Field Training

Counseling@NYU gradually builds your skills through an online counseling lab as well as practicum and internship experiences near your community.

While enrolled in the program, you will prepare for your practicum and internship experiences by completing a counseling lab in individual counseling practice. The lab pairs you with a classmate who will role-play various counseling scenarios with you online. Your professor will provide feedback on your performance to help you develop counseling microskills and build your overall confidence.

Clinical training is central to the development of all aspiring counselors. It provides the opportunity to apply the theories learned in the classroom to a real-world setting. You will observe, develop key counseling skills, and practice the tasks of a professional counselor.

All students must complete a 100-hour practicum and a 600-hour internship under the supervision of a licensed or certified counselor. School counseling students will complete their practicum and internship under the supervision of a certified school counselor. Mental health and wellness counseling students will complete their practicum and internship hours under the supervision of a licensed mental health counselor. The approximate timing of practicum and internship placements for each program is detailed below:

School Counseling
The practicum provides you with an initial experience in a school (e.g., elementary, middle, or high school). You must complete 8-10 hours per-week (100 hours per-term) under the direct supervision of a licensed or certified school counselor. The practicum experience provides you with the opportunity to observe what a school counselor does and start to practice directly with clients. You will complete 40 hours of direct practice as part of your 100-hour practicum.

Mental Health and Wellness Counseling
The mental health and wellness practicum provides you with experience in a mental health setting. You must complete 8-10 hours per-week (100 hours per-term) under the supervision of a licensed mental health counselor. This experience allows you to observe a mental health counselor and gain introductory skills through 40 hours of direct practice as part of the 100-hour practicum.

In addition to the on-site field training, you will be enrolled in a practicum seminar class.

As a student, you will train at the same site throughout two terms to complete the 600-hour internship (300 hours per term). You must train for a minimum of three full days or 19 hours per week – in each consecutive internship term – under the direct supervision of a licensed or certified counselor. During your internships, you will complete 240 hours of direct practice. Note: School Counseling students will be placed in two different sites simultaneously to comply with K-8 and 9-12 requirements.

Through Counseling@NYU, you will work with a dedicated placement team to secure an appropriate placement within a 75-mile radius of your preferred placement address. All placement sites are approved by NYU.

All students should plan to attend placement Monday through Friday. School counseling students are expected to work during regular school hours, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., in accordance with your school site supervisor’s schedule.

Mental health counseling students are expected to be available during regular business hours, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., in accordance with your placement supervisor’s schedule.

We are unable to arrange for placement schedules to occur exclusively during evening or weekend hours. You are required to adjust your schedule to be in accordance with your supervisor’s schedule to ensure completion of placement hours and clinical responsibilities.

The placement team is responsible for securing a placement that meets your program requirements. There are a variety of experiences that will assist in developing your clinical skills and competencies for the program, graduation, and future licensure/certification. Your placement sites are not guaranteed to align with your areas of interest. Students can talk to their instructor to determine if there may be an opportunity to integrate their interest area at their placement, if possible.

Students cannot complete field placement outside of the continental United States or Hawaii. Students will not be placed internationally, including on US military bases or in US territories. Students living abroad with an upcoming placement term will need to relocate to the continental United States or Hawaii in order to be assigned a placement.

Due to the nature of the placement, students are not able to complete their placement hours at their current place of employment. Students cannot work with clients with whom they currently have other relationships or have the potential to have other relationships. With little opportunity to differentiate the placement client base, it is challenging to meet program requirements and direct client hours to successfully complete placement at a work-site.