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Section III 
CLINICAL INSTRUCTION
 
Clinical instruction includes supervised practica and internships completed within a student's program of study.  Practicum and internship requirements are considered to be the most critical experiential elements in the program.

Students in the program are required to complete Practicum (Applied Practices II, Coun 523/545) and Internship (Coun 552/553, A,B,C) experiences.  Practicum and Internship experiences are the last two courses that students take and are completed at a selected site.

A.  Each regular, pro rata and affiliate program faculty member who provides on-campus individual and/or group practicum and/or internship supervision has the following:
           
1. a doctoral degree from a program in counselor education or a closely related field or is receiving supervision from such a person;
 
All full-time faculty members supervising students in Practicum and Internship courses are doctoral-level professionals in counseling or a related field. These individuals include Dr. Shamshad Ahmed, Dr. Bradley Janey, Dr. John Lemoncelli, and Dr. Janet Muse-Burke (See faculty vitae here). Weekly group supervision seminars and individual supervision sessions are provided by doctoral level faculty and/or master’s level certified and/or licensed professionals with demonstrated clinical supervision experience. 
 
2.  relevant professional experience and demonstrated competence in counseling and/or human development at levels appropriate for students supervised; and
 
Faculty in the program have demonstrated competence in the counseling field or a closely related helping profession as demonstrated by attainment of the doctoral degree and/or a CACREP approved master’s degree with appropriate certifications and/or licenses.  The faculty has a long history of professional experiences that they bring to the program.
 
3. relevant training and supervision experience.
 
All counseling faculty have relevant training in counseling and psychotherapy.  Faculty who supervise students have training and experience in the area of supervision coupled with a strong clinical background.  In addition, many have had the opportunity to supervise doctoral level students.
 
B.  Students serving as individual and/or group practicum supervisors:
1. have completed practicum and internship experiences equivalent to those within the entry-level program;
2.  have completed or are receiving training in counseling supervision; and
3. are themselves supervised by program faculty with a faculty/student ratio of 1:5.
 
At present, no students provide any supervision.
 
C. A site supervisor should meet the following criteria:
1.  a minimum of a master's degree in counseling or a closely related field and appropriate certifications and/or licenses;
 
All on-site supervisors possess a master's degree in counseling or a counseling-related field and appropriate credentials for their position (i.e., PA Department of Education Certification, PA Licensed Professional Counselor, PA Licensed Psychologist, and/or PA Licensed Social Worker).
 
2. a minimum of two (2) years of pertinent professional experience; and
 
All on-site supervisors have a minimum of two years of professional experience.
 
3. knowledge of the program's expectations, requirements, and evaluation procedures for students.
 
The counseling program informs all on-site supervisors of the program's expectations, requirements, and evaluation procedures through letters to site supervisors, and/or direct personal communication. In the Fall of 2007, the counseling faculty instituted an orientation session for all practica and internship site supervisors for each semester.
 
Appropriate forms and specific information are given to the on-site supervisor by the students when they have decided upon a setting. A formal contract from the University is then provided to all internship sites. Also, all relevant forms are available in the Field Placement Handbook. 
 
D. A counseling laboratory that is conducive to modeling, demonstration, and training is available and used for clinical instruction.  Administrative control of the laboratory facility allows adequate and appropriate access by the program.  The laboratory facility includes, but is not limited to, the following:
 
Marywood University has renovated the McGowan Center for graduate studies. The McGowan Center was constructed with a variety of community and academic services in mind. Specifically, the facilities within this building enable the faculty to provide experiential training for counseling students.
 
The Counseling Programs of Marywood University provide laboratory experiences for students from the beginning of the program in COUN 518 - Applied Practice I and COUN 507 – Principles and Practices of Mental Health Counseling (for Mental Health Students only).  The use of the McGowan Center facilities continues through COUN 543 - Group Process, COUN 544 – Counseling Techniques, COUN 584 – Marital and Family Counseling to the conclusion of the program with use of clinic-like space and taping facilities during Practicum and Internship.
 
 The Marywood University McGowan Center has one way observation windows and rooms appropriate for individual, group, and family counseling.  The facility is equipped with state-of-the-art recording and taping capabilities.
 
1. rooms for individual counseling, with assured privacy and sufficient space for appropriate equipment (e.g., videotape and audiotape);
 
 The Marywood University McGowan Center has many rooms designed so that the supervisors and students can observe role-play sessions or experience live supervision through one-way windows.  Equipment such as microphones, cameras, and intercom systems are new and state-of-the-art.
 
2. rooms for small group work, with assured privacy and sufficient space for appropriate equipment;
 
As stated previously, several rooms in the McGowan Center at Marywood University have observational capacity.  Of particular importance, there are two rooms large enough for family and group work both with observational capacity.
 
3. portable and permanent audio and videotape recording and playback equipment;
 
Several rooms in the McGowan Center are equipped with video equipment for video playback.  In addition, faculty may order video equipment for video playback through the Media Center if the room is not so equipped.
 
4. rooms with observational capabilities; and
 
As stated previously, several rooms in the McGowan Center at Marywood University have observational capacity.  Of particular importance, there are two rooms large enough for family and group work both with observational capacity.
 
5. acoustical (i.e., sound reduction) treatment throughout.
 
All rooms used for clinical counseling services in the McGowan Center at Marywood University are sufficiently soundproofed to provide privacy.
 
E. Technical assistance for the use and maintenance of audio and videotape and microcomputer equipment is available.
 
As part of Marywood University, the Counseling & Psychology Department is provided technical assistance through university resources.
 
F. The program faculty provides orientation, assistance, and consultation to supervisors.
 
Prior to the start of Applied Practices II practicum and  internship experiences, all supervisors are contacted to make arrangements with the introductory letter.  The site supervisors are provided with copies of the Supervised Internship Outline, which includes the requirements for Internship as well as additional suggested activities to which the intern should be exposed during their Internship.  The campus supervisor provides all the rating forms (available here) to be completed and has suggested dates of completion (i.e., after 100 hours, 300 hours etc.)  In addition, the campus supervisor is in contact with the field supervisor at least twice during the semester of the internship experience. Given the relationship between Marywood University and many field supervisors, additional reciprocal contact is made on an as-needed basis.
 
G. In order to improve supervised clinical experiences for students in the program the program faculty provides professional opportunities for site supervisors (e.g., training in supervision, crisis intervention.)
 
In addition to the formal orientation training provided to site supervisors, the university provides annual educational opportunities for site supervisors. Certain workshops and training opportunities could be earmarked for site supervisors related to supervision training or crisis intervention..
 
The Counseling Faculty of Marywood University provide supervision training workshops to provide CEUs for counselors as required by Pennsylvania State Act 48, which could also be tailored to supervisory needs. Act 48 requires educational professionals to accumulate a set number of professional development hours every five years.
 
H. The program requires students to complete supervised practicum experiences that total a minimum of 100 clock hours.  The practicum provides for the development of individual counseling and group work skills under supervision.  The student's practicum includes the following:
 
Students in all counseling programs of Marywood University are required to complete a practicum experience (COUN 545/523 - Applied Practices II) that is a minimum 100-clock hours experience at an agency or school of their choosing.  The experience stresses individual and group counseling in addition to other counseling activities.  Students are required to meet weekly with their agency or school supervisor for individual supervision at a minimum of 1 hour and to meet weekly with their assigned faculty supervisor at a minimum of 1 hour.  Moreover, students meet weekly for a group supervision seminar facilitated by a faculty supervisor (2 hours weekly). 
 
1. a minimum of 40 hours of direct service with clients, so that experience can be gained in individual and group interactions (at least one-fourth of these hours should be in group work);
 
All students must complete 40 hours of direct clinical contact.  Students must be involved in group counseling activity equal to one fourth of the 40 direct clinical contact hours.  Students must maintain daily, weekly, and monthly activity logs of all aspects of their clinical experience to document hours of their practicum experience.
 
2. a minimum of (1) hour per week of individual supervision (using audiotape, videotape, and/or direct observation) over a minimum of one academic term by a program faculty member or a supervisor working under the supervision of a program faculty member;
 
Each student in practicum receives a minimum of one hour per week of individual supervision by a program faculty member.  The program requires students to receive one hour per week of individual supervision from the school or agency supervisor.  Audiotapes, videotapes, and/or direct observations of sessions with clients are critiqued by the faculty supervisor within the weekly supervisory session.
 
3. a minimum of one and one-half (1-1/2) hours per week of group supervision with other students in similar practica over a minimum of one academic term by a program faculty member or a supervisor under the supervision of a program faculty member; and
 
Each student in Practicum participates in group supervision seminar sessions for two hours per week. These sessions include all students enrolled in Practicum during that term and are facilitated by a faculty member.
 
4. evaluation of the student's performance throughout the practicum including a formal evaluation at the completion of the practicum.
 
Each Practicum student is evaluated at the end of their experience by their assigned faculty supervisors (group supervisor and individual supervisor).

For a more detailed description of COUN 545/523 course requirements and evaluation forms, click here.
 
I. The program requires students to complete a supervised internship of 600 clock hours for school counseling programs and 900 clock hours for mental health counseling programs to begin after successful completion of the student's practicum.  Consideration should be given to selection internship sites that offer opportunities for students to engage in both individual counseling and group work.  The internship provides an opportunity for the student to perform under supervision a variety of activities that a regularly employed staff member in the setting would be expected to perform.  A regularly employed staff member is defined as a person occupying the professional role to which the student is aspiring.  The student's internship includes the following:
 
Only after successful completion of all Practicum requirements, the student is permitted to move onto Internship. The Internship requirement for school counseling is 600 clock hours and for mental health counseling is 900 clock hours. More detailed information on internship requirements, and relevant forms, is available here. 
 
1. a minimum of 240 hours of direct service with clients appropriate to the program of study;  
 
Internship sites must meet all program requirements. Students are required to complete 240 hours of service working directly with clients in schools and agencies that they have chosen and have been approved as appropriate to their area of study or interests.
 
2. a minimum of (1) one hour per week of individual supervision, throughout the internship, usually performed by the on-site supervisor;
 
Each student receives one hour per week of individual supervision by the on-site supervisor.  The student is also expected to meet with her or his faculty supervisor for one hour weekly.  Students also can request a supervisory consultation with their faculty supervisor at any time if the need arises.
 
3. a minimum of one and one half (1-1/2) hours per week of group supervision, throughout the internship, usually performed by a program faculty member supervisor;
 
The program requires students to meet weekly for a two-hour (2) group supervision seminar.  These sessions are supervised by a faculty member.
 
4. the opportunity for the student to become familiar with a variety of professional activities other than direct service;
 
Each student during Practicum and Internship is expected to perform all the regular duties of a professional working in that setting.  Some variation exists among schools and agencies, but students must be considered as staff members by the sites during their internship experience.
 
5. the opportunity for the student to develop audio and/or videotapes of the student's interactions with clients appropriate to the specialization for use in supervision;
 
The Mental Health and School interns meet weekly for 1.5 hours in each of their respective tracks. The supervised internship class provides the students with the opportunity to participate in discussions focused on their counseling activities at the internship sites.  Students are required to have available audiotape and/or videotape to be used as part of the supervisory consultation process. Under the guidance of the instructor, students have the opportunity to give and receive critical evaluations of sessions. In those agencies that do not allow taping, the faculty instructor does on site supervision. The supervised student must then present the case to the class.
 
6. the opportunity for the student to gain supervised experience in the use of a variety of professional resources such as assessment instruments, computers, print and nonprint media, professional literature, research, and information and referral to appropriate providers; and
 
It is expected that the student through Internship will be afforded the full range of the activities of a counselor in her or his chosen setting.  Students are reminded to select sites where a wide variety of services are provided so that they can rotate among different activities within the same site.
 
7. a formal evaluation of the student's performance during the internship by a program faculty supervisor in consultation with the site supervisor.
 
Site supervisors are provided with a variety of rating and assessment forms for the purpose of monitoring and evaluating the student's performance.  The forms are completed at various stages of the student's internship experience. All necessary logs and evaluation forms are available in the Online Field Placement Handbook. 
 
J. The practicum and internship experiences are tutorial forms of instruction; therefore, when the individual supervision is provided by program faculty, the ratio of 5 students to 1 faculty member is considered equivalent to the teaching of one (1) three-semester hour course.  Such a ratio is considered maximum.
 
The program adheres to a 4:1 ratio for practicum supervision in determining faculty loads.  A faculty member is given the equivalency of teaching a three semester hour course for each four students supervised.
 
K. Group supervision seminars for practicum and internship should not exceed 10 students.
 
The program adheres to the standard of only ten students to one faculty member for group supervision seminars.  A faculty member is given the equivalent of teaching a three credit hour course for each ten students supervised in group seminar.
 
L. Clinical experiences (practicum and internship) provide opportunities for students to counsel clients representative of the ethnic, lifestyle and demographic diversity of their community.
 
The Practicum and Internship experiences in the Counseling Programs of Marywood University take place within a variety of treatment settings from schools to agencies. Students have the opportunity of working in settings that serve the poor through upper middle class.
 
M. Students formally evaluate their supervisors at the conclusion of their practicum and internship experiences.
 
Students in the Counseling Programs of Marywood University evaluate faculty supervisors through the mechanism of the evaluation forms of the Reap College of Education and Human Development. In addition, students are required to evaluate both their Practicum and Internship sites as well as the site supervisor. (see Field Placement Handbook for site and faculty evaluation forms.)
 
N. Students are strongly encouraged to have professional liability insurance prior to participation in practicum or internship experiences.
 
Marywood University has provided all students enrolled in Practicum and Internship courses the opportunity to receive liability insurance through payment of a $25 fee added to tuition. Documentation is available here.

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