Practicum and Internship Handbook: Internship I and II Requirements and Preparation for First Class Meeting

Internship is spread over two semesters (Internship I and Internship II) to meet the CACREP requirement of 600 total hours in internship. The two internships occur independently, receive separate grades, and each must total 300 hours in the field site experience.

Usually counselor trainees continue to use their practicum field site during internship. Some field sites will require this commitment when they take you on at practicum. However, trainees may change to another field site if they desire different experiences. It is very important that counselor trainees discuss their concerns and desire to change field sites with their practicum or internship faculty instructors OR the Director of Training and Placement BEFORE making a change.

During Internship counselor trainees should expect to spend approximately 20 hours weekly at their field site, meet weekly with their site supervisor and attend class for group supervision and classroom instruction. Often the class is divided so that trainees meet every other week during some of their internship.

Liability coverage	Trainees in Internship must have proof of liability coverage (insurance). Trainees should retain the original documentation (e.g., letter from insurer) and hand in a copy. Trainees will not be allowed to collect direct service hours until liability coverage is proven.
Direct and indirect service hours	Direct Service involves the application of counseling, consultation, or human development skills to actual client contact and consultation with professionals/other pertinent persons. Examples of direct service include: Individual, group, couple, and family counseling; consultation with parent. Indirect Service generally involves anything that supports the direct delivery of counseling services to clients. Examples of indirect service include: Charting and reviewing records, attending staff meetings, informal assessments, observation of another counselor providing counseling services, conference, webinar, some supervisions, and program coordination.
Regular recording of counseling services.	Trainees must arrange to, with consent, regularly record (audio or video) much of their direct service activities for review and assessment. These recordings are the basis for individual and group supervision. Some recorded sessions will be graded. All recordings and consents must be destroyed by the end of the semester.
1 hour weekly individual supervision w/ field site supervisor.	Trainees in practicum meet one hour weekly (usually more) with their field site supervisor to review and discuss their work at the field site. Field site supervisors are responsible for facilitating an appropriate client caseload and professional experiences for the practicum trainees.
Group supervision and instruction.	Trainees in practicum attend weekly class meetings (2 ½ hrs.) for group supervision and instruction. During group supervision trainees review issues and present client cases for discussion with the entire class. Often this includes playing sections of audio/video recording of counseling sessions. Classroom instruction is aimed at developing conceptualization and technical skills, enhancing professional development, increasing self-awareness, and acquiring theoretical knowledge.
Additional faculty instructor requirements.	Practicum instructors may have specific requirements beyond the basics outlined here. These might include journal article reviews, case studies, or technique demonstrations.

BETWEEN-SEMESTER HOURS: Some direct/indirect service hours may be accumulated between Internship 1 and Internship II with prior approval of the Internship I faculty instructor. See Between-Semester Hours Policy and Procedures elsewhere in this Handbook.

Preparation for The 1st Internship Class Meeting

Counselor trainees must provide the following on the first night of class.

• Field Placement Contract – completed and signed by site supervisor and counselor trainee
• Field Site Plan (school or clinical mental health) – completed and signed by site supervision and counselor trainee
• Field Site Supervisor Registration – completed by the site supervisor
• Emergency/Crises Management Form: – completed and signed as indicated
• Practicum/Internship Ethics Agreement – completed and signed by the counselor trainee
• Trainee Consent for Audio/Video Recording – completed and signed by the counselor trainee
• Proof of liability insurance: certificate of coverage or letter verifying coverage (copy only)
• Proof of site-supervisor onboarding training completed.

Documentation Due at The Last Internship Class Meeting

• Internship Summary – completed and signed by the counselor trainee
• Final Field Site Supervisor's Evaluation – completed; signed by field site supervisor
• Trainee Evaluation of Field Placement Site – completed by counselor trainee
• Additional documents as required by Internship instructor, including CSCE.
• LPC form for documentation of clinical hours