Practicum and Internship

Welcome to the Department of Counseling Practicum and Internship Field Placement Website. We hope to provide current and prospective students, prospective fieldwork sites, and field placement supervisors with information about our philosophy and our requirements. 

It is our view that counseling proficiency, professional values, and knowledge of community agencies cannot be learned in a classroom alone. We are deeply committed to a partnership of fieldwork experience and coursework and have designed our program so that fieldwork is emphasized as an essential two-year-long part of our students’ education. Each practicum and internship course are accompanied by a field placement so that the skills learned in the classroom can be practiced in the field. Students take four practicum/internship courses in sequential order and are required to experience two different field placements each spanning an academic year. The field site supervisor is central to learning, and serves as teacher, role model, and mentor to our students in the field. The practicum/internship instructor serves as the Faculty Liaison, the link between the Department of Counseling and the field site and field site supervisor. The Faculty Liaison acts on behalf of the students to ensure an optimal learning situation. The Faculty Liaison monitors the students’ progress, helps to ensure the integration of coursework and fieldwork, and collaborates with the field site supervisor. 

The following pages are designed to provide information about our fieldwork program for both students and agencies. Our Practicum & Internship Handbook, which details our fieldwork policies, can be accessed as well as the forms used by the students and those used by agency supervisors. 

Potential field internship sites wishing to apply to this program should review the “Becoming a Site” section and review the “Field Placement Guidelines” for an overview of the criteria required by each Specialization. To learn more about our requirements, you can read the recent copy of the Practicum & Internship Handbook. To apply to become a partner site, please see the “Becoming a Site” section for the link. New Sites are approved by the Specialization Faculty Coordinator(s) and the Internship Coordinator. 

While we accept applications all year, applications received after April 15th, may not be processed until our faculty return from summer break at the end of August.  Please take this into consideration when applying. 

Overview 

Trainee placements are an integral part of the graduate program. They are the students’ opportunity to gain direct experience with clients and to develop skills. The Department has prepared a separate handbook detailing all policies, procedures, and expectations relating to trainees. By the beginning of the Fall semester, students will have access to the Practicum & Internship Handbook (on Teams and this website) and will be responsible for its contents. Past volumes of the Handbook are housed on this website (“Traineeship Handbook” tab).  

The following are some of the general policies regarding trainee placements about which students should be aware: (The Practicum & Trainee Handbook should be consulted for a full description of all policies and practices.)  

  • Placements are for the full academic year (two semesters).  

 

  • Students should expect to have two different one-year placements during their graduate program.  

 

  • Students must put in a minimum of 700 hours of field placement for each specialization, with at least 280 hours of direct client contact. Students with a specialization or emphasis in School Counseling must accrue a minimum of 900 hours of field placement (with at least 280 hours of direct client contact) for their specialization. 

 

  • Students must select their field placement sites from “The Master List of Sites” (available to registered students on Teams) which provides a list of all the vetted sites that we are in partnership with. 

A traineeship setting is considered appropriate if it meets a variety of criteria: 

  1. An identified supervisor with a Master's Degree in Counseling or its equivalent and two years of experience in the field. 
  2. Availability for regular, 1 hour per week minimum, individual or triadic supervision. 
  3. The agency and clients must be located in California. 
  4. Approval by the Specialization Faculty Coordinator and Internship Coordinator. 
  5. For specializations requiring supervisors to be licensed (MFCC) or credentialed (School/PPS), supervisors MUST be licensed/credentialled in California, and their licenses/credentials must be valid (not expired). 

Trainee placements are developed by the Internship Coordinator in conjunction with the Specialization Coordinators, Department Chair, and Faculty Liaisons. 

Students seeking placements, should consult the Master List of available internship sites (available to all current students on MS Teams). The Master List contains the most up-to-date information on approved internship placements. Students can search for open internships by their areas of specialization and emphasis, as well as their geographical locations. 

Liability for Professional Practice 

CACREP requires all students in practicum/internship to purchase independent malpractice insurance (See: CACREP Standard 4.B.). All trainees in the Department of Counseling must present verification of insurance coverage before they can engage in internship activities. 

Several professional counseling associations offer professional practice insurance coverage for students, either as a part of general membership or for independent purchase. Students are advised to consider one the following options. 

Healthcare Providers Service Organization (HPSO) 

Link: http://www.hpso.com/individuals/professional-liability/student-malpracti... 

American Counseling Association (ACA) 

Link: https://www.counseling.org/membership/join-now# 

American School Counselor Association (ASCA) 

Link: https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Membership/Proof-of-Insurance 

California Association of Marriage and Family Therapist (CAMFT) 

Link: https://www.camft.org/plip 

 

For more information on Malpractice Insurance, students should see the Practicum & Internship Handbook and Teams/Practicum & Internship Channel/Department forms/Files/Documentation & Information/Liability Malpractice Insurance Information 

Forms 

The University is in the process of switching from DocuSign to Adobe Sign and this will affect all of our forms. We will be updating this as soon as the University allows. 

 DOC Traineeship Forms & Timeline 2025-26.pdf 

Students are required to submit the following forms by the second week of classes in the Fall. 

  1. Traineeship Agreement 
  2. Student Waiver of Liability 

Proof of Liability Malpractice Insurance is also required, but there is no form for that.  Simply submit a screenshot or copy of your insurance to your practicum/internship instructor. 

For students providing telehealth services to your clients, please complete the Telehealth Agreement prior to engaging in telehealth. 

Telehealth Agreement (Only use if performing telehealth with clients)  

Hours Logs 

Internship Evaluations: 

Supervisor Evaluation of Trainee is completed every semester by your site supervisor using an on-line survey. It is a component of your grade in your practicum/internship classes and is therefore administered by your instructor. An example of the survey can be found in the Practicum & Internship Handbook Appendix section.  

Student Evaluation of Placement Site (for example see: Practicum & Internship Handbook Appendix and results are shared on Teams/Practicum & Internship/Current Internship Info). Prior to the end of each semester, an email is sent out and a post made on Teams with the link to the student evaluation of their placement site.  Results are shared anonymously on Teams. 

Student Evaluation of their Individual Supervisor (for example see: Practicum & Internship Handbook Appendix section). Prior to the final coaching session each semester, your practicum/internship instructor will administer the survey and review results with you in your final coaching session. 

Forms for Marriage Family Therapy Students and Supervisors available at Board of Behavioral Science (BBS) 

Forms for Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor available at Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor(LPCC) 

The Department of Counseling’s practicum and internship training must meet the standards of the national Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP).  

  • Traineeships for Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling (MFCC) and Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) programs must meet requirements of the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS).  
  • MFCC supervisors must have one of the following current licenses: LMFT, LCSW, LPCC, psychologist, or board-certified psychiatrist.  
  • MFCC supervisors must be licensed in the state of California (LMFT, LCSW, LPCC).  
  • Traineeship for School Counseling must meet the requirements of Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) and supervisor must be PPS credentialed.  
  • Career Counseling and College Counseling supervisors must have a master's degree in counseling or closely related fields. 

Applying to Partner with Us 

We have a two-part application process.   

(1) Complete the “General Questions” section of our application, which is available through Teams: https://forms.office.com/r/8WidU7divp

These questions are required of all applicant sites, regardless of specialization. 

Upon approval, the Internship Coordinator will initiate the second step by sending you the Specialization Specific application(s) that you requested on the General Questions application.  

(2) Submit your specialization application(s), and our Specialization Faculty Coordinator will review your application and may reach out with any questions. 

Once approved, the Internship Coordinator will inform the applicant of the outcome. 

If you are unsure about which specializations to apply for, please review their individual criteria in the “Field Placement Guidelines” below. 

As an approved site, our students will be able to collect hours for their degree specialization and/or emphasis at your site. In addition, you’ll receive notices of our events. 

Field Placement Guidelines  

Field Placement Guidelines for Career Counseling Traineeship 
Field Placement Guidelines for Clinical Mental Health Counseling Traineeship 
Field Placement Guidelines for Marriage, Family, & Child Counseling Traineeship 
Field Placement Guidelines for School Counseling Traineeship 

BBS MFT Supervisors’ Information 

 

Field Placement Application 

General Questions Application: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=NeP72CyCqUGHdH8WcJqsn3mqI3RP1UNFoAepPzUZ2-VUMjA3MkNTTTRUSTVPQUk2WldGWFBPOE9XRSQlQCN0PWcu 

While we accept applications all year, applications received after April 15th, may not be processed until our faculty return from summer break at the end of August.  Please take this into consideration when applying. 

Thank you. 

Practicum and internship Handbook includes detailed information for the trainees and supervisors. Students should refer to the trainee Handbook that corresponds to the year of entry to the program.

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