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SOC-OFE Masters Students - Field Experience Manual:
Field Experience at Place of Employment

Field Experience at Place of Employment

You may be approved to complete a field experience (practicum and/or internship) in your current place of employment only under very specific and limited circumstances:

Exact Employment Position

You can be approved to use your exact employment position (i.e. the employment position and field experience are one and the same) to fulfill the field experience requirements only if all the following criteria are true:

    1. The employment position is a master’s-level counseling position.
    2. You have been employed in the position for less than 6 months or, if longer than 6 months, you will be provided with new opportunities for growth, learning, and training (e.g., applying a new theoretical orientation, using a new modality of counseling).
    3. The agency, as your employer, shall be responsible for any actions that may arise out of or in connection with performance of any duties by you during the field experience.
    4. Your work supervisor also serves as the field experience site supervisor, unless organizational structures prevent this or if the employment supervisor is not a counseling professional (e.g., if a principal or superintendent is the employment supervisor of a school counselor, another qualified person can serve as the field experience supervisor).
    5. You and your site supervisor agree to complete the Multiple Relationships: Manager as Supervisor training and acknowledge in the Field Experience Application Worksheet that you agree to abide by the associated policies and recommendations.

Separate Field Experience at Place of Employment

Alternatively, you may be approved to complete a field experience that is completely separate from your employment position only if all following criteria are true:

    1. The field experience duties and tasks are clearly focused on providing a new learning experience for you.
    2. The workspace for the field experience is located in a different department and/or unit from where you currently or have previously worked.
    3. Your site supervisor is not the same person who supervises you in any other situation, either currently or in the past.
    4. The field experience and employment positions must occur during completely separate working hours, and those scheduled hours must be documented.
    5. You must work with different clients as an employee from those you work with as a field experience student.
    6. Your field experience duties and tasks must be significantly different from your current or previous employment activities at the site. You and your site supervisor are responsible for outlining your role as a student as it differs from your role as an employee of the organization.

Notes: Sites may elect to pay a stipend for your work as a field experience student without hiring you as an employee. Such arrangements do not need to be reported to or approved by the SOC-OFE.

You may not be approved to complete a field experience at a site where you hold a senior leadership position because of potential conflict between your role as an employee and that of a student.