Master Clinical Psychology Field Experience:

Find a Supervisor and Field Site

The second step to your field experience journey is searching for and securing a field site and proper supervision for both your practicum and internship. To do this you should

• Know the requirements for both practicum and internship.
• Brainstorm possible supervisors and field sites. 
• Communicate with potential supervisors and sites.
• Get help if needed.

Students must complete, and field sites must offer, learning experiences that meet all of the following requirements:

• A minimum of 375 hours with 1 hour of supervision for every 10–15 hours worked; 
• At least half of the supervision must be individual as opposed to group; 
• No fewer than 188 hours of direct intervention services, such as individual therapy, group therapy, or assessment 
• The 187 additional hours can be devoted to case management, case consultation, record keeping, and other related activities. 
• Some states may allow fully remote practicums. Walden allows students to complete practicums in teletherapy; 
• If a student does not accrue the 375 hours in one quarter, they must remain enrolled a practicum course until the requirement is completed; 
• For students seeking licensure, some states require practicum hours beyond Walden’s required 375 hours; therefore, if a student remains enrolled in practicum in order to fulfill the state’s licensure requirements, then the student must be enrolled in a practicum course while completing those hours. 
• Practicum must be successfully completed prior to internship; and 
• Students may not use their employment to fulfill the practicum requirements. Practicum must be completed separately from the student’s employment. 
• If students fail a term of practicum, hours accrued during the quarter will be forfeited and will need to be repeated. Termination from a practicum site will result in failure of the practicum for the term. 
• If students anticipate circumstances that would cause an interruption in their practicum either through voluntary or involuntary termination from an practicum site, they should confer with the field placement coordinator prior to terminating their practicum and before reenrolling for a subsequent term of practicum. If a student is terminated from an practicum, the student will generally fail the course and lose all hours accrued at the practicum site. If this occurs, a student development plan will be created by Walden’s administration and the student cannot pursue a new practicum site or return to their practicum until all remediation areas are met. Each student case will be reviewed individually to determine the best way forward. 

Obtain Additional Practicum Experience

In general, the practicum should be focused on the development of a few discrete core skills rather than developing a broad range of skills. If students find it difficult to obtain the desired range of supervised practice in one terms of practicum, they should plan additional terms of practicum to obtain sufficient opportunities to develop needed skills. Investing too little time in developing skills during practicum may result in insufficient preparation for the demands of internship and subsequent practice.

Prerequisites

Students should reference their degree plan (DegreeWorks) and the Student Handbook for coursework that must be completed prior to commencing field experience. During the internship, students should plan to devote their attention to an intense, broad-responsibilities experience. Students who have completed all curriculum requirements upon completion of the internship, are ready to graduate immediately. After graduation, these alumni will be eligible to begin immediately accruing their postgraduate hours toward licensure. 

Student and Field Site Internship Requirements

• Students must complete a minimum of 375 hours with 1 hour of supervision for every 10–15 hours worked. 
• No fewer than 188 hours of direct intervention services, such as individual therapy, group therapy, or assessment 
• The 187 additional hours can be devoted to case management, case consultation, record keeping, and other related activities. 
• Some states may allow fully remote internships. Walden allows students to complete internships in teletherapy. 
• If a student does not accrue the 375 hours in one quarter, they must remain enrolled in an internship course until the requirement is completed; 
• For students seeking licensure, some states require internship hours beyond Walden’s required 375 hours; therefore, if a student remains enrolled in internship in order to fulfill the state’s licensure requirements, The student must be enrolled in an internship course while completing those hours 
• The internship site should supply opportunities for a wide range of training duties designed to expand students’ skills and experience consistent with their Walden training and specialization. 
• The internship site must have a clearly designated licensed mental health professional who is responsible for the integrity and quality of the training program. The person must be actively licensed, certified, or registered with the State Board of Examiners in the jurisdiction where the program exists and be present at the training facility for a minimum of 20 hours per week. 
• Students who are unable to complete the required hours within one quarter will need to apply for another quarter of internship via Meditrek and then be registered for an additional term of internship until this requirement is successfully met. If staying at the same internship site, the student may use the copy forward function to expedite the application process.
• If students fail a term of internship, hours accrued during the quarter will be forfeited and will need to be repeated. Termination from an internship site will lead to failure of the internship during the term. The internship cannot generally be completed at multiple sites unless the internship is done at a consortium. 

Internship Activities

• At least 50% of the internship must include direct services, such as assessment/testing services, intervention services (individual and group), consultation services, teaching, research, and interdisciplinary collaboration. 
• The remainder of the hours can be spent on indirect services, such as case management, report writing, note writing, in-service training, etc. 
• A minimum of 2 hours of supervision must occur (individual and group) every week; at least half of the supervision must be individual, addressing, in part, the delivery of psychological services rendered by the intern.
• Students should demonstrate the professional competencies outlined in the Field Experience Manual during their field experience. 
• If students anticipate circumstances that would cause an interruption in their internship either through voluntary or involuntary termination from an internship site, they should confer with the field placement coordinator prior to terminating their internship and before re-enrolling for a subsequent term of internship. If a student is terminated from an internship, the student will generally fail the course and lose all hours accrued at the internship site. If this occurs, a student development plan will be created by Walden’s administration and the student cannot pursue a new internship site or return to their internship until all remediation areas are met. Each student case will be reviewed individually to determine the best way forward. 

Teletherapy

• Teletherapy is allowed as a part of the internship if the site provides adequate training on the proper use of teletherapy and teletherapeutic practices.
• Students must check their state board allowance for teletherapy. Each state is different. 
• Students may not conduct teletherapy without the virtual or physical availability of the approved supervisor. Supervisors will be required to engage in observation of the student doing teletherapy.

The practicum or internship site supervisor is a qualified individual in the field who is responsible for supervising a student’s work at a field site setting. Site supervisors’ training and experience are consistent with student and university goals for professional psychology field experiences. Site supervisors also provide students guidance and supervision that promotes growth of knowledge, skills, and competencies consistent with Walden’s training goals as well as with preferred practices in the profession. The site supervisor can be a licensed psychologist, master’s level practitioners in health service psychology who are appropriately credentialed for the jurisdiction, or doctoral interns or postdoctoral fellows in psychology, under the supervision of a psychologist appropriately credentialed for the jurisdiction. 

In all cases, it is crucial that students who intend to seek licensure refer to the appropriate jurisdictional licensing regulations to determine what curriculum and supervisory credentials are required to provide qualified practicum and supervision internship supervision for the profession, and the type of license they intend to pursue following graduation. It is students’ responsibility to ensure that they receive clinical supervision from an individual whose credentials are acceptable to the appropriate licensing board in the jurisdiction where they intend to seek licensure. 

In some jurisdictions, the M.S. in Clinical Psychology degree may prepare students for licensure as master’s-level psychologists, psychological assistants, and/or psychological associates. In other jurisdictions, students may be considered for licensure as licensed professional counselors. The supervision guidelines below are constructed to help students consider a site supervisor; however, these guidelines cannot guarantee qualification for licensure in any state or jurisdiction. In all cases, it is the students’ responsibility to understand the requirements in the applicable jurisdiction(s) as they apply to the students’ professional interests and licensure aspirations and to assure that the potential supervisor meets those jurisdictional requirements. 

In all cases, site supervisors must be licensed mental health and/or counseling professionals who predominantly practice (at least 20 hours per week) at the field site where the students intend to complete their practicum or internship. Site supervisors will be responsible for supervising all of the students’ clinical work at the site. 

For U.S.-based students who intend to pursue licensure as a master’s-level psychologist (in those states where this is an option): Site supervisors shall be doctoral-level psychologists appropriately licensed in the jurisdiction in which they practice and where the students will complete their practicum. Site supervisors’ training and experience shall be consistent with the students’ and university’s goals for professional psychology training and shall be consistent with the requirements of the state or jurisdiction in which the students intend to seek licensure as a master’s-level psychologist. Again, it is crucial that students take responsibility for being knowledgeable about the licensing requirements in the jurisdiction(s) in which they expect to become licensed as a master’s-level psychologist. 

For U.S.-based students pursuing possible licensure as a licensed professional counselor: Site supervisors’ credentials must meet the requirements of the jurisdiction in which the students anticipate applying for licensure as a licensed professional counselor (LPC) as appropriate. Once again, it is crucial that students take responsibility for being fully aware of the licensing requirements in the jurisdiction(s) in which they expect to become licensed. 

At a minimum, students who intend to seek licensure as an LPC should seek a site supervisor who possesses the following qualifications: 

• A master’s degree in counseling or a related profession with equivalent qualifications, including appropriate licenses. 
• License to practice in the state, district, province, or other jurisdiction where the student is completing the practicum and internship. 
• 2 years of pertinent post-licensure professional experience in the program area in which the student is enrolled. 
• Relevant experience and/or training in counseling supervision. 

Again, students must consult their state board licensing regulations to understand the state requirements for their practicum and internship site supervisor. Some state boards may require students and/or the supervisor to register with a licensing board while the student is enrolled in the practicum or internship, and some may require the site supervisor to have supervisory credentials with that state as well. Students should look for a site supervisor who meets both the respective state and the Walden M.S. in Clinical Psychology program requirements. 

The site supervisor has the following responsibilities: 

• They should provide a mentoring relationship and an educational opportunity to assist with psychology work as well as to orient the student into the profession. 
• They must provide at least 2 hours of supervision (individual and group) every week; at least half of the supervision must be individual. 
• They will provide the site’s training manual or completion of the Walden template. 
• They complete evaluations and review and approve the students’ time logs (at the end of the quarter) in Meditrek. 
• They attend a mid-quarter conference call between the practicum student and the student’s Walden course instructor. 
• They address any potential issues with the faculty during the mid-quarter conference call with the site supervisor and discuss areas for improvement with student; if problems continue, the faculty, student, site supervisor, and field placement coordinator will schedule a conference call to address any issues and find solutions. 
• At any time during the practicum or internship there may be instances when problems arise at the field site with the student, supervisor(s) or other individuals at the field site. If the representatives of the field site have internal protocols to address and document specific areas for improvement, they should utilize their internal processes. The field site supervisor(s) shall proceed with their documented remediation plan. Walden University requests that the development plan be created in collaboration with the student and supervisor(s) with specific targeted outcome dates. The document should be signed by both the student and supervisor(s) and will be provided to the student, faculty, and field placement coordinator. The purpose of providing documentation is to create a successful plan to resolve any/all issues accordingly. If the field site does not have internal protocols to address and document the issues, a Walden template of Professional and Clinical Success Plan (PCSP) will be provided by the field placement coordinator. The site's internal document or Walden’s PCSP will be uploaded into Meditrek. 
• They must be on site with the student or designate another licensed professional to be on site for all the time the student is on site. 
• If teletherapy is being performed, the supervisor or licensed designees must be available for contact by the student during the period that the students are conducting the therapy; assessments cannot be conducted via teletherapy. 

Use the resources below to brainstorm some possible sites to contact for your field experience.

Complete the Site Search Support Request Form in Meditrek to request individualized, targeted assistance from the field experience office. A Site Research and Contact Record is required to submit a request. A member of the field experience office will be in touch within 5 business days of receipt of the request. 

Site Search Support Request Form

These Professional Preparation resources may assist you in your search for a practicum/internship site. While they are not a required part of your application, it is recommended you review the resources.

Approach your field site and supervisor search with the same diligence you would when looking for a job. The search for a practicum and internship site and supervisor can benefit from the resources provided below.

It will be important to communicate your program's requirements with your prospective field sites to ensure that they can meet your needs. You should review the Field Experience Manual to ensure that you are prepared to effectively communicate the requirements. Below are some resources that might be helpful to provide as well.