Doctoral Practicum and Internship

All doctoral students are required to complete a Counseling Practicum and Counseling Internship. Students should consult the Counselor Education Doctoral Practicum  and Internship Manual for more detailed information on the practicum and internship experience and related forms. 

Doctoral Practicum

In the doctoral practicum, students gain supervised counseling experience (100 hours, with a minimum of 40 direct client contact hours during one semester) under the tutelage of an approved counseling practitioner knowledgeable and experienced in the setting and with the clientele served. Doctoral Practicum may be completed in a clinical mental health, school counseling, and/or rehabilitation counseling setting.

Doctoral Internship

In the doctoral internship (600 hours, which usually takes place across two semesters), students gain supervised experience under the tutelage of a counseling practitioner or counselor educator addressing three of the five core doctoral areas with the following approved intern experiences. Students develop a plan for completing their doctoral internship with their advisor and doctoral committee. (Additional information can be found in the Doctoral Practicum and Internship manual.)

1. Counseling: 300-hour minimum counseling experience, 120 hours must be direct counseling services. This may be carried out in CMHC, CLRC, or SC, under the supervision of a licensed or credentialed site supervisor.
2. Supervision: 100-hour minimum supervision experience, 40 hours must be direct counseling supervision.
3. Teaching: 200-hour minimum teaching internship as Instructor of Record for graduate course(s) or 100-hour graduate co-teaching internship with a Faculty Instructor.
4. Research and Scholarship: 100-hour minimum research internship conducting qualitative/quantitative empirical study.
5. Leadership and Advocacy: 100-hour minimum consultation project or 100-hour minimum counseling leadership and/or service experience.

Preparing for Practicum/Internship

Any student preparing to complete a doctoral practicum or internship must complete an application form. The form is reviewed and signed by the student, advisor, and submitted to the Practicum and Internship Coordinator. This form is due by the end of the 6th week of the semester preceding the semester in which they plan to enroll in EDCE 8920/8910 (practicum and internship, respectively). Please note that neglecting to complete this application may result in the postponement of the practicum or internship. An application must be submitted for each semester of practicum and internship.

 Any student preparing to complete a doctoral internship must complete a Doctoral Internship Plan, created collaboratively with the student’s advisor based on the student’s identified professional and career goals. The plan is a binding document to be implemented during the student’s internship experience and is evaluated by the internship supervisor(s), internship instructor and advisor. If revisions to the contract are deemed necessary by the student and advisor, students must submit the Doctoral Internship Contract Addendum to the advisor and current internship instructor.

It is expected that students will discuss their potential placement sites with their faculty advisor, submit the application form, then arrange directly with the agencies/supervisors for their practicum and internship.