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SOC-OFE Masters Students - Field Experience Manual: Field Experience Readiness

Field Experience Readiness

To be eligible to participate in field experience (both practicum and internship), students must:

  • Be actively enrolled in the university and in good academic standing.
  • Have completed all core coursework, in accordance with the appropriate program of study (students must complete practicum prior to internship).[1]
  • Have satisfactorily completed Pre-Practicum 1 and Pre-Practicum 2 or Residency 1 and Residency 2.
  • Have a formal evaluation of counseling skills completed by program faculty within 2 years of the start of the field experience (see Counseling Work Samples).[2]
  • Have satisfactorily completed any student support plan(s), when applicable.[3]
  • Receive a formal approval letter from the SOC-OFE for the current field experience.
  • Complete the Field Experience Student Orientation.
  • Carry individual professional liability insurance for the duration of enrollment in field experience.
  • Be able to commit fully to the requirements of the field experience.

To be eligible to participate in field experience, students must not:

  • Drop or withdraw from prerequisite coursework immediately prior to enrollment in a field experience course.
  • Earn an Unsatisfactory (U) or Incomplete (I) grade in prerequisite coursework immediately prior to enrollment in a field experience course.
  • Plan time off for vacations or other commitments during enrollment in field experience.
  • Make any changes to field experience plans (including site and/or site supervisor) without approval of the SOC-OFE.
 

[1] An audit of the student’s record will be completed during the first week of enrollment in the practicum. If all prerequisites are not complete, the student will be dropped from the practicum course.

[2] Skills are formally evaluated at academic residencies, in the Techniques of Counseling course, field experience courses, and/or with Counseling Work Samples.

[3] Faculty members and program leadership reserve the right to postpone practicum clinical instruction to evaluate and establish student competency. Please refer to Section 4, Appendix B, and the Counseling Student Program Guide for more details on the issue of student competency.

 

Counseling Work Samples

Counseling Work Samples are required of any student who has not satisfactorily participated in an academic practice experience (residency/pre-practicum or field experience course) for longer than 2 years. The current ACA Code of Ethics mandates that all counselor educators evaluate students’ academic and professional development continuously throughout the program. Please refer to the current ACA Code of Ethics for further information. Detailed instructions for submission of Counseling Work Samples are available on the SOC-OFE website.

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