Doctor of Philosophy
Internship/Practicum
*Please see the "Downloadable Forms" section of this website for Internship/Practicum forms.
Description
The doctoral level counseling internship is critical to the student's complete educational experience. It provides the opportunity to experience counseling praxis in vivo with the most difficult clinical populations. Exposure to team treatment (psychiatry, clinical psychology, psychotherapy, and social work) is emphasized.
Supervisors must hold a doctoral degree in a mental health field to provide the required on-site supervision for doctoral level students. Each intern also is supervised by a full-time faculty member of the department.
Each site is approved by the program's Counseling Internship Coordinator. The site will provide the intern with supervised individual and group therapy; experience with the etiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental and emotional disorders; models and methods for assessing mental status; specific theories of psychotherapy for initiating, maintaining and terminating treatment; and experience with basic classifications, indications, and contraindications for the commonly prescribed psychopharmacological medications.
Liability Insurance
As a "counselor in training," you can be held responsible for the results of your professional activities. Each practicum and internship student must obtain professional liability insurance that is designed to provide coverage suits of malpractice error or omissions in the performance of your duties, whether actual or alleged.
Students must have insurance prior to registering for clinical experience courses and provide verification of insurance with each application for practicum/internship. No student is allowed to see clients without having insurance. Students are encouraged to obtain professional liability insurance during their first semester of the CES program and maintain the insurance through graduation.
Professional liability insurance may be obtained through a number of agencies. Most St. Mary's students obtain their insurance from the American Counseling Association (ACA) or from the Texas Counseling Association (TCA). It is advised that you request coverage for no less than one million dollars. Most associations require that you be a member in good standing, as well as verification of your student status, before issuing liability insurance.
Completion Of Internships
As stated previously, the internship provides on-site counseling experience. Students are responsible for securing and utilizing internship sites which allow them to complete the specified hours. Due to the nature of the internship experience and the difficulty in securing sites which guarantee adequate clients and appropriate supervision, it is not uncommon for students to adjust their time on-site to meet this expectation.
The faculty supervisor will monitor the student's progress, assisting whenever possible to maximize the educational experience. This monitoring includes assessing the quality and quantity of the experience and recommending adaptations and adjustments when necessary.
When a student has not accrued the required number of hours at the end of a semester:
- Students accruing less than 85% of the required hours at the completion of an internship or practicum class receive an unsatisfactory grade unless there are extenuating circumstances. Examples of extenuating circumstances include a prolonged illness, failure of the site to provide a sufficient number of clients, or other circumstances beyond the control of the student.
- Students who complete 85%-99%, or students who accrue less than 85% of their required hours but have extenuating circumstances receive a grade of IP. Arrangements will be made with the faculty supervisor to complete the requirements of the course.
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