Counseling Internships and Field Experience

All counseling students engage in field study beginning in their second term during the first practicum course and continue, almost every semester, throughout the rest of their course of study.

Internships require time at sites under the supervision of a professional and small and large group supervision on campus with program faculty. Field experiences and internships require successively more complex tasks and performance and may require recordings that are reviewed by supervisors and peers for assessment, feedback and professional development.

All interns are required to carry professional liability insurance coverage throughout their field experiences. Such coverage may be available as a benefit of membership in professional associations or is available for purchase at reasonable rates for students. Contact the state or national associations for more information.

Many field experience sites have prior selection processes and background checks as well as fingerprinting. Most will require an orientation. It is important to meet with the Department of Counseling clinical coordinator early in the semester before each internship for an interview to determine interests, availability and appropriate fit.

Field Experience Links

Information about Clinical Mental Health Counseling field experiences are available through 

Yaro Garcia, Clinical Coordinator, or Deb Harper, Officer Manager, and counselingprogram@fgcu.edu

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 Internship Deadlines - Fall

Students who would like to request a change of site placement for the spring semester must make contact with the program by Oct. 5 and secure a placement with the new site by Nov. 10. 

Students should not contact sites or make arrangements without first consulting the clinical coordinator and/or department faculty. 

• Student must submit their choice of sites for fall by March 15.
• Students are expected to have made contact with the approved site selections by April 30.
• Placement must be secured by May 30 or a placement cannot be guaranteed. 

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Where Do Our Students Do Internships?

School Counseling

• Lee County Schools
• Collier County Schools
• Charlotte County Schools
• Sarasota County Schools

Clinical Mental Health (Sample)