Practicum
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F. Students must complete supervised practicum experiences that total a minimum of 100 clock hours over a minimum 10-week academic term. Each student’s practicum includes all of the following:
1. At least 40 clock hours of direct service with actual clients that contributes to the development of counseling skills.
Response: Practicum students complete a minimum of 40 hours of direct service during COU 880. This course must be completed in one semester and is offered only in the spring and fall semesters. Practicum and Internship Handbook
2. Weekly interaction that averages one hour per week of individual and/or triadic supervision throughout the practicum by a program faculty member, a student supervisor, or a site supervisor who is working in biweekly consultation with a program faculty member in accordance with the supervision contract.
Response: Practicum students receive individual and/or triadic supervision with a faculty member who is the instructor for the section of COU 880 for which the student is registered. Faculty practicum instructors work in close consultation with site supervisors who also provide weekly individual and/or triadic supervision. Faculty and site supervisors collaborate via email, telephone, and the review of written evaluations of the student’s work. Practicum and Internship Handbook
3. An average of 1 1/2 hours per week of group supervision that is provided on a regular schedule throughout the practicum by a program faculty member or a student supervisor.
Response: Practicum students receive a weekly average of a minimum of 1 ½ hours of group supervision provided by a faculty member. Many of our students work full-time, have assistantships and/or commute long distances to attend class. Therefore, both the practicum and the internship classes are offered on alternating weeks meeting for a period of three or more hours. These practicum requirements are documented in the syllabus for COU 880 Practicum in Counseling.
4. The development of program-appropriate audio/video recordings for use in supervision or live supervision of the student’s interactions with clients.
Response: Practicum students record and submit recordings of sessions to faculty and site supervisors. Practicum students are to turn in a minimum of three (3) recordings to their faculty supervisors. Site supervisors review recorded sessions or engage in live observation more often. A copy of the Permission to Record document is located in the Practicum and Internship Handbook.
5. Evaluation of the student’s counseling performance throughout the practicum, including documentation of a formal evaluation after the student completes the practicum.
Response: Practicum students receive informal formative verbal supervision evaluation and commentary via their meetings with site supervisors, faculty supervisors, and during the faculty-led group supervision. Additionally, practicum students receive formal written feedback/evaluation from their site supervisors at the middle and the end of the semester. During the spring of 2011, departmental faculty voted to use the Professional Counselor Performance Evaluation (PCPE)as a summative evaluation to be completed by the COU 880 instructor at the semester’s end. Evaluation via the PCPE is to begin during the fall semester 2011 as practicum is not offered during the summer session. Copies of the Midterm Evaluationand the Final Evaluations completed by the site supervisors and signed off on by the students and the university supervisors as well as a Site Evaluationcompleted by the student on the site they did their practicum or internship in are located in the Practicum and Internship Handbook.