Practicum Training Program

 

Welcome from the Coordinator of the Doctoral Practicum Training Program

Thank you for your interest in the Doctoral Practicum Training Program in Counseling and Psychological Services at Florida State University. The practicum experience starts mid-August and ends with the conclusion of the spring semester.

The Doctoral Practicum Training Program endorses a developmental model of supervision and training, reflecting a focus on development of competencies consistent with a practicum counselor’s level of experience. To enhance the learning process, the clinicians in the program are committed to providing an experience that integrates development of clinical competence and ethical practice with professional growth and development in a supportive atmosphere.

I hope that the following pages will provide you with the information you need to determine whether Counseling and Psychological Services training program will be a good fit for you. I know that the application and decision-making process can be challenging, and I would like to provide you with as much information as possible.

If you have additional questions about the program after looking through the information, please do not hesitate to contact me via e-mail at aspeters@fsu.edu or by phone at 850-644-TALK(8255).

Thank you again for your interest in the Doctoral Practicum Training Program in Counseling and Psychological Services at Florida State University.

Sincerely,
Terri K. Duck, Ph.D. 
Licensed Psychologist
Doctoral Practicum Training Coordinator

Mission Statement

The Doctoral Practicum Training Program is an integral part of the mission of Counseling and Psychological Services at Florida State University. The entire clinical staff is involved in the supervision and training of our practicum counselors. The practicum experience is a time to develop one’s professional skills, prepare to engage competently, and identify as a counselor in training. The program attempts to provide an atmosphere that is conducive to learning by providing practicum counselors with an appropriate blend of support and challenge. The practicum counselors are seen as emerging professionals and are treated accordingly, giving them a balance of autonomy and structure. The practicum counselor’s growth areas are focused on in an attempt to facilitate their growth throughout the practicum experience.

Philosophy of Training

The goal of the Doctoral Practicum Training Program is to provide doctoral students with a focused and intensive experience in providing counseling to Counseling and Psychological Services clients and to provide the practicum counselor supervision and clinical training in the following areas:

  • Clinical skills and competency in providing individual counseling as a practicum counselor
  • Understanding of and competence in the process dimension of counseling as well as use of the counselor’s self and the counseling relationship as agents of change.
  • Working competently and compassionately with clients from diverse life backgrounds and with wide-ranging presenting concerns.
  • Developing skills for working with a multidisciplinary professional staff in a large university counseling center.
  • Utilizing a developmental mentoring model, which is sensitive to the developmental needs of practicum counselors throughout the practicum experience, providing them with necessary supervision and support.
  • Providing training and experience in planning and delivering high quality direct clinical services to the center clients.
  • Establishing and developing a professional identity as knowledgeable, skilled, and ethical clinicians in training.
  • Infusing sensitivity to issues of diversity throughout the program.
  • Allowing for an unfolding of exploration of clinical and professional identities and how our various identities and experiences interplay with professional activities.

Professional Ethics

Practicum counselors are expected to follow ethical guidelines and principles as established by the American Psychological Association (APA) and the International Association of Counseling Services (IACS). They are expected to be aware of and adhere to pertinent Florida laws governing professional practice. All practicum counselors must maintain ALL client information confidential as required by law and the APA and IACS ethics codes. Ethical issues are integrated into all discussions regarding service delivery and the over all practicum experience in Counseling and Psychological Services at Florida State University.

Clinical Staff at Counseling and Psychological Services

The clinical staff of Counseling and Psychological Services is multi-disciplinary and culturally diverse. It includes licensed psychologists, licensed mental health counselors, licensed clinical social workers, registered art therapists, master’s interns and doctoral interns. All of the clinical staff are generalists and see students presenting with a variety of mental health concerns.

Structure of the Practicum Training Program

The practicum experience requires 20 hours per week of on-site commitment, in Counseling and Psychological Services, from the practicum counselor. While there is some flexibility in adapting the practicum requirements to the criteria set by the practicum counselor’s department, it is the practicum counselor’s responsibility to negotiate and adjust their time management style to meet these requirements. Please note that the Doctoral Practicum Training Program undergoes periodic revision and therefore changes to some aspects of the specific program details may be made prior to the beginning of the training period.

Orientation

Practicum counselors are required to participate in a scheduled orientation during their first week in Counseling and Psychological Services. Please note that the orientation occurs the week prior to the start of the Fall academic semester. The purpose of the orientation is to introduce the practicum counselors to the structure and mission of the training program, organization structure, and clinical services provided, along with policies and procedures of the program. The orientation will include, but is not limited to a brief overview of working with diverse populations, therapeutic modalities, common clinical areas of interest [i.e. belief systems in counseling and integrating identities]. Orientation will be led by center staff.

Individual Counseling

Each practicum counselor is expected to provide a minimum of 8 hours per week of individual counseling sessions. Given the variability in attendance rates and the fact that some clients may be seen less frequently than weekly, practicum counselors will carry an ongoing caseload of greater than eight clients in order to meet this requirement. Practicum counselors will be trained to conduct intakes at Counseling and Psychological Services. The intake is the client’s first extensive experience with a clinician, in this case the practicum counselor.

Crisis Intervention

The practicum counselor will have the opportunity to participate in the walk-in system through observations and receive training in crisis intervention thru didactic trainings and supervised experience.

Group Counseling

The practicum counselor will have the opportunity to process observe a group during the Fall and/or Spring semesters. If the practicum counselor has been a process observer during the Fall semester, there is a potential for them to transition to co-facilitating a group during the Spring semester. The group counseling option is available to practicum students who express interest in group counseling.

Individual Supervision

Each practicum counselor will receive 1.0 hour per week of one-to-one individual counseling supervision, and more if determined necessary by the supervisor(s) of record. Supervisory pairings and group assignments will be made at the beginning of the practicum experience by the Program Coordinator. Practicum counselor’s supervision schedules will be set by the supervisor of record based on the practicum counselor’s schedule.

Group Supervision

Practicum counselors are required to attend group supervision weekly throughout the Fall and Spring semesters. The group supervision schedule will be set prior to start of the practicum experience based on the practicum counselors and licensed group supervisor(s) schedules. Practicum counselors will need to arrange their schedule in order to participate in group supervision.

Group supervision provides an opportunity for practicum counselors to process, learn, share, and teach each other about doing individual counseling with Counseling and Psychological Services clients. Group supervision will cover a range of clinical and professional development topics, diversity topics, utilize case presentations and video reviews of the practicum counselor’s counseling sessions with center clients. Various collaborative learning methods may be used in the group supervision to foster cohesiveness, mutual learning, and respect for diverse theoretical and worldviews.

Diversity Seminar

Counseling and Psychological Services staff is strongly committed to addressing the needs of a diverse student population, and the Practicum Training Program strives to incorporate and highlight issues of diversity as a fundamental part of the practicum experience. Counseling and Psychological Services is committed to the promotion and affirmation of diversity in its broadest sense, and its mission requires that people of every background be able to use our services with an expectation of respectful treatment.

The professional ethics and standards of the various mental health disciplines represented in Counseling and Psychological Services place a high value on the dignity and worth of diverse individuals. Therefore, as part of their professional functioning, all staff members are expected to respect the dignity and worth of the individual, and to strive for the preservation and protection of fundamental human rights.

As part of their training at Counseling and Psychological Services, practicum counselors are required to participate in a bimonthly diversity seminar throughout the Fall and Spring semesters. This seminar is designed to help trainees develop self-awareness, knowledge, and diversity competency skills for more effective work with culturally different groups and diverse individuals. Substantial attention will be given to participants’ self-reflection about their own experiences with diversity, multiple identities, and the understanding of personal influence on the counseling process.

Psychological Assessment

Counseling and Psychological Services has assessment screening inventories and assessment instruments that are available for use by the practicum counselors. The screening inventories and instruments may assist the practicum counselor in gaining exposure to and experience with unfamiliar assessment measures. Practicum counselors will be introduced to the assessments that we have to offer and required to utilize them during your practicum experience.

Outreach

Outreach is an important part of our work at Counseling and Psychological Services. The mission of Outreach at Counseling and Psychological Services is: We are committed to helping to empower and improve the psychological well-being and retention of FSU students, faculty, and staff by raising awareness of campus resources and support services. Our goal is to provide programming that focuses on resilience and strength-based elements that students can use for academic, personal, social, and psychological growth. Outreach is a vital part of how Counseling and Psychological Services interacts with the university at large and promotes student development outside the physical space of Counseling and Psychological Services. We work to further increase visibility of Counseling and Psychological Services by establishing and maintaining relationships with key organizations on campus which advocate and support mental health in the FSU community.

As part of their training, practicum counselors are expected to participate in at least one classroom presentation each semester of the practicum and in one campus wide event during the practicum experience.

Professional Expectations of Practicum Counselors

The Florida State Counseling and Psychological Services Doctoral Practicum Training Program reaffirms its commitment to a policy of equal opportunity and pluralism, thus enhancing diversity and assuring a campus climate that values and respects the worth and dignity of all persons. Therefore, we ascribe to APA’s position statement “Preparing Professional Psychologists to Serve a Diverse Public: A Core Requirement in Doctoral Education and Training” which can be found at http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/policy/diversity-preparation.aspx . We train practicum counselors to be well-rounded professional psychologists with the competencies to serve clients representing different forms of diversity. In providing this training, we commit ourselves to creating a supportive training environment that allows for self-exploration and the development of cognitive flexibility.

It is expected that practicum counselors will practice ethical behavior as defined in the APA Code of Ethics and observe all Counseling and Psychological Services and Practicum Training Program policies and procedures. Practicum counselors are viewed as emerging professionals and are respected for the services and skills that they provide. Therefore, it is assumed that they will behave in a professional manner. Practicum counselors will also be expected to:

Physically be in Counseling and Psychological Services for a minimum of 20 hours each week
During these hours, it is required that practicum counselors will be present in Counseling and Psychological Services, even when no clients are scheduled. It is expected that practicum counselors will use unscheduled time to focus on preparation for supervision, review client files, consult with center clinicians, or to perform case management activities (e.g., making referrals, writing progress notes).

Be punctual, consistently attend, and actively participate in the Doctoral Practicum Training Program
Practicum counselors are expected to be actively involved in individual and group discussions, and to openly discuss and enlist support and assistance with their clinical caseload. Practicum counselors are expected to prepare for supervision on a weekly basis and to initiate and actively engage in discussions which will lead to their professional growth and to receiving the feedback necessary to provide high-quality services to their clients. Practicum counselors are expected to utilize Counseling and Psychological Services resources available to them if their clients experience clinical crises.

Video recording of client sessions
Practicum counselors will record all clinical sessions and view videos with their supervisor(s) and in Group Supervision/Diversity Seminar with the licensed clinicians. Digitally recorded material related to clinical work is treated as confidential and practicum counselors are instructed on how to ensure that this material is secured within Counseling and Psychological Services at all times.

Maintain timely and accurate client records and protect ALL CONFIDENTIAL client records and information
Specific procedures for protecting client information will be explained during orientation.
Absolutely no records or recordings are allowed to be removed from Counseling and Psychological Services premises, under any circumstances.

Dress in a professional manner
Dress professionally, consistent with agency norms for clinical staff members. This means no shorts, tank tops, or revealing clothing of any type, or inappropriate foot ware. Please ensure that your professional decorum is neat and appropriate for working with clients in Counseling and Psychological Services.

 

Evaluation and Feedback

Evaluation and feedback is an ongoing process that occurs throughout the practicum experience. Evaluation is an important component of training with the goal of providing timely and relevant feedback to trainees in order to facilitate their professional growth and performance, as well as provide feedback to their home program regarding their progress. In a complementary fashion, the practicum training program seeks feedback on supervisory performance, as well as the value and effectiveness of the overall training experience. Practicum counselors receive feedback on their performance on an ongoing basis and at the conclusion of each semester, the formal written Counseling and Psychological Services evaluation is completed.

Doctoral Practicum Training Program Application Process

Application deadline is Friday, February 23, 2024.

Minimum Criteria for Eligibility

  • Fall and Spring semester commitment to the Doctoral Practicum Training Program in Counseling and Psychological Services at Florida State University.
  • Available to engage in practicum related activities for a minimum of 20 hours per week throughout the practicum experience.
  • Currently enrolled in the Combined Doctoral Program in Counseling Psychology & School Psychology or the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program at Florida State University.
  • Successfully completed at least one clinical practicum within your current program.

Guidelines for Practicum Applicants who are former clients of Counseling and Psychological Services

Former clients are eligible to apply for practicum positions. However, there must be a minimum of one semester between receiving clinical services at Counseling and Psychological Services and starting a practicum at Counseling and Psychological Services. A former client’s file will be sealed upon receipt of an application.

If you meet the minimum criteria for eligibility and are interested in applying to the Doctoral Practicum Training Program in Counseling and Psychological Services at Florida State University, please submit the following completed application materials via email to the program Coordinator at aspeters@fsu.edu  (Please note, the first three documents are available for download below):

Selected candidate will be offered on-site interviews to be held between March 20st, 2024 and March 24th, 2024.

*** Please note that if accepted into the Practicum Training Program, students must provide proof of their Student Liability Insurance at the start of the Practicum experience. Students must also register for the 2 hour credit of Field Practicum for both Fall and Spring semesters of their practicum experience. In addition, students must complete the Field Practicum Information and the Field Practicum Placement Forms, which will document their supervisors and contact information at Counseling and Psychological Services. Upon completion of the forms they will be turned in to their Field Practicum Instructor.***
Please email all completed application materials by Friday, February 23rd, 2024 to:
Attention: Practicum Selection Committee

Terri K. Duck, Ph.D.
Doctoral Practicum Training Coordinator
e-mail: tduck@fsu.edu
 

Thank you for your interest in applying to our program.

Dr. Terri K. Duck

Terri K. Duck, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Doctoral Practicum Training Coordinator
Reuben O’D Askew Student Life Center
942 Learning Way, Suite 250
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-4175
Phone: (850) 644-TALK(8255)
Fax: (850) 644-3150