by Daniel S. Newman, PhD, NCSP | Jan 21, 2013 | Student & Intern Resources
This is the final blog post in a three-part series exploring topics related to graduate students’ practicum and internship experiences.
The first post focused on how students can track clinical hours in a way that is meaningful, and the second post looked at the features of an effective practicum or internship plan.
In the current post, several complexities of supervision during practicum/internship are identified, and ways to achieve clearer supervision expectations are discussed.
The post is based on the big idea that supervision is a pivotal part of practicum/internship experiences, but supervision processes need increased clarity for students and supervisors to be maximally effective. The content is adapted from my recently published book Demystifying the School Psychology Internship: A Dynamic Guide for Interns and Supervisors (New York: Routledge).
Definition and Goals of Supervision
Supervision is generally recognized as the signature pedagogy in psychology.
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by Deanna Richards, EdM | Nov 5, 2012 | Student & Intern Resources
The phone rings and it’s EXACTLY who you want it to be. The director of the local hospital has heard about your stellar first year as a counseling grad student and is offering you an internship! It’s a dream come true…then you wake up.
It WAS a dream. The reality is obtaining a placement is something that all counseling students must go through. While it would be wonderful if your performance in school could speak for you, it turns out you will need to beat the pavement to get a placement. Below are six steps that you can take to make the process less painful.
1. Be Proactive.
This means a little more than sending an email a day. As soon as you find out what your requirements are for the placement, schedule a time to meet with your academic advisor or placement coordinator to discuss potential places for your internship.
Pick the brains of students who have already begun an internship and find out if their agency is looking for additional interns. Be sure to check your email regularly for opportunities gleaned by your placement advisor.
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by Deanna Richards, EdM | Oct 19, 2012 | Student & Intern Resources
The process of finding an internship can be daunting. Perhaps you had to find one on your own, or maybe you were assigned a site by your school. In my case, I had to find my own internship and I needed it to coordinate with my full-time work hours. Hard? Yes! Impossible? Not at all.
Reflecting back on the internship experience brings me to this series of posts. Check out tips on securing your internship, and once you’ve secured one, here are some ways that you can make the best of your experience.
1. Try It On
Internships are not just a degree requirement; they’re a great way to try on your new role as a Mental Health Counselor.
Convinced you want to work with adolescents? Try it on for size in your internship. Internship sites might have a defined role for you, but there’s no harm done in citing your interests.
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by Daniel S. Newman, PhD, NCSP | Jun 4, 2012 | Student & Intern Resources
If you are a graduate student in psychology (or related discipline) completing practicum or internship work, you are likely required by your university to keep track of your fieldwork hours and activities. On the surface this may feel like busy work. For example, a school psychology intern I supervised jokingly asked me whether or not the time she spent logging her hours could be counted as hours.
In a series of four blog posts, I have been asked by the developers of Time2Track to reflect on how students can meaningfully incorporate the tracking of hours and activities during field experiences. In each post, I will highlight one of four big ideas integrated in my forthcoming book, Demystifying the School Psychology Internship: A Dynamic Guide for Interns and Supervisors (New York: Routledge).
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