Standard 3, Exhibit 4
Description of Field Experience in School Counseling
The following is a description of the field experience, known as the practicum, in the
School Counseling Graduate program. The practicum is a 100-hour experience in a
public school setting and must be successfully completed before moving on to the clinical
experience, known as the Internship in the School Counseling Graduate program.
The following Practicum description has been taken from page 34 in the student
handbook.
Practicum in School Counseling
Introduction
The School Counseling Program includes a Practicum and Internship clinical experience in
addition to coursework in principles and practices of counseling. These clinical experiences are
intended to provide school counselor candidates an opportunity to perform, under supervision, a
variety of counseling activities that a school counselor is expected to perform. The Practicum
consists of 100 clock hours of time spent at the designated school site and the Internship consists
of 600 clock hours of time at the site. Practicum and Internship requirements are considered to be
the most critical experience elements in the program. While it is understood that many candidates
are completing this program on a part-time basis, candidates must find ways to meet these
requirements in a timely manner.
All students will need to undergo finger printing and a criminal background check required for all
individuals working in schools prior to beginning their practicum.
The Practicum (EDC 585) is expected to be completed over the course of one semester and the
Internship (EDC 599) is divided into 3 sections of 200 clock hours, which must cover a minimum
of two semesters, but can be completed at a pace congruent with each candidate's plan to meet
this requirement. When making plans, candidates must determine how many hours per week they
will be able to commit to completing the clinical experience.
The variability among what counselors actually do in schools appears to be largely accounted for
by contextual factors such as the school level (elementary, middle, secondary), and the school
district (urban, rural, suburban), as well as the school's mission, staff resources and the school
administrators' view of the role, appropriate functions, and relevant skills of their school
counselors. Given this, the School Counseling Program seeks to prepare school counselors with
the knowledge and skills deemed necessary by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling
and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and the American School Counselor Association
(ASCA). In addition, candidates are prepared to consider the context in which they will practice
and the ways in which contextual factors impact how each school counselor will utilize his/her
knowledge and skills. For practicum and internship, the integration of the above ideas will occur
through a collaborative process among the counselor candidate, site supervisor and faculty
supervisor.
Practicum Site Placement
Capital University Campus Students
Students seeking practicum and internship placements in the greater Columbus area must
complete an application process. The application form can be found on the program website at
http://soeap.udayton. The deadlines for applying for placements are as follows:
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
For starting practicum or internship in the Fall semester apply by February 20th
For starting practicum or internship in the Winter semester apply by September 20th
Dayton University Campus students and Mason Learning Center Students
Students attending the Dayton University campus or the Mason Learning Center campus seeking
practicum and internship placements must complete an application process. Contact Dr. Kelli Jo
Arndt via email for the application. The deadlines for applying for placements are as follows:


For starting practicum or internship in the Fall semester apply by February 20th
For starting practicum or internship in the Winter semester apply by September 20th
Many students who are already teachers may choose to do their Internship in their current
building or system. Students who are not teachers, and who have no affiliation with a school
district, will be placed in an internship site based on collaboration among the student, university
faculty, and placement coordinator.
Practicum Time Line
1. Complete Practicum online application.
a. Capital student email this to Dr. Donna Smith
b. Dayton and Mason students email this to Dr. Kelli-Jo Arndt
2. Complete finger printing and background check
3. Get liability insurance
4. Receive placement
5. Arrange meeting with site supervisor and get School Site Agreement form signed
6. Attend practicum orientation
7. Begin to earn hours and attend the 585 class.
Liability Insurance
School Counselor Candidates are required to have liability insurance covering the activities in the
Practicum (and Internship). It may be obtained through the American School Counselor
Association or the American Counseling Association. For more information see
www.schoolcounselor.org or www.counseling.org .
Practicum Course Description and Overview
EDC 585 Practicum in School Counseling is designed to meet CACREP standards and is
intended to be a highly structured and supervised practice in the application of counseling skills
and techniques, along with an orientation to the school setting in which the remaining clinical
experience will take place. This course is afforded two (2) semester hours of credit.
The Practicum is intended to be taken following the completion of at least
EDC 501 Orientation
EDC 522 Introduction to Guidance
EDC 543 Counseling Theory and Techniques,
EDC 545 Counseling Techniques Lab
EDC 583 Theory and Techniques of Group Counseling
EDC 546 Program Development and Implementation in School Counseling
EDC 547 Consultation and Leadership in School Counseling may be taken with Practicum, but
must be completed before internship can begin.
The Practicum provides School Counselor Candidates an opportunity to perform, on a limited
basis and under close supervision, some of the activities that a Licensed or Certified School
Counselor would be expected to perform.
After a student has a placement site, a “School Site Agreement” form must be completed and
returned to the faculty supervisor/course instructor.
At the beginning of Practicum, the School Counselor Candidate should meet with the site
supervisor to determine mutually agreeable goals and expectations that are in line with the
Practicum requirements and course objectives. The specific requirements were described earlier
and include the 100 clock hour requirements (40 direct and 60 indirect) as well as the Course
Objectives.
The practicum experience for school counseling candidates consists of 100 clock hours on site.
Those hours are divided into 40 hours of direct client contact and 60 indirect hours of counselingrelated activities. All candidates are expected to complete the 40 direct hours according to the
following parameters:
a) at least 10 hours of group counseling or classroom guidance.
b) at least 10 hours of individual counseling: supervision may be direct according to the
site supervisor's judgment.
c) the remaining 20 hours of direct client contact can be a mix of individual and group
counseling.
*** For the Practicum experience, direct client contact will refer only to the candidates
counseling work with students in the k-12 building.
The 60 hours of indirect service involves getting oriented to the operations of the school and the
roles and functions of the school counselor there. The following outline includes some ideas
about the kinds of information you will be gathering. Your practicum instructor will design and
organize assignments intended to facilitate this orientation.
1.
The role of teachers related to:
a.
scheduling and grouping of students
b.
preparation of lesson plans
c.
identification of appropriate instructional materials
d.
variation in teaching strategies to take into account
i. varying interest levels of students
ii. varying skill and ability levels of students
iii. varying English competency levels
e.
f.
iv. varying diversity among students
motivation and discipline strategies
various grading requirements
2.
The availability of special services and programs for students, including:
a.
programs for students with special needs
b.
community involvement programs
c.
gifted and talented programs
d.
competency/proficiency testing program
e.
intervention assistance team program
f.
English as a second language programs
{**What part does the school counselor play regarding these special services and programs for
students?}
3. Parent contacts, conferences and programs and the part the school counselor plays in these
activities
4. Teacher meetings and consultations between teachers and the school counselor
This outline is not intended to be an exhaustive list of the information you will need to be
adequately oriented to your school site. Be mindful of the policies and procedures followed by all
personnel in the building as well as those specific to school counselors in the district.
It is expected that the School Counselor Candidate will take one term to meet the 100-hour
practicum requirement. Completing the entire clinical experience (Practicum and Internship) at
one school site is expected and candidates are encouraged to consult with their site supervisors
about gaining experiences at other levels (elementary, middle, high) when possible.
Completion of Practicum requirements and the practicum class is a prerequisite for beginning
Internship.
The following course objectives should be used as a guide in planning for the learning activities
to be included in the Practicum experience. Again, the planning process is intended to take place
between the candidate and the site supervisor, with assistance from program faculty
Course Objectives:
1. Candidates will be able to discuss the roles and functions of a school counselor
particularly in the context of their practicum sites.
2. Candidates will be able to articulate an understanding of the organizational structure of
the school.
3. Candidates will be able to discuss interventions for addressing the academic, career, and
personal/social development of students that are appropriate in their practicum sites.
4. Candidates will demonstrate the skills needed to select and perform counseling
techniques appropriate to a school setting.
5. Candidates will be able to discuss knowledge of multicultural counseling issues salient to
their settings.
6. Candidates will be able to begin to articulate ideas for intervening at the individual and
systemic levels in their settings for the purpose of maximizing school success for all
students and enhancing school climate for effective learning.
7. Candidates will be able to discuss the appropriate use of counseling, consultation and
coordination skills for a school counselor in the context of their sites.
8. Candidates will be able to describe the skills necessary for establishing working
relationships with school faculty, staff and administration.
Site Supervisor
Site supervisors are certified or licensed school counselors. They are persons supported by their
administration and dedicated to working with School Counseling Candidates in a supervisory
relationship. Site supervisors are provided written documentation stating their responsibilities
and rights and given instructions as to the documentation required by the university including
written evaluation of the Candidate. The site supervisor receives support, collaboration and
consultation from the faculty supervisor and is primarily responsible for the Candidate’s actions
within the site setting.
Policies and Procedures for Practicum
1. The clinical experience, in practicum and internship, should be treated like a job. Personal
conduct and dress should conform to professional standards expected of individuals employed by
the school.
2. Prior to working with students, each school counseling intern should read and understand the
policies and procedures of the school site and the ethical standards of the American Counseling
Association (ACA) and the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) contained in this
manual.
3. Keep weekly records of all counseling and counseling related activities. Weekly time and
activity logs should be submitted each week in the practicum supervision class. Site supervisors
must sign all documentation including the School Site Agreement, all Activity Logs and
evaluations. All hourly logs should be kept in exact minutes.
4. Counselor Candidates are to keep accurate case records according to the requirements of a
particular school site. Every Counselor Candidate will need to address the appropriate handling of
student records with his or her site supervisor.
5. CONFIDENTIALITY IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY! Breaches Will Not Be Tolerated.
However, there are exceptions to the Rule of Confidentiality. Every Counselor Candidate will
need to address issues of confidentiality with the site supervisor and learn the specific protocols
of his or her particular school site. Be sure to inform your students that confidentiality must be
breached under the following conditions:
a. When a client threatens to harm self or others.
b. If a client threatens to harm another, action must be taken to warn the potential victim.
c. In cases where child abuse or neglect (including sexual abuse) are suspected.
6. If an emergency arises or a situation that is “out of the ordinary for a given site,” your site
supervisor must be notified immediately. The faculty supervisor should also be notified via email
the same day. The Counselor Candidate should not, nor is he or she expected to act independently
in any circumstance during Practicum.
7. If a candidate is assigned a grade of “P”, the candidate must continue to attend and participate
in the 585 class sessions until all requirements have been completed. The candidate has one
additional semester to successfully complete the requirements for the course. Any candidate who
has not successfully completed the course requirements in that time frame will receive a grade of
“F” and he/she must repeat the course.
8. If a student does not earn a minimum grade of a B in 585, then he/she will have a review and
retention meeting with the practicum instructor, advisor, and possibly other school counseling
faculty. This meeting will determine whether the student can remain in the program. If it is
determined that the student can continue in the program, then he/she will have to retake EDC 585,
earn 100 hours, and earn a grade of an A. If it is determined that the student cannot continue in
the program, then his/her matriculation in the school counseling program will be concluded.
If the student does not successfully complete EDC585 the 2nd time, then his/her matriculation in
the school counseling program will be concluded.
Students must be aware that the University of Dayton cannot place a graduate student in any
school for the clinical experience if that graduate student has demonstrated irresponsible or
unethical behavior. If the University of Dayton cannot place a graduate student due to that
graduate students behavior, then that students matriculation in the school counseling program will
be concluded.