Setting

Overview of the University of San Francisco

The University of San Francisco is an independent, private, non-profit institution of higher education and one of 28 Jesuit Catholic colleges and universities in the United States. The Counseling and Psychological Service (CAPS) is located on our beautiful 55-acre hill-top campus, which sits next to Golden Gate Park, overlooking downtown San Francisco and the Pacific Ocean. 

Classified as a Doctoral/Moderate Research and Community Engaged University under the Carnegie Foundation classification system, the University of San Francisco is characterized as balancing arts, sciences, and the professions at the undergraduate level; with some graduate coexistence; including doctoral research in education; with the majority of its students being undergraduates; as more selective, with a high level of transfer-in students; and as a four-year, full-time, large-sized and primarily residential institution. 

The University of San Francisco is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) and in 2010, WSCUC reaffirmed USF’s accreditation for 9 years. The University is also accredited by several professional accrediting bodies, including, but not limited to, the American Bar Association (ABA), the American Psychological Association (APA), the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC), AACSB International–The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA), and the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). Undergraduate majors are offered in the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Education, the School of Management, and the School of Nursing and Health Professions. Graduate degrees are offered in the School of Law in addition to the aforementioned schools. 

During the 2020-2021 academic year, the University of San Francisco enrolled more than 10,000 students in its five schools and colleges and is one of the most ethnically diverse universities in the nation. In the latest U.S. News & World Report, the University was co-ranked 4th in the nation for student diversity and 29th for campuses with the most international students. As of the most recent Census Date, the University of San Francisco had an enrollment of 10,068, including 5,852 undergraduate students and 4,216 graduate students. 

Vision, Mission, and Values of the University of San Francisco

Central to the mission of the University of San Francisco is the preparation of students to shape a multicultural world with generosity, compassion, and justice. The institution’s Vision, Mission, and Values Statement captures the essence of this commitment in its opening paragraph: “The University of San Francisco will be internationally recognized as a premier Jesuit Catholic, urban University with a global perspective that educates leaders who will fashion a more humane and just world.” This mission permeates all aspects of the institution, including student learning and faculty development, curriculum design, 

The University’s core values include a belief in and a commitment to advancing: 

• The Jesuit Catholic tradition that views faith and reason as complementary resources in the search for truth and authentic human development, and that welcomes persons of all faiths or no religious beliefs as fully contributing partners to the University; 
• The freedom and the responsibility to pursue truth and follow evidence to its conclusion; 
• Learning as a humanizing, social activity rather than a competitive exercise; 
• A common good that transcends the interests of particular individuals or groups; and reasoned discourse rather than coercion as the norm for decision making; 
• Diversity of perspectives, experiences and traditions as essential components of a quality education in our global context; 
• Excellence as the standard for teaching, scholarship, creative expression and service to the University community; 
• Social responsibility in fulfilling the University’s mission to create, communicate and apply knowledge to a world shared by all people and held in trust for future generations; 
• The moral dimension of every significant human choice: taking seriously how and who we choose to be in the world; 
• The full, integral development of each person and all persons, with the belief that no individual or group may rightfully prosper at the expense of others; 
• A culture of service that respects and promotes the dignity of every person. 

Student Life Mission Statement

Counseling & Psychological Service (CAPS) is housed under the Division of Student Life.  Consistent with the overall University mission, the mission of Student Life is to fully support holistic student development within a social justice framework, centered in preparing students to be caring, socially responsible citizens in our global and local community.

CAPS Mission Statement

The mission of CAPS is to provide students with mental health services that allow them to improve and maintain their mental well-being and to meet their educational, personal, emotional, and spiritual goals. Our goal is to assist students’ learning by helping manage psychological symptoms, stressors, difficult life events and manage mental health crises. CAPS accomplishes this with high-quality assessment, counseling, referral, consultation, outreach, and training in order to assist students in reaching their full potential.

Goals Guiding Our Work

• Provide professional psychological services to enrolled students, including individual, couples, and group counseling; crisis response; consultation; brief assessment; and referrals
• Provide referrals for students who may have concerns that are not within CAPS' scope of practice or problems that may be chronic or severe in nature and  require more comprehensive services
• Encourage reflection, self-awareness, personal and social responsibility, and healthy interpersonal relationships
• Ensure confidentiality and privacy as mandated by state and federal laws
• Provide prevention programming and consultation to students, faculty, staff, and families
• Ensure that all services are consistent with evidence-informed practice and relevant professional organizations
• Maintain collaborative relationships with campus stakeholders, key community partners, and the surrounding community
• Provide continued professional development support, allowing staff psychologists to maintain California state licensure and to stay abreast of cutting-edge research related to the evolving needs of college students
• Train future psychologists in a brief, evidence-informed, interculturally–focused treatment model that is directly applicable to diverse college counseling
• Maintain commitment to a postdoctoral fellowship program and an American Psychological Association–accredited internship program in Health Service Psychology
• Promote self-care and the maintenance of a work-life balance

CAPS Anti-bias Statement and Commitment to Diversity

At CAPS, we believe in the diversity of thoughts, ideas, and experiences, inclusive of race/ethnicity, color, gender, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, language, national origin, religion, age, and intersecting identities. We affirm our commitment to recognize and address bias and oppression. We assist students by providing culturally sensitive mental health services and educational outreach that challenges oppressive and unjust forces and work to reduce injustice both within the University and the broader community.

In addition to supporting these principles of diversity and inclusion, we recognize structural inequalities in society result in the differential access and distribution of power (economic, political, social, and cultural). We believe in the elimination of structural inequities and the establishment of policies that ensure equity and accountability for all.

We acknowledge that regardless of one’s own identities, individuals are at various points along a cultural awareness journey. We also understand that bias can be unconscious or unintentional and that inequity is the combination of social and institutional power plus prejudice. Oppression does not automatically mean that those involved intended negative impact, but having these conversations is necessary and requires courage, respect, compassion, and a willingness to tolerate discomfort.

As we aim to become an unbiased center and culturally inclusive we:

• Aim to identify, discuss, and challenge issues of injustice and the impact it has on each of us
• Challenge ourselves to understand and correct inequities in order to be more purposeful in this process
• Explicitly and publicly affirm our identity as an anti-bias university entity
• Develop and work to implement strategies that dismantle bias within all aspects of our department, university, and society

CAPS Training Diversity Statement

Respect for diversity is a central value of both USF and CAPS and is consistent with the profession of psychology as outlined by the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct (2002) and discussed in the Standards of Accreditation in Health Service Psychology (APA, 2015).

CAPS is committed to the values of respect for diversity, inclusion, equity, and self-examination in a training environment of mutual respect.  CAPS' senior staff and trainees are encouraged to examine their attitudes, assumptions, behaviors, and values and to develop understanding of and sensitivity to individual and cultural diversity, while integrating such understanding into all forms of service delivery.  CAPS staff members have a commitment to ongoing learning that continues to enhance our work with “cultural, individual, and role differences, including those based on age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, and socioeconomic status” (APA Ethics Code, 2002, Principle E, p. 1063).

Training staff will engage trainees in a manner respectful of their multiple cultural identities and provide equal access, opportunity, and encouragement inclusive of these identities.  Training staff will examine their own biases and prejudices in the course of their interactions with trainees so as to model and facilitate this process. 

In summary, CAPS training staff and trainees are committed to a training process that facilitates the development of professionally relevant knowledge and skills focused on working effectively with all individuals inclusive of demographics, beliefs, attitudes, and values.  Consistent with the University’s mission, we welcome, expect, and encourage the pursuit of “a more inclusive community, which celebrates diversity and works toward justice."

Adapted from the Counseling Psychology Model Training Values Statement Addressing Diversity, Mintz, L. B., & Bieschke, K. J. (2009). Counseling psychology model training values statement addressing diversity. The Counseling Psychologist, 37, 634-640; endorsed by the Association of Counseling Center Training Agencies (ACCTA), the Council of Counseling Psychology Training Programs (CCPTP), and the Society for Counseling Psychology (SCP) in August of 2006.

Preparing Psychologists to Work With a Diverse Public

Striving for multicultural competence is a central tenet in the services provided and clinical practice at CAPS.  In support of the values and aims of our training program, we have adopted the APA's guidelines related to preparing trainees to effectively provide services to diverse populations: See Preparing Professional Psychologists to Serve a Diverse Public. APA’s statement was developed by the Education Directorate’s Working Group and approved by APA’s Board of Educational Affairs (BEA). In accordance with this position, we expect that our interns will develop and demonstrate effectiveness when working with diverse populations, including clients whose cultural identities, characteristics, and beliefs differ from those of their own. While we respect the right of trainees to maintain their personal belief systems, the training of professional psychologists who can serve a diverse public necessitates “personal introspection, exploration of personal beliefs, attitudes, and values, and the development of cognitive flexibility required to serve a wide diversity of clients.”

CAPS Staff

Our senior staff members are generalists who approach their work with students from an integrationist perspective. Some areas of interest include supervision and training, multicultural development, identity formation, LGBTQ support, brief therapy, feminist therapy, bilingual counseling, community education, mindfulness, client resilience, and supporting the growth of intersecting identities. Some of our clinical interests include trauma, mood and anxiety disorders, eating disorders, alcohol and other drug intervention, grief and bereavement, and healthy relationships.

Staff Psychologists

Molly Zook, Psy.D.	Interim Director, Assistant Director for Operations California Licensed Psychologist PSY19072 Clinical Psychology, California Institute of Integral Studies
Nancy Glenn, Ph.D	Training Director California Licensed Psychologist, PSY10097 Counseling Psychology, Colorado State University
Lisa Quach, MSW	Sexual Violence Resource Advocate, Staff Psychotherapist, Columbia University
Polina Apilado, Psy.D.	Assistant Director for Outreach California Licensed Psychologist PSY29470 Clinical Psychology, University of LaVerne
Stephanie McGrath, Psy.D.	Crisis Manager California Licensed Psychologist PSY28029 Clinical Psychology, Alliant International University
Albert Meza, Ed.D.	Staff Psychologist California Licensed Psychologist, PSY15981 Counseling Psychology, Harvard University
Benjamin Molland, Psy.D.	Staff Psychologist California Licensed Psychologist, PSY12749 Counseling Psychology, University of Denver
Blair Davis, Psy.D.	Staff Psychologist California Licensed Psychologist, PSY24930 Clinical Psychology, California Institute of Integral Studies

Administrative Staff

Jennifer Menjivar, B.A.	Office Assistant University of San Francisco M.S. Student, University of San Francisco
Cindy Rojas, B.S.	Program Assistant University of Southern California

Accreditation

CAPS is accredited by the International Association of Counseling Services (IACS) and the Internship Program is a member of the Association of Psychology Post Doctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC).The Doctoral Internship in Clinical Psychology training program was awarded full APA accreditation in November 2013.  Questions related to the program's accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation at:

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
Phone:  (202) 336-5979 or (202) 336-6123 TDD/ E-mail:  apaaccred@apa.org
Web:  www.apa.org/ed/accreditation