Students who have completed at least 80% of the required hours and all other requirements for a field experience qualify for an Incomplete (I) grade for the field experience (Practicum or Internship II ). Incompletes are granted only for completion of hourly requirements. Incompletes are granted for up to 60 days following the end of the term.
Students must complete at least 1 continuous hour of live, in-person or videoconference individual or triadic supervision with their approved site supervisor as well as attend a faculty group supervision call each week for the duration of the Incomplete. Coursework is not required during an Incomplete; students will only complete hours on site and participate in site and faculty supervision. Time logs will be approved when the student successfully completes their hours through the same process as during practicum and internship.
Important notes:
Students may require enrollment in a field experience course beyond the initial required one quarter of practicum or two quarters of internship if they are unable to attain at least 80% of the required hours for the field experience in the allotted time period.
To ensure students are making progress through their program, the number of field experience extensions allowed is limited:
Each extension requires participation in an additional full 10-week field experience course, including all coursework, supervision, and evaluations. Students enrolled in a field experience extension course will be responsible for completing all associated coursework and fieldwork requirements for the entire quarter, regardless of when final hours are achieved, and should communicate this policy to the site supervisor. Students must attempt course assignments and discussion board posts and responses with new perspectives and new case presentations in order to maximize their continued learning experience. Students who are able to complete their extension hours prior to the end of the term must remain active at the field site (maintaining at least a one-client caseload) and remain in weekly supervision through the end of the extension term.
Students who are completing a field experience extension to complete the program’s hourly requirements will be allowed to count all hours endorsed by the site and faculty supervisors at the end of the last term of enrollment in field experience.
Students who are completing an extension to complete the program’s hourly requirements will have an Unsatisfactory (U) grade recorded for their initial attempt at the field experience course. Upon successful completion of the extension, the grade for the initial attempt at the field experience course will be changed to Satisfactory (S).
Important notes:
Students who do not complete a quarter of field experience satisfactorily due to dropping or withdrawing from the course or earning an Unsatisfactory (U) grade will need to repeat the course. Students who fail a required course twice will be dismissed from the university. Hours accrued during a term in which a student drops, withdraws, or earns an Unsatisfactory (U) grade in a field experience course will be forfeited. Only hours earned during terms of field experience that are successfully completed will be counted toward the total hourly requirements of the program (except only in cases of a field experience extension).
Students must apply in Meditrek for each quarter of enrollment of field experience, including to request to retake a field experience course following a drop, withdrawal, or Unsatisfactory (U) grade. Students can contact the SOC-OFE at counselingfield@mail.waldenu.edu for assistance with this.
Students who are terminated from a field experience site due to poor student performance, lack of counseling skills ability, poor professional behavior, or other reasons identified by the site will automatically earn an Unsatisfactory (U) grade in the course and will be required to participate in a Student Development Plan (SDP) and/or skills plan prior to reenrolling in field experience. All SDPs will be designed to support the individual student’s needs. The purpose of this policy is to support students’ academic and professional growth.
Students who want to terminate from a field site are required to speak with their faculty supervisor (instructor) and should submit the Field Experience Termination Form to the SOC-OFE at counselingfield@mail.waldenu.edu prior to the termination. Students who do not follow this policy may be subjected to earning an unsatisfactory grade in the course.
