TREVECCA NAZARENE UNIVERSITY PSY 5450 & PSY 5451 Guidelines for Practicum in Counseling I & II* in the Master of Arts in Counseling The graduate psychology program at Trevecca Nazarene University recognizes the importance of the counseling practicum in providing experience in real settings. We wish to have each student learn much from the placement experience. We also want the student to provide the practicum site with services that are compatible with his/her skills. The purpose of this document is to set forth in advance the types of activities our students must fulfill during their practicum experience. We ask that the student share this information with the potential practicum site supervisor and if further negotiations need to be entered into, we may do so. The following is a general list of the areas in which we would like our students to be involved: 1. Individual psychotherapy (minimum of five (5) ongoing cases per semester). 2. Group psychotherapy or program implementation. 3. Consultation with professionals on your staff. 4. Participation in staffings and staff meetings. 5. Informational activities and inservice presentations/activities. 6. Administration/interpretation of tests. 7. Referrals. 8. Handling client records. 9. Other activities relevant to your setting. We expect all students to spend a significant portion of time in individual or group counseling. Students are required to make video or audio tapes of a minimum of ten one-hour sessions and to meet with at least five different clients on an ongoing basis. Permission slips will need to be secured, and the tapes will be handled within ethical guidelines. All students will be supervised by TNU faculty. In addition, there must be an on-site supervisor at each placement. The on-site supervisor will be asked to: 1. Complete the enclosed evaluation forms two times each semester and return it to Trevecca Nazarene University in the enclosed envelopes. 2. Be available to assist the practicum student in emergencies and staff cases as needed. 3. Provide supervision sessions when possible (ideally one hour each week).4. Provide on-the-job training which allows the student to fit into your organization. Practicum students are expected to document a minimum of 150 hours of on-site counseling related activities each semester. Each semester covers a period of 14 weeks. While it is possible for a student to do a practicum at his/her work location, the hours logged should relate only to assignments which go beyond the student’s compensated work assignment. Practicums may be done at private practices only when there are broad areas of coverage by practitioners and only with special permission from the university practicum coordinator. Practicum sites which seem to fit many of our student’s areas of interest would include, but not be limited to, the following: Mental health centers of all types YWCA/YMCA counseling programs Drug and Alcohol programs College counseling centers Group homes Mental hospitals Employee assistance programs Intervention programs in schools Pastoral counseling programs Church counseling ministries Prisons The Trevecca Nazarene University faculty supervisor will visit the site at least once during each semester and is available to meet more often if appropriate or requested by the on-site supervisor. Thank you for considering the possibility of being an on-site practicum supervisor. We believe our students will provide helpful assistance to your organization. As you consider this involvement, feel free to contact me should you have any questions or have any need of clarification: Dr. Peter F. Wilson Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences Trevecca Nazarene University 333 Murfreesboro Road Nashville, Tennessee 37210 Phone: 248-1417 E-mail: [email protected] * Generally speaking it is preferred that students complete both semesters of their practicum experience at the same