St. Cloud State University

Internship in Counseling

Phases of Training

It is suggested that the supervised internship work be divided into three phases - orientation, observation, and participation. These, no doubt, will overlap to some extent in time sequence. Time devoted to participation necessarily will be much longer than that devoted to orientation and observation.

A. Supervision

The role of supervision in the internship is a difficult one and very often is the decisive factor in the success or failure of an intern’s experience. Supervision involves at least four major dimensions: (1) planning, (2) assignment, (3) observation, and (4) evaluation.

An agency should have one staff member responsible for the supervised internship aspect of the agency’s operation. Consideration should be given to the assignments available within the agency and how the student’s interests and needs can best be met by the opportunities the agency will provide.

Student assignments which will best meet the needs of both student and agency will follow careful interviewing of intern applicants. Whenever possible, the counseling program should refer all interested candidates to each available site. The agency has the right to select or reject the candidates, providing that the candidates and the counseling program are informed of the rationale for actions taken.

B. Agency Supervisor

The persons responsible for selecting the supervisor should consider the following:

1. If possible, the immediate supervisor should be a Licensed Psychologist (LP).

2. The supervisor should have sufficient experience not only in service areas of counseling, but also in representing the agency to other disciplines in the community so that he/she can help the intern explore his/her own reactions to the various roles which a counselor will be asked to assume, such as: functioning as a professional person in the community, and functioning as a professional counselor who may have to balance his/her own professional aspirations with the limitations of the agency.

3. Adequate time should be available for supervision of the intern.

4. Supervision involves day-to-day responsibility for the intern’s activities, depending on the degree of responsibility the intern is able to assume.

5. Conferences between the supervisor and intern should be planned in advance to insure the following content:

   1. The intern should be encouraged to present cases and bring up questions which may be troubling to him/her, to satisfy any and all questions the agency supervisor has about the intern’s caseload, counseling, professional behavior, and agency contacts.

   2. Assignment of new cases can be discussed.

   3. Questions which the intern may raise in reference to agency procedure should be considered.

C. Observation

To help the intern understand the setting, it is desirable to provide him/her with a period of time for observation prior to being assigned a workload. Depending upon accessibility and appropriateness it is desirable for the intern to observe interviews of several types. These interviews should include whatever procedures are used in the agency.

Observation of team and case conferences, staff meetings, and counselor visits in the field to client homes, employers, and community resources are also beneficial.

The agency supervisor will be observing the intern as he/she performs the wide variety of duties of the internship. Observation is closely related to evaluation and the two aspects of supervision provide the contents of the training sessions between the intern and supervisor.

Evaluation is a joint responsibility of the university supervisor and the agency which is providing the internship. Evaluations may be written, verbal, or both, and should be communicated regularly to the student rather than once at the end of the internship. The evaluation should be seen as a feedback mechanism which provides the intern the opportunity to change and grow s a professional.

D. Participation

Student interns should be permitted to engage in as many activities as their individual readiness, time, and supervision allows.

1. With clients - under supervision, interns should participate in intake, diagnostic, vocational and personal adjustment counseling, placement, and follow-up of client.

2. With other professionals and community agencies - under supervision, the intern should be allowed to communicate with other professional personnel within the agency and with agencies as applicable outside of the internship agency.

3. Suggested criteria for case selection:

   1. The case should be typical or representative of those carried or served by the agency.

   2. There should be clear-cut function and purpose for the counselor.

   3. Cases should represent the different types of services rendered by the agency.

   4. Size and type of caseload should be reviewed and kept at a workable level.

   5. Increasingly complex cases should be assigned as the intern gains self-confidence and skill.

Cases of increasing complexity can be assigned, including a variety of problems requiring services outside the agency, as student growth and capacity increase. Interns should have an opportunity to become totally involved, to test their impressions, and to develop awareness of their relationship skills form initial interview to final contact with the client.