A counseling internship is a requirement for psychology and counseling degrees, consisting of work experience in mental health agencies, schools, hospitals, or churches. It involves direct client interaction, meetings with supervisors, classes, and workshops, and requires completion of prerequisite courses. The number of hours varies depending on the credential sought and location. Workshops and classes are also included, and the student must obtain professional liability insurance.
A counseling internship is a requirement for many undergraduate and graduate degrees in psychology and counseling and consists of work experience in a school, hospital, church or mental health agency. An internship can last for more than one semester and typically requires a specific number of field hours for the student to obtain a counseling license. Field hours include direct client interaction, which involves individual and group counseling, meetings with an internship supervisor, classes and group workshops. The entire internship is logged to ensure that the student completes the required number of hours and receives feedback throughout the process.
Before participating in a counseling internship, a student is usually required to complete prerequisite college courses in counseling theory and professional ethics. If the student is in a program that teaches a specialty, such as student counseling or marriage, you may first need to complete specialty courses related to those areas. Some degrees, however, require the student to take an internship as the last course in a program. The number of hours of experience a student can expect to gain through an internship depends on the credential the student is seeking and where they live. The student will be advising clients through the process; therefore, he usually needs to obtain professional liability insurance before starting the internship.
Depending on where a counseling internship is taking place, a student may undertake group counseling, individual counseling, career counseling and student counseling under the supervision of a licensed counselor. Each counseling session typically consists of an intake interview with the client, the actual counseling session, and documentation of case notes and client progress. Other administrative tasks include calling a client who misses an appointment and closing a previous client’s file. Direct contact with the client represents a large part of the required internship hours, and the student will be evaluated throughout the process to receive feedback on their sessions.
Workshops and classes also make up a significant part of a counseling placement and give the student the opportunity to learn new counseling techniques, improve their current skills and review feedback received during counseling sessions. Classes often include group interaction and role-playing, and the student can take assignments and exams as they would in a traditional course. Meetings can take place at the advising site and at the student’s university.
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