School Counseling Field Experiences
School counselors need a broad background of knowledge, skills, and abilities to function effectively. These cognitive and personal aspects, however, need to become interwoven with practical experiences. The practicum provides an opportunity for actual on-the-job exposure to the general functions of professional school counselors. The practicum provides a curricular experience that focuses on the development of individual and group counseling skills.
Practicum
Permission to Register forms requiring your advisor's signature are in the front CTH Office. Deadlines are March 1 for fall placements and October 1 for spring placements. Students should visit with their academic advisor to identify possible practicum site locations. Advisors will make the initial contacts with potential schools and site supervisors, and provide students with contact information for sites as they are identified. Students will then be encouraged to schedule a meeting with the potential supervisor, visit the school, and discuss the opportunities/challenges of the site. If both parties are agreeable, the first forms to complete are the DATA SELECTION SHEET FOR THE SITE and THE PRACTICUM CONTRACT. The remaining forms are to be completed over the course of the practicum experience and turned into to your University Supervisor at the end of the semester. All students are required to have a background check prior to practicum and internship.
CED 5903 Practicum in Counseling
CED 5903 is the initial field experience required of all graduate students in school counseling. The practicum involves a full-time, semester placement in a public school system. During the practicum, students receive supervision provided by an on-site supervisor and a university supervisor. The practicum requires a minimum of 100 clock hours, of which 40 must be in direct services, including individual, group, classroom instruction, and consultation.
Before practicum placement, students attend a mandatory field experience orientation. This orientation is held annually in the spring semester. Next, students visit with their academic advisor to identify possible practicum site locations. Students will then submit, to the field experience coordinator, a Permission to Register form requiring the advisor’s signature. Submission deadlines are March 1 for fall placements and October 1 for spring placements. Additionally, all interns will need to complete an App State Criminal Background Check and TB test, valid for one year. All students are required to have a background check prior to practicum and internship.
Internship
All required courses must be completed prior to CED 6903: Internship (600 hours). We encourage students to have completed all their course work in the previous semester so that they can focus solely on the internship experience. All interns will need to complete an App State Criminal Background Check and TB test, valid for 1 year. Most students will have completed the necessary forms prior to CED 5903: Practicum in Counseling. Permission to Register forms requiring your advisor's signature are in the front CTH Office. (Please attach your background check permission form if needed.) Deadlines are March 1 for fall placements and October 1 for spring placements. Students should visit with their academic advisor to identify possible internship site locations. Advisors will make the initial contacts with potential schools and site supervisors, and provide students with contact information for sites as they are identified. Students will then be encouraged to schedule a meeting with the potential supervisor, visit the school, and discuss the opportunities/challenges of the site. If both parties are agreeable, official paperwork will begin (i.e., data sheet and contract).
CED 6903 Internship in Professional School Counseling
CED 6903 is the second field experience required of all graduate students in school counseling. The graduate internship involves a full-time, semester placement in a public school system. During the internship, students receive supervision provided by an on-site supervisor and a university supervisor. The internship requires a minimum of 600 clock hours, of which 240 must be in direct services, including individual, group, classroom instruction, and consultation. Students will follow the same placement process as required for practicum. Deadlines are March 1 for fall placements and October 1 for spring placements.
"...I look forward to this event every year!! Thank you so much for what you do, and for the students you teach. I had an intern from another school the last couple of semesters, and he was nowhere near as prepared as the students that APP sends. I have said I will ONLY take interns from APP in the future!!!" - Site Supervisor, Elisabeth Winkler