Master of Arts in Counseling
Practicum and Internship

Clinical Mental Health, Community Counseling, and Mental Health
Marriage and Family Therapy

*Please see the "Downloadable Forms" section of this website for Internship/Practicum forms.

Your experiences in your practicum and internship are very important parts of your degree program. It is anticipated that you will have the opportunity to utilize the skills you have developed in your degree program at your placement site.
Internship applications are to be filed in the department office during early registration for the semester in which you wish to take Internship (Fall deadline for Spring semester; Spring deadline for Summer and Fall semesters). Internship requires acceptance to candidacy prior to enrollment.

Because of the different requirement for Internship placements for Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Community, Counseling, and Mental Health students and Marriage and Family Therapy students, two sections will describe Internship policies.

Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Community Counseling, and Mental Health Practicum and Internships

Students must complete an Application for Practicum and Internship prior to registering for each semester of Practicum and Internship. Students also must complete a Supervision Agreement form with their site supervisors prior to registering for Practicum or Internship each semester. If the site supervisor is new, the student may be instructed to obtain additional documentation from the site supervisor. This documentation usually includes a resume or vita for the site supervisor and a signed Sexual Harassment Policy Statement.

SITE SELECTION

The Practicum and Internship coordinator will assist you in selecting Practicum/Internship sites; however, it is the student's responsibility for securing a site. Selecting the most appropriate site is essential for the most benefit.
Discuss possible sites with the Internship Coordinator early in your program. The first term you are enrolled is not too early to begin thinking about practicum and internship. Since you are constructing a degree plan, you will be projecting times for Practicum and Internship that will assist you in planning well in advance.

Some students prefer completing the practicum and internship at different sites so they can experience more than one professional environment. Other students prefer taking both the practicum and internship at the same site so they can have a long-term, in-depth experience. There are advantages and disadvantages to both approaches, which you should discuss with your professors and staff.

Review the Practicum and Site Directory available in the departmental office. This Directory lists and gives information on all sites, which have been pre-approved for practicum and internship placements. You may wish to visit some of the sites early in your program to gain information about potential placements for the future. Schedule a meeting with the coordinator while planning your placement. Discuss sites you have reviewed in the Directory and any additional sites you or the coordinator have in mind. Select one to three sites to visit and discuss the possibility of a practicum or internship placement. Contact persons at sites have the option of offering or declining your placement. You should approach each visit just as you would a job interview. It is advisable that you update your resume with a summary of graduate counseling courses.

When a new site has been selected, an Application for Practicum or Internship and a Supervision Agreement must be completed and submitted to the Practicum and Internship Coordinator. If the site has not been pre-approved, and therefore is not listed in the Directory, the Coordinator will have to determine whether the site is appropriate before your placement can be approved.

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 for suits of malpractice error or omissions in the performance of your duties whether actual or alleged. Students must have insurance prior to signing up for practicum or internship courses. Proof of insurance is submitted with the Supervision Agreement. Insurance may be obtained through a number of agencies. Most St. Mary's students obtain their insurance from the American Counseling Association (ACA), which provides liability insurance free to master's student members.

PRACTICUM

The purpose of Practicum (CN6357) is to allow you to put the skills you learned in your basic couseling courses into use with real clients. The practicum consists of a one and a half hour weekly class meeting (group supervision), a one hour weekly meeting with an assigned individual or triadic supervisor, and your work at your practicum site.

PRACTICUM (CN6357) FOR CLINICAL MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING, COMMUNITY COUNSELING, & MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING

You will be responsible for locating your own Counseling Practicum site. (Suggestions may be obtained from the Counseling Department.) The requirements for Counseling Practicum are listed below.

1. Your site must provide you with a minimum of 100 hours of experience:
   • A minimum of 40 hours must be direct contact with clients and 15 hours of supervision.
   • The other 45 hours may be any type of work that lets you experience how the agency operates (staff meetings, group therapy, record keeping, other paperwork, etc.).
   • On-site supervision must be available during direct client contact (in the event you may need help or advice).
     
   • The 40 hours of client contact must be individual and group counseling.
   • The agency must provide live supervision or allow you to record your one-on-one counseling sessions. (You should show them or inform them of the "Consent to Audio/Video Tape" forms that you will be asking the clients to sign.)
2. Site should be determined prior to registering for Practicum (contact Counseling Department if you have any questions as you are setting up your site).
3. Your supervisor at your site must have had a mental health license to practice independently for at least two years. The mental health licence must be in a field that requires at least a master's degree (for example, L.P.C., LCSW, LMFT, or Licensed Psychologist). Time under a provisionary license (such as the LPC Intern credential) does not count towards the required two years of experience.
4. A current resume may be very helpful when you begin contacting sites.
5. You must provide your own Professional Liability Insurance.
6. The Supervision Agreement Form must be signed by your site supervisor before you begin on-site work.
7. During the first class, your professor will provide you with the appropriate "Consent to Audio/Video Tape" Forms needed for recording your sessions.
8. You will be required to keep a log of the hours you spend at your site. (Please use the log sheet provided by the Counseling Department.)
9. Your 100 hours should be completed by the end of the semester (exceptions must be discussed with the instructor).
10. Before the end of the semester, you should have your on-site supervisor complete the Field Supervisor's Recommendation Form.
11. The Field Supervisor's Recommendation and your completed Log of Hours will be necessary for your grade. (The original forms are placed in the Counseling Department files.)
12. The following forms will be needed during your Practicum I experience and are available in the Counseling Department:
    • Log of Hours
    • Outline for Case Presentation by Intern at Group Supervision Meetings
    • Consent to Audio/Video Tape
    • Supervision Agreement Form
    • Field Supervisor's Recommendation (Mid-Term and Final)
    • ACA Membership Applications
    • ACA Professional Liability Insurance Application Forms
    • Student Site Evaluation Form

INTERNSHIP

Students must submit an Internship Application during the early registration period prior to the semester of Internship (Fall for Spring; Spring for Summer & Fall). The Counseling Internship (CN7359, 7360, 7361) is offered by the Department of Counseling and Human Services in order to:

1. Provide students with the field experiences required by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors.
2. Assist the students in demonstrating attitudes and behavior indicative of their professional growth and commitment.
3. Assist students in demonstrating their knowledge and skills in offering human services.
4. Engage students in learning processes necessary to increase their professional knowledge and skills.
5. Provide opportunities for students to identify their strengths and weaknesses in order to validate and develop their abilities.
6. Students must have completed 30 hours of coursework, including CN 6150/6253. Prerequisite CN6352, 6354,6357,7301,7302,7351.

Students and supervisors are encouraged to evaluate together the accomplishment of the above objectives. Graduate students should demonstrate the following abilities:

• Understand and accept clients/students and their life situations
• Implement basic models of counseling using interview and intervention behaviors appropriate for the setting and for the population served
• Modify these behaviors when conditions indicate a need for change
• Function productively in a variety of counseling and guidance situations: e.g. group work, testing, record keeping, follow-up, program development, outreach procedures, etc
• Act as a consultant to parents, staff members, administrators, or others concerned about facilitating personal growth in individuals and groups
• Develop effective working relationships with and among members of the educational/agency community and professional persons and services outside this community
• Be skilled in handling referrals, both in seeking assistance and in supporting the reference person
• Express attitudes and behaviors that facilitate the formation of helping relationships and client/student change
• Use self in the counseling role.

Students should evaluate themselves on the accomplishment of these objectives and discuss their progress with others, as suggested by their university supervisor.

INTERNSHIP (CN7359/60/61)

Internship is on-site experience with supervision for a minimum of 300 clock hours per internship. This internship begins after successful completion of the student's practicum and having been admitted to candidacy. The internship site must be an approved site and the student must have prior approval to begin the internship.

The Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program and the Community Counseling Program require students to complete a supervised internship of 600 clock hours, which is equal to two counseling internships (CN7359/60). The Mental Health Counseling Program requires students to complete a supervised internship of 900 clock hours, which is equal to three counseling internships (CN7359/60/61).

Internship I and Internship II (CN7359 and CN7360) cannot be taken in the same semester so that the student has time to develop the required counseling skills and obtain an appropriate level of supervision. Consideration should be given to selecting internship sites that offer opportunities for students to engage in both individual counseling and group work. The internship provides an opportunity for the student to perform under supervision a variety of activities that a regularly employed staff member in the setting would be expected to perform. A regularly employed staff member is defined as a person occupying the professional role to which the student is aspiring. The student's internship experience includes the following:

1. A minimum of 240 hours for Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Community Counseling, and 360 hours for Mental Health Counseling of direct service with clients appropriate to the program of study
2. A minimum of one (1) hour per week of individual supervision, throughout the internship, usually performed by the on-site supervisor
3. A minimum of one and one-half (1 1/2) hours per week of group supervision, throughout the internship, usually performed by a program faculty member supervisor
4. The opportunity for the student to become familiar with a variety of professional activities other than direct service;
   
5. The opportunity for the student to receive live supervision or to develop audio and/or video recordings of the student's interactions with clients appropriate to the specialization for use in supervision
6. The opportunity for the student to gain supervised experience in the use of a variety of professional resources such as assessment instruments, computers, print and nonprint media, professional literature, research, and information and referral to appropriate providers
7. A formal evaluation of the student's performance during the internship by a program faculty supervisor in consultation with the site supervisor

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Marriage and Family Therapy Internships

The application for CN7380, MFT Internship I, lists requirements for your first internship. Students are prepared for clinical practice thorough prerequisites for Internship: CN 6370 Foundations of MFT, CN 7372 Clinical Practicum in MFT, CN 7371 Strategies of Family Therapy, and CN 7374 Professional Issues in Marriage and Family Therapy. Any clinical deficiencies are addressed and remediated through on-going instructional activities and course evaluations in the four clinical preparation courses.

Students are expected to complete a continuous 12-month Internship experience, which includes individual and group supervision utilizing live videotape and case report modalities. Students are expected to have two nights available for Internship, providing clinical services at the Family Life Center, the on-campus clinical facility, and at one of several off-campus clinical facilities.

Click here for a copy of the Family Life Center Intern Handbook.

SITE SELECTION

Students are expected to provide clinical services in Internship at the Family Life Center and at one of several off-campus clinical facilities. The Clinical Director will assist you in selecting Practicum/Internship sites, however it is the student's responsibility for securing a site. Selecting the most appropriate site is essential for the most benefit. You may wish to visit some of the sites early in your program to gain information about potential placements for the future.

Students are expected to commit to one off-campus internship site for the twelve months of internship. This gives the sites greater benefits from the training opportunities they are providing and allows them to plan more effectively. If interns encounter difficulties or a lack of fit with the site, arrangements can be made with the Clinical Director to change sites.

MFT internship sites must meet strict accreditation requirements for supervision and type of client contact. A list of recognized internship sites is available through the Family Life Center. Once you have selected sites you are interested in, contact the Family Life Center secretary for an introductory letter to the site supervisor, which you may include with your resume. The introductory letter states when you are beginning your internship and how long you will be in internship. After sending the introductory letter and resume, you may contact site supervisors to arrange an interview. You should approach each visit just as you would a job interview. Students may help develop additional sites for internship by contacting the Clinical Director.

LIABILITY INSURANCE

As a "marriage and family intern," you can be held responsible for the results of your professional activities. Each internship student must obtain professional liability insurance that is designed to provide coverage for suits of malpractice error or omissions in the performance of your duties whether actual or alleged. Students must have insurance prior to signing up for internship courses. Students must provide the Program Director with verification of liability insurance before the first internship. No intern may see clients without having insurance. Insurance may be obtained through a number of agencies. Most St. Mary's MFT students obtain their insurance from the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). You must be a member of the professional association in order to purchase the insurance. Membership and insurance applications are available in the Family Life Center.

MFT INTERSHIP

The MFT Internship is offered by the Department of Counseling and Human Services in order to:

1. Provide students with the field experiences required by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists and by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors.
2. Assist the students in demonstrating attitudes and behavior indicative of their professional growth and commitment.
3. Assist students in demonstrating their knowledge and skills in offering human services.
4. Engage students in learning processes necessary to increase their professional knowledge and skills.
5. Provide opportunities for students to identify their strengths and weaknesses in order to validate and develop their abilities.

Students and supervisors are encouraged to evaluate together the accomplishment of the above objectives. Graduate students should demonstrate the following abilities:

1. Understand and accept clients/families and their life situations.
2. Implement basic models of marriage and family therapy using interview and intervention behaviors appropriate for the setting and for the population served.
3. Modify these behaviors when conditions indicate a need for change.
4. Function productively in a variety of therapy situations: e.g. individual, couple, family, or group; record keeping, follow-up, program development, outreach procedures, etc.
5. Act as a consultant to parents, staff members, administrators, or others concerned about facilitating personal growth in individuals, couples, families, and groups.
6. Develop effective working relationships with and among members of the educational/agency community and professional persons and services outside this community.
7. Be skilled in handling referrals, both in seeking assistance and in supporting the reference person.
8. Express attitudes and behaviors that facilitate the formation of helping relationships and client/student change.
9. Use self in the therapy role.

Students should evaluate themselves on the accomplishment of these objectives and discuss their progress with others, as suggested by their university supervisor.

INTERNSHIP (CN7380/81/82)

The Marriage and Family Therapy Program requires students to complete a continuous 12-month supervised clinical experience for a minimum of 500 client contact hours and 100 hours of supervision. The internship begins after the student successfully completes the MFT clinical core courses and is admitted to candidacy. The internship site must be an approved site and the student must have prior approval to begin the internship.

The internship provides an opportunity for the student to perform under supervision a variety of activities that a regularly employed staff member in the setting would be expected to perform. A regularly employed staff member is defined as a person occupying the professional role to which the student is aspiring. The student's internship experience includes the following:

1. A minimum of 500 hours of client contact, at least half of which is with couples and families, and at least half of which is obtained through the Family Life Center.
2. A minimum of two (2) hours per week of supervision, throughout the internship, performed by both the on-site faculty supervisor and by the off-site supervisor. At least half of the supervision must be individual, consisting of one or two trainees, and at least half of the supervision must be based on direct access to the clinical data, either live, video, or audio.
3. The opportunity for the student to become familiar with a variety of professional activities other than direct service
4. The opportunity for the student to develop audio and/or videotapes of the student's interactions with clients appropriate to the specialization for use in supervision
5. The opportunity for the student to gain supervised experience in the use of a variety of professional resources such as assessment instruments, computers, print and nonprint media, professional literature, research, and information and referral to appropriate providers
6. A formal evaluation of the student's performance during the internship by a program faculty supervisor in consultation with the site supervisor.

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