Ph.D. Internship I (COUC 992)

• Background Check: You must purchase a background check through DISA Healthcare Technology within no more than one year before applying for internship.
• Fingerprints: You must purchase and complete your fingerprints before applying for internship.
• Must have a 3.0 cumulative GPA by the posted application deadline.
• Complete Prerequisites:
  • Supervision and Consultation (COUC 714)
  • Advanced Theory Application and Orientation (COUC 715)
  • Advanced Research Design (COUC 740)
  • Ph.D. Qualifying Exam (COUC 969)

Prerequisite courses and Qualifying Exam are non-negotiable and must be completed prior to the start of internship.

Hour requirements:

Please see the CES Doctoral Fieldwork Manual for hour requirements.

Students should check with their State Counseling Board for Practicum requirements specific to their state.

Semester Requirements:

• Practicum officially starts the first day of Liberty’s academic semester.
• Practicum is a full-semester commitment. 
  • Students are required to earn hours each week of the semester with the approved site and supervisor.
• Practicum is an A-Term Course
  • 16-17 weeks during the Fall and Spring semesters
  • 14-15 weeks during the Summer semester

Telehealth and In-Person Counseling Policy:

Please see the CES Doctoral Fieldwork Manual for the Telehealth and In-Person Counseling Policy.

Video Recording Requirement:

Please see the the CES Doctoral Fieldwork Manual for the Video Recording Policy.

• Internship 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. Email phdinternship@liberty.edu with any questions or concerns.
• On average, finding a site and supervisor takes at least three to four months.
• Students are allowed a maximum of two sites.

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.

Please see the CES Doctoral Fieldwork Manual for supervisor information.

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. 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.
4. 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 Notes:

• 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 Ph.D. Internship 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.

All applications must be submitted through SimCare. If you plan to change sites, do not begin your application until you have secured that site and received confirmation that the placement has been accepted by the site. Before applying, you and your site should have agreed to move forward with the placement and be prepared to complete and sign all required documentation.

Background Check and Fingerprint Results Requirement (for Counseling track only) – Before beginning your application, please verify that your background check is current and your fingerprint results have been completed.

*Background Check

• A current background check through DISA Healthcare is required before submitting your application.
• Review your Complio account to confirm that your background check is current. Background checks expire one year from the date of completion, so if your background check has expired or is scheduled to expire before your Internship term, you must complete a new one.
• Please review the instructions on the Background check website for more information.

*Fingerprint Results

• Students must also complete their fingerprints and ensure the results have been submitted to DISA Healthcare.
• Verify completion by checking your Complio account and confirming that both your background check and fingerprint requirements show as complete.

Important: Applications cannot be approved without a current background check and completed fingerprint results on file. If either requirement is incomplete, your application will be denied.

Affiliation Agreement Requirement (for Counseling track only)

• If your site does not already have an Affiliation Agreement on file with the Fieldwork Office, please have your site complete an Affiliation Agreement. If you are unsure whether an agreement is already in place for your new site, contact the Ph.D. Internship Office at phdinternship@liberty.edu before beginning your application.
• We strongly recommend confirming this requirement early. If the site elects to enter contract negotiations with Liberty University, the application process may be delayed. Application extensions will not be granted due to Affiliation Agreement negotiations.

Steps to Complete and Submit your SimCare Application

1. Create or Sign in to your SimCare Account – If you have not already done so, create a SimCare Account. Students must first create a SimCare account using their Liberty University email address to access the application.

• You can create or sign in to your account here: SimCare Sign In

2. Begin the Application – After creating/signing in to your account, you may begin the SimCare application.

• Review the How to Begin LU SimCare Application Video
• Complete all required sections of the application.
• Add your site supervisor when prompted.
  • After adding a site supervisor, select the Submit & Notify Signers button.
  • Please note: Selecting Submit & Notify Signers does not submit the application to the Fieldwork Office. This action sends an email from SimCare to the site supervisor requesting that they complete their portion of the application and provide their signature.
  • Please provide your site supervisor with the SimCare Site Supervisor Onboarding Guide (PDF) to assist them with the process.

3. Monitor your Application Status – Students are responsible for monitoring the progress of their application.

• You will not receive a notification when your site supervisor reviews and signs their portion of the application.
• Regularly check your SimCare account to verify that all required signatures and documentation have been completed.
• Allow sufficient time for your site supervisor to review and sign the application before the application deadline. If it has been longer than one week and you have not received a signature, please check with your site supervisor to ensure that they have received the SimCare email and give them a gentle reminder that their signature is needed.

4. Submit your Application to the Fieldwork Office – Once your site supervisor has completed and signed their portion of the application:

• Return to the application.
• Carefully review all information for completion and accuracy.
• Select Submit Application to send your application to the Fieldwork Office for review.

Important Deadline Information

The application must be completed and submitted before the application deadline listed above. Applications submitted after the deadline will be denied.

Students are responsible for:

• Monitoring the status of their application.
• Ensuring all required documentation is completed.
• Verifying that all signatures have been obtained.
• Submitting the application before the deadline.

Failure to finalize and submit the application before the application window closes will prevent submission, and students will need to wait until the following semester to apply.

Understanding Application Status Messages

“Complete Paperwork (PDF)”

• This status indicates that your application is incomplete and has not been submitted.
• You may be missing information, documentation, signatures, or final submission steps.
• In some cases, you may still be waiting for your site supervisor to complete and sign their portion of the application. If it is close to the deadline, or you find that you are still waiting for signatures for more than one week, please check with your site supervisor to ensure that they have received the SimCare email and give them a gentle reminder that their signature is needed.

“Clearance Tasks are submitted for review (PDF)”

• This status confirms that your application has been successfully submitted to the Fieldwork Office and is pending review.

We encourage you to begin preparing early, monitor your progress carefully, and submit your application well before the deadline to avoid any last-minute issues.

If you have any questions regarding applications or requirements, please contact the appropriate Fieldwork Office below:

• For questions about the application, application materials, or potential sites, please email the Ph.D. Internship Office at phdinternship@liberty.edu.
• For questions about the affiliation agreement, please email counagreements@liberty.edu.
• For questions about background checks or fingerprints, please email counbackground@liberty.edu.

During the application season, we kindly ask that you maintain professionalism in all communication with the Fieldwork Office. Please allow 48-72 business hours for a response to your inquiry. During periods of high volume, response times may be extended. Additionally, the Fieldwork Office is closed on weekends and holidays, so please keep this in mind when anticipating a response.

To help us serve all students as efficiently as possible, please send one email regarding your question or concern and allow adequate time for a response before following up. Sending multiple emails about the same matter can slow response times and create delays in processing requests.

Please see the CES Doctoral Fieldwork Manual for Changing Site and/or Supervisor information.