Field Placement Overview and Forms
General Field Placement Information:
- Niagara University's 60 credit hour Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) program encompasses a comprehensive 1,000 clinical field experience hours.
- All CMHC students who are enrolled in field placement courses and completing their clinical hours have are required to have an active student membership to the American Counseling Association, providing them with additional liability insurance (Canadian students included).
- CMHC students embark on their clinical field experience journey in the second year of their studies. The initial field placement, known as "Practicum”, spans 100 hours, with 40 of those hours dedicated to direct service. Subsequently, students undertake Internship I, a 300-hour experience, with a requirement of 120 direct service hours. During the final year of the program, students undertake Internship II and Internship III, each totaling 300 hours, with 120 hours dedicated to direct service. Please view the curriculum planning guide.
- The field experience aligns with Niagara University's academic calendar. The fall semester commences in late August and concludes in mid-December. The spring semester starts in mid-January and ends in early May. In exceptional circumstances, students may begin their field experience one week before the semester begins or one week after, subject to discussion with the Field Placement Coordinator.
- At the conclusion of each semester, students are expected to fulfill the requisite practicum hours (100 hours in total, with 40 hours dedicated to direct service) or internship hours (300 hours in total, with 120 hours dedicated to direct service).
• Practicum: 100 Total hours, 40 Direct Client hours (8-10 hrs/week).
• Internships I to III: each 300 Total hours, 120 Direct Client (20-24 hrs/wk) - CMHC students engage in coursework alongside their clinical field experience, incorporating a diverse range of projects (including, but not limited to): Case conceptualizations, recordings of counseling sessions, critical issue presentations, assigned readings, and discussions. In their final semester, during enrollment in Internship III, all students must successfully pass a comprehensive oral examination, demonstrating their proficiency in a clinical and ethical case vignette, as well as showcase their theoretical knowledge and orientation.
Supervisor Qualifications
Site supervisors have (1) a minimum of a master’s degree, in counseling, or a related profession; (2) relevant certifications and/or licenses; (3) a minimum of two years of pertinent professional experience in the specialty area in which the student is enrolled; (4) knowledge of the program’s expectations, requirements, and evaluation procedures for students; and (5) relevant training in counseling supervision.
Readiness of CMHC Student
- Students present to supervisors with varying levels of experience, maturity, work ethic, as well as social and professional skills. Therefore, each supervisor's experience is unique.
- As a site supervisor, please assess your intern’s unique competence level, and tailor your supervision approach to help them develop their clinical and professional skills as a mental health counselor.
- All students are required to receive at least one hour of clinical supervision per week as provide by the assigned primary supervisor.
- At the beginning of the semester, we kindly request from all supervisors to outline the required and unique activities for the semester. The field placement training agreement provides a list of suggested site activities. All students are expected to gain experience in the following areas: individual counseling, group counseling, intake interviewing, record keeping, testing & assessment, and consultation.
- Supervision of practicum and internship students includes program-appropriate audio/video recordings and/or live supervision of students’ interactions with clients. If your site does not permit audio/video recordings of counseling sessions, please inform the Field Placement Coordinator. Site supervisors may be requested to participate as mock clients for students' audio/video recordings.
Important Practicum and Internship Forms
Clinical Mental Health Counseling Handbook
CMHC Practicum & Internship I Contract
Bi-weekly Practicum Evaluation
Evaluation of Practicum Student
CMHC Internship II & Internship III Contract
Evaluation of Internship Student