Practicum and Internship

Field experiences are part of all of the counseling programs with practicum and internship (P/I) marking the synthesis and culmination of the academic preparation to become a professional counselor. A total of 700 hours will be spent in the practicum (100 hours) and (600 hours - minimum) internship, over a period of at least one year (i.e., three semesters). These experiences provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate and improve knowledge and skills learned in the classroom setting. 

While the Coordinator of Practicum/Internship, as well as the faculty advisor, will help students to find the proper placement, the student is primarily responsible for investigating, pursuing, and securing his or her practicum and internship site. When selecting a site, students should aim for a site placement that represents a "good fit" with their personal and professional needs, values, interests, program requirements, and licensure and/or certification requirements. 

Before a student contacts a potential field placement site he or she should review the counseling program's prerequisites and expectations for the 700 hour field experience located in the Counseling Graduate Student Handbook and Practicum and Internship Manual; review the P/I site directory; and schedule a meeting with the P/I Coordinator and/or graduate assistant assigned to the P/I Coordinator to discuss the site of interest and develop a plan to secure a placement. Once a site is secured, the student must complete an application for practicum and internship and return by the due date.

Prior to Practicum Course

Review the program's prerequisites and expectations for the 700 hour field experience located in the Counseling Graduate Student Handbook and Practicum and Internship Manual.

Before contacting potential practicum and internship (P/I) sites, you should:

• Review the Practicum/Internship Site Directory prior to meeting with your faculty advisor. The Practicum/Internship site directory provides information on sites that have been utilized in the past by UNO counseling graduate students or that have indicated an interest in having counseling students at their site.
• The Practicum/Internship site directory is located in ED 214, Clinical Counseling Laboratory. Contact the Practicum and Internship Coordinator and/or graduate assistant assigned to the P/I Coordinator for an electronic copy.
• Schedule a meeting with Practicum and Internship Coordinator and/or graduate assistant assigned to the P/I Coordinator to discuss the site of interest and develop a plan to secure a placement.

Students are responsible for investigating, pursuing, and securing their practicum and internship site.

Once a site is secured, students must complete an Application for Practicum and Internship.

Students are required to purchase a professional liability insurance policy. A professional liability insurance policy is available, at a student discount rate for master's level students, from the American Counseling Association (ACA) Insurance Trust. Information for liability insurance can be found by visiting the ACA web site.

Students are responsible for completion and submission of all required documents for Practicum and Internship to the Practicum and Internship Coordinator.

Application Due Date

The Clinical Counseling Lab Coordinator will post deadlines and due dates on the program listserv.