Practicum and Internship Handbook: Field Placement Terminology

Counselor trainee

Counseling Program student seeking or fulfilling practicum and/or internship experiences.

Director of Training and Placement

Counseling Program faculty member with responsibility for coordinating clinical courses, including field site placements for practicum and internship. Other roles are listed below:

Reviewing students' applications and site supervisor's credentials
Have a separate email to review and respond to students
Conducting orientation for students and site supervisors
Collaborating with faculty teaching internship and practicum via zoom or email
Revising practicum/internship handbook
Monitor/administer the clinical application website
Post-graduation follow up and review from the site-supervisor or employee

Field Placement Site

School or agency setting where counselor trainees provide counseling and counseling- related services to clients under supervision from both the field site and the Counseling Program.

Emergency certified school counselors may use their work setting as a field placement site.
Clinical Mental Health/Community Counseling-track students may use their work settings as a field placement site ONLY if they can demonstrate they will perform duties different from those currently performed (on the basis of a bachelor's degree), with a different site supervisor, and with an agency.

Practicum

An initial supervised field experience course in which the counselor trainee develops basic counseling and conceptual skills and integrates professional knowledge under close supervision, both on-site with a minimum of one hour of individual supervision by the field site supervisor. Practicum includes a field placement site consistent with the student's selected emphasis area: clinical mental health/community counseling or school counseling. During practicum, the student engages in a broad range of clinical activities similar to those provided by a professional counselor or school counselor. Practicum is completed in one semester and earns 3 credit hours.

Internship

An advanced supervised field experience course (following practicum) in which the student refines and enhances counseling and conceptual skills and integrates professional knowledge under close supervision. Internship includes a field placement setting consistent with the student's selected emphasis area: clinical mental health/community counseling or school counseling. Internship approximates a full-time counseling position and is considered the “capstone” experience in the counseling program. Internship is completed over two semesters and earns 6 semester hours.

Field Experience Hours

The activities making up practicum and internship experiences are counted as hours in direct service, indirect service, and supervision at the field placement site and on campus. Many direct service hours must be recorded (video/audio recording).

A. Direct Service involves hours of actual client/student contact; consultation with parents/caregivers.
- Clinical setting: individual, family, and group counseling; parent consultation/conference, intakes.
- School setting: individual and group counseling; classroom and group guidance; consultation.
B. Indirect Service involves hours of preparation for student/client contact. Generally speaking, indirect service
is anything that SUPPORTS the direct delivery of services to clients.
- Clinical setting: staffing, recording keeping and review, field site supervisions, recoding review, attending staff meetings, informal assessments, observations, conferences, webinars, and trainings.
- School setting: information assessments and observations, field site supervisions, recording keeping and review, recording review, case conferences, program coordination.
C. Supervision – a tutorial and mentoring form of instruction in which the supervisor monitors the counselor trainee's activities and facilitates learning and skill development. Supervision in practicum and internship courses is provided by:
- Field site supervisor – an experienced counselor familiar with the particular school/agency in which the trainee is working. The site supervisor must be readily accessible to the counselor trainee and, preferably, located in the same building. A qualified field site supervisor MUST have the following:
A minimum of a master's degree in counseling or a related profession with equivalent qualifications, including appropriate certifications and/or licenses*. A field site supervisor for a school setting MUST be a fully certified school counselor; a field site supervisor for a clinical setting must hold a Texas LPC license, LMFT, LP, or a Texas Clinical Social Work License.
A minimum of two years of pertinent professional experience in the program/site area in which the student is enrolled.
Knowledge of the program's expectations, requirements, and evaluation procedures for students.
Relevant training in counseling supervision.
*Licenses include LPC, LPC-S, LMFT, LMFT-S, LP, and LCSW
- Faculty instructor/supervisor – The instructor for the practicum/internship course. All faculty members hold appropriate licenses and certifications for the relevant fields. The faculty instructor/supervisor leads group supervision in class and may sometimes provide individual supervision in the practicum. The faculty reviews the weekly logs and other needed documentation for the state licensure; and connects with the site supervisor via phone minimum three times the semester to review progress of each student and gatekeeping.
  - Supervision hours do not count towards direct or indirect hours.

Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)

An individual licensed by the state to practice as a professional counselor under the laws and regulations of that state. Texas licensure is regulated by the Texas State Board of Examiners Standards and qualifications for professional licensure vary by state but usually require a master's degree in counseling or a counseling-related field, specific topical training (e.g., ethics, addictions, and diagnosis), a period of post-master's degree work under supervision, and one or two examinations.

Certified School Counselor

An individual who holds a Texas School Counselor Certificate. Texas school certification is regulated by the State Board for Educator Certification Standards and requirements for school counseling certification vary state by state and are governed by state education accreditation boards.

CACREP is an independent agency recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation to accredit master's degree counseling programs. The Dept. of Counseling at East Texas A&M University carries CACREP accreditation for its master's degree programs in clinical mental health/ community counseling and school counseling as well as its doctoral degree program. Most of the policies and procedures for practicum and internship reflect CACREP standards. Counseling programs are reviewed regularly by CACREP for compliance. CACREP accreditation is a highly valued standard in the counseling profession.