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

During Practicum a counselor trainee should expect to spend 8-10 hours weekly at their field site, attend class weekly for group supervision and classroom instruction, meet weekly with their site supervisor, and meet weekly with their faculty supervisor.

Liability coverage	Trainees in Practicum 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.

Preparation for The 1st Practicum 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 Practicum Class Meeting

Practicum 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