School Counseling Internship Information

Candidates must apply for internships through the zero-credit internship application courses COSC 690: Gate 3.0/Internship I Application and COSC 691: Gate 3.5/Internship II Application. Candidates must contact Academic Advising to ensure the prerequisites are met and to register for these application courses.

• Please note: Candidates are required to take two separate internship courses for two separate semesters. Therefore, candidates are required to apply twice to apply for both internships.
  • Register for COSC 690 (application) for COSC 693 (course)
  • Register for COSC 691 (application) for COSC 694 (course)

These are two separate course requirements and require two separate internship applications. Internship applications close at the end of the term and do not roll over. Candidates wishing to take an internship in the fall must apply in the spring prior. Candidates wishing to take an internship in the spring must apply in the fall prior. There are no summer COSC 690/COSC 691 applications.

The following items are required for your internship application: 

• Updated Degree Completion Plan audit (available through ASIST) 
• Official score report for Praxis Professional School Counselor (5421) or state equivalent exam 
• Completed Placement Request Form with options for placement 
• Completed and approved background check 
• Professional liability insurance through the American School Counselor Association valid through the entire internship semester 
• A negative TB test or screening completed no more than one year prior to the internship semester end date 
• Additional forms (resume, letters of recommendation, etc.) 

If you have any questions, please email at scfieldplacement@liberty.edu. 

• The 16-week courses are delivered in a hybrid format, both online via Canvas®, a digital synchronous platform, as well as in-person training at a physical site for a minimum of 300 hours per semester for a total of 600 hours. Interns complete one module per week over the duration of the course. Interns are required to meet face-to-face with their site supervisor on site as well as face-to-face via digital synchronous platform for weekly group supervision and instruction.  
• In addition to weekly supervision from your Liberty faculty supervisor, interns will complete additional requirements including reviewing the School Counseling Program page, reviewing the Internship Manual, designated school district comprehensive school counseling program, crisis manuals, school improvement plans, school report cards, school-wide project, individual/group counseling, etc. 
• ASCA Membership/Liability Insurance  
• Recorded Individual Counseling session 
• Psychoeducational Small Group program
• Classroom Guidance Lesson Unit 
• Case Conceptualization 
• Site Supervision & Evaluation of Candidate Performance Advanced Internship Assessment (AIA)  
• Field Experience Summary (FES)
• Hands-On CPR/AED/First Aid Training Certificate
• Livetext to document direct and indirect service hours, site supervision, and faculty supervision hours
• Portfolio 
• Candidates are required to successfully complete the portfolio in order to pass the internship for each term. The Portfolio serves as their final comprehensive assessment.  
• You will be required to submit components of your portfolio during each semester of the internship. You will find a template for the portfolio in the Portfolio assignment in LiveText, once the semester begins; however, you may also begin your portfolio by following these steps: 

1. Log into LiveText
2. Click on the “LiveText Docs” tab in LiveText.
3. Click on “New”.
4. Click on the “Portfolios” menu under “VA: Liberty University”.
5. Click on “School Counseling Portfolio Template”.
6. At the bottom of the page, click on “Create Document”.
7. Title your portfolio.
8. Click “Ok.”

Please refer to the COSC 693/COSC 694 Internship manual for detailed descriptions of all required assignments.

• Approved internship sites are K-12 schools that are accredited public or accredited private schools. The school must have a school counseling office, a school counselor, and a comprehensive school counseling program in place.  
• Elementary sites include preK/K-5 or PreK/K-6 (housed in the same school building).  
• Secondary Schools include grades 6-12 or 7-12 (middle and high schools).  
• Students may not work with one grade level and count this as an entire elementary or secondary experience. Placements must be clearly documented as the required school levels (elementary school or secondary school) to be eligible for a K-12 license. This is a requirement of Liberty University’s M.Ed. School Counseling Program and is non-negotiable regardless of the state the student will practice in their future career.  
• Summer school programs or after-school programs are NOT approved as elementary or secondary accredited school placements. Hospitals, clinical counseling agencies, residential/group homes, or juvenile correction agencies that educate students while they are in the care of those facilities are not approved as internship sites. Students interested in these options should explore these clinical placements for practicum.

Please review the School Counseling Internship Manual for additional potential site and site supervisor requirements. Please email scfieldplacement@liberty.edu for additional questions/clarification of the requirements.