What is Practicum and Internship?

Practicum & InternshipSchool of EducationDepartment of Counseling and School PsychologyChristina Scheinberg LMHC, CASACCSP Field Coordinator

What is Practicum and Internship? Practicum and Internship is an opportunity for students to gain hands on experience out in their field of study. During your time in the field, each student will have the opportunity to perform the tasks of a mental health counselor, a marriage and family therapist, or school counselor, while being supervised on a regular basis.

Who Can Supervise Me? Mental Health Counseling Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Doctor of Psychology (PsyD). The following individuals MUST be working within the field of counseling: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Physician Assistant (PA), Registered Nurse (RN), Nurse Practitioner (NP), Medical Doctor (MD) Marriage and Family Therapy Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Doctor of Psychology (PsyD). The following individuals MUST be working within the field of counseling: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Physician Assistant (PA), Registered Nurse (RN), Nurse Practitioner (NP), Medical Doctor (MD) School Counseling Permanently Certified School Counselor Bilingual School Counseling Permanently Certified School Counselor Highly recommended: Permanently Certified Bilingual School Counselor

What Sites are acceptable? Mental Health Counseling a professional corporation, registered limited liability partnership, or professional service limited liability company authorized to provide services that are within the scope of practice of Mental Health Counseling; a sole proprietorship owned by a licensee who provide services that are within the scope of his or her profession and services that are within the scope of practice of Mental Health Counseling; a professional partnership owned by licensees who provide services that are within scope of practice of Mental Health Counseling; a hospital or clinic authorized under Article 28 of the Public Health Law to provide services that are within the scope of practice of Mental Health Counseling; a program or facility authorized under the Mental Hygiene Law to provide services that are within the scope of practice of Mental Health Counseling; a program or facility authorized under Federal Law to provide services that are within the scope of practice of Mental Health Counseling; an entity defined as exempt from the licensing requirements or otherwise authorized under New York State law or the laws of the jurisdiction in which the entity is located to provide services that are within the scope of practice of Mental Health Counseling. Marriage and Family Therapy a professional corporation, registered limited liability partnership, or professional service limited liability company authorized to provide services that are within the scope of practice of Marriage and Family Therapy; a sole proprietorship owned by a licensee who provide services that are within the scope of his or her profession and services that are within the scope of practice of Marriage and Family Therapy; a professional partnership owned by licensees who provide services that are within scope of practice of Marriage and Family Therapy; a hospital or clinic authorized under Article 28 of the Public Health Law to provide services that are within the scope of practice of Marriage and Family Therapy; a program or facility authorized under the Mental Hygiene Law to provide services that are within the scope of practice of Marriage and Family Therapy; a program or facility authorized under Federal Law to provide services that are within the scope of practice of Marriage and Family Therapy; an entity defined as exempt from the licensing requirements or otherwise authorized under New York State law or the laws of the jurisdiction in which the entity is located to provide services that are within the scope of practice of Marriage and Family Therapy. School Counseling Public or Private School K-12 Bilingual School Counseling Public or Private School K-12

How Do I Find a Site? Every student is responsible for finding a site to complete practicum and internship Christina Scheinberg will assist each student during this process and offer suggestions around what placements may be accepting students. Check LIU email for updates about potential new placements and how to apply. Obtain a master list of placements that Christina Scheinberg has compiled. Please email Christina to update her on your search and any struggles you may be having.

How Do I Find a Site? Suggested site to use while researching potential practicum and internship sites Linkedin Psychedin LinksForShrinks Monster CareerBuilder.com SocialServices.com Idealist.org Indeed.com New York Times Office of Mental Health (OMH) website Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) website DOE website

Fingerprinting & Background Checks Many sites require students to be finger printed prior to starting their practicum or internship placements. Please check with your placement and find out what needs to be completed at least one month before placement begins. Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy Students that are placed at a substance abuse treatment center that is operated under the Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS), you will be required to complete a background check through the Justice Center and to be fingerprinted by the state. The practicum and internship placement should inform you about this process and the $100 fee associated with it. School Counseling and Bilingual School Counseling It is a requirement for all school counseling and bilingual school counseling students to get finger printed before starting their practicum. You will not be able to register for your practicum unless you have completed the finger printing process. This is a requirement by New York State in order to obtain certification. Please speak with Christina Scheinberg about this process and ensure you review the handout provided to you.

Evening and Weekend Hours Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy All students that require evening and weekend hours for their practicum and internship placements should speak with Christina Scheinberg at least one full semester before they begin placement. School Counseling and Bilingual School Counseling All students that require evening and weekend hours for their practicum and internship placements should speak with Christina Scheinberg at least one year before they begin placement. Evening and weekend hours for school counseling students can only be completed at a Young Adult Borough Center (YABC) schools and these placements fill up fast. Other schools do not have evening hours that mimic a regular school day. If you think you have found a school that does, please provide Christina Scheinberg with this information.

When Does Practicum Occur? Mental Health Counseling Practicum occurs before Internship and can be completed during any semester (fall, spring, and summer) Note: If Practicum is taken over the summer, it is to be completed over summer session I (may-june) or summer session II (july-august) Marriage and Family Therapy Practicum occurs before Internship and can be completed during any semester (fall, spring, and summer) Note: If Practicum is taken over the summer, it is to be completed over the entire summer (may-august) School Counseling Practicum occurs before Internship and can only be completed during the spring semester Bilingual School Counseling Practicum occurs before Internship and can only be completed during the spring semester

When Does Internship Occur? Mental Health Counseling Internship occurs after Practicum and can be completed during any semester (fall, spring, and summer) Note: Practicum, Internship I, and Internship II must be completed consecutively Marriage and Family Therapy Internship occurs after Practicum and can be completed during any semester (fall, spring, and summer) Note: Practicum, Internship I, and Internship II must be completed consecutively School Counseling Internship I occurs after Practicum and can only be completed during the fall semester Internship II occurs after Internship I and can only be completed during the following spring semester Bilingual School Counseling Internship I occurs after Practicum and can only be completed during the fall semester Internship II occurs after Internship I and can only be completed during the following spring semester

When Do I Need To Secure A Site By? Fall Practicum or Internship Placements need to be secured by August 1st Spring Practicum or Internship Placements need to be secured by December 15th Summer Practicum or Internship Placements need to be secured by April 15th

What Is The Difference Between Practicum and Internship? The number of hours required of the experiences Practicum requires 100 hours of experience to be completed Internship I requires 300 hours of experience to be completed Internship II requires 300 hours of experience to be completed

Can I switch my placement? If you have secured a placement and you wish to change your site, you can only do so if you would like to change locations in order to gain a different experience while transitioning from your practicum placement to your first internship placement or if the site is deemed unacceptable by LIU. You may NOT switch your placement during your internship I and internship II experience.

Practicum During Fall or Spring (or Summer for MFT students) A total of 100 hours need to be completed within the 15-week semester; this averages 7 hours weekly. In other words, you will be at your site for 7 hours each week. A minimum of 40 of these 100 hours must be direct client contact. Direct client contact is when you are directly providing counseling services to your assigned clients. Examples of direct client contact include, but are not limited to individual sessions, group sessions, or intakes. You should be averaging 3 hours of direct client contact weekly. The remaining hours will be used for indirect services. Examples of these include case management (phone calls, documentation, writing letters), filing, attending trainings, supervision, case reports, creating lesson plans or group work, other activities with the clients.

Practicum During Summer (MHC students) A total of 100 hours need to be completed within the 6-week semester; this averages 17 hours weekly. In other words, you will be at your site for 17 hours each week, about 2 days a week for 8 hours each day. A minimum of 40 of these 100 hours must be direct client contact. Direct client contact is when you are directly providing counseling services to your assigned clients. Examples of direct client contact include, but are not limited to individual sessions, group sessions, or intake. You should be averaging 7 hours of direct client contact weekly. The remaining hours will be used for indirect services. Examples of these include case management (phone calls, documentation, writing letters), filing, attending trainings, supervision, case reports, creating lesson plans or group work, other activities with the clients.

Internship During Fall, Spring, or Summer A total of 300 hours need to be completed within the 15-week semester; this averages 20 hours weekly. In other words, you will be at your site for 20 hours each week, about 3 days a week for 7 hours each day. A minimum of 120/130 (MFT) of these 300 hours must be direct client contact. Direct client contact is when you are directly providing counseling services to your assigned clients. Examples of direct client contact include, but are not limited to individual sessions, group sessions, or intake. You should be averaging 8 hours of direct client contact weekly. The remaining hours will be used for indirect services. Examples of these include case management (phone calls, documentation, writing letters), filing, attending trainings, supervision, case reports, creating lesson plans or group work, other activities with the clients. Remember if you are completing internship I or II over the summer, it will be for the entire summer

When can I start acquiring hours? Hours will begin to acquire when the course begins. Should there be some extreme circumstances and a student desires to count hours before the course begins he or she will need to gain permission from the course professor. Again, this is only done under extreme circumstances. Unfinished hours before course completion: If you have been in communication with your professor and Christina Scheinberg about your continual struggles to finish hours and you are granted permission; you will receive an incomplete for the course until the completion of your hours. Incompletes must be completed within two semesters of the assignment or grade will be changed to an F

Completing Hours Before the Course is Over You can most certainly complete your hours before you have completed the course but this DOES NOT MEAN you can stop attending you site placement! You must attend your site placement throughout the entirety of your practicum or internship courses. If you have completed your hours and would like to decrease the number of hours/days you attend your site weekly until the course is over you can do so as long as your on-site supervisor agrees to this transition.

Does Anyone Check in with my Site? Christina Scheinberg will either email, call, or visit everyone’s site periodically in order to ensure that students are gaining the experience they need. Your professor should also touch base with your site. During your practicum and internship courses, you will continuously be checking in with your classmates and professor about your experience at your site. Please email me about any struggles you are having at your site! If I am not aware I cannot help you resolve any issues.

Agreement Forms Agreement forms are required to be submitted directly to Christina Scheinberg every semester. You will not be able to register for the class until Christina has received and reviewed your agreement form. Appropriate ways to submit agreement forms are: Email Drop off in mailbox: 1 University Plaza, Library Learning Center (LLC), 2nd Floor Drop off in person: Library Learning Center (LLC), 2nd Floor, Room 231

Agreement Form Example MHC PRACTICUM CONFIRMATION AGREEMENT The following individual, a graduate student in Mental Health Counseling at Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus, will be completing fieldwork at ____________________________________during the________20____ semester. The student will complete 100internship hours, at least 40 of which will be in direct service activities, all of which will be completed onsite. The intern will work under supervision in the observation and practice of mental health counseling, as defined by the New York State Education Law as follows: The evaluation, assessment, amelioration, treatment, modification, or adjustment to a disability, problem, or disorder of behavior, character, development, emotion, personality or relationships by the use of verbal or behavioral methods with individuals, couples, families or groups in private practice, group, or organized settings The use of assessment instruments and mental health counseling and psychotherapy to identify, evaluate and treat dysfunctions and disorders for purposes of providing appropriate mental health counseling services. The intern will also have the opportunity to become familiar with a variety of professional activities in addition to direct service (e.g., record keeping, consultation, report writing, information review, making referrals, development activities, and staff meetings). I understand that the site supervisor must meet the following New York State requirements: The supervisor shall have completed a master's or higher degree program in counseling, in the subject of the field in which the supervisor is licensed as prescribed in subparagraph iii (below) of this paragraph, or another field related to the field of counseling as determined by the NYS Department of Education The supervisor shall have engaged in the practice of mental health counseling for three years or the part-time equivalent. For purposes of this subparagraph, practice on a fulltime basis shall mean 960 clock hours in the practice of mental health counseling, earned over a 52-week period The supervisor shall be licensed and registered in New York State to practice mental health counseling, medicine, as a physician assistant, psychologist, licensed clinical social work, or as a registered professional nurse or nurse practitioner, pursuant to Articles 163, 131, 131-b, 139, 153, or 154 of the Education Law, respectively; or be an individual with equivalent qualifications as determined by the department. Also in accordance with New York State requirements, I understand that supervision of the experience shall consist of contact between the intern and supervisor during which: • 1 The intern apprises the supervisor of the assessment and treatment of each client • 2 The intern's cases are discussed with the supervisor • 3 The supervisor provides the intern with oversight and guidance in: assessment and evaluation, treatment planning, completing psychosocial histories and progress notes, individual counseling, group counseling, psychotherapy, and consultation • 4 The supervisor provides an average of one hour per week or two hours every other week of in-person individual or group supervision. The intern will be attending an internship class at LIU (Day______:Time_______). Interns will protect the confidentiality of clients by never revealing identifying information about clients, orally or in writing. Intern Print Name __________________________________ Intern Signature ____________________________________ Date________________________ Supervisor Print Name ______________________________ Supervisor Signature ________________________________ Date________________________ Supervisor Title__________________________________ Supervisor Phone Number__________________________ Supervisor Email Address_________________________________ Supervisor Field of License ________________________________ New York License # _______________________________ Site Address ______________________________________ _________________________________________________ ______________________________________ _____________ University Field Coordinator Date

Logs: Keeping Track of Your Hours Every semester, you will be responsible for keeping a log of your hours while on site. This log is to be submitted directly to your professor once you have completed your hours. Submission of logs is required in order for your grade to be determined. Your professor will then provide Christina Scheinberg with a copy and this copy will be held for 5 years should you need it. It is highly recommended that you save all of your logs.

Direct HoursIndirect Hours Log Total Direct Hours ____________________ + Total Indirect Hours ____________________ = Total Hours ___________________ Student Name: _____________________________ Supervisor Name: ___________________________________ Student Signature: __________________________ Supervisor Signature: ________________________________

Evaluations Evaluations will be sent to your supervisors via email and will also be sent to you directly. Evaluations are required to be submitted in order for your grade to be determined. Once completed, evaluations are to be submitted directly to your professor. It is highly recommended that you complete your evaluation with your on-site supervisor during one of your supervision sessions.

Rubric of Learning Objectives

EPortfolio • Practicum and Internship experiences will inform your E-portfolio learning objectives. • Materials from practicum and internship experiences and courses will be important for E-portfolio (i.e., evaluations, logs, transcripts of counseling sessions, various work and presentation assignments from class).

Disposition form • Classroom • Attendance, Preparedness, Attitude Toward Learning, Classroom Engagement/Participation, Reflectiveness • Coursework/Fieldwork • Response to Feedback • Professional Dispositions • Professionalism, Ability to Establish a Therapeutic Alliance, Flexibility • Interpersonal Dispositions • Communication, Expressive Coherence, Awareness of Others’ Perceptions, Self-Management

Do my practicum & internship hours count toward my license? Practicum and internship hours CAN count toward your MFT license. Please ensure that you keep copies of your signed logs and evaluations should New York State ask for them. The Office of Professions is looking to see that the appropriately licensed professional in New York State supervised you. Typically, only 300 direct hours will count toward your license.

Applying and Interviewing In order to be considered for a placement, you will need to apply and interview for the practicum and internship positions. You must update your resumes and cover letters and treat this process like a job interview. Please be aware of your appearance, attitude, and have a working idea of what you will speak on during the interview. It is highly recommended that you become familiar with the organization, the population served, and the mission of the institution. You may also want to bring the agreement form with you so the potential on-site supervisor can review what is required of the experience.

Contact Please do not hesitate to contact me at any time. I know this process can be stressful and I am here to support you through it. I work part time at LIU, so if you do not hear back from me right away please be mindful of my office hours below. I will always get back to you and try to be as helpful as I can. Looking forward to working with all of you! Christina Christina Scheinberg, LMHC, CASAC CSP Field Coordinator Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus 1 University Center, Library Learning Center, Room 231 Brooklyn, New York 11201 Christina.Scheinberg@liu.edu Phone 718.780.4087 Office Hours: M:10-4, W: 10-6, TH: 11-4

Any remaining questions???

What is Practicum and Internship?