Practicum and Internship Handbook: Responsibilities of Field Site Placements

Clinical Agency

Thank you for your interest in providing a field placement to an advanced student in the counseling program at East Texas A&M University (ETAMU). Counselor trainees are responsible for making the initial contact with potential field sites to discuss practicum and/or internship placement. The field site selects counselor trainees based on its own criteria. This document briefly outlines the requirements and policies established by the Counseling Program for field site placements.

Our program is a 60-hour master's degree program offering clinical mental health counseling track. The East Texas A&M counseling program is nationally accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and adheres to CACREP guidelines for field site experiences. The clinical sequence of the counseling program includes 6 courses: 3 skills- based counseling courses (introduction, pre-practicum, group counseling) followed by 3 field site placements in which counselor trainees work directly with clients: Practicum, Internship I, and Internship II.

Field Site Responsibilities During Practicum and Internship

Practicum is an initial supervised clinical experience in which the student develops basic counseling and conceptual skills and integrates professional knowledge under close supervision. During practicum the student engages in a broad range of clinical activities similar to those provided by a professional counselor. Practicum must be completed in one semester and earns 3 credit hours.

Internship is an advanced supervised clinical experience (following practicum) in which the student refines and enhances counseling and conceptual skills then integrates professional knowledge under close supervision. 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. Internship I & II trainees often continue at the same field placement site they used for practicum but are not required to do so. The field site supervisor and the counselor trainee should consult regarding continuation of field site placement from practicum to internship.

During Practicum and Internship, the Field Site is expected to

• Provide a consistent client case load so that trainees can reasonably expect to generate during the semester a minimum 40 hours of direct client contact during practicum and 120 hours of direct client contact during each of two internships. Direct contact means the trainee provides face-to-face individual, family or group counseling services, outreach services, and consultation.
• Provide opportunities for trainee to regularly audio/video recording counseling work with informed consent. A substantial number of counseling sessions must be recorded for supervision and evaluation purposes. Use of audio/video recording for recording sessions and later review in supervision is a standard of the counselor preparation field. Recordings remain in the possession of the trainee and/or faculty instructor and all recordings are deleted by the end of the semester.
• Provide a range of experiences to acquaint the trainee with the various duties and responsibilities of a professional counselor and provide oversight of the trainee's work including orientation to the field site and its policies and procedures. Practicum trainees are expected to work 8-10 hrs. per week at their field site placement. Internship trainees are expected to work 20 hours per week at their field site placement.
• Provide a safe location and appropriate space to work. East Texas A&M counselor trainees are not permitted to do home visits unless accompanied by their field site supervisor. Counselor trainees are also not permitted to work alone in a building or without consultation services. Trainees who are use their work setting as a field site placement must demonstrate that they will perform duties different from those currently performed (on the basis of a bachelor's degree), with a different site supervisor, and with a non-profit agency.
• Provide a qualified field site supervisor who will oversee the trainee's field site experience and provide a minimum 1 hour weekly of individual supervision of the trainee's work. A qualified field site supervisor is a minimum of a master's degree in counseling or a related profession with equivalent qualifications, a minimum of two years of pertinent professional experience, including appropriate certifications and/or licenses. The field site supervisor also provides a formal evaluation of the counselor trainee’s progress at the midpoint and end of the semester. Supervisions must take place on agency property.
• Collaborate with the faculty instructor and the Director of Training and Placement, Counseling Program, East Texas A&M regarding placement procedures and concerns.