Internship Policies and Procedures

The Supervised Internship in Counseling is an opportunity for students to apply concepts and skills in field counseling settings. Students are placed in field settings that are compatible with the individual student's experiences, competencies, and career goals. Students work with clients under the supervision of a qualified field staff member in the setting and the university counselor education staff.

 
Objectives

Although specific objectives vary among settings, the primary objectives of the Supervised Internship in Counseling are:

  1. Students know and understand the services or programs provided to clients.
  2. Students know and understand the counseling needs of the client population.
  3. Students design, develop, and implement appropriate services or programs.
  4. Students establish and maintain ethical and effective working relationships with staff and clients.
  5. Students implement effective individual and small group counseling strategies and processes.
  6. Students effectively utilize counseling tools or resources such as information systems, appraisal data and referral sources.
  7. Students consult with persons in the setting, community or client's immediate environment.
  8. Students implement research strategies to assess programs or services.
  9. Students identify their professional competencies and plan appropriate educational or career goals.

 
General Requirements

General requirements that apply to all students enrolled in internship are outlined below. Due to differences in client populations, or counseling objectives and procedures used among settings, specific objectives consistent with all settings cannot be identified in these guidelines. The specific activities in which a student participates will be determined by the nature of the setting, activities initiated by the student, and assignments by field or university supervisors.

The supervised internship is an academic year-long (fall-spring) experience. Students earn three graduate credits on a pass-fail basis, for each semester satisfactorily completed. Students, then, must earn a total of six credits in internship in order to be granted the Master of Science in Counseling.

The counselor education staff concludes that internship should encompass two major areas of learning. First, it should provide students an opportunity to work directly with individuals and small groups of clients. Secondly, it should enable students to participate in significant activities related to the total counseling function of the field setting. Therefore, although the counselor education staff believes that working with clients is the foundation of internship, students are expected to participate in other appropriate activities as well; these activities will be defined collaboratively, by students and supervisors.

The counselor education staff places students in actual field settings upon approval of appropriate professional personnel within the specific setting. Students are to spend 20 hours per week in the setting for the duration of the academic year for 30 weeks (at minimum, a total of 600 hours). Students are required to work directly with clients doing individual and small group counseling. The time spent in such activities is called contact hours. Students are required to gain experience in a minimum of 240 contact hours during the year.   A minimum of 100 hours should be completed during the first semester. Students are required to make audio and/or video recordings of counseling sessions for supervisory purposes. These recordings will be made in a manner that is legally and ethically appropriate and agreed upon by the field supervisor.

Students are also expected to participate in other counseling related activities (e.g. staff meetings, research, progress notes).  The time spent in such activities is not to be regarded as contact hours in terms of the 240 hour requirement.

While all students will participate with direct and indirect service totaling 600 hours during the academic year, specific requirements should also be noted for several groups.

  1. Students seeking Licensed Marriage and Family Therapy (LMFT) status are required to have a minimum of 300 contact hours including work with individuals, couples, groups, families, and partnerships.
  2. Students seeking licensure as a school counselor have a primary placement at one level, and are required to have substantial experience at other level(s).  The primary placement and substantial experience are determined collaboratively by the faculty supervisor and student.
  3. Students placed in the higher education emphasis will be placed in counseling and service positions in colleges, universities, or technical schools.

The internship should enable the student to obtain an overall perspective and understanding of the role and functions of the counselor in the specific settings. Therefore, students are expected to participate in activities related to informational services, appraisal programs, research procedures, conferences or staffings, and other appropriate activities. These activities combined with the time spent in either consultative activities or counseling contacts would comprise the 20 hours per week.  Internship is an academic year experience, beginning in September and ending in May.


Supervision: On Campus & Field Supervision

The counselor education staff serves as on-campus supervisors. These staff members organize and conduct weekly on-campus seminars, which students must attend. Students may be requested to participate in individual on-campus conferences with their university supervisor. University supervisors make periodic visits to the setting in order to consult with the student and field supervisor. Additional conferences within the field setting may be arranged at the request of the student or field supervisor.

Field supervisors are able to perform significant educational and supervisory functions. Therefore, each student will work with a supervisor in the setting who has earned a master's degree in counseling or a related field and is able to provide effective assistance. Field supervisors must be employed in the setting and must perform duties enabling them to provide effective supervision. Therefore, if an approved supervisor is not available, the setting will not be approved.


Application and Admission

The number of students enrolled for a given year is limited: therefore, any change regarding enrollment must be approved by the internship committee.  Students should follow these procedures for admission:

  1. Students will need to complete the Internship Application by the specified date, during the fall semester one year prior to the internship. The completed form will be returned to the department chairperson.
  2. A typed resume must accompany the application.
  3. Students must have satisfactorily completed all courses as outlined in their program of studies prior to the internship. A 3.0 grade point average is required at the end of the semester preceding internship. If this is in doubt, the placement will not be finalized until the 3.0 is verified.
  4. Students employed full-time may not take additional course work concurrently with internship.
  5. Full-time students may be scheduled for course work during the internship.

A committee composed of the advisors of students in the counselor education program reviews and approves the applications. This committee determines admission to internship and the nature of the actual placement. The committee will give priority to those students who have not implemented a program change. Students may request to meet with the committee for review of committee actions. If the conclusions of the committee are found to be unsatisfactory, the student will be informed of possible additional appeal procedures.


Placement

The internship committee is responsible for the placement of students in appropriate settings. Students are encouraged by means of setting visitations or consultations with staff to explore possible future employment and possible settings. At the same time, students are not to make their own commitments regarding settings. The only exception to this policy is for students employed in the setting in which they plan to take internship.

Placement will take into account available sites, availability of qualified supervisors, existing programs in specific settings, and competencies of the individual student. Students are to be aware that admission to the counselor education program does not guarantee a specific internship placement in terms of type of setting or location of the setting. Students are to be prepared to make travel arrangements if necessary.

The setting must provide opportunities for students to participate in an established program. In order for a setting to be considered, an on-going or structured program must be in existence at the time of placement in that setting. The setting must be served by a qualified counselor or psychologist assigned at least one-half time to counseling and guidance activities.

 
Student Malpractice Insurance Coverage

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater has insurance coverage for students involved in practicum and internship experiences. However, students are strongly encouraged to secure their own individual liability coverage. The American Counseling Association provides affordable student liability rates. Questions can be directed to an ACA Insurance Trust representative at 1-800-347-6647, ext. 284 or students may choose to visit the ACA Insurance Trust website at http://www.acait.com for information. Student liability insurance applications can be downloaded from this website. 

“We do not receive wisdom;
We must discover it
For ourselves after a journey
That no one can take for us
Or spare us.”

Marcel Proust

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