Practicum and Internship

Learn more about the School Counseling Practicum and Internship requirements and experience.

All students enrolled in the School Counseling Program at Seattle University are required to complete practicum and internship. 

Practicum

Practicum is 100 hours of which 40 are direct client contact. Students can anticipate being on-site a minimum of 10-15 hours a week. Students may need to complete a fingerprinting or background check through their agency or site prior to beginning practicum.

Internship

Internship is 600 hours of which 240 are direct client contact. Approved field sites may require students to complete more hours than the minimum. The state in which a student seeks licensure may also require a student to complete more than the minimum hours to be eligible for counsellor licensure. Students can anticipate being on-site a minimum of 20-25 hours a week.

A weekly group supervision and individual on-site supervision are required as part of the practical counseling experience. 

Practicum and Internship FAQ

Here are some commonly asked questions about the practicum/internship experience.

Because of the traditional academic year occurring August/September through June, practical counseling experience for school counseling students is broken up between your second and third years. Practicum occurs during the winter quarter in your second year and internship occurs August through June of your third year.

Practicum quarter requires a minimum of 100 clock hours; 40 of which are “direct hours” and 60 are “indirect hours”.  CACREP defines “direct” and “indirect” but generally speaking, a direct hour is time spent providing counseling; where an indirect hour is spent doing tasks that support counseling such as recordkeeping, attending supervision meetings, researching intervention strategies, etc.

The counseling programs have a dedicated Internship Coordinator who supports you as soon as you enter the program with discerning the right internship experience, including monthly workshops on how to research sites, prepare a counseling resume, prepare for interviews or initiate opportunities with new internship sites. The program has a robust system of resources and support for the internship search process.

School Counseling students have found internships in both public and private schools, at the elementary, middle and high school levels.

Most of our students end up pursuing internships at schools where students have worked before. However, we support the coordination of unique internship opportunities. Student internships are governed by regulations set forth by CACREP, Washington state administrative codes and program advisory councils.  In these cases, we will work in collaboration with students to explore how the unique internships can meet practical counseling experience requirements.

Though they are rare, there may be an opportunity to be hired by the district as a conditionally/emergency-certified school counselor.  Again, these opportunities are rare, and they are only available to interns (not available during practicum).

Get In Touch

If you have any questions about the program or application, we’re here to help!

Diana Calderon

Admissions Counselor

Diana Calderon smiling for headshot