director/clinical supervisor, three community-based victim services/sexualized assault services workers and one community outreach worker.
My experience at Summit as an STV practicum student counsellor providing individual counselling to women has been incredible. The supportive team has allowed me to develop a trauma-informed, person-centred theoretical approach to my counselling work. I have learned so much through my time there, specifically by meeting clients where they are in their journey and starting to work with emotional regulation and stabilization. Once clients are feeling emotionally regulated, trauma processing work can begin. Applying counselling in this way helps prevent client retraumatization while remaining trauma-informed and person-centred.
Summit Community Services Society is a non-profit organization under the Ending Violence Association of British Columbia that provides qualifying clients with up to 12 counselling sessions or counselling over 6 months. The goals of this program include emotional and psychological support, empowerment, safety planning, healing and recovery, advocacy and resources and prevention and awareness. STV counselling aims to provide trauma-informed therapy integrating a feminist lens that supports women to process trauma and develop coping strategies to encourage self-determination, confidence, and resilience.
The STV counselling team comprises two full-time counsellors and a practicum student (when available). STV counsellors offer individual counselling appointments in person, via video, and by telephone. The social services team at Summit includes an executive director, a community program director/clinical supervisor, three community-based victim services/sexualized assault services workers and one community outreach worker.
My experience at Summit as an STV practicum student counsellor providing individual counselling to women has been incredible. The supportive team has allowed me to develop a trauma-informed, person-centred theoretical approach to my counselling work. I have learned so much through my time there, specifically by meeting clients where they are in their journey and starting to work with emotional regulation and stabilization. Once clients are feeling emotionally regulated, trauma processing work can begin. Applying counselling in this way helps prevent client retraumatization while remaining trauma-informed and person-centred.