Students should be advised that a substantial amount of time is spent in fieldwork to meet practicum and internship requirements. Although most of the courses are offered online, the fieldwork experiences are in person and most commonly completed during daytime hours. Program completion is not typically compatible with full time employment.

Eligibility for enrollment in Practicum (COUN 601/602) and Internship (COUN 640) requires admission to the Counseling Program and completion of all prerequisites. Due to limited space, students must apply to reserve enrollment for both practicum and internship prior to enrolling in each of these courses. Students cannot register themselves for practicum or internship and may not enroll in more than 4 semester hours of internship credit each semester without prior approval. Students must reserve enrollment by emailing the instructor 6-months prior to the beginning of the semester for which they intend to enroll. These Practicum and Internship Reservation Forms are due a minimum of 2-months prior to the beginning of the semester. Only currently accepted students in the Counseling program, who are preparing to begin COUN 601/602, or 640, should complete the forms.

COUN 601& 602: Practicum Reservation Form
COUN 640: Internship Reservation Form

Clinical Mental Health Counseling

The Clinical Mental Health clinical field experience consists of a full-time practicum (COUN 601-3 credits) consisting of 100 hours, 40 of which will be in direct client contact and a full-time internship (COUN 640-6 credits) consisting of 600 hours, 300 of which will be in direct client contact. Clinical Mental Health Counseling students must take a total of 6 credits of internship over 2 semesters. The nature of this experience should be in a mental health counseling setting and similar to that of a regular counseling position, but with closer supervision. The field experiences will occur at the end of the training program, and the intern is expected to put into practice the knowledge and skills acquired in the program.

All prerequisites must be completed before students may enroll in Practicum in Counseling: COUN 601. Prerequisites are COUN 519, COUN 523, COUN 531, COUN 533, and COUN 541. COUN 634 is a co-requisite, meaning it must be completed before or during the semester of practicum. Students must have completed all required prerequisite course work, including practicum, prior to enrolling in Internship in Counseling: COUN 640. COUN 640 needs to be the last course(s) in your plan of study. A concise list of prerequisites can be found on the Practicum Reservation Form. Prerequisites are strictly enforced.

At least one (1) semester prior to enrolling in Practicum (COUN 601) or Internship (COUN 640), the student will obtain approval for an internship site from the appropriate field experiences instructor. A major criterion for selecting a site is the credentials of the agency’s on-site supervisor, namely possession of at least a master’s degree in counseling, psychology, or clinical social work, licensure in such discipline, and two years of experience working in the field. The student must send a resume and arrange a meeting with the potential site contact for an interview. The student, Site Supervisor and Faculty Supervisor, will then complete an internship contract once the site is agreed upon.

Clinical Mental Health Counseling students must pass the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE) prior to graduation. 

School Counseling

The School Counseling clinical field experience consists of a full-time practicum (COUN 602-3 credits) consisting of 100 clinical hours, 40 of which will be in direct client contact and a full-time Internship in Counseling (COUN 640) consisting of 450 hours, 180 of which will be in direct client contact. School Counseling students need 3 credits of internship per grade level endorsement (i.e. students seeking PK-12 endorsement must complete two 3-credit internships). The nature of this experience should be in a school counseling setting with responsibilities similar to that of a school counselor, but with close supervision. The field experiences will occur at the end of the training program, and the intern is expected to put into practice knowledge and skills previously acquired.

All prerequisites must be completed before students may enroll in Practicum in Counseling: COUN 602. Prerequisites are COUN 531, COUN 533, and COUN 541. COUN 634 and COUN 635 are co-requisites, meaning they must be completed before or during the semester of practicum. Students must have completed all required prerequisite course work, including practicum, prior to enrolling in Internship in Counseling: COUN 640. COUN 640 needs to be the last course(s) in your plan of study. A concise list of prerequisites can be found on the Practicum Reservation Form. Prerequisites are strictly enforced.

At least one (1) semester prior to enrolling in Practicum (602) or Internship (COUN 640), the student will obtain approval for an internship site from the appropriate field experiences instructor. A major criterion for placement is the credentials of the school’s on-site supervisor, namely possession of at least a master’s degree in school counseling, a school counseling endorsement, and two years of experience working in the field. The student must send a resume, and arrange a meeting with the potential site contact for an interview. The student, Site Supervisor and College Supervisor, will then complete an internship contract once the site is agreed upon.

For more information, please refer to the CSC Counseling Practicum & Internship Handbook.

For supervisor information and training, please refer to the following documents:
CSC Counseling Supervisor Handbook
CSC Counseling Supervisor Training

Before you can enroll in practicum or internship, you must have professional liability insurance. Please be sure that you have proof of insurance to show your professor the first day of class making certain the agreement lists your name as policyholder. You may obtain insurance from any provider; however, liability insurance is available at no additional cost with an American Counseling Association (ACA) or American School Counselor Association (ASCA) student membership.

Our program will now utilize the Tevera software system for Practicum and Internship paperwork (e.g., site agreements, time logs, skill evaluations, etc.), key assessment completion, and other essential tasks. You will gain access to this system through a one-time purchase. With this required purchase, you will have access to Tevera during your time in the counseling program and beyond graduation. This helpful resource will also allow you to access your clinical records after graduation and log clinical hours post-graduation to ease licensure/certification processes. 

MindTap delivers online homework that includes videos, assessments, study tools, and seamless access to the eTextbook. Many of our CSC counseling courses utilize Cengage MindTap. Currently, you will purchase MindTap for COUN 127, 133, 225, 235, 321, 323, 331, 520, 531, 532, 533, 534, 535, 541, 545, 630, 632, 634, & 637. Though these courses can change each semester, so please contact your course instructor for more information. 

Once admitted to the counselor education program, students must:

1. File a Plan of Study.
   Upon admission to the Counseling Program, you will receive an official plan of study from the Graduate Office. This plan must be filed between 9 and 18 hours into the program. In collaboration with your advisor, you must complete your plan and electronically submit it to the Graduate Office for approval. A signed plan of study must be on file before applying for graduation.
2. Apply for graduation.
   Candidates planning to graduate in December must formally apply before April 15th. Those who plan to graduate in the spring must point before November 15th. Students who plan to graduate in the summer (with the option to participate in December commencement) must file before June 1st. A link to the application can be found in your MyCSC To-Dos.
3. Complete a Graduate Counseling E-Portfolio.
   The counseling e-portfolio is an electronically submitted compilation demonstrating your ability to create a holistic, summative expression of how the counseling program has prepared you to enter the counseling profession. You will submit a completed electronic portfolio to your advisor by the midterm of the semester of graduation. An incomplete portfolio will NOT be accepted and could postpone graduation. Instructions for the Counseling E-Portfolio are in the appendices of your Graduate Counseling Handbook.
4. To graduate, school Counseling students must pass the Praxis Subject Assessment Professional School Counselor (5422).
   This assessment must be completed as a graduate exit exam. It is also required for Nebraska School Counseling endorsement. Follow this link to find an ETS study guide. Further information on school counselor endorsement may be obtained from the Chadron State College Certification Office, dperkins@uupt.net, at 308-432-6032.
5. All graduate programs are under the auspices of Chadron State College Graduate Studies. Students are responsible for becoming familiar with the policies and regulations of Graduate Studies. For this reason, students are required to access the Chadron State College Graduate Catalog.

Nebraska Student Loan Program for Graduate-Level Mental Health Students

Applications are accepted April 1 through June 1 of each year. Please visit the Nebraska Office of Rural Health website for more information

Graduate Assistantships

A limited number of on-campus Graduate Assistant employment opportunities are available for students enrolled in a graduate degree program at Chadron State College. Assistantships offer assignments designed to provide opportunities for supervised educational experiences at the graduate level.

Financial Aid

Financial aid is any type of funding used to help pay for school. This can include scholarships, grants, student loans and Work Study.

Contact:
Email: start@uupt.net
Phone: 308-432-6060
Location: Crites Hall 114

Students in the Counselor Education program are held to a higher standard due to anticipated interaction with clients and community members. As prospective counselors, you are expected to represent the College as professionals and adhere to the ethics and standards of the counseling profession. In addition to the Student Code of Conduct, the following Professional Dispositions apply to all students in the Counseling Program before, during, and after your Field Experiences. The standards address affective attributes and general dispositions attributed to a counselor. A corresponding Professional Dispositions Rubric provides further guidance. For more detailed information, please refer to the Counselor Education Student Handbook