Marriage & Family Therapy Practicum (CEFS 698)

All prerequisite courses are non-negotiable and must be successfully completed prior to the start of practicum.

• Course Prerequisites
  • Orientation to Counselor Profession Identity & Function (CEFS 500)
  • Ethical & Legal Issues in Counseling (CEFS 501)
  • Human Growth & Development (CEFS 502)
  • Multicultural Counseling (CEFS 504)
  • Counseling Techniques & the Helping Relationship (CEFS 505)
  • Theories of Counseling (CEFS 510)
  • Group Counseling (CEFS 512)
  • Research & Program Evaluation (CEFS 515)
  • Assessment Techniques in Counseling (CEFS 521)
  • Psychopathology (CEFS 546)
  • Assessment, Diagnosis, and Treatment Planning in Marriage and Family Counseling (CEFS 602)*

*Assessment, Diagnosis, and Treatment Planning in Marriage and Family Counseling (CEFS 602) can only be taken concurrently with CEFS 698 Practicum if the student is enrolled in a B-term CEFS 602 section. If a student enrolls in CEFS 602 D-term, they cannot take it concurrently with practicum.

Degree Stipulations: 2017-2018 and Prior DCPs only:

• Students on an older DCP that includes COUN/CEFS 667 are permitted to auto-sub CEFS 691 in place of COUN/CEFS 667.
  • Please note, students may enroll in CEFS 667, however, be aware CEFS 691 is the preferred course due to licensure requirements for students in the state of Virginia.

  **CEFS 667 and Practicum Options (2017-2018 and Prior DCPs only):

1. CEFS 691 may sub for CEFS/COUC 667 as a Practicum prerequisite for students on older DCPs
2. If a student decides to complete 667 instead of 691, they will be required to complete 667 the semester before their Practicum or enroll in the 667 intensive that is offered the same month their Practicum begins. The 667 intensive is a week long class on Liberty University’s campus. Our office cannot guarantee the 667 intensive will be offered every semester.
   1. Please note: Students on 2017-2018 DCPs and prior will be required to complete both CEFS 667 and CEFS 602 to fulfill their DCP requirements before they can graduate. However,  for practicum purposes, either CEFS 667, CEFS 691 or CEFS 602 can fulfill the pre-requisite for CEFS 698.

• Additional Prerequisites
  • Background Check: You must purchase a background check through DISA Healthcare Technology within no more than one year before applying for practicum.
  • Fingerprints: You must purchase and complete your fingerprints before applying for practicum.
  • GPA: Must have a 3.0 cumulative GPA by the posted application deadline

Important Note: It is the student’s responsibility to know their state’s licensure requirements and to meet those requirements along with their degree program requirements.

Disclaimer: Students are enrolled in CEFS 698 Practicum based on the Degree Completion Plan Audits submitted at the time of applying. If a student switches degrees after submitting their Practicum application, they will be responsible for notifying the Practicum and Internship Office immediately. The Practicum and Internship Office will not be able to switch students between Non-WebEx sections and WebEx sections midway through a semester if degrees are switched.

Minimum Total Practicum Hours: 100

• Please see Marriage and Family Therapy Fieldwork Manual for the Hour Requirements.
• Students should check with their state counseling board for practicum requirements for the state they wish to be licensed in.

Semester Requirements

• Practicum is a full-semester commitment.
  • Practicum officially starts the first day of Liberty’s academic semester.
  • Students are required to earn hours each week of the semester with the approved site and supervisor.
  • Practicum is an A-Term course
    • 17 weeks during the Fall and Spring semesters
    • 14 weeks during the Summer semester

Telehealth and In-Person Counseling Policy

Please see Marriage and Family Therapy Fieldwork Manual for the Telehealth and In-Person Counseling Policy. 

Video Recording Requirement

Please see Marriage and Family Therapy Fieldwork Manual for the Video Recording Requirement.

Please note that all students are responsible to keep a record/copy of their verification of final hours form for licensure purposes.

Practicum Opportunities

State Site Lists: The sites listed on the state site lists have previously executed Affiliation Agreements with the Fieldwork Office. However, placement at one of these sites is not automatically approved. Each site must still undergo review and receive approval through the individual student’s application process to ensure it meets all program requirements. Final approval is granted by the Fieldwork Office.

• On average, finding a site and supervisor takes at least three to four months.
• Students are allowed a maximum of two sites.
• Students are not permitted to do in-home/home-based counseling

Types of sites that can be considered for practicum:

• Counseling Agency
• Hospital
• Private Practice
• University Counseling Center
• Community Services Board
• School*

*If you are seeking to see clients at a school under your clinical site:

• Final approval is determined by the Fieldwork Office upon review of your application and site qualifications.
• Counseling services must be clinical mental health, not school-based or academic counseling.
• A licensed or associate licensed site supervisor (or designated clinical professional) employed by the site must be on-site at all times while you are present.
• The school must have a formal contract with your clinical site for service delivery.

Students are allowed a maximum of two supervisors.

• Please visit our site supervisor webpage for helpful information for practicum supervisors.

Examples of Approved Supervisors:

• Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
• Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)
• Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
• Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
• Licensed Psychologist (LP) with either a PhD in Clinical Psychology or a PsyD (all other Licensed Psychologists will be reviewed on a case by case basis)”

Examples of Supervisors Not Approved:

• Doctorate degrees that are not in the counseling field or are unaccredited
• Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) – with the only exception of the macro- or clinical- designations in the state of Michigan.
• Limited Licensed Professional Counselor (LLPC)
• Master of Divinity
• Pastoral Counselors
• School Counselors

Review the Practicum Supervisor Information before proceeding.

1. Background Check Order Completion PDF and Fingerprints Completed
   • Students must submit their background check order completion PDF from DISA Healthcare Technology (or previously order confirmation page/results summary page from CastleBranch) that is dated no more than one year prior to the date of their application.
   • The practicum office will also verify that you have completed your fingerprints through DISA Healthcare Technology (or CastleBranch) at the time of your application. If you have not purchased and completed your fingerprints through DISA Healthcare Technology (or previously through CastleBranch), these will need to be completed by the time you apply or you will be denied approval for practicum.
   • Only send the completion document (PDF) that is sent to your email from DISA Healthcare Technology once the processing of the background check or re-check has been made, or if your background check from CastleBranch is not expired and you are using it, please make sure it is either the order confirmation page or page 1 of the results summary page.
   • Visit the Background Check website for further instructions on background check or fingerprints.
2. Supervisor’s License Verification
   • Found on your state counseling board website.
   • Includes name, license number, issue date, expiration date, & current/active
3. Fieldwork Contract (PDF)
   • Signed by student, site supervisor, and site director.
     • The dates must match Liberty’s A-term semester dates. Check the Academic Calendar for the semester dates you will be completing practicum.
     • Please note: you must fill out one fieldwork contract per site/supervisor. Students are only required to have one site and supervisor but may have up to two sites and supervisors.
4. Liability Insurance Face Sheet (PDF)
   • Students are required to purchase their own coverage for the duration of practicum and internship. The coverage requirements are detailed in the link above.
5. Affiliation Agreement
   • 11-Page Cover Sheet and Agreement: Completed and signed by legal signatory at site
   • Extensions will not be granted for Affiliation Agreement negotiations

Important:

• Please submit all documents as PDF files only. The Affiliation Agreement must be submitted as a single PDF file containing all 11 pages.

All approval documents must be submitted to the Practicum Office through SimCare prior to the deadline listed above. No late documents will be accepted. Submission of the application does not mean automatic acceptance of the proposed site and/or supervisor; they must be approved first. Liberty University must validate that the student’s proposed site will provide a good educational experience and that it has adequate oversight and safeguards built in to ensure an appropriate clinical environment.

Please see Marriage and Family Therapy Fieldwork Manual for changing site(s) and/or supervisor(s).

It is important to know that some sites in VA require that you have been approved as a Qualified Mental Health Professional-Trainee (QMHP-T). When you have completed 30 hours of your Master’s program you may submit an application for the QMHP-T credentials.  While this is not an official policy, your application may be considered by the state. Here is the link to information about QMHP application for the state of VA.

Virginia QMHP information: view the “Regulations for Registration of Qualified Mental Health Professionals” PDF document.

Please see Marriage and Family Therapy Fieldwork Manual for the International Fieldwork Policy.

Students will apply through SimCare.

1. To access the SimCare application, students must first create an account using their Liberty University email address at:
   • SimCare Sign In
2. Once the account has been created, students may begin their SimCare application.
   • How to Begin LU SimCare Application Video
   • Students will complete all required sections of the application.
   • After adding a site supervisor, students will be prompted to select the Submit & Notify Signers button.
     • Please note: Selecting Submit & Notify Signers does not submit the application to the Fieldwork Office. Instead, it generates an email from SimCare to the site supervisor requesting that they complete their portion of the application and provide their signature.
     • SimCare Site Supervisor Onboarding Guide (PDF)
       • Students will not receive a notification when their site supervisor signs the application. It is the student’s responsibility to monitor the status of their application and verify that the required signature has been obtained to ensure they have sufficient time to complete the final review and submit their application before the application window closes.
3. Once the site supervisor has completed and signed their portion, students must return to the application, review all information for accuracy, and select Submit Application to send the application to the Fieldwork Office for review.
   • Important: The final submission must be completed before the application deadline. Applications cannot be submitted after the application window closes.
   • Students are responsible for monitoring their application, ensuring all requirements are completed, and meeting all published deadlines. Failure to finalize and submit the application before the application window closes will prevent submission, and students must wait for a future application cycle to apply.