School Counseling Placement Procedures
The Office of Advisement and Counseling (hereafter cited as OAC) oversees the placement of
school counseling practicum and internship students. Gwinnett County Public Schools only places
candidates pursuing a Masters degree, or higher, in School Counseling. Intern and practicum
candidates should not contact local schools directly. All initial inquiries are to follow the following
procedures.
First Steps:
College/Universities in Georgia: The OAC will coordinate with the college/university
placement coordinator for candidates from these schools. All paperwork will be exchanged
directly between the college/university and OAC.
Placement Process:
1) All potential school counseling practicum and internship candidates will need to complete
the “GCPS Request for School Counseling Placement.”
2) Before a practicum or internship placement is initiated at the school level, the OAC will
conduct a face to face interview with the candidate. Phone interviews will be done if an inperson interview is not possible. The interview will:
1. Evaluate the candidate’s academic strengths
2. Discuss program requirements to determine if there are any competencies that
will need to be covered during the practicum or internship
3. Discuss candidate’s goal(s) for practicum or internship
Coordination of Placement:
A. Placement Considerations:
1. Candidate’s geographic location to schools
2. Candidate’s level preference
3. Appropriate placement of candidates employed within the district
-avoid conflict of interest
-ensure practicum or internship is performed off contract time
B. Local School Approval
The OAC will contact the local school administrator to request final approval of
placement.
C. Local School Supervisor
1. All local school supervisors must have three (3) years of experience at the
requested placement level to supervise an intern.
2. Local School Supervisors will be required to complete a “Intern Supervision
Training,” provided by the OAC, prior to serving as a local school supervisor
(effective 2010-2011 school year).
D. Final Placement
1. The OAC will notify the college/university coordinator and/or intern of school
site and name/contact information of supervisor.
2. The local school supervisor will be responsible for the following:
a. Establishing the practicum or internship schedule
b. Reviewing & submitting the final documents to the Office of Advisement
& Counseling:
- GCPS Confidentiality Agreement
For internship only (required for lotus notes access):
- GCPS Acknowledgement Form
- Counseling Person of Interest Information Form (POI)
3. The OAC will send a listing of all placements to Human Resources
Monitoring and Support
The Office of Advisement and Counseling will provide on-going support to school site
supervisors and practicum/internship candidates as requested or required. The OAC will engage in
several tasks that will assist qualified interns in finding employment within the county.
1. The OAC will encourage interns to begin the application process at the
end of the Fall Semester and to continually update throughout the spring.
2. The OAC will make available to local school administrators a list of highly
qualified school counseling candidates
Office of Advisement & Counseling
Dianne Thompson, Director
Joann Baker, Academic Support Assistant
Steve Bennett, Graduation Coach Coordinator
Galen Reavis, Advisement Coordinator
Demetria Williams, Counseling Coordinator
52 Gwinnett Drive
Lawrenceville, GA 30046
Phone: 770.277.4488
Fax:
770.277.4489