Practicum Experience
The practicum is the primary mechanism of applied training and evaluation of students. Practicum training is the supervised out-of-class contact of students with a clinical population that takes place within a mental health delivery system. The purpose of the practicum training is to provide the environment and opportunity for students to apply their theoretical knowledge, to implement and develop clinical techniques based on this knowledge, and to foster the professional and personal attitudes important to the identity of a professional counselor. Evaluation of student progress in practicum training focuses on three areas: theoretical knowledge, clinical skills, and professional attitudes.
The foundation of Argosy University, San Francisco Bay Area student practicum training in counseling psychology is the accurate assessment and understanding of human clinical problems; this assessment and understanding is the basis for the recommendation and/or implementation of effective techniques for the alleviation or resolution of these problems within a climate of absolute respect for the client. Ethical standards of the American Psychological Association and/or the American Counseling Association are incorporated into student training.
Clinical orientations, specific treatment options and opportunities, and client populations will vary across training sites. In addition, the faculty and curriculum represent major clinical orientations. Students are encouraged to explore and experiment with a variety of treatment approaches. It is hoped that with time and experience, students will recognize strengths and limitations of a variety of approaches and develop proficiency in formulating and working within an approach best suited to their personal style.
The Argosy University, San Francisco Bay Area administration closely monitors academic and clinical development during all stages of progress throughout a student’s graduate career. This monitoring includes assessment of clinical suitability as well as academic achievement. Thus, aspects of student’s personal adjustment, interpersonal relationships, and behavior in all settings are relevant to their progress at Argosy University, San Francisco Bay Area. Argosy University’s aim is to assure that students are well qualified and have potential to become competent and ethical professionals.
A primary goal of Argosy University, San Francisco Bay Area practicum training is the development, by means of supervised direct client contact, of competent clinicians that are able to deliver basic and effective assessment and therapeutic intervention skills. The refinement of criteria for clinical competency and assessment of competency are ongoing institutional concerns.
The practicum is a required training experience of at least 600 hours, which takes place during the academic year, usually beginning in September and usually concluding in June. Students spend 12–20 hours per week in an agency/program that is formally affiliated with the school. All students enrolled in practicum are concurrently enrolled in a practicum seminar, led by a faculty member that meets throughout the academic year. The practicum must include at least 150 hours of face-to-face client contact, with appropriate clinical supervision as set forth by the Board of Behavioral Sciences of the State of California.
The practicum is treated as a course which carries 3 credit hours per semester and 6 credit hours for the academic year. No student may be waived from the practicum requirements. Students who come to Argosy University, San Francisco Bay Area with extensive clinical backgrounds are placed in practicum sites in areas where they have an interest and do not have previous experience.
The entire practicum takes place at a single agency. Of the students overall practicum hours per week, an average of 3–7 hours are spent in “direct service” and the remaining hours are spent in “indirect service” and “training activities.”
Definitions
Practicum hours are divided between three types of work:
- Direct Service—Providing face-to-face psychological services to individuals designated as clients by the agency/program, and co-therapy with senior mental health staff.
- Indirect Service—Community outreach, consultation and/or education, program development and/or evaluation, and support services (e.g., report writing, record maintenance)
- Training Activities—Formal individual or group supervision, case conferences, case management/utilization review meetings, rounds, administrative/planning meetings, in-service training/seminars.
Restrictions
Students may not train in settings in which they are employed. Argosy University, San Francisco Bay Area cannot provide compensation to the agency for the supervision and/or training of students. The entire practicum takes place at a single agency.
Professional Liability Insurance
All students enrolled in practicum must be covered by professional liability insurance. Students purchase this insurance through Argosy University, San Francisco Bay Area. This is mandatory even if the student is otherwise insured. Payment for insurance is made through the Student Services Department at the time of practicum registration.
Student Responsibilities
Students are expected to:
- Act in reliable, ethical, and appropriately professional ways in all practicum activities including timeliness, notification of absences, permission for vacation, and other professional responsibilities
- Develop and maintain good working relationships with staff and clients
- Maintain an attitude of openness to self-examination and new learning
- Advise training director of any difficulties encountered at the practicum; to seek advisement and consultation in a timely manner with seminar leaders or with the training director when any concern exists
- Review evaluations with site supervisor and submit the evaluations to the training director prior to the end of each semester
Practicum Seminar
All students enrolled in a practicum must also concurrently attend a practicum seminar. The seminar meets bi-weekly throughout the practicum year and is headed by a faculty member. Students are required to submit case presentations (including audio or video recordings of clinical work and self-evaluation) for group analysis and critique. This allows students to reflect on various practicum experiences, and to acquire additional skills and attitudes useful in field training. The specific content and emphasis of the seminar varies according to the practicum setting, the focus of the enrolled student group, and the professional expertise of the faculty member.
Practicum Evaluation
The goal of the practicum is to focus the training of competent counselors capable of providing basic and effective counseling and therapeutic supervision. Evaluation of student progress in practicum training focuses on three areas: theoretical knowledge, clinical skills, and professional attitudes. Refinement of criteria for clinical competency and assessment of competency are ongoing institutional concerns. Students are evaluated in writing by the training site supervisor once each semester. The Training Department conducts a thorough review of site and seminar evaluations, and an overall grade of “Credit” or “No Credit” is assigned by the director of Training. Upon successful completion of the master’s-level practicum experience, students should be able to assume clinical responsibilities at an entry level under the supervision of a licenses professional counselor or a licensed psychologist.
Practicum Application Procedure
Students who are eligible to apply for a practicum will be notified in writing and invited to attend a series of meetings designed to provide site information and guide them through the application process. During the fall semester, each student will meet with the training director for assistance in selecting an appropriate site and preparing a curriculum vita. Students are expected to call selected sites and schedule interviews with the utmost professionalism and ethical conduct. Verbal acceptance of an offer is viewed as a contractual agreement. After accepting an offer, students should notify other sites of their withdrawal from candidacy, and inform the training director of the acceptance, and any rejections of placement offers or withdrawals from candidacy.
Practicum Contracts
The student, Argosy University, and the training site enter into a contractual relationship in which the student’s delivery of service and other relevant activities within the training arrangement are exchanged for clinical supervision, exposure to clinical populations and professional role models, case management supervision, and participation in other professional activities such as rounds, staffing and seminars. Once acceptance of a student training has been agreed upon, a contract is completed and signed by the student, site supervisor and the training director. The signed form must be delivered to the program chair’s office by the end of the first week of the practicum experience in order to receive evaluation and credit.
Practicum Training Sites
Argosy University, San Francisco Bay Area provides assistance in locating a wide variety of approved clinical field sites for practicum experience. Primary treatment experiences offered in current sites affiliated with the school include individual adult therapy, individual adolescent or child therapy, couples therapy, family therapy and group therapy.
Argosy University, San Francisco Bay Area places high priority on fulfilling the training needs of students with particular interests in a clinical area or setting. The current list of approved practicum sites includes mental health facilities, outpatient clinics, private psychiatric hospitals, hospital psychiatric units, schools, treatment centers for the developmentally disabled, behavior disordered and/or emotionally disturbed, and chemical dependence treatment programs. Students who wish to participate in a practicum setting not currently offered should contact the training director who will make an effort to establish formal relationships with suites that can provide the training and supervision required.
Any faculty member or student can suggest a potential practicum site to the training director. Selection criteria includes the facility’s use of the practitioner model of training graduate level counseling psychology students, i.e., emphasis on the acquisition of clinical skills, relevant treatment population, credentials of staff and size (registration, licensure, accreditation, etc.), and availability of adequate supervision by experienced clinicians. If a suggested site can provide the type of practitioner training and supervision required by the program, it is granted provisional approval by the program chair. Full approval is granted after a student has successfully completed a practicum and both the agency and the program chair determine that it has been a positive experience for the student and the facility.
Policy on Practicum Training Sites with Creedal Statements
Argosy University, San Francisco Bay Area has a policy of nondiscrimination against students with regard to race, age, ethnic background, and sexual orientation. In addition, we are committed to fostering the training of individuals who are members groups, which are currently under-represented in the profession. Practicum sites approved by Argosy University, San Francisco Bay Area are expected to conduct selection and training in a nondiscriminatory manner. Sites are expected to select applicants without regard to race, sex, age, ethnic background, or sexual orientation unless they have compelling legal or therapeutic reasons for limiting the applicant pool. Sites which have a selection policy that disallows students, based on any of the above criteria, must notify the school and clarify the legal and/or therapeutic rationale for such policies. Such sites will be approved by Argosy University, San Francisco Bay Area only if the director of training in consultation with the department head determines that an adequate legal and/or therapeutic rationale exists for the selection policies.
Comprehensive Examination Requirements
Students in the MA in Counseling Psychology/Marriage & Family Therapy degree program are required to successfully complete a Comprehensive Examination. Students must pass the Comprehensive Examination no later than the end of the fourth year after entering the program. The material covered by the Comprehensive Examination reflects all coursework and material required for students in the program. The examination requires students to be able to integrate the material into a form that demonstrates both mastery of the materials and ability to organize information in a coherent and logical manner.
Comprehensive Examination Prerequisites
To be able to sit for the Comprehensive Examination, students must be in the last semester of coursework. Courses that are waived are considered successfully completed. Students taking the Comprehensive Examination must be in good standing and have a GPA of at least 3.0 on a scale of 4.0. An application to take the exam must be submitted to the program chair at least one month prior to the date of the examination.
Comprehensive Examination Procedures
The Comprehensive Examination is offered during the last semester of practicum seminar. Students who register to sit for the Comprehensive Examination are reviewed for eligibility by the program chair. Prior to each exam, an open meeting will be held to allow students an opportunity to ask questions about exam preparation and exam procedures. The format of the examination may change from year to year.
The format will be discussed at the meetings prior to each exam.
Students are required to:
- Consult the program chair for specific dates of the examination.
- Submit an application for the Comprehensive Examination. It is the individual student’s responsibility to know when he or she is eligible to take the exam and submit an application.
Students who need special accommodations during the examination are required to submit a request in writing at the time of application and provide any necessary documentation with the request.
Grading of the Comprehensive Examination
Examinations are evaluated by a faculty member. Comprehensive Examination essays are graded following written guidelines. Each essay must receive a grade of “B” or better to receive a grade of “Pass.” If an essay receives lower than a “B,” a grade of “Fail” will be assigned for the examination. Decision by the graders is final.
Should a failing grade be assigned to an examination, a second faculty reader will be asked to evaluate the examination. If both readers agree, the student will fail the examination. If the second reader assigns a passing grade, the two readers will meet in order to discuss and reconcile any discrepancy in the grades. If necessary, a third reader will be asked to evaluate the examination.
Students who fail the Comprehensive Examination are expected to meet with the program chair or appointed faculty to review the problems evident in the essay. The program chair, in consultation with the faculty readers, will advise the student of specific areas of weakness and possible strategies for remediation. The student will then be allowed to retake the examination one time within the time frame of program completion.
A student who fails the Comprehensive Examination a second time will be reviewed by the Student Professional Development Committee (SPDC).
After completion of required remediation, student may be eligible to retake the examination. A student who fails the Comprehensive Examination a third time will be automatically dismissed from the program.
Clinical Evaluation Conference Requirements
The Clinical Evaluation Conference (CEC) normally takes place during the third practicum seminar. The CEC evaluates the growth and development of clinical competency, in accordance with the standards of Argosy University, San Francisco Bay Area, and ensures acquisition of the appropriate skill levels for subsequent supervised clinical practice. The CEC assesses competency in assessment, case formulation, and treatment planning and implementation. This requirement is accomplished through an in-class (practicum seminar) presentation of a treatment session and an accompanying presentation of the assessment, case formulation, course of treatment, and a critique of the treatment session chosen for the CEC. Students must choose a session not previously presented in seminar.
During the CEC the student’s competency and development of clinical skills are evaluated in accordance with Argosy University, San Francisco Bay Area standards. Successful completion of the CEC assures that the student has attained the appropriate skill level to begin subsequent supervised clinical practice.
