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Counselor Education Program

School Counseling

Internships

IPFW has internship agreements with several school systems in northeastern Indiana. All school-counseling students participate in an internship in order to sharpen their ability to apply skills in school settings and increase their eligibility for employment.

The school counseling internship is designed for students’ field experiences. The rationale is to provide school counseling students with practical "on-the-job" experience in an approved school setting. At this site, school counseling interns become involved in activities and roles in which a practicing school counselor serves as students’ immediate supervisor.

The designated supervisor (preferably in a School Corporation) must be a person who holds a Master’s or higher degree, and also possesses work experiences above and beyond the level for which students are seeking.

The scope of activities and roles with which interns become involved would, in part, be at the discretion of the on-site supervisor. Such experiences, however, must be designed in accordance with the developmental and competency levels of student interns.

Furthermore, learning activities designed for students, for the most part, are to conform to the prescriptions of activities stated on students’ "log sheet," and as delineated in the Counselor Education Manual.

Unlicensed interns will spend a school-year in their field placement, along with enrolling in two concurrent internship courses (G550 & G551). In the fall term, interns will sign up for G550, and in the spring, G551. As such, unlicensed students are advised to register for the internship course for both semesters. Licensed interns are required to register and pay a one-time fee for the internship course during the second half of the academic year (i.e., spring term).