Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program

FAQ

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Clinical Field Experience FAQ

  What classes do I need to take in order to begin Practicum in Counseling (HPC 5900)?

  • HPC 5120 Intro to Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  • HPC 5220 Counseling Theory & Techniques
  • HPC 5225 The Helping Relationship 
  • HPC 5752 Legal and Ethical Issues in Counseling
  • HPC 5790 Group Methods & Processes

What classes do I need to take in order to begin Internship in CMHC (HPC 6900)?

  • HPC 5120 Intro to Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  • HPC 5220 Counseling Theory & Techniques
  • HPC 5225 The Helping Relationship 
  • HPC 5752 Legal and Ethical Issues in Counseling
  • HPC 5790 Group Methods & Processes
  • HPC 6120 Developmental Assessment and Diagnosis in CMHC
  • HPC 5900 Practicum in Counseling 

When do I need to start looking for a practicum or internship site?

  • It is recommended that students start looking for a practicum site towards the middle to the end of their first semester (October), and complete their search no later than the middle of their second semester (March). To help start the process there is a mandatory meeting called “Site Supervisor Meet and Greet” which happens once a year in the Fall semester, in October.
  • If students do not wish to continue at their site, for either practicum or internship, they must follow the pre-termination policy. It is important that the university supervisor is aware of any problems at the very onset of the problem. 

How do I find a practicum or internship location?

  • A database is located on Supervision Assist. 
  • Meet with your advisor, the coordinator for the certificate program that you have been admitted to, and the Clinical Field Experience Coordinator. 
  • Attend the annual meeting that occurs in October - “Site Supervisor Meet and Greet.”

What are indirect hours?

  • Indirect services include the following: (a) consulting, which means interpreting scientific data and providing guidance and personnel services to individuals, groups, or organizations, (b) referral activities, which includes identifying problems that require referral to other specialists, (c) record keeping outside of client sessions, and (d) research activities such as designing, conducting, and interpreting research (Adapted the NCBLPC § 90-330. Definitions; practice of counseling.3c&e). Indirect hours also include in-service, meetings, conferences, and professional development. Site and University supervision does not count as indirect hours. 

Does supervision count towards indirect hours?

  • Individual/triadic supervision on site or on campus does not count for either direct or in-direct, these are separate hours. Groups supervision/class on campus does also does not count as either direct or in-direct. However, supervision time beyond the required site supervision for CACREP (individual/triadic) can be counted towards in-direct hours. If you have two sites in the same semester, you are expected to have weekly supervision at both sites. 

What are direct hours?

  • Direct hours are typically billable and provides counseling with individuals, groups, and families.  NCBLPC defines direct counseling as including the following components:  “a. Assisting individuals, groups, and families through the counseling relationship by evaluating and treating mental disorders and other conditions through the use of a combination of clinical mental health and human development principles, methods, diagnostic procedures, treatment plans, and other psychotherapeutic techniques, to develop an understanding of personal problems, to define goals, and to plan action reflecting the client's interests, abilities, aptitudes, and mental health needs as these are related to personal-social-emotional concerns, educational progress, and occupations and careers. b. Appraisal Activities: – Administering and interpreting tests for assessment of personal characteristics” (NCBLPC § 90-330. Definitions; practice of counseling.3a&b).

 How many hours do I need to complete my practicum?

  • The practicum experience has a minimum requirement of 100 clock hours during the semester (this averages to be about 10-12 hours per week, but some sites can ask students to be on site up to 15 hours per week).
  • You need 40 direct hours with clients (individual or group) and 60 indirect hours (record-keeping, referral services, and administrative duties). 
  • If group hours are not achieved in practicum, make sure group hours are achieved during internship.
  • The required supervision on site and at the university does not count towards either direct or in-direct supervision. At the university, an average of 1 ½ hours of group/class supervision and 1 hour of individual/triadic supervision occurs weekly. Site supervision, on average, includes 1 hour of individual/triadic supervision weekly.  

How many hours do I need to complete my internship?

  • Internship requires 600 clock hours. This can be completed as 40 to 42 hours/week over one semester, or 20 to 25 hours/week across two semesters.
  • You need a total of 240 direct hours with clients (combined individual and group) and 360 indirect hours (record-keeping, referral services, and administrative duties). If split between two semesters at the same site, you need 120 direct hours and 180 indirect hours. 
  • If the 10 hours of group facilitation is not achieved in HPC 5900, then make sure you achieve them in HPC 6900.
  • The required supervision on site and at the university does not count towards either direct or in-direct supervision. At the university, at least an average of 1 ½ hours of group/class supervision occurs weekly. Site supervision includes approximately 1 hour of individual/triadic weekly.

What forms need to be completed to register for practicum or internship (CFE course application)?

  • You do not register yourself. If any of the forms below are missing, you will NOT be registered for that semester.
  • The first form that needs to be completed is the Permission to Register for Practicum form, which can be found on the Clinical Field Experience page on the CMHC website. This form is to be signed by your advisor, after you met with your advisor to review your Program of Study progress toward completing the necessary courses to enter into either HPC 5900 or HPC 6900. 
    • After your advisor has sign the Permission to Register form, upload the form to Supervision Assist and provide the form to the Clinical Field Experience Coordinator. The Clinical Field Experience Coordinator will request this form via the CMHC list-serv. This form is completed each time you are enrolling in either HPC 5900 or HPC 6900. This will hold a spot in one of the course sections, but it DOES NOT mean you are enrolled in the course, and it does not guarantee your first or second course section choice.
    • Students will be asked to rank their preference of the available practicum sections. Please watch for an announcement on the CMHC list-serv asking students to rank their preference of sections. Please note, there are typically 20 to 30 students bidding for Practicum sections, and about 16 bidding for an Internship section; therefore, you may not be enrolled in your first or second choice. This form and ranking sections only start the registration process.
  • The second form/process includes completing your Field Placement Application on Supervision Assist, which is completed once the student knows their site. Each semester, an e-mail is sent via the list-serv giving students the deadline for the selection of their site. Typically, this form is requested in January or February for Summer session, March or April for Fall, and late October or November for Spring. 
  • The third form, Appalachian State University Practicum/Internship Contract, is generated by the Clinical Field Experience Coordinator and then e-mailed to the students. Once the student receives this form via e-mail, the site supervisor and the student are required to sign the form along with the Clinical Field Experience Coordinator. Once this step is completed, the process of the university registration begins. This form is the third step to registering, but not the final. This form must go through an additional three departments before you are registered by the Registrar’s office.  

How do I register for practicum or internship?

  • Students cannot register themselves for practicum and internship. The proper paperwork has to be turned in to the Clinical Field Experience Coordinator (as described above) before any further steps can be taken. See the prior section: What forms need to be completed to register for practicum or internship? This entire process can take up to 8 weeks. 
  • Once the proper paperwork is turned in, there are various individuals within different departments that must electronically process and sign off on the form. The Registrar’s office is the final step, and they actually register students for HPC 5900 or HPC 6900. However, if any form is missing or incomplete, the process is delayed, and students risk not being registered when they had planned. 

How do I know which practicum/internship section I will be placed in?

  • The Clinical Field Experience Coordinator will send out an email requesting that students complete a form online ranking their preference of the available sections for that semester. You will know your final section when you receive the Appalachian State University Internship Contract form.