Practicum and Internships
Read more on field experience for current students, site hosts and supervisors, and alumni.
Site Hosts and Supervisors
Clinical experiences in Counselor Education at UF would not be possible without the help of our site supervisors. The day to day support, guidance, and knowledge offered to the students is a critical to helping the students grow and develop into competent counselors. UF’s counselor education’s partnership with sites allows for more clients to be served in our community and we are so grateful and proud of the work that we do together.
The Site Supervisor Guide is a valuable resource for our site supervisors and is expected to be read in its entirety prior to supervising students in the Counselor Education program and referenced as needed throughout supervision of counselor education students. The supervisors’ guide outlines the purpose of practicum and internship experiences, clinical setting requirements, the roles and functions of site supervisors and supervisors, the steps in being considered a clinical site, the documentation process, and requirements specific to Mental Health Counseling (MHC), Marriage and Family counseling (MFC), and School Counseling and Guidance (SCG) specialty tracks within the Department of Counselor Education. We also offer additional resources for supervisors.
Clinical Setting Requirements
A Clinical Setting, conducive to development of skills and professional counselor identity, is one in which modeling, demonstration, and training is available to counselor education students. General clinical setting requirements include the following:
- Settings for individual counseling with assured privacy and sufficient space for appropriate equipment, such as TV monitoring and recording;
- Settings for small-group work with assured privacy and sufficient space for appropriate equipment;
- Necessary and appropriate technologies and technical assistance that assist learning, such as audio and video equipment;
- Settings with observational and/or other interactive supervision capabilities; and
- Procedures that ensure the client’s confidentiality and legal rights are protected.
- For more information, go to Setting Up and Maintaining a Clinical Site.
Site Supervisor Requirements, Functions, and Compensation
A Site Supervisor is a professional employed in a clinical setting, who has volunteered to oversee a student’s practicum or internship activities. The Site Supervisor’s Guide is available here. To serve as a site supervisor, the professional must meet the following requirements:
- Earned a minimum of a master’s degree in counseling or a related profession, with equivalent qualifications, including appropriate certifications (i.e., certified school counselor) and/or licenses;
- Completed a minimum of two (2) years of professional experience in the program area in which the student is completing training (i.e., MHC, MFC, or SCG);
- Completed the Clinical Educator training (school counseling site supervisors only);
- Is knowledgeable of the University of Florida Counselor Education program expectations, requirements, and evaluation procedures for its students; and
- Have relevant training in counseling supervision prior to supervising students.
The site supervisor serves as a mentor to the student by facilitating the student’s integration into the clinical system. Common activities performed by a site supervisor include:
- Orienting the student to setting policies and procedures;
- Allowing student to observe and co-lead clinical activities;
- Assisting the student in building an appropriate case load; and
- Facilitating the student’s efforts to fulfill the required practicum and internship activities.
The site supervisor has final authority for all decisions made and/or actions taken about the student’s roles and activities while attempting to fulfill practicum or internship functions and responsibilities at the setting. The site supervisor is not responsible for grades but will be asked to provide a brief mid-point and final report regarding the student’s clinical experience via an online platform.
Tuition Benefit for Site Supervisors
In appreciation for hosting and supervising students during clinical experiences, the University of Florida awards State University System (SUS) tuition (fee) waivers to site supervisors. Site supervisors who are employees of the University of Florida are ineligible to receive tuition waivers. One-half fee waiver is awarded to the site supervisor for each practicum student, and one fee waiver is awarded to the site supervisor for each full-time internship student. In the case of half-fee waivers, the University will issue the fee waiver once the site supervisor has accrued a full fee waiver. A full fee waiver may be used to cover fees for up to six (6) credit hours in any one semester. However, the certificate holder pays any fees in excess of the matriculation fee. The waivers are good for three years from the date of issue. Fee waivers earned by site supervisors are not transferable. All information must be provided on the Site Agreement Form for the waiver to be generated, including site supervisor name, site supervisor Social Security Number, agency name, and agency mailing address.
On-site Clinical Supervision
Site Supervisors are required to have training in clinical supervision prior to becoming a site supervisor and to complete continued education in relation to clinical supervision. This training could include conference sessions, workshops, readings, and participation in the Site Supervisors training provided by the Clinical Coordination Team. An important component of clinical supervision is the direct observation of skills for counselors in training. The students are expected to complete audio or video recordings of their sessions on a regular basis and present them for discussion and feedback in supervision on campus and on site.
Clinical settings offer onsite individual, triadic and/or group clinical supervision. On-site clinical supervision can benefit both professional staff and counseling students. It provides an opportunity for students to gain clinical insights from professionals working directly with the same client population and to learn from counselors familiar with the requirements and demands of agency stakeholders.
Eligible clinical individual and group supervisors must meet minimum site supervisor requirements. The clinical supervisor’s role is to oversee the student’s clinical activities, ensuring the student is progressing in professional and interpersonal skills. Individual/ Triadic supervisors meet one (1) hour per week. Individual/Triadic supervision may include from 1 (Individual) to 2 (Triadic) students. Group supervisors meet one and one half hours (1½) per week. Group supervision on-site should include no more than 10 students.
Recommended Resources for Clinical Supervision
Training
- American Counseling Association (ACA)
- American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy
- CE Broker
- Strategies for School Site Supervisors
Ethics and Best Practices
- Approved Clinical Supervisor Code of Ethics
- National Board of Certified Counselors Code of Ethics
- ACA Code of Ethics
- AAMFT Code of Ethics
- American School Counselor Association (ASCA):
- Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES):
Credentials
- Florida Qualified Supervisor (for Florida licensure)
- Approved Clinical Supervisor (NBCC)
- AAMFT Approved Supervisor
- Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) Requirements for Certification in Guidance and Counseling
Livetext
Livetext is a software that stores hours and clinical evaluations for the UF Counselor Education program across all semesters of practicum and internship. Additionally, students enter their clinical hours into Livetext to track their hours across clinical experiences.
Site Supervisors: Site supervisors review clinical hours, to assure that they are accurate, during supervision sessions with students. Students must enter hours at a minimum of monthly, but are encouraged to enter these hours on a weekly basis. Site supervisors complete midterm and final evaluations in Livetext.
Group Supervisors: Group supervisors approve clinical hours. Group supervisors complete final evaluations in Livetext. Group supervisors use Livetext to communicate regularly with site supervisors per the site supervisor contract.
Note on clinical evaluations: Please review the directions at the top of Livetext Evaluations, as well the guided demonstration available on the Canvas course for details regarding scoring and specific items located on the assessment. For more information about Livetext, visit the FAQ.
Development and Training
The Counselor Education program at UF provides supervision training and development, updates on practicum and internship events, information about UF practicum and internship procedures, as well as discussion boards, and direct messaging to other practicum and internship sites on Canvas. Following registration, you may complete our training on Canvas to document required supervision training to serve as a site supervisor. Please contact the clinical assistant coordinator at ceclinical@coe.ufl.edu to request an invitation to join the course.
Note: For information on student procedures such as recording, HIPAA, insurance, the practicum and internship fair and other student-related concerns visit: The Practicum and Internship Webpage
