Online M.Ed. in Counseling and Development: Practicum and Internship Experiences
Gain Practical Experience in Counseling and Development
Winthrop University’s online M.Ed. in Counseling and Development provides hands-on learning opportunities through immersive practicums and internships. These in-person experiences align with standards established by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), which cover:
- Details for how you will work in professional practice and the support you will receive
- Your supervisor’s qualifications
- Hours of practicums and the timeline to fulfill them
- How you will receive supervision on your practicum
- Internship hours and details regarding how you will be supervised
- The approved ratio between your course load and practicum or internship hours
Preview Your Hands-On Counseling and Development Experiences
You will complete the following practicums and internships to earn your online M.Ed. in Counseling and Development with Winthrop. These experiences build on your online coursework by delivering essential skills for meeting client needs in supervised settings.
Counseling Practicums
Counseling Practicums I and II
Our M.Ed. in Counseling and Development program includes two practicum experiences offered during 15-week semesters. You will also attend synchronous supervision meetings as set by your instructor throughout your practicum experiences.
Before your counseling practicums begin, you’ll take part in an orientation and review the Student and Field Placement Handbooks to learn about the CACREP and program requirements for your placement sites. To secure an optimal placement, explore your placement options early in the program. During this process, it’s important to discuss your career goals with your student services coordinator and collaborate with our field placement coordinator to identify suitable sites.
Course Details
During Counseling Practicums I and II, you’ll focus on enhancing your conceptual and relational skills, which are essential to the counseling profession. These experiences encourage reflection on the development of self-in-role and supervised application of counseling skills to practice. You’ll also prepare to build therapeutic relationships, assess client needs, set goals and apply your intervention skills.
Counseling Practicum II provides opportunities to continue building your skills while introducing advocacy and consultation skills that expand your professional capabilities.
Prerequisite: Admission to the CSDV program or permission of the instructor.
A supervised 75 clock hours, field-based experience, this course will focus on further enhancement of the conceptual and relational skills of counseling. The course will further increased reflection on the development of self-in-role and supervised application of counseling skills to practice. Students will focus on building therapeutic relationships, assessing client needs, goals setting, and intervention skills.
Prerequisite: Admission to the CSDV program or permission of the instructor.
A supervised 100 clock hours, field-based experience, this course will focus on further enhancement of the conceptual and relational skills of counseling, consultation, and advocacy skills. The course will further increase reflection on the development of self-in-role and supervised application of counseling skills to practice. Students will focus on building therapeutic relationships, assessing client needs, goals setting, and intervention skills.
Prerequisite: Admission to the CSDV program or permission of the instructor.
Counseling Interships
Counseling Internships I and II
After solidifying your specialty and completing the practicums, you’ll identify and seek approval for an applied counseling setting to complete two internships. There, you will engage in real-world experiences to gain competencies for helping clients. Throughout your internships, you’ll also attend synchronous supervision meetings scheduled by your instructor.
Prerequisites: Admission to the CSDV program or permission of the instructor.
The Community Counseling Clinic
The Winthrop Community Counseling Clinic was established to provide free counseling, consultation and referral services to local communities, helping individuals find emotional, behavioral and spiritual balance.
Through the Community Counseling Clinic, students pursuing the M.Ed. in Counseling and Development degree can gain hands-on experience under careful supervision.
Additionally, online graduate students who reside in Rock Hill and the nearby Charlotte area may complete their practicum and internship requirements in the clinic.
Services Provided Through the Community Counseling Clinic
By completing your practicum experience with the Community Counseling Clinic, you’ll provide supervised counseling services to children, adolescents, adults, couples and families in York County and surrounding communities. Here are some of the services available through the facility:
Activity allows for creative techniques to be used in the treatment of mental/emotional challenges
- Life transition issues/caregiver
- Parenting skill building
- Relationships/couples
- Career indecision
- Depression/anxiety
- Family conflicts
- Loss and grief issues
- Low self-esteem
- Relationship issues
- School and work difficulties
- Sexual concerns
- Play allows a therapist to assist a child in coping with difficult issues
- Play provides a non-threatening way for children to express their emotions
The Community Counseling Clinic also offers parenting and anger management courses. All sessions are recorded as part of your supervisory experience. The confidentiality of the material is strictly safeguarded, and the clinic is HIPAA-compliant.
Licensure
After completing the supervised hours and all other program requirements, you’ll be eligible to sit for state exams to become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). You’ll also have the education and experience needed to take the National Counselor Exam (NCE) or the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Exam (NCMHCE) to practice as a professional counselor.
Keep in mind that the requirements for professional counseling licensure vary by state. Winthrop’s School Counseling program is designed to meet SC and NC licensure requirements for school counseling and may not meet requirements from other states. We are unable to determine whether or not our program will lead to licensure in other states. Before beginning any academic program that leads to licensure, we strongly recommend you contact the state licensing board where you wish to seek licensure to determine whether the program you are considering will meet that state’s licensing requirements.
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