Skip to main content

School Counseling Internship

The next step in school-based experiential learning is the supervised Counseling Internship. In the internship, the student continues to work on developing individual and group counseling skills that began in the practicum but begins to engage in program coordination, consultation and other related classroom based or clinical activities. It is in the internship that a student has the opportunities to gain experience in all facets of work in a school counseling program.

Graduation Requirement

Students are required to complete a culminating assignment prior to graduation. There are two options: a Comprehensive Examination or a Data-driven Research project. The Comprehensive Examination is an opportunity for the student to communicate to the faculty that he/she possesses the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for being successful in his/her respective field of study. Students will answer carefully selected questions related to their field in a formal written narrative that will be submitted to a panel of faculty experts for a pass or fail grade. Students who are completing Internships may prefer to complete the Data driven-Research project. This practitioner-based option allows the student to create an action research project, conduct the research at a field site, analyze the data, and report on the study’s results. Either option occurs at the end of each program track.

Academic Integrity

The Westminster community places a high value on the creative and effective demonstration of knowledge through the written and spoken word. Students are expected to adhere to the highest standards of academic honesty in all aspects of their work. The College has an Academic Integrity Policy that all students are expected to understand and follow. The policy describes what academic integrity is and what constitutes violations of the policy. Breaches of this policy are viewed as serious violations and will be dealt with by sanctions including failure of the course and/or expulsion from the College. Failure to read policy is not a valid excuse for violating the policy. The Academic Integrity Policy can be found in the Graduate Program Catalog

Continuation in the Program

The Counselor Education program prepares school counselors to serve students, school staff, families and the community at large. To be prepared to work with these constituents effectively, students must be able to perform adequately in academic work, conduct themselves in an appropriate ethical, professional and interpersonal manner and be open for opportunities for feedback, personal exploration and growth. A student’s continuation in the program may be delayed if his or her academic or fieldwork performance, interpersonal or emotional functioning interferes with learning or the operation of the program. Student development plans may, at the discretion of the faculty, be required of students who demonstrate difficulties in these areas.

Disabilities

Students who desire some form of accommodation for a diagnosed learning disability or physical problem must inform their instructors at the beginning of each semester (within two weeks) as to the nature of the disability and type of accommodation requested. If the disability or physical problem is diagnosed during the semester, students should inform their instructors immediately of the problem and accommodations needed

Student with disabilities should also inform the Coordinator of Disability Support Services in the Office of Student Affairs, who is available to assist in evaluating the disability and to facilitate communication between the College and the student in considering special accommodations. The type of accommodation provided will depend on the needs of the student, the circumstances of the student’s classes, and the resources of the College. Because of limited resources, final determination of whether an accommodation can be provided will be at the discretion of the College.