CCC Practicum

Practicum is a critical component of PSU's Counselor Education Program. During their practicum tenure, students are able to receive direct, one-on-one supervision while working with clients in PSU's Community Counseling Clinic, which offers low cost counseling to the public. This provides students with an intensive, experiential training before they begin their internship work at an outside agency.

Practicum is a two term course sequence.  Students will either complete practicum during fall and winter terms (group A) or spring and summer terms (group B) of their second year in the program. Students will be assigned to either group A or B upon admission to the program. Practicum is immediately followed by two terms of peer supervision.

Students receive practicum applications either spring term of year one (group A), or winter term of year two (group B). During practicum, students will work once a week in our on-campus clinic. The PSU Community Counseling Clinic operates five days per week with daytime and evening hours available. Daytime practicum sections meet from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and evening practicum sections meets from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Daytime practicum sections are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with evening practicum sections held Tuesday and Thursday. Assignment to a practicum section is made by Kim Douglas, Practicum & Internship Coordinator, though students are given an opportunity to note their preferences.

There will be a mandatory practicum orientation meeting prior to beginning practicum. Group A practicum students will have their orientation one to two weeks prior to the start of fall term, while group B students will have their orientation during finals week of winter term. Prior to beginning practicum, students must complete all required practicum pre-requisite courses (see below for a list), and complete 20 hours of personal counseling. Personal counseling hours must be completed no earlier than one year prior to the start of the program. There is no flexibility in these requirements.

All students are required to carry liability insurance while enrolled in practicum and internship.

Student Evaluations in Practicum:

• At the end of each quarter, CCC counselors in practicum will be graded Pass or Fail. The CCC recommends that counselors contact their group supervision instructor to understand the conditions by which the determinations are made, and to familiarize themselves with the expectations of practicum.

• CCC counselors in practicum will receive regular verbal and written feedback from their peer supervisors, group supervision instructor, and colleagues. The CCC recommends that counselors consider feedback carefully as they work with clients. 

• At the end of each quarter, CCC counselors in practicum will receive written feedback. These evaluations will cover a variety of areas, but CCC counselors must ensure that final evaluations are comprehensive and include:

  • Number of direct client hours and types of clients seen (telehealth, or in person)

  • Presenting issues worked within counseling

  • Counseling approaches and interventions utilized

  • Skills, strengths, and areas of continued growth

The Community Counseling Clinic makes this reminder to group supervision instructors and CCC counselors because counselor records are maintained by the clinic to ensure quality of care for clients. At the end of the practicum experience, CCC counselors must  ensure that all practicum log entries are accurate and complete. If client charts are incomplete at the end of the practicum experience, the Clinic Director will recommend a "Fail" grade to the group supervision instructor.