A Guide to Practicum and Internship for School Counselors-in-Training

Aaron H. Oberman, Jeannine R. Studer

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9780429561054
• Edition: 3
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Psychotherapy Counselling
• Index: Psychology

The ideal resource for school counseling field experiences, the updated and expanded third edition of A Guide to Practicum and Internship for School Counselors-in-Training covers all aspects of the practicum and internship experience from the initial contact with supervisors to detailed descriptions of students' different roles.

Readers will gain an awareness of school culture and the understanding needed to develop an individualized philosophy of school counseling. Each chapter contains activities, case studies, worksheets, and images to facilitate understanding, and all material is consistent with both the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) 2016 Common Core and School Counselor Entry-Level Specialty Areas and the school counselor standards identified by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA). Specific focus is given to strategies for implementing the ASCA National Model (4th edition) as a part of clinical experiences.

This text can be used by faculty, students, and supervisors alike to support and enhance the school counseling knowledge base used to meet the needs of all students.

Part I

The Practicum and Internship Journey

1 Getting Started in Your Clinical Experiences

Aaron H. Oberman and Jeannine R. Studer

CACREP Standards

Foundations

1. history and development of school counseling

Chapter Objectives

• provide an understanding of the school counseling practicum and internship experiences
• describe clinical supervision and what to expect in these experiences
• provide you with opportunities to self-reflect on your reasons for entering the profession

Introduction

This chapter is written to assist you in understanding the what of the clinical experiences. In other words, as you read this chapter, you will hopefully have a better understanding of what the school counselor clinical experiences entail, what the expectations are, and what factors need to be considered during the supervisory process. You have undoubtedly already taken several courses that have provided you with a perspective on the historical developments that have impacted the professional school counselor’s role and how the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) has shaped policy to address societal concerns. If you have not taken the time to reflect on your reasons for entering this profession prior to now, take time to do so. Have you had certain experiences that have led you to this career? Were school counselors that you had as a pre-K–12 student part of this decision? Or, do you have special talents that are compatible with those of people who are successful in this profession?

As counselor educators, we regularly meet with prospective school counseling students. When we question them regarding the reasons why they are interested in this profession, we have had a few inquiring students state, “I want to have time off in the summer and I know I do not want to teach, so I think this would be a good alternative.” If this is one of your reasons for your career decision, perhaps you need to think in terms of whether this is the best profession for you and for those with whom you will be working. The school counselor requires skill, dedication, and energy, and as you enter the clinical experiences, you are provided with an extraordinary opportunity to scrutinize your readiness for this profession. For those of you who have already taken courses within the school counseling curriculum, you are probably already familiar with some phraseology related to supervision. Others may not have had these foundation courses and are in the process of learning professional terminology. Table 1.1 is a glossary of terms that serve as a review or introduction to the phrases common to the profession.

Table 1.1 Glossary of common supervisory terms.

American Counseling Association (ACA)	Counseling association that represents counselors in various settings
American School Counselor Association (ASCA)	Promotes school counseling professionals and activities that support student development
American School Counselor Association National Model	A framework developed by ASCA for comprehensive school counseling programs that are preventive and developmental
Comprehensive counseling (CSC) programs	Data-driven programs based on standards that enhance student growth (ASCA, 2019b)
Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)	Independent organization that develops standards for counseling training programs
Education Trust’s Transforming School Counseling Initiative (TSCI)	A national agenda to reshape school counseling that emphasizes the use of data to promote student achievement
Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success	Term designating the next generation of the ASCA National Standards that were originally the ASCA Student Standards
Program faculty supervisor	A practicum or internship instructor who is a member of the counselor education program and has appropriate training and experiences
Program placement coordinator	An individual who is usually associated with the school counseling training program who serves as a liaison between the program and the school sites. This person coordinates the practicum and internship placements
Site supervisor	A counseling professional in the pre-K–12 school setting with credentials in school counseling, a minimum of 2 years of experience in the school, and training in supervision
Supervision	A process by which novice professionals acquire skills under the direction of an experienced member of the profession (Bernard & Goodyear, 2019)
Individual supervision	Occurs between a counselor-in-training and an experienced member of the counseling profession
Group supervision	Takes place between experienced members of the counseling profession and more than two counselors-in-training
Triadic supervision	Occurs between an experienced member of the counseling profession and two counselors-in-training

As you begin your clinical training, you will probably have conflicting feelings and thoughts. Not only will you be feeling a sense of excitement about putting the textbook concepts into practice, you may also be feeling anxious about beginning these new experiences. The school counseling program in which you are enrolled will provide you with specific details regarding the program requirements and policies for these experiences in a program handbook. However, this chapter will provide you with additional ideas and information about school counselor identity, the clinical experiences, and your responsibilities as a school counselor-in-training (SCIT).

What Is Meant by a Counselor Identity?

The formation of a professional identity is a process that starts from the beginning of your coursework and continues throughout your professional career. As you navigate your way through the profession, you may find it disconcerting when some school counselors still refer to themselves as “guidance counselors” rather than using the title “professional school counselor,” as endorsed by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA). Furthermore, it may be disheartening to learn that not all school counselors operate under a comprehensive paradigm that is supported by the ASCA, but rather one that is more traditional in structure. And you may be confused when the school administrator assigns tasks to the school counselor that often have little resemblance to the counselor’s education and training.

Throughout the decades, counseling professionals have made concerted efforts to define this profession. The American Counseling Association (ACA) initiated an effort known as the 20/20 Vision for the Future of Counseling, in which counseling was defined as “a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals” (American Counseling Association, n.d.), with the intention that this definition would be broad enough to encompass the “whole” of the profession, yet specific enough to describe the unique settings in which school counselors work. The ASCA professionals did not endorse this definition, using the rationale that the definition did not fully represent counseling in schools. However, the ASCA statements outlining the essential role of elementary, middle, and high school counselors indicate that school counselors are “educators uniquely trained in child and adolescent development, learning strategies, self-management and social skills who understand and promote success for to-day’s diverse students” (ASCA, 2019a, para. 3). A major goal of the ASCA is to have all professional school counselors speak with one voice regarding the definition of school counseling and to perform tasks that are consistent with the mission of the organization that represents school counselors in all settings.

Today’s school counselors evolved from what were formerly known as guidance counselors. These “guidance counselors” were trained under a traditional, reactive approach to counseling with an emphasis on counselor-initiated services and tasks rather than student outcomes. Today, due to the Transforming School Counseling Initiative (TSCI) and the ASCA National Model, the emphasis is on training school counselors as leaders of a comprehensive school counseling program based on measurable student outcomes.

Unfortunately, since the ASCA changed the title nearly three decades ago, the title “guidance counselor” is still being used throughout America (Zyromski, Hudson, Baker, & Granello, 2019). The title used makes a difference in regard to professional identity and integrity, and as a result, school counselors using this more all-encompassing “school counselor” title were more confident in their role as a leader of a comprehensive school counseling program (Zyromski et al., 2019). To further exacerbate the concern about counselor identity, there is debate regarding whether the school counselor is a practitioner responsible for the mental health of students or an educator with the responsibility of assisting teachers and other educators in the learning process. However, as future school counselors advocate for their profession through the collection, analysis, and distribution of meaningful data, support for the professional school counselor identity will eventually be an outcome. The application of knowledge to authentic school settings begins through the clinical experiences.

What Is Meant by the Clinical Experiences?

The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) was created to standardize counselor education programs, including the clinical experiences of practicum and internship.

Not all school counselor programs are CACREP accredited. At the time of this writing, there are 270 nationally accredited CACREP school counseling programs (CACREP, 2019). Programs that do not have this accreditation follow other standards, such as those mandated by their state board of education. Other CACREP-like programs...