TRAINING OVERVIEW

Porter County Family Counseling Center is committed to providing quality training to students in social work, counseling, PsyD programs and other mental health related fields. Practicum student training is considered a mutual benefit to the student, the academic institution, and Porter County Family Counseling Center. Supervising students allows Porter County Family Counseling Center staff the opportunity to assist in the training of future professionals and, in return, providing well-trained students who make an invaluable contribution to the community and to their profession. Placement preference is given to academic institutions with well structured student training programs.

Placement of practicum students will be at the discretion of the Clinical Director and the Executive Director, and will take into consideration the student's academic and field placement requirements, their current academic standing, as well as site and client availability.

Porter County Family Counseling Center’s Practicum Training Program is designed to address the needs of students seeking to complete a more advanced practicum experience. Placements are individually tailored to meet the learning and career goals of the student, as well as the objectives established by Porter County Family Counseling Center and the student's academic institution. Appropriate duties shall be assigned by the student's supervisor in conjunction with the student's academic requirements.

Porter County Family Counseling Center has worked with master's and doctoral level students from Adler School of Professional Psychology, Argosy, Roosevelt University, and Valparaiso University.  The center is open and welcomes any new relationships with schools and students from qualified graduate programs.

 

REQUIREMENTS:

Practicum students are expected to demonstrate good writing and communication skills, as well as appropriate professional behavior and attire. In most cases, a minimum commitment of 16-20 hours a week with one eveing is required.  Practicum students are also expected to have a general working knowledge of abnormal psychology, depression, anxiety and the types of disabilities seen in a community mental health setting.

PRACTICUM STUDENTS AT ALL LEVELS SHOULD HAVE SOME COURSEWORK, EXPERIENCE OR EXPOSURE TO THE FOLLOWING:

• Coursework on counseling theories and the model for understanding how people are motivated to change. 
• Familiarity with the use of the DSM-IV-TR and how to formulate diagnostic impressions. 
• A prior experience where the student has had some prior face-to-face interaction with clients. 
• Knowledge of how to conduct a client interview and prepare a case conceptualization for clinical staffing. 
• Knowledge of ethical / professional standards related to the student's field of study and how to recognize and handle ethical dilemmas 
• Familiarity with the types of conditions treated in a community mental health setting. 
• Population-specific education, e.g., child developmental psychology, adolescent psychology, substance abuse disorders, geriatric treatment, etc.

Practicum students shall be assigned structured tasks consistent with the needs of a beginning level clinician during their practicum. The primary objective of the field placement experience is to expand the student's clinical and / or administrative knowledge and skills through supervision, training and experience.

 

CONFIDENTIALITY

All students accepted for placement at Porter County Family Counseling Center must abide by Porter County Family Counseling Center's practices and procedures. All students will be required to complete a HIPAA, Confidentiality Form  and an Agency Confidentiality form to ensure the privacy rights of each client..

 

MALPRACTICE / LIABILITY INSURANCE

A copy of insurance will be provided to Porter County Family Counseling Center prior to the student providing services to clients in their assigned caseload.

 

SUPERVISION

Supervision is provided on site for Master’s Level students by the Clinical Director.

External supervision for Doctoral level students is provided by a PhD, HSPP.

 

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS & SCREENING PROCEDURES

1. A completed Student Intern Placement Application

2. An official transcript of current academic record.

3. A curriculum vitae / resume.

4. Two (2) professional letters of recommendation

5. Clinical writing samples.

 

SUBMITTING COMPLETED APPLICATION MATERIALS

It is recommended that practicum student applicants submit their application as a complete packet rather than piecemeal to reduce the risk of something getting lost.

 

The application packet should be submitted via mail to:     

 

                                      Porter County Family Counseling Center

                                      794 A McCool Road

Valparaiso, IN  46385

 

Or email to:                            ttraut@pcfcc.org

 

Plan to submit your packet eight (8) weeks prior to the expected placement start date for consideration. The Clinical Director shall review the application packets for a possible placement based on program availability.  A placement interview shall be arranged between the prospective applicant and the Clinical Director and Executive Director to discuss possible placement. The placement interview provides Porter County Family Counseling Center and the practicum student the opportunity to discuss the placement procedures and responsibilities with the student and address any questions concerning the practicum experience. Practicum student applicants shall be notified regarding the status of their application according to the requirements of their respective programs.

Download Practicum Application