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Clinical Practicum

Practicum in the CACREP accredited M.A. in Counseling programs is often the first counseling experience for students. This experience gives students the opportunity to develop theoretical approaches and put into practice the skills they have learned so far.

Practicum in the Ph.D. in CES program exists as a specialized clinical experience based on the student’s specific need toward professional growth. Doctoral students are expected to discuss their specific needs with their faculty mentor and pursue the appropriate practicum experience that will develop their skills in specific aspects of counseling.

Deadline for M.A. Spring 2027 Program Practicum Applications:
September 4, 2026

M.A. Program APPLICATION

Students need to have thoroughly read the orientation information that was sent via email in order to apply for practicum.

For M.A. Practicum in Spring 2027, please submit this program application.

Ph.D. in CES Application

Ph.D. in CES Practicum is only taught in the spring semester. To apply for CES practicum, please reference this document for the application link and deadline date.

LIABILITY INSURANCE

HANDBOOKS

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

This applies to all Practicum students.

Practicum in the CACREP accredited M.A. in Counseling programs is a planned field-based clinical experience where master’s level counseling students work with clients under supervision in order to further develop or refine therapeutic skills in a real-world setting.

First Semester in the Program

As you are searching for a therapist to interview for an assignment in COUN 500, keep in mind that this is an opportune time to start making a list of places where you would like to do your field placements.

One Calendar Year Before Your First Field Placement (Practicum)

Students may begin formally searching for, contacting, and interviewing for a potential field placement site one calendar year before the first placement, which is practicum. For example, if your practicum is slated for the summer semester of your second year in the program, you will begin during the summer semester of your first year in the program. You may accept a placement if offered. While this initial search would be for a site where you can do practicum, many sites are trending toward requiring students to be with them for all 3 semesters of their field placement experiences (this does not mean that school counseling students cannot find a clinical site for practicum).

Please keep the following requirements for practicum in mind when communicating with sites:

  • Make sure the site can provide the hours needed for practicum – at least 100 total including a minimum of 40 direct service hours.
  • You must receive weekly supervision (a part of indirect service hours) at an average of one hour per week.
  • You are expected to be on site approximately 8 – 10 hours per week in order to accumulate these hours.
  • Practicum class will meet every Tuesday evening, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. EST, either in a classroom on campus or on Zoom, depending on if you are a campus or online student. You will count 1.5 hours of this class time as faculty group supervision, but that does not take away from the 8 – 10 hours a week you will spend on site.
  • Practicum students are NOT allowed to do in-home counseling.

Please see the INTERNSHIP pages of the website for internship requirements, which differ based on your major in the program. If you are interested in a site where you can do both practicum and internship, it is essential that you share those details as well.

Please see the Clinical Site Search Guide for tips on how to find a field placement site.

This applies to all students for Practicum and to CMHC & MCF students for Internship.

Finding a site where you can do field placements is very similar to a job search. The key is to be patient in this process while also opening your mind to a variety of experiences.

There are 2 lists available for students, both of which contain sites that the program has worked with in the past. Local students can refer to the LOCAL SPC CLINICAL FIELD PLACEMENT SITE LIST and students who are not local can refer to the NONLOCAL FIELD PLACEMENT SITE LIST (this Google sheet has tabs for each state). Be aware that openings at any of these sites are not guaranteed.

Please do not contact any site that is either owned by a full time member of the counseling faculty, or where one of them is in practice, placement at these sites will not be possible.

Students are not limited to only contacting sites we have worked with in the past. Be open to the many different sites that are in your area. Field placement sites must already have an established program/practice of providing counseling services, it is not something a student can create from scratch. In most cases, governmental agencies and inpatient hospitals/treatment centers will not work with practicum students due to the amount of training required as a part of their onboarding process (but some may). Hospitals tend to prefer interns who are placed for the traditional academic year, starting in the fall semester.

If you are having difficulty locating a site in your area, try using the find a therapist function on the Psychology Today website or the Good Therapy Directory. These search functions enable you to locate counseling professionals in your area. However, please do keep in mind that you are not only looking for a supervisor, but rather for a site where you can do your field placement(s). When you click on a person’s bio, look for the name of the agency where they are practicing, and that is the place you want to contact.

As per university policy, field placements must be a new and educationally rewarding experience and not a repeat of past or current work experiences. This means that a student’s current employment duties at his or her work site will not qualify for field placement. This does not, however, mean that you cannot do your field placements with your employer. Please see the M.A. Practicum & Internship Handbook, which can be found on the either the PRACTICUM or INTERNSHIP pages of the website, or the SEPARATE DOCUMENT regarding this policy.

As you contact sites, you will want to inquire as to whether or not they work with students for field placements. A lot of places use the words “practicum student” and “intern” interchangeably or will refer to all students as “interns” regardless of the placement. Do make sure to share the placement and supervisor requirements with potential sites, which can be done by sending them the Site Supervisor’s Quick Reference Guide, which is available on either the PRACTICUM or INTERNSHIP pages of the website. It is essential that you verify the site will be able to accommodate the hours you need for practicum and/or CMHC/MCF internship as well as making sure they have a qualified supervisor on staff. The university is not responsible for verifying these details with a site.

Apply to potential sites using whatever method they prefer. Some will have an online application, some will ask you to e-mail a resume, while others may simply schedule an interview with you. It is highly recommended that students take a copy of our Site Supervisor’s Quick Reference Guide with them to interviews as this document will provide valuable information to a potential site/supervisor.

The site supervisor MUST:

  1. Be a fully licensed mental health professional who has a minimum of a master’s degree in counseling or a related profession with equivalent qualifications, including appropriate certifications and/or licenses; and a minimum of two years of pertinent professional experience in the program area in which you are completing clinical instruction (clinical experience is fine for School Counseling students while doing a clinical practicum). That person could be a LPC/LCPC/LPCC/LCMHC/LMHC, LMFT, LCSW/LICSW/LISW-CP, Psychologist or even a Psychiatrist (although it isn’t typical for a psychiatrist to supervise a master’s in counseling student). Be familiar with your state requirements in terms of supervision credentials during your graduate program. Do keep in mind that most state boards are more stringent on the supervisor used after graduation.
  2. The supervisor should have training in counselor supervision. If the supervisor has not had this type of training, he/she will be required to complete Regent University’s Supervisor Training before beginning supervision. There is a question about this on the FieldWork Contract you will eventually sign with your supervisor, and the University Training, if needed, will be sent to the supervisor via e-mail before your first semester of field placement.

Regent University’s Counseling Programs are U.S. accredited and designed to prepare U.S. counselors for licensure to work in U.S. territories. Please see the Practicum & Internship Handbook, found on both the PRACTICUM and INTERNSHIP pages of the website for details on international field placements.

As Tele-mental health has become widely used in the field of counseling, students should pursue practicum and internship opportunities where they have opportunity to experience both telehealth AND face-to-face direct contact with clients.

Generally, no more than 50% of direct service with clients should be provided through online or remote counseling, unless pre-approved by the Clinical Director. This is to ensure that field placement students can fully assess the client’s clinical presentation, disposition, and therapeutic needs, and intervene in-the-moment should a crisis arise.

Please see the M.A. Practicum & Internship Handbook, which can be found on both the PRACTICUM and INTERNSHIP pages of the website, for the full text of this policy.

Should you have questions about the feasibility of a site you are interested in or are unable to answer any questions a site has for you, email the FPL and include the details of when you will be doing practicum/internship as well as the question(s).

If a site offers you an interview, you will want to accept that. Keep in mind that they are not looking for you to have extensive experience in counseling, you are a student.

  • Make sure to dress appropriately for the interview, business attire is recommended.
  • Bring a copy of your resume and the Site Supervisor’s Quick Reference Guide with you.
  • Make sure to verify the field placement requirements with the interviewer.

If a site offers you placement at the interview, or after, it is your choice whether to accept. If you are actively interviewing with other sites, you may want to ask when they expect an answer from you.

If you accept a placement with a site that hasn’t had a Regent University student in the past, let them know that the university will be in touch to complete what is called the university approval process with them. This process involves putting an agreement in place with the site and that isn’t something students are involved in. The timing of the university’s contact with the site depends on when you are slated to do your practicum/internship, please see Field Placement Application Process.

If you accept placement with a site that has had a Regent University student in the past, you will receive notification to sign a FieldWork Contract with your supervisor after you complete the Field Placement Application Process.

The SPC Field Placements FB Group is a place where students can interact with each other while searching for a placement, as well as with students who have already been through this. Both campus and online master’s students belong to this group. The FPL monitors posts to this group and will answer questions if warranted. You never know if another student has the same question as you!

Of course, not everyone is on FB and no one is being asked to join. This is a closed group with required questions to join, and the FPL is the moderator who will review and approve. The group is linked above.

The program field placement application process opens twice a year.

  1. In early January, we will begin working on the process for students who will be doing practicum and/or starting internship in the coming summer and/or fall semesters.
  2. In late August, we will begin working on the process for students who will be doing practicum or starting internship in the spring semester of the following calendar year.

This process will begin with an e-mail that asks students to respond by the date that will be indicated in that message. It is imperative that you respond based on when your field placements are to be done, please refer to your ADP if you are not sure. Not responding will cause a delay in your field placement, even if you have already accepted placement with a clinical site. Remember that in early January we are focusing on two semesters, both the summer and fall. This means that if you are scheduled for practicum in the summer semester as well as starting internship in the fall, you MUST respond with that in your message.

Each student who responds will be sent an e-mail with details on how to submit our application for the field placement. The applications for Practicum and for Clinical (CMHC/MCF) Internship include a question as to whether you have accepted placement already. If the answer is yes, the information you will provide varies depending on whether it is a site that has worked with a Regent University student before. The application for School Counseling Internship includes submitting ONE placement request form for the first semester of internship. The application for CGS in School Counseling Internship includes submitting ONE placement request form. 

Once the field placement applications are processed and it is determined that you are indeed eligible to do the placement (if you follow your ADP as required, there will not be any issues with that), the FPL will contact sites for students who have accepted placement with a clinical site that has not worked with Regent University yet to take care of the university approval process. The FPL will also work with the school systems to request placements for students in the School Counseling programs.

Once the university approval process for a clinical site is complete, the FPL will let the student know it is OK to sign our FieldWork Contract with the person who will be the site supervisor.

If you accepted placement with a clinical site that has worked with Regent University in the past, the FPL will provide details on signing our FieldWork Contract with the person who will be the site supervisor.

There are separate contracts for each semester of field placement, and the one for Internship B may not be available right away but will be later.

Students are not allowed to register themselves for any class that requires a field placement, nor can anyone in University Advising register students for these classes. Registration is almost the last step in the process as you MUST have a placement first. The FPL will notify you when you have been registered in the appropriate section. Requests for a certain professor can be made, but there are no guarantees that can happen. There is no changing sections once you are registered.

Deadline for Spring 2027 M.A. Practicum Contracts, Personal Counseling Verification Forms AND Liability Insurance:
December 10, 2026

Deadline for Spring 2027 Ph.D. Practicum Contracts:
December 15, 2026

FIELDWORK CONTRACTS

The School of Psychology & Counseling uses an Academic EHR platform called Experiential Learning Cloud (formerly Tevera) for evaluations and entering your time during Practicum. Please see the following How To documents for each of these activities, but do note that you will NOT be able to enter time in ELC until you have completed the assignment to add the M.A. Practicum Time Track, and information on that is sent to you via email prior to the start of the practicum semester. The assignments for the Site Supervisor Evaluation of Practicum Student and the Track Hours Log are both done at the midterm and final points in the semester so will not show as available at the beginning of the semester. The assignments for the Student Evaluations of the Field Placement Site and the Site Supervisor, as well as the Site Supervisor PDCA-R Evaluation are done at the end of the semester.

HOW TO

M.A. PRACTICUM DIRECT VS. INDIRECT SERVICE HOURS

RECORDING/OBSERVATION FORMS

The School of Psychology & Counseling uses an Academic EHR platform called Experiential Learning Cloud (formerly Tevera) for evaluations and entering your time during Practicum. Please see the following How To documents for each of these activities, but do note that you will NOT be able to enter time in ELC until you have completed the assignment to add the CES Practicum Time Track, and information on that is sent to you via email prior to the start of the practicum semester. The assignments for the CES Site Supervisor Evaluation of Practicum Student and the Track Hours Log are both done at the midterm and final points in the semester so will not show as available at the beginning of the semester. The assignments for the Student Evaluations of the Field Placement Site and the Site Supervisor, as well as the Site Supervisor PDCA-R Evaluation are done at the end of the semester.