Counseling and Psychological Services

Practicum Application and Site Selection Information

Once prerequisite requirements have been fulfilled the next steps are:

1) Submit an application to enter the practicum/internship sequence
2) Secure a practicum/internship site

The application to enter the practicum/internship sequence must be submitted by the posted deadline date.

If you plan to begin the practicum/internship sequence in the Semester Fall Semester 2013 you must submit your application by February 8, 2013.*

*Application deadlines are subject to revision, so you should monitor application deadline dates as you proceed in your course work.

It is not required to have a practicum site secured in order to submit an application, however a site must be secured before the semester begins.

Applying for the Practicum/Internship Sequence

In order to apply for the practicum/internship sequence you must fill out Form 1000:Application for Practicum and Internship*. If you plan to begin the practicum/internship sequence in the Fall Semester 2013, you must submit this application by February 8, 2013.

* Please note that if you apply or register for the practicum/internship sequence and then decide not to enter the course, you must fill out a Form 1001: Practicum/Internship Postponement Form.

Selecting and Securing a Practicum/Internship Site

You are responsible for finding a field placement site. If you plan to begin the practicum/internship sequence in the Fall Semester 2013 you must secure a site by April 30, 2013. You should begin looking for sites no later than the early part of the Spring semester prior to practicum. You may even find it helpful to begin looking one year in advance. A good place to start looking is the Practicum-Internship Site Listing (see below) for sites which offer the experiences of interest to you.

The site you select must be able to fulfill the following training
requirements:

1) On-site counseling responsibilities encompassing 12-15 hours per week during practicum and 25-30 hours per week during the internship.

2) On-site supervisor with a minimum of a master's degree in counseling or closely related field and appropriate certification and/or licensure, a minimum of two (2) years pertinent professional experience, and a
commitment to meet with you for at least one (1) hour per week for individual supervision.

3) The ability to audiotape at least three (3) individual counseling sessions weekly for supervision.

4) The ability to lead/co-lead a group which meets at least once a week for sixteen weeks.

In addition we recommend that you consider the following when selecting a site:

1) The type of work you may be involved in.

2) The type of client population you will be working with.

3) Convenience of transportation to the site.

4) What and how many hours you will be working.

5) Who would be supervising you and how much supervision you would be receiving.

6) Additional activities the agency may require of students and possible in-service training opportunities.

7) Ability to tape your counseling sessions for purposes of supervision.

8) Whether you will be able to lead/co-lead a group.

9) How many semesters you are expected to be involved with the agency. (some agencies leave this up to the student, but most require at least two semesters and some require a one year commitment)

10) If insurance coverage is required.

It is critical that you contact previous students who have completed field work at the sites you are investigating. These students can provide invaluable information regarding their experiences and perceptions of the strengths and weaknesses of the site, changing conditions, and tips regarding supervision. The CPS staff member assigned to P/I can provide you with names of students who previously interned at your chosen site.

All agencies listed where students have been placed in previous semesters are approved practicum sites unless otherwise noted on the online list. If the agency you are interested in is not approved, you must submit Form 1002: New Site Approval Application. This application must be submitted three (3) weeks prior to phase I registration for the semester you plan to begin field work. March 29, 2013 is the last day to apply for a new agency approval. No new sites will be considered or processed for 2013-2014 after March 29, 2012.

Once an approved site has been secured you need to submit Form 1003: Practicum/Internship Site Information Form. (If you previously submitted an Agency Approval Application for Practicum/Internship form, you are still required to submit the Practicum/Internship Site Information Form upon notification of your agency's approval as a GSU practicum/internship site.)

Changing sites after you have begun fieldwork is discouraged but sometimes necessary. When this is initiated by the student, on-site supervisor, or the GSU supervisor, departmental procedures are to be followed. A Form 1005: Change of Site Form must be completed and submitted to the GSU supervisor (CPS 7660/7663 or CPS 7280 instructor) for approval.