Procedures

Liability Insurance

Students are required to obtain professional liability insurance prior to practicum or internship work. The insurance providers have on-line applications at hpso.com (American Counseling Association, Healthcare Providers Service Organization – HPSO), amhca.com (American Mental Health Counselors Association) or cphins.com (CPH & Associates). Insurance is a benefit of ACA student membership.

Professional Practice Folder (PPF)

The PPF will be maintained and organized in the following manner:

1. All PPFS are stored by the Clinical Training Coordinator in the main office organized by supervision groups. Files are accessible to students during office hours only.
2. Students place all forms (including completed & signed forms) in the PPF through practicum and internship experiences using the guide found on the inside covers of the PPF. Students should remember to keep extra copies in their own files.
3. Faculty Group Supervisors bring PPFS to all group supervision meetings for student to access and place forms inside.
4. Faculty Group Supervisors will be responsible for overseeing the PPF and signing off when the PPF is completed for grade submission.
5. Students are responsible for maintaining their PPF in a timely and ordered manner. Completed files are required for grade submission.
6. The Clinical Training Coordinator is responsible for transferring PPF from practicum to internship and then at graduation to the Administrative Assistant for the student’s completed file.

Recordings

Each student is responsible for recording client sessions (with client permission). Students are expected to take recordings for review to their individual and group supervision sessions. If videotaping is impossible, audiotaping is necessary for both student’s own review of the session and for presentation to class(es). The department has video cameras shared by practicum and intern students stored on the bookcase in room SEM003 along with a checkout binder. The availability is on a first come first serve basis and for a 24 hours period. Some agencies may provide video and/or audio equipment. The department has several audio recorders for use as well. Audiotapes will need to be purchased. As an alternative, students may check the availability of cameras in the Resource Center of Hartzler Library by contacting them at x4231.

Documentation of Hours

Students are responsible for keeping track of hours by category as well as a summary total sheet. Students submit both the tracking sheet and a summary signed by the Individual Site Supervisor at the completion of the professional practice directly to their PPF. The hours tracking sheet is proof of the summary sheet.

Self-Evaluation

Students are encouraged to spend significant time in self-evaluation. This can be done by reviewing recordings and from the experiences with group and individual supervision. Documentation can include the Counselor Assessment Scale form, personal notes, and identification of strengths and areas for growth to address in supervision.

Program Counseling Room Use Policy

Students making use of the counseling rooms for seeing clients need to have special consideration given to procedures in case of a crisis (client at risk). Students need to discuss this with the Individual Site Supervisor and develop a back-up plan for crisis. The plan would include how to locate the supervisor, especially after hours. If the supervisor is not available after office hours or the site does not have an on-call system, it is better to make plans to meet clients during the hours the site is open. A required written back-up plan needs to be submitted to the Faculty Group Supervisor to be included in the student’s file for reference.