Placement
The student, faculty Internship coordinator, and the student’s advisor, work together to place the student in an internship setting. Students are expected to make specific requests, in the Internship application, regarding their desired placements, and are expected to meet with their advisor and Internship coordinator to discuss field placements options. Students are encouraged to explore potential settings for their Internship placements, and to do so early in the semester prior to their Internship semester. Students are encouraged to visit several potential settings and to interview at these sites. As a result of the interview process, students should be able to answer the following questions:
- Does this setting offer me the range of learning experiences I desire, with a client population that matches my career goals?
- Does this setting provide experiences that enable me to complete Internship requirements? (Check hours requirements for practicum and internship.)
- Does this setting have a qualified supervisor on site, who is willing to provide at least one hour of continuous supervision each week?
- Will I be able to tape sessions with clients?
- Is this setting willing to accept me as an intern if such a request is made?
- Does this setting have a time commitment that must be considered? (Some settings require 20 hours per week, even for practicum students).
Settings
The Greater New Orleans area offers a wealth of potential Internship settings from which students may choose. In past semesters, counselor interns have worked in such diverse settings as elementary schools, secondary schools, community colleges, family services centers, women's shelters, hospitals, United Way-funded agencies, private agencies, EAP programs in business and industry, juvenile and adult probation and parole, and child guidance centers. In the Big Room, there is a binder with all of the sites students have used in recent semesters with the students evaluation of the site. It is highly recommended that you use this resource to help you determine if some of the sites you are interested in will be a good match for you.
Beginning in the Spring of 2010, students are allowed to intern at sites with in a 50 mile radius and no more than an hour away from Loyola University’s campus. If the Department of Counseling does not have a current contract with a site a student is interested in, then he or she must contact the Practicum and Internship Coordinator. The Practicum and Internship Coordinator will insure that the site is willing to comply with the departmental requirements for clinical sites. If the site is deemed appropriate, the Practicum and Internship Coordinator will create a contract between Loyola University’s Department of Counseling and the site. Students may not begin interning at a site until a signed contract is returned to the Practicum and Internship Coordinator or unless a current contract already exists. In addition, students must receive permission from the department before they are allowed to begin interning at a site. Sites must be able to provide students with enough direct and indirect contact hours required for the course in which they are currently registered. Each site must have a licensed or certified mental health professional that can provide the student with a scheduled continuous hour of supervision each week.
Student that are currently interning at a site must fulfill their obligations to their site and their clients. Students are not allowed to change sites unless they have completed the requirements agreed upon with their site or there is a problem at their site. They must receive approval from the department to change sites and cannot quit interning at their site unless they have received approval from the department. Prematurely leaving their site could be deemed client abandonment. It also can cause problems for future Loyola students wanting to intern at that site. In addition, the student would be severing relationships between potential contacts and references.
The Internship setting must meet the following requirements:
- Provide direct counseling services by qualified professionals,
- Provide an opportunity for the intern to perform all the activities that a regularly employed staff member in the setting would be expected to perform, subject to limitations imposed by liability considerations, setting specific policies, and confidentiality considerations,
- Provide the intern with at least 300 clock hours of meaningful and appropriate work, at least 120 clock hours of which are in direct service to clients, per semester,
- Have at least one qualified professional on site who agrees to provide supervision to the intern and allow the intern to become familiar with a variety of professional activities other than direct service,
- Allow the intern to obtain audio tapes, videotapes, or written case materials, within the bounds of preservation of client confidentiality, for use in supervision,
- Allow the intern to gain supervised experience in the use of a variety of professional resources such as appraisal instruments, computers, print and non-print media, professional literature, and research, and
- Provide evaluation of the intern, both formative and summative.
Supervisor
The on-site Internship Supervisor must meet the following requirements:
- Hold an appropriate master's degree (such as counseling, psychology, social work, or other relevant degree) and have at least 3 years’ relevant experience,
- Hold credentials appropriate to the setting, such as Certified School Counselor, Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Psychologist or Certified Clinical Social Worker,
- Provide the intern with a minimum of 1 hour of face-to-face continuous supervision per week, including case consultation and formative evaluation of the intern's work,
- Work closely with the intern to ensure that the intern has a variety of experiences which represent the activities that a regularly employed staff member in the setting is expected to perform,
- Meet with the university supervisor during the university supervisor's site visits, at least once during the semester, and
- Provide a summative evaluation of the intern on the form provided, which will remain on file with the university.