What is Practicum? The Counseling Practicum course is a combination of individual and group supervision as students begin on-site placement. This course requires 100 hours of field placement in an approved setting, with a minimum of 40 hours of direct student/client contact, over a minimum of a full ten-week academic term. This direct client contact includes a minimum of 20 hours of individual counseling and 5 hours of group counseling experience where the student is leading or co-leading a group. This course integrates knowledge and competencies developed in the counseling program and draws upon specialized skills needed to work in a variety of counseling settings. Students will engage in program-appropriate audio/video recordings and/or live supervision of interactions with clients. Students will critique counseling skills and sessions, write process notes, and develop a counseling approach specific to CACREP standards and the NLU Counseling Program policy. Counselors-in-training will be evaluated by the site supervisor and university practicum supervisor. Practicum students attend a weekly Practicum class which includes weekly individual/triadic supervision and 1½ hours of group supervision with their course instructor. In addition, they are expected to receive one hour per week of individual supervision from their onsite supervisor. During group supervision time, students will share information with each other about their counseling experiences and clients at their practicum site. Students keep a log of their time and activities on site and a personal reaction journal to reflect on their experiences throughout the full 10-week term, even if students have completed the required 100 hours. Students must successfully complete all the requirements of Practicum before they can begin counting hours in their field placement as Internship hours. This includes a minimum of 100 hours (40 direct) of placement, all written assignments, all paperwork, and evaluations by both the site supervisor and Practicum student. Students may not begin accruing internship hours until all of the following have been completed: the official end of the 10-week term, submission of all required documents in Tevera, and posting of the final grade by the instructor. What is Internship? Internship consists of a minimum of 600 hours of field placement over two terms (Internship I and Internship II), of which 240 hours must be direct client/student contact, with interns receiving weekly on-site clinical supervision. This direct client contact includes a minimum of 120 hours of individual counseling and 10 hours of group counseling experience where the student is leading or co-leading a group . Interns set individualized goals at the beginning of each term and are evaluated at the end of each term by both their university and on-site supervisors. At the University, interns attend a weekly 1½ hour group supervision class with their NLU Seminar Leader, during which internship experiences are shared, case studies are written and presented, and a portfolio is collected. The intern must receive one hour of direct supervision per week by a clinically licensed professional with two or more years of experience at the site, in addition to the weekly University supervision. Even though the student registers for Practicum, Internship I, and Internship II as three separate terms of the academic year, the student’s experience at the placement is continuous. The student
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