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Clinical Practicum

Practicum in the CACREP accredited M.A. in Counseling programs is often the first counseling experience for students. This experience gives students the opportunity to develop theoretical approaches and put into practice the skills they have learned so far.

Deadline Date for M.A. Summer 2024 AND Fall 2024 Applications:
January 19, 2024

MA APPLICATION

Students need to have either attended an on campus orientation meeting or thoroughly read the information that was sent via email in order to apply for practicum.

For practicum in Summer 2024, please submit this application.

For practicum in Fall 2024, please submit this application.

PhD in CES Application

PhD in CES Practicum is only taught in the spring semester. To apply for CES practicum, please reference this document for the application link and deadline date.

Practicum is an exciting experience where a student can begin developing the skills that will impact the rest of his or her career in mental health and school counseling. All students, regardless of major, will do this experience in a clinical setting.

Identifying and interviewing with sites can take months so start early! At the same time, open your mind to a variety of experiences. As you know, God has a way of working everything out for His glory!

Instructions

ON-CAMPUS & ONLINE STUDENTS (LOCAL TO REGENT CAMPUS)

  • Search through the SPC Field Placement Site List. This list provides you with placement options in a variety of clinical settings. The list is not comprehensive and you are welcome to look for other sites. Should you decide to follow this route, please read the instructions below under the Online Students (not local to Regent campus) heading for the process that must be followed.
  • Choose the top 3 sites you are interested in and include them where asked on the google form application for practicum. You will not be able to click the submit button on the application unless 3 sites are listed. Please do not include more than 3 sites, any more will not be considered with the application.
  • The FPL will make first contact with all sites that students are interested in to determine who is interviewing students for practicum placement and will provide you with contact information for those sites. It is important to note that the FPL does not begin contacting sites until all practicum applications have been submitted and processed.
  • Email resumes, complete application packages, or set up interviews as directed by the FPL.
  • When offered placement by a site on the list, sign the FieldWork Contract with the person who will serve as your site supervisor. Submit this completed contract to the Field Placement Liaison, who will add her signature and return a fully signed copy to you.
  • Students are not allowed to register themselves for COUN 523 Practicum & Advanced Skills. You will be notified when registered for this class.

ONLINE STUDENTS (NOT LOCAL TO REGENT CAMPUS)

  • Research and identify potential sites in your area. You can check with the Field Placement Liaison (FPL) as there may be sites in your area that Regent already has a relationship with.
  • You will provide information on the top 3 sites you are interested in where asked on the google form application for practicum. This includes the name of the site, street address, and website. You will not be able to click the submit button on the application unless information on 3 sites is listed. Please do not include more than 3 sites, any more will not be considered with the application.
  • Once the FPL has reviewed the information on your top 3 sites, you will be given permission to begin contacting these sites on your own. You may contact more than these 3 sites, however you do not need to send additional site information to the FPL when doing so.
  • Make sure you are familiar with the practicum requirements. You are expected to accumulate a minimum of 100 hours with at least 40 of those hours being direct service. Supervision is to be an average of one hour per week. Check with the FPL if you have questions regarding who can supervise a practicum student.
  • At the practicum level, direct hours can be (and usually are) spent observing and shadowing a clinician/supervisor as they counsel clients or facilitate group sessions. It can also be co-counseling a client or co-facilitating a group. Some sites may be willing to give a practicum student clients to work with on their own, but that is completely up to the site and not something you should expect.
  • Interview with any site that offers you that opportunity.
  • When you have accepted a placement, notify the FPL and provide complete contact information [name of agency/practice, address, telephone number, contact person, and (if known) that person’s email address and a website for the agency/practice].
  • The FPL will make contact with the site to complete the site approval process BEFORE authorizing you to sign the Fieldwork Contract with the person who will serve as your site supervisor.
  • Submit the completed FieldWork Contract to the Field Placement Liaison, who will add her signature and return a fully signed copy to you.
  • Students are not allowed to register themselves for COUN 523 Practicum & Advanced Skills. You will be notified when registered for this class.

Even though you will be contacting potential practicum sites on your own, it is important to know that you are not alone in this process. Contact the Field Placement Liaison if you have questions regarding a site. You may encounter a site that wishes to speak with a university representative first, and in those cases provide the complete contact information (as described above) to the FPL.

Make sure to provide updates of your progress to the FPL, do not wait until the last minute to inform the university of any problems in locating a site.

What to do when you get an interview:

  • Wear business attire
  • Bring a copy of your resume, the appropriate Fieldwork Contract, and the Site Supervisor’s Quick Reference Guide.
  • Be able to discuss any information presented on these forms
  • Verify practicum qualifications.

Deadline for Summer 2024 Contracts:
April 25, 2024

Deadline for Fall 2024 Contracts:
July 15, 2024

The School of Psychology & Counseling uses an Academic EHR platform called Tevera for most evaluations and entering your time during Practicum. Please see the following How To documents on how to do each of these activities, but do note that you cannot enter time until you have completed the assignment to add a time track, and information about that is sent to you via email on the first day of the Practicum semester. The assignments for the evaluation form completed by the site supervisor and the track hours log are done at the midterm and final points in the semester so will not show as available at the beginning of the semester. Students evaluate their field placement site and their site supervisor at the end of the semester.

Each evaluation is a Google Form. Please provide your site supervisor with the link to the one he or she is responsible for completing at the midterm and final points in the semester.