SCHOOL COUNSELING PRACTICUM AND INTERNSHIP HANDBOOK

FOR

SITE SUPERVISORS

VALDOSTA STATE UNIVERSITY

College of Education

Department of Psychology and Counseling

901 North Patterson Street

Valdosta, GA

(229) 333-5930

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

                                                                                                      PAGE

Purpose Statement……………………………………………………………………3

School Counseling Program Mission and Vision………………………………….…3

Field Experience………………….……………………………………………...…...4

                Practicum Students………………………………………………………….4

                Internship Students………………………………………………………….4

                Site Supervisor………………………………………………………………5

                University Supervisor……………………………………………………….5

Responsibilities of Site Supervisor………………………………..………………….6

Responsibilities of University Supervisor…………………………..………………..7

Responsibilities of Practicum/Internship Students……………………………………8

Suggested Activities for Practicum/Internship Students……………..…………..…...9

Practicum……………………………………………………………………9

Internship…………………………………………………….……………..10

Syllabi………………………………………………………………………………..11

Counseling Practicum Course Syllabus….………………………………....12

                Counseling Internship Course Syllabus…………………………………….17

Forms…………………………………………….………………………………..….22

                Application for Practicum ………………………………………………….23

Application for Internship…………………………………………….…….24

                Internship Agreement..……………………………………………………...25

                Weekly Log Sheet……………………………………………………….….27

                Practicum/Internship Student Evaluation….……………………………….28

                Site Supervision Evaluation…………………………………………...……33

Ethical Guidelines for Counseling Supervision……………………………….……..36

                ACES Ethical Guidelines for Counseling Supervisors……………………..37

                Georgia PSC Code of Ethics for Educators…………………………………44

 

 

 

 

 

           

Purpose Statement

The supervision of school counseling students enrolled in practicum and internship requires a significant professional responsibility resulting in students who are prepared to enter the counseling profession. This can be an exciting learning experience for both supervisor and the student when the field experience is well designed and implemented. This handbook furnishes information pertaining to the policies, procedures and guidelines established by the Department of Psychology and Counseling, School Counseling Program at Valdosta State University. The purpose of the handbook is to outline program expectations and provide the site supervisor with the information needed to provide an appropriate learning experience for the student.

 

Official School Counseling Program Mission and Vision

 

            The mission of the Valdosta State University School Counseling Program is to educate professionals who will be leaders in the school environment and who accept responsibility for removing barriers and offering equal access to services for all students.  The main emphasis of the School Counseling Program is to train school counselors to provide academic, career, and personal/social counseling and services to assist students from diverse backgrounds in achieving high levels of academic success.

 

            The vision of the School Counseling Program is to educate and train school counselors dedicated to promoting success for all students by:

 

·        developing and implementing comprehensive developmental school counseling programs that will assess and meet academic, career, and psychosocial needs of all students;

 

·        developing community partnerships that provide support to the school counseling program;

 

·        facilitating communication between students, family, school professionals, and the community through teaming and collaboration;

 

·        serving as leaders and role models for students as a means of promoting positive student contributions to the school and community;

 

·        and working with teachers and other school personnel to create a learning environment that will provide students with the skills necessary for academic, career, and personal success in a rapidly changing and diverse society.

 

Although the School Counseling Program is not CACREP approved, the department has adopted its standards and an application for approval will be submitted in 2003.

 

 

Field Experience

            Field experience is an integral part of the School Counseling Program and is required each semester students are enrolled in school counseling courses throughout the  program of study.  Students must provide the instructor with completed field experience applications by the end of the second week of the semester.  Applications may be obtained from the instructor or office staff.  Students must obtain liability insurance prior to beginning field experience.  Applications for liability insurance through the Student Professional Association of Georgia Educators are located in the Dean’s office in the Education Center.

 

Practicum

 

There is a fundamental difference in emphasis between the Practicum and Internship. The practicum stresses counseling skills. Individual, small group, and classroom guidance counseling activities should be the students’ primary focus while on site. Practicum requires a minimum of 100 field experience hours in the school setting with 40 of these hours resulting from direct student contact. 

Students may enroll in practicum after completing Conditions of Learning (PSYC 7020), Counseling Theory/Practice (SCHC 7400), Introduction to Counseling as a Profession (SCHC 7800), Prepracticum (SCHC 7900), and Comprehensive School Counseling (SCHC 7010). Applications for practicum must be submitted and approved by the practicum committee prior to beginning the field placement. Please note that 100 hours at each school level (elementary, middle, and high school) must be acquired during practicum and internship. The other 500 hours may be completed in one setting.

 

Internship

 

The Internship is intended to provide counseling students with a broad-base practical

experience in school settings. This experience is designed to have interns relate academic and theoretical learning to field experience in the five areas of developmental guidance: individual counseling; small group counseling; classroom guidance; consultation with staff, parents, and community; and program planning and evaluation. The intern is asked to participate in as many activities as feasible in the settings that are similar to the responsibilities of an employed counselor.

            The Council for Accreditation for Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) is the accrediting body for counseling programs. According to CACREP Standard III.H. the school counseling internship occurs in a school counseling setting under the clinical supervision of a site supervisor as defined by Section III, Standard C.1-2.  The requirement includes 600 clock hours of internship with 240 of those hours being direct service clock hours. The recommendation is for the internship to occur over two semesters with the student working 20 hours per week at the school site.  Students must complete the following courses prior to enrolling in internship: Law and Ethics (LEAD 7210), Conditions of Learning (PSYC 7020), Counseling Theory/Practice (SCHC 7400), Introduction to Counseling as a Profession (SCHC 7800), Career Counseling (SCHC 7820), Prepracticum (SCHC 7900), Comprehensive School Counseling (SCHC 7010) and Group Counseling (SCHC 7450).  In addition, prior to enrolling in the internship field placement, the student must pass comprehensive examinations.  Applications for internship must be submitted and approved by the internship committee by midterm of the semester before placement and hours cannot be counted until the site has been approved.

 

Site Supervisor

The site supervisor is the individual at the field site who has primary responsibility for the supervision of the practicum/internship student at the internship site. The Council for Accreditation for Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) is the accrediting body for counseling programs. According to CACREP Standard III.H. the school counseling practicum/internship occurs in a school counseling setting under the supervision of a certified school counselor as defined by Section III, Standard C.1-2.  The requirements of this section indicate a site supervisor must meet the following criteria:

 

1.      a minimum of a master’s degree in counseling or a closely related field and appropriate certifications and/or licenses;

2.      a minimum of two years of pertinent professional experience; and

3.      knowledge of the program’s  expectations, requirements, and evaluation procedures.

 

University Supervisor

The University Supervisor is a member of the faculty who provides distant supervision of the practicum and internship and will serve as your contact person with the department during the practicum and internship. The faculty supervisor:

 

  1. provides weekly supervision meetings with students;
  2. works with the school to coordinate the practicum/internship experience;
  3. conducts site visits to evaluate students performance;
  4. is responsible for informing students that they must adhere to the administrative policies, rules, standards, schedules, and practices of the school;
  5. selects students who have successfully completed all the prerequisite courses required to enter practicum/internship.
  6. advises students that they must have adequate liability insurance.

 

Responsibilities of the Site Supervisor In Practicum/Internship

 

It is the responsibility of the site supervisor to:

1.      Determine whether the experience that can be provided to prospective counseling students in the setting is appropriate and will assist the students in their professional growth.

 

2.      Meet with the counseling student and university supervisor to discuss the goals and objectives of the practicum or internship and specifically how these can be met in the setting.

 

3.      Acquire all official authorization necessary from the school administration for the counseling student to work in the school under the supervision of the site supervisor.

 

4.      Meet at least once a week with the counseling student to provide regular supervision and consultation and be available at other times as needs arise. It is expected that the counseling student and the site supervisor will discuss the specific practicum/internship experience as well as the counseling profession at large in these meetings.

 

5.      Inform the counseling student of the procedures and policies of the school. A suggested but not all-inclusive list of these would be: responsibilities, schedule, assignment of student-clients, emergencies, record keeping, confidentiality, and release of information.

 

6.      Provide regular ongoing evaluation and feedback to the counseling students as to their performance. Site supervisors should contact the university supervisor immediately to discuss any concerns, which may arise during the semester, which they do not feel comfortable handling alone. Problems or concerns should be taken care of in a timely fashion rather than allowed to develop into larger problems.

 

7.      Provide counseling students with a variety of experiences including, but not limited to, one-on-one and group counseling; classroom guidance activities; collaboration; consultation with parents, teachers, and administrators; administrative activities; record keeping; program development, implementation, and coordination; professional development; networking; and public relations.

 

8.      Meet with the university supervisor a minimum of two times during the semester and at other times as dictated by the situation.

 

9.      Meet with the practicum/internship student at the end of the term to provide an evaluation of his/her performance before it is submitted to the university supervisor.

 

10.  Submit to the university supervisor at the completion of the term the Practicum/Internship Student Evaluation.

 

 

 

 

 

Responsibilities of the University Supervisor in Practicum/Internship

 

It is the responsibility of the university supervisor to:

 

1.      Represent the Department of Psychology and Counseling, to function as Instructor of Record, and to submit the counseling students’ official grades to the university.

 

2.      Provide an orientation for prospective practicum and internship students regarding the field experiences.

 

3.      Assist prospective counseling students in locating appropriate practicum and internship sites.

 

4.      Evaluate proposed sites and officially agree to use the sites.

 

5.      Meet with the students and site supervisors during the semester to evaluate the practicum/internship experience and to assist with any problems or issues which may arise.

 

6.      Be available to counseling students and/or site supervisors to work through any problems or issues which may arise.

 

7.      Meet with practicum and internship students regularly during the semester in a group setting for the purpose of bringing them together to share their experiences and to offer support.

 

8.      Conduct an evaluation of the practicum and internship experiences with counseling students and site supervisors.

 

9.      Collect, review, and evaluate students’ Weekly Log of activities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Responsibilities of Practicum/Internship Students

 

It is the responsibility of the practicum and internship student to:

 

1.      Locate an appropriate practicum/internship site with the assistance of a faculty member.

 

2.      Complete and submit the Application for Practicum/Internship form to the Program Coordinator by midterm of the semester before Practicum/Internship.

 

3.      Arrange any requested meetings between involved parties (counseling student, site supervisor, and university supervisor).

 

4.      Provide proof of professional liability insurance to the Program Coordinator for the period of practicum/internship.

 

5.      Perform all practicum/internship duties in a professional, legal, and ethical manner, and to contact the site supervisor and/or university supervisor when concerns arise.

 

6.      Notify all clients, that as practicum or internship students, they are training and that they may discuss the client’s case with their supervisors.

 

7.      Become knowledgeable of and follow the policies and procedures of the school in which they are completing their practicum/internship.

 

8.      Follow school and university policies and procedures regarding audio or videotaping.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suggested Activities for Practicum and Internship Students

 

The Practicum and Internship are designed to satisfy requirements for professional training as stipulated by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accreditation standards.

 

Practicum Students

 

The following list is presented only as a guideline and is subject to approval by the site supervisor.

·        Plan, recruit and run small groups for students

·        Plan and conduct individual counseling sessions with a diverse group of students

·        Plan and implement a variety of classroom guidance lessons utilizing appropriate technology

·        Be available for crisis intervention or drop-in counseling

·        Provide orientation for new students

·        Assist students in course selection and registration

·        Assist students in using the computer career search program such as GCIS

·        Participate in parent-teacher conferences

·        Work with staff in identifying students at-risk and developing appropriate intervention strategies

·        Make regular contact with students in need of special attention

·        Attend SST and IEP meetings

·        Attend faculty and counseling meetings

·        Assist in making DFACS referrals.

·        Administer and score standardized tests, and interpret test scores to teachers, parents, and students

·        Read and interpret student records

·        Observe classrooms

·        Review materials in counseling and guidance office

·        Review materials appropriate for a parenting class

·        Read current school counseling journals to become familiar with trends in the field

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Internship Students

 

In addition to the list suggested for Practicum students, the following list is presented only as a guideline for Interns and is subject to the approval of the site supervisor.

 

·        Be visible in the school halls, cafeteria, and on the playground

·        Observe administrators

·        Become familiar with the county/city developmental guidance K-12 curriculum

·        Become familiar with the role of other ancillary personnel in the school

·        Become familiar with possible grant funding sources available for special projects

·        Become familiar with grade level curriculum across the basic academic areas

·        Plan and participate in the implementation of special large group activities and special projects

·        Assist in conducting in-service workshops for staff regarding the developmental guidance program

·        Assist in conducting in-service workshops for staff regarding child/adolescent

development

·        Assist in the coordination of the developmental school counseling program

·        Assist in constructing and implementing program assessment surveys

·        Assist in the implementation of systematic developmental school counseling program evaluation

·        Conduct accountability studies

·        Review catalogs to become familiar with counseling materials

·        Develop a resource guide of community resources

·        Develop materials for parents, teachers, and counselors aimed at enhancing student academic, career and personal/social performance

·        Network with other professional counselors to develop peer supervision and support groups

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Syllabi

 

Counseling Practicum Course Syllabus

College of Education

Valdosta State University

Department of Psychology and Counseling

SCHC 7981: School Counseling Practicum

3 HOURS

 

Course Description

Practical supervised experience in counseling, career assessment, and report writing in approved sites.  Classroom, and weekly meetings with the faculty supervisor will allow students to share their experiences and learn from one another, as well as providing further guidance to students and training in working in a professional setting and presentation of cases to other counselors.

 

M.Ed. School Counseling Outcome Objectives:

Students will:

1.              provide academic counseling, career awareness, developmental counseling, and personal and social counseling to students; (CACREP SCSO D.1. , ASCA)

2.              demonstrate knowledge and skill in multicultural counseling issues, including possible effects of culture, race, stereotyping, family, socio-economic status, gender and sexual identity, language, values,  social and equity issues on student development and progress in the school setting; (CACREP SCSO D.2 , ASCA, ED Trust)

3.              demonstrate methods and techniques for prevention and early intervention to maximize school success for all students; (CACREP SCSO D.3., BOR Principle 4, ASCA, ED Trust)

4.              demonstrate knowledge and skill in the consultation process, effectively consulting with teachers, administrators, parents, students, community groups, and agencies as appropriate;

(CACREP SCSO D.4., ASCA, ED Trust)

5.              demonstrate the ability to coordinate and develop programs and services that enhance school climate for effective student learning; (CACREP SCSO D.5. , ASCA)

6.              demonstrate effective counseling and intervention strategies for individuals and groups of students, including advocating for student access to school and community programs; (CACREP D.7., ASCA, ED Trust)

7.              demonstrate knowledge and skill in carrying out a comprehensive developmental school counseling program, including organizing and leading group guidance and counseling interventions appropriate to the school level; (CACREP D.8., ASCA)

8.              demonstrate knowledge of the ethical standards and practices of the school counseling profession, and skill in applying these ethical standards to specific counseling situations; (CACREP D.9., ASCA)

9.              demonstrate skill in working collaboratively with all members in the educational setting of the internship. (CACREP D.10., ASCA)

 

ACTIVITIES AND REQUIRMENTS

     Activities:

1.              Discussion

2.              Field Experience

3.              Case Studies

 

     Requirements:

 

a.       Practice: Students are required to work for 100 total hours in a school setting approved by the departmental practicum committee. The on-site supervisor will complete evaluations of the student during the final week of the semester.

 

b.      Practicum Log: Students will complete a log based on their individual practicum experience. It is important that you update your log on a daily basis.  The log also needs to indicate what outcome objective each activity was related to. Late responses will result in a penalty of 10% of assignment grade for each day late.  A format is attached to the syllabus

 

c.       Weekly Journal: Students will record their personal reactions to the basic five school counselor functions engaged in during practicum: classroom guidance, small group work, individual counseling, consultation, and program planning/coordination. Express your joys, concerns, what you have learned, and how you would improve in one double-spaced typed page. The journal report is to be turned in during the classroom meetings. For the final journal report, in two pages (typed, double-spaced), you are to provide a summary of your experience including personal reactions to the field experience and the class sessions. Discuss what knowledge and skills of a Comprehensive School Counseling Program you have gained from this experience.

 

d.      Case presentation: Students are required to conduct two case presentations to be scheduled throughout the semester. Presentations will be made of an actual case from practicum, with appropriate precautions taken to best protect the confidentiality of the client. The case may be either an assessment or counseling case. It may be best to present an ongoing case with which you would like some assistance from other class members and/or faculty.  You should work with the instructor to select an appropriate case for presentation. The case should follow the attached presentation outline. Ideally, the case presentation will result in an active discussion among those in attendance, to help formulate effective interventions.

The delivery of case #1’s presentation must be done using PowerPoint, and handouts. The second case presentation will follow a structured peer supervision model (to be given out in class). The length of the actual presentation will be approximately one-half hour.

 

e.       Rationale for Theory:  Each student will develop a rationale for his or her primary theory.  An outline of the components to be included in this paper is attached. (Use APA style of writing).

 

 

 

 

COURSE EVALUATION

 

Instructor Evaluation                                                     20%

Case Presentation                                                         20% (10% each case)

Practicum Log                                                              10%

Journal Report                                                              10%

Rationale                                                                      10%

Student Evaluation by Site Supervisor               30%

TOTAL                                                                       100% 

 

Schedule of Evaluation

Midterm – A site visit will be conducted during the 4th or 5th week of class for observation of a small group or classroom guidance activity.

Final – A site visit will be conducted during the 10th or 11th week of class for observation of individual counseling or an activity not seen during the midterm visit.

Site supervisors will be provided with evaluation forms.

 

Grades in the Practicum and Internship classes are either Pass or Fail with a minimum of 80% necessary for a grade of Pass.

 

COURSE INSTRUCTOR

Karen D. Thompson, Ph.D.                                          Teddi Cunningham, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor                                                       Associate Professor, Program Coordinator      

Department of Psychology and Counseling                    Department of Psychology and Counseling

Office: Room 3 (POB) Psychology Building                  Office: Room 5 (POB) Psychology Building     

Telephone: 333-5930 or 259-5078                              Telephone: 333-5930 or 259-5079

Email: kathomps@valdosta.edu                         Email: tjcunnin@valdosta.edu

 

 

 

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Valdosta State University policy requires class attendance. A student who misses more than 20% of the scheduled classes of a course will be subject to receiving a failing grade in the course.

 

SPECIAL NEEDS STATEMENT

Valdosta State University, in accordance with the American Disabilities Act, will make arrangements for students who require special assistance due to a disability. If you require some assistance, do not hesitate to advise the instructor. Additionally, if you are not registered with Special Services Programs, you must contact the Special Services Office in Nevins Hall, or call 245-2498.

 
 
 

 

M.Ed. School Counseling

 

Outcome

Activity

Assessment

provide academic counseling, career awareness, developmental counseling, and personal and social counseling to students; (CACREP SCSO D.1. , ASCA)

Field Experience

Case Study

Instructor Evaluation

Supervisor Evaluations

Log

Journal

Rationale

Demonstrate knowledge and skill in multicultural counseling issues, including possible effects of culture, race, stereotyping, family, socio-economic status, gender and sexual identity, language, values, social and equity issues on student development and progress in the school setting; (CACREP SCSO D.2 , ASCA, ED Trust)

Field Experience