|
Although it is difficult if not impossible, to isolate
one aspect of the rehabilitation counseling program
as being the most important, it is clear that a full-time
internship in a rehabilitation setting is at the core
of the student's experience. It is
during this stage of the graduate program that the
on site supervisor plays a most vital role. The full-time internship
experience provides sufficient time to enable the
student
to grow both personally and professionally.
According to the Council on Rehabilitation Education
standards and Department of Rehabilitation Counseling
requirements, students must have supervised rehabilitation
counseling fieldwork and internship experiences that
include:
- a minimum of 100 hours of practicum experience (as
part of RHAB 691);
- a minimum of 600 hours of internship experience
in rehabilitation settings (as part of RHAB 695
and/or
696);
- written expectations and procedures for these experiences
that are distributed to students and agency supervisors;
- the following activities:
-
orientation to program components, policies and
procedures, introduction to staff and their role
and function, and the identification of the expectations
for students,
-
observation of all aspects of the delivery of
rehabilitation counseling services,
-
work assignments, performing the tasks required
of an employed rehabilitation counselor in a rehabilitation
setting from intake to discharge and/or placement,
-
reporting — to include all required academic
reports as well as logs, weekly progress reviews
and summaries of activities; and
- evaluation of student performance by the student,
the agency supervisor and the faculty supervisor.
Internship experiences shall be carried out under the
regularly scheduled supervision of a certified rehabilitation
counselor. In those cases where a CRC is not available
in the internship setting, a VCU faculty member (who
is a CRC) will supervise the student intern in addition
to the ongoing supervision provided by the agency supervisor.
The department selects diverse internship sites that provide
rehabilitation counseling services to individuals with
disabilities in a manner consistent with the mission
of the program. Where applicable, there shall be documented
evidence that the sites are accredited or seeking accreditation
by recognized national accrediting bodies.
For both fieldwork and internship experiences, there
is a minimum of one supervised hour per week
by
a department program faculty member or a qualified
individual working under the supervision of a program
faculty member.
Handbook for interns
and supervisors [pdf]
Internship
forms [pdf]
Clinical Experience Fact Sheet
|
