Of these, the nine who responded to the survey all felt that they had received inadequate graduate school training in providing services in Spanish. All of a sudden they would be providing Spanish-language services they had never been trained to provide. But if they didn't provide those services, the clients would go without. Students must also spend at least eight hours a week at a bilingual practicum site for three consecutive semesters and spend a semester supervising others at a bilingual site. Most students fulfill these requirements at the university's own clinic, which is located in the heart of San Antonio's barrio.
Students also have the option of honing their skills farther afield.
The students got practicum experience via a private practice the university had connections with, allowing them to sit in on therapy sessions and serve as co-therapists with Mexican psychologists. Since then, several Mexican students have come to San Antonio to take classes and observe sessions in the university's clinic. This summer the department will debut a Summer Institute for Bilingual Psychologists. Although the certificate program is still too new to have produced any PsyD graduates, local employers have already started asking job applicants if they've taken certificate courses. Students learn about the importance of family and religion in Latino culture, for example.