Sentio Counseling Center Three Year Anniversary Letter
April 6, 2025
Dear Sentio Counseling Center Team,
I am writing to you today as we mark a significant milestone—March 31st was the 3 year anniversary of seeing clients at the SCC! In celebration of this occasion, we undertook a comprehensive analysis of our clinical data to assess the effectiveness of our interventions and the impact we are having on our community.
In our first three years of operation we have served more than 740 clients and held over 13,000 low-fee therapy sessions. Clinical outcome data from client sessions highlight the tangible benefits our clients receive from their therapy at SCC. Despite many of our clients facing serious and long-standing mental health challenges, our clients experience not only improvements in mental health symptoms but also an enhanced personal growth, self-awareness, and quality of life.
Importantly, we serve a diverse range of low-income clients, with sessions starting at just $30. For many, Sentio Counseling Center is their only viable option for receiving treatment, highlighting the crucial role we play in the community.
Professional Training
In addition to providing low-fee mental health services, the Sentio Counseling Center also provides world-class training for graduate students and clinical supervisors. In the past three years, we have trained 38 graduate student counselors and 27 clinical supervisors. Training at SCC demands more from our counselors and supervisors than most other practicum sites. The rigorous and intense nature of our Deliberate Practice model requires a significant commitment to personal and professional development. Our counselors engage in frequent, detailed reviews of their therapy videos, a process that demands not only technical skill but emotional resilience. This level of scrutiny and feedback is designed to accelerate proficiency but can also be more demanding and emotionally taxing than the norm. As one of our counselors put it, “Deliberate Practice is painful but worth it!”
Moreover, our supervisors undergo a particularly arduous and vulnerable training process—a 50 week video-based supervisor training program that is unique in its depth and intensity. They not only mentor new counselors but also engage deeply in their own reflective practices, often revisiting and critiquing their supervisory techniques. This dual focus—on their development and on guiding others—places them in a position of continuous learning and adaptation, which, while challenging, greatly enhances the quality of supervision and support available at SCC.
Achieving Excellence Through Vulnerability
The vulnerability required by both counselors and supervisors at the SCC sets us apart. Continually viewing videos of one’s own clinical work and examining outcome data can be daunting. It exposes our therapeutic approaches to critique, requiring openness to growth and change. This reflective practice is integral to our training philosophy and is essential for developing effective therapeutic skills. It fosters a culture of transparency and continuous improvement, challenging our counselors to not only accept but embrace vulnerability as a tool for learning and connection with clients.
Our outcome data - your outcome data - is not just numbers; it's a reflection of the profound impact you are making in the lives of those we serve. It validates the extraordinary efforts and the sometimes uncomfortable but always rewarding journey of growth and improvement we embrace at the SCC.
Thank you for your unwavering commitment to our clients and to each other. Let's continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in therapy training and practice, backed by our shared values and commitment to hard and vulnerable work. I am so proud to be on this journey with you!
Yours,
Tony Rousmaniere
Executive Director