What is practicum?
Mental health counseling and substance abuse : The mental health counseling and substance abuse practicum experiences are designed to provide students with a sequential, supervised field experience in an appropriate counseling setting. Students will be required to complete the designated practicum (field) experiences in their concentration. The student will be responsible for providing information on appropriate agencies in their local or surrounding areas. An NSU representative will contact the agency on behalf of the student. While many students can complete the requirement while working, they should be prepared to make whatever arrangements are necessary to complete this requirement including a leave of absence, adjustment of the work schedule, etc. Prospective students should determine in advance of their enrollment their ability to access appropriate practicum training.
The Psychology department offers a wide range of places for students to earn Practicum credit (PSY 409), and students are encouraged to sign up and get real life experience! Practicum is similar to an internship; you earn a specific amount of credit depending on the total of hours spent at the approved practicum sites. You can use the credit that you get for practicum to satisfy up to four credits of your required eight elective credits. Practicum credit also counts for upper division psychology credit. Here’s how to do it. 1. If you are a declared psychology major, you will automatically be added to the Psychology Major Group on Blackboard. Sign in Blackboard and click on the PSYCH Major link. There are a lot of resources listed and there is a current and complete listing of all approved sites, ranging from working with children, to working with the seriously mentally ill, to working with the juvenile justice system. 2. Contact the sites you are interested in working with, print out t
• Practicum is the clinical experience prior to internship. Practicum sites may be on or off campus, depending upon the type of counseling program chosen. During this time, counselor-trainees enhance basic counseling skills, and integrate theory and practice into actual counseling sessions while under close faculty supervision.
