Internship Frequently Asked Questions

Who sets up my internship?

Students have the responsibility to arrange their own internships, although we do provide resources that will help you find an appropriate placement. You should begin your search for a placement by consulting our Compendium of Internship Sites on this Website. The placements listed in the compendium are not pre-approved. You are also free to identify other sites, if you have particular professional interests that you wish to pursue, but you must get the approval of the Internship Seminar instructor before finalizing internship arrangements with the site. The Internship Guide, also on this website, will give you more detail about the requirements for internships and supervision.

Where can I learn more about internship sites?

In addition to reviewing the compendium on this website and perhaps contacting sites to discuss their services and programs, you may consult some literature on the sites we keep within the faculty. A bankers box on the shelves of the graduate student lab (room 369) contains leaflets from many sites as well as comments on the sites from past interns. Please do not take these materials away from the lab—they're for consultation by all M.Ed. Counselling students.

Can professional development include workshops etc. not directly arranged by my placement?

Yes

Do Psycho-educational group hours count as direct contact?

Yes, but you must also be doing counselling.

Does my preparation for the supervision seminar (for example when I'm presenting a case) count as general hours?

Yes

Can I keep doing internship hours between winter and spring terms?

No, EXCEPT in the case of the schools. In these cases, you must get permission from the Spring Internship supervisor on campus. Your winter supervisor will supervise you in the interim period from early April to the beginning of May. In this case, you will bank extra hours in the winter semester to cover you for the spring one. This is the only case when you can do that.

If I do a school placement in the spring do I need to come to the seminar in July?

Yes.

Can I extend my internship beyond the end of the term?

Only as far as the end of the exam period. You must then stop doing hours.

Can I bank hours in my first internship to lessen the load in the second?

No, except in the case of winter school placements.

What activities count as internship hours on site when I'm not in supervision or direct client contact?

All the activities that a professional counsellor would do on site as part of her or his job. This may include reviewing the professional literature—that is, doing class readings.

Do the 3-hour seminar hours count?

Yes, they count as two and a half supervision hours and are part of your 200 hour total.

When does the spring/summer term end?

13 weeks after start of May – towards end of July or first of August.