Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program

Internship Requirements: Internship in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CED 6902)

Students must complete a total of 600 clock hours in CED 6902 Internship in CMHC at an approved site and be on site for at least 20 hours a week (some sites will require more hours per week; however, students should not be on site more than 22 hours per week).  Students may be at two sites, with the permission of the primary site and Clinical Field Experience Coordinator. For approval for a second site to occur, the second site needs to work with a different population than the first site, and there must be a clear reason why you cannot obtain all your hours at the first site. Internship includes the following activities and requirements:

1. a minimum of 240 direct hours, and a minimum of 360 indirect hours to meet the 600 hour requirement. Students may complete these hours in one semester of 6 credit hours or over two semesters of 3 credit hours per semester. Students who take 3 credit hours in one semester must achieve 120 direct hours and 180 indirect hours that semester; additionally, they must also achieve 120 direct hours and 180 indirect hours in the second 3 credit hours semester. 
2. a minimum of weekly interaction with an average of one (1) hour per week of individual and/or triadic supervision, which reviews raw data and occurs regularly over the academic term by an approved on-site supervisor. (This required supervision is not consider as in-direct or direct hours.) If you are placed at two sites in the same semester you are required to have weekly supervision for an hour on average by both site supervisors. 
3. a minimum of an average of one and one half (1 ½) to 3 hours per week of group supervision that is provided on a regular schedule over the course of the student’s internship by a university program faculty member. (This required supervision is not consider as in-direct or direct hours.)
4. one (1) hour of individual or triadic supervision, which reviews raw data, once a week by university supervisor as deemed necessary. (This required supervision is not consider as in-direct or direct hours.)
5. audio/video recording of most of the student’s counseling sessions with clients for the purposes of weeklysupervision by either site or university supervisor.
6. evaluation of the student’s performance throughout the internship experience including informal and formal assessments (mid-term and end of the semester formal evaluations will occur at the minimum). Evaluations are completed by the counseling student, site supervisor, and university supervisor, and peer supervision by classmates may also occur, for group/class supervision and individual or triadic supervision. 
7. opportunity to become familiar with a variety of professional activities and resources, including technological resources.
8. adherence to ACA code of ethics.
9. demonstration of appropriate professional behaviors and disposition, as outlined in the evaluation tools.
10. If the 10 group facilitation hours are not achieved in CED 5902, then they have to be achieved in CED 6902. Please note, being a process observer for group does not count as group facilitation. Group facilitation includes psycho-education group, group counseling and group therapy. Psycho-education must have a goal of changing behavior(s) or attitude(s), provide coping skills around feelings or behaviors, and must have a process component to the group.

Please reference the Clinical Field Experience Manual (PDF, 1.7 MB) for additional details.