Clinical Mental Health Counseling Practicum (COUC 692) – Online

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 (COUC 500)
  • Ethical & Legal Issues in Counseling (COUC 501)
  • Human Growth & Development (COUC 502)
  • Multicultural Counseling (COUC 504)
  • Counseling Techniques & the Helping Relationship (COUC 505)
  • Theories of Counseling (COUC 510)
  • Group Counseling (COUC 512)
  • Research & Program Evaluation (COUC 515)
  • Assessment Techniques in Counseling (COUC 521)
  • Psychopathology (COUC 546)
  • Clinical Diagnosis & Treatment Planning (COUC 667)*
    • *COUC students can enroll in COUC 667 as a co-requisite with practicum only if:
      • they enroll in the COUC 667 Intensive that occurs before or in the same month as the start date for practicum.
      • they are enrolled in a B-term online section of COUC 667.
        • If a student is enrolled in a D-term online section of COUC 667 the same semester they wish to take practicum, they will need to switch to a B-term online section or take the intensive version of COUC 667 or they will be denied.
    • Important note: The Practicum Office cannot guarantee COUC 667 will be offered as an intensive each semester.
• Additional Prerequisites
  • Background Check: You must purchase a background check through American Databank 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

Minimum Total Practicum Hours: 100

• Direct Client Contact Hours (PDF)
• Individual Supervision Hours (PDF)
• Faculty Group Supervision (PDF)
• Related Activities Hours (PDF)

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 Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Fieldwork Manual for the Telehealth and In-Person Counseling Policy. 

Video Recording Requirement

Please see Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling 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: sites previously used by Liberty University students

• On average, finding a site and supervisor takes at least three to four months.
• Students are allowed a maximum of two sites.
• All students must apply with at least one site that will allow them to complete their required 2 taped client sessions.
• 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*
• Church**

*School Site Requirements:

• Provide clinical mental health services to elementary, middle, and/or high school-aged students
• Use approved informed consent
• Store clinical counseling records of sessions

**Church Site Requirements:

• Have an established clinical counseling center and services
• Use approved informed consent
• Store clinical counseling records of sessions
• Student must inform the Practicum & Internship Office if they are a member of the potential church site

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
• Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist

Review the Practicum Supervisor Information before proceeding

The numbers below correspond to the order in which the documents will be uploaded in the SharePoint application:

1. Degree Completion Plan Audit
   • Located under the Degree Completion tab on the Course Registration page
2. Background Check Order Completion PDF
   • Students must submit their background check order completion PDF from ADB (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 American Databank (or CastleBranch) at the time of your application. If you have not purchased and completed your fingerprints through American Databank (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 that is sent to your email from ADB once the purchase 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.
3. Supervisor’s License Verification
   • Found on your state counseling board website.
   • Includes name, license number, issue date, expiration date, & current/active
4. Fieldwork Contract
   • On-Site Fieldwork Contract (PDF): an on-site supervisor is an individual who is an employed counselor at the site you are applying to complete your practicum
   • Offsite Fieldwork Contract (PDF): an offsite supervisor is an individual who is not an employed counselor at the site you are applying to complete your practicum, but has received approval to come on-site and provide supervision
   • Signed by student and site supervisor
     • 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 only 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.
5. Supervisor and Site Information Forms (PDF)
   • Signed by the site director, supervisor, and student
6. Digital Photo of Student
   • Professional photo, driver’s license, or student ID
7. 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.
8. Affiliation Agreement and Student Addendum
   • Cover Page: Completed by a site representative
   • 8-Page Agreement: Completed and signed only by legal signatory at site
   • 3-Page Schedule A & B (Student Addendum): Completed and signed by the student
   • Extensions will not be granted for Affiliation Agreement negotiations

Important Notes:

• The informed consent and how the site maintains records will need to be submitted with a copy of the Fieldwork Contract for potential school or church sites.
• All documents must be submitted as PDF files only. The order the documents are listed above is the same way they will be uploaded to the portal. The Affiliation Agreement will be uploaded as one 9-page PDF file. The Site and Supervisor Information Forms will be uploaded as one 2-page PDF file.

All approval documents must be submitted to the Practicum Office through the SharePoint submission portal prior to the deadline listed above. No late documents will be accepted. Submission of the forms 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.

Faculty Group Supervision is a requirement for passing practicum.

• Satisfies the requirement of group supervision.
• Occurs via live video for 120 minutes (2 hours) each week of the semester.
• Led by a Liberty professor and will include 8-10 other practicum students.

Time Preferences

• When applying for practicum, students must pick two different general time preferences.
  • The Practicum and Internship Office strives to place each student in one of their two selected time preferences. However, students are placed in preferences on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • The Practicum and Internship Office cannot guarantee the specific day or time Faculty Group Supervision will be held.
• Students will be placed in a section according to either their first or second time preference provided on their application.
  • It is your responsibility to accommodate your assigned meeting time, as our office will be unable to switch you.
  • Please do not try to drop/re-add yourself to a more preferred section, as students are unable to add themselves to the practicum or internship courses.

Choosing Time Preferences: Students will choose their two general time preferences by selecting weekday or weekend in combination with morning, afternoon, or evening based on the following timeframes.

• Weekday Morning – Monday through Friday, start time between 8-11:30 a.m. (EST)
• Weekday Afternoon – Monday through Friday, start time between 12-4:30 p.m. (EST)
• Weekday Evening – Monday through Friday, start time between 5-9:30 p.m. (EST)
• Weekend Morning – Saturday only, start time between 8-11:30 a.m. (EST)
• Weekend Afternoon – Not Available
• Weekend Evening – Sunday only, start time between 5-9:30 p.m. (EST)

NOTE: Times are based on Eastern Standard Time (EST). Please keep that in mind when choosing a preference if you live in a different time zone.

Students should communicate the above information with sites and supervisors during their interview process.

Please see Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Fieldwork Manual for changing site(s) and/or supervisor(s).

Students are required to purchase CORE for their practicum and internship. CORE replaced Tevera starting in Spring 2024. Please visit our CORE product page for more information.

For students who used Tevera previously, we recommend setting up your Tevera account as an alumni account. This is helpful for students who have graduated and wish to continue using Tevera for licensure hours tracking. Please find the training to set up your alumni account here: Setting your Alumni Status (tevera.com).

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 Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Fieldwork Manual for the International Fieldwork Policy.