Clinical Mental Health Counseling Internship (COUC 693/694) – Online

All prerequisite courses are non-negotiable and must be successfully completed prior to the start of internship.  

• Course Prerequisites
  • Orientation to Counselor Profession Identity & Function (COUC 500)
  • Ethical & Legal Issues in Counseling (COUC 501)
  • Human Growth & Development (COUC 502)
  • Multicultural Counseling (COUC 504)
  • Counseling Techniques & the Helping Relationship (COUC 505)
  • Theories of Counseling (COUC 510)
  • Group Counseling (COUC 512)
  • Research & Program Evaluation (COUC 515)
  • Assessment Techniques in Counseling (COUC 521)
  • Career Development & Counseling (COUC 522)
  • Psychopathology (COUC 546)
  • Clinical Diagnosis & Treatment Planning (COUC 667)
  • Counseling Practicum (COUC 692)
    • Practicum and Internship cannot be taken the same semester.
• Additional Prerequisites
  • Background Check: You must purchase a background check through American Databank within no more than one year before applying for practicum.
  • Fingerprints: You must purchase and complete your fingerprints before applying for internship.
  • GPA: Must have a 3.0 cumulative GPA by the posted application deadline

Minimum Total Internship Hours: 600

• Direct Client Contact Hours (PDF)
• Individual Supervision Hours (PDF)
• Faculty Group Supervision (PDF)
• Related Activities Hours (PDF)

Students should check with their state counseling board for internship requirements specific to their state.

Semester Requirements

• Students enrolled on a 2016-2017 DCP to present are required to take two consecutive semesters of internship. Each semester is worth 3 credit hours.
• Students enrolled on a 2015-2016 DCP and prior can choose to take one, two, or three consecutive semesters of internship.
• Internship officially starts the first day of Liberty’s academic semester.
• Internship is full-semester commitment.
  • Students are required to earn hours each week of the semester with the approved site and supervisor.
• Internship is an A-Term course:
  • 17 weeks during the Fall and Spring semesters
  • 14 weeks during the Summer semester

Telehealth and In-Person Counseling Policy

Please see Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Fieldwork Manual for the Telehealth and In-Person Counseling Policy. 

Video Recording Requirement

Please see Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Fieldwork Manual for the Video Recording Requirement.

Please note that all students are responsible to keep a record/copy of their verification of final hours form for licensure purposes.

Internship Opportunities

State Site Lists: sites previously used by Liberty University students

• On average, finding a site and supervisor takes at least three to four months.
• Students are allowed a maximum of two sites.
• All students must apply with at least one site that will allow them to complete their required 2 taped client sessions.
• Students are not permitted to do in-home/home-based counseling.

Types of sites that can be considered for internship:

• Counseling agency
• Hospital
• Private practice
• University counseling center

• Community services board
• School*
• Church**

*School Site Requirements:

• Provide clinical mental health services to elementary, middle, and/or high school-aged students
• Use approved Informed Consent
• Store clinical counseling records of sessions

**Church Site Requirements:

• Have an established clinical counseling center and services
• Use approved Informed Consent
• Store clinical counseling records of sessions
• Student must inform the Practicum & Internship Office if they are a member of the potential church site

Students are allowed a maximum of two supervisors.

• Please visit our site supervisor webpage for helpful information for practicum supervisors.

Examples of Approved Supervisors:

• Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
• Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)
• Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
• Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
• Licensed Psychologist (LP) with either a PhD in Clinical Psychology or a PsyD (all other Licensed Psychologists will be reviewed on a case by case basis

Examples of Supervisors Not Approved:

• Doctorate degrees that are not in the counseling field or are unaccredited
• Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) – with the only exception of the macro- or clinical- designations in the state of Michigan.
• Limited Licensed Professional Counselor (LLPC)
• Master of Divinity
• Pastoral Counselors
• School Counselors
• Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist

Review the Internship Supervisor Information before proceeding.

• Internship Application Checklist (PDF)

The numbers below correspond to the way the documents will be uploaded in SharePoint application:

1. Degree Completion Plan Audit
   • Located under the Degree Completion tab on the Course Registration page
2. Background Check Receipt
   • Students must submit a background check receipt that was purchased no more than one year prior to the date of their application.
   • The internship office will also verify that you have completed your fingerprints through American Databank at the time of your application. If you have not purchased and completed your fingerprints through American Databank, these will need to be completed by the time you apply or you will be denied approval for internship.
   • Only send the receipt that is sent to your email once the purchase of the background check or re-check has been made. Visit the background check website for further instructions on background check or fingerprints.
3. Supervisor’s License Verification
   • Found on your state counseling board website.
   • Includes name, license number, issue date, expiration date, & current/active
4. Fieldwork Contract
   • On-Site Fieldwork Contract (PDF): an on-site supervisor is an individual who is an employed counselor at the site you are applying to complete your internship
   • Offsite Fieldwork Contract (PDF): an offsite supervisor is an individual who is not an employed counselor at the site you are applying to complete your practicum, but has received approval to come on-site and provide supervision
   • Signed by student and site supervisor
     • The dates must match Liberty’s A-Term Semester dates. Check the Academic Calendar for the semester dates you will be completing Internship.
     • Please note: you must only fill out one fieldwork contract per site/supervisor. Students are only required to have one site and supervisor but may have up to two sites and supervisors.
5. Supervisor & Site Information Forms (PDF)
   • Signed by the site director, supervisor, and student
6. Digital Photo of Student
   • Professional photo, driver’s license, or student ID
7. Liability Insurance Face Sheet (PDF)
   • Students are required to purchase their own coverage for the duration of practicum and internship. The coverage requirements are detailed in the link above.
8. Affiliation Agreement and Student Addendum
   • Cover Page: Completed by a site representative
   • 8-Page Agreement: Completed and signed only by legal signatory at site
   • 3-Page Schedule A & B (Student Addendum): Completed and signed by the student
   • Extensions will not be granted for Affiliation Agreement negotiations
9. Telemental Health Training Certificate
   • Students must submit their Telemental Health Training Certificate completed in practicum.

Important:

• The informed consent and how the site maintains records will need to be submitted with a copy of the Fieldwork Contract for potential school or church sites.
• Students are required to apply with the full application for their first semester of internship, even if they are staying with the same site and supervisor from Practicum.
• All documents must be submitted as PDF files only. The order the documents are listed above is the exact same way they will be uploaded to the portal. The Affiliation Agreement will be uploaded as one 10-page PDF file. The Site and Supervisor Information Forms will be uploaded as one 2-page PDF file.

All approval documents must be submitted to the Practicum and Internship Office through the SharePoint submission portal prior to the deadline listed above. No late documents will be accepted. Submission of these forms does not mean automatic acceptance of the proposed site and/or supervisor; they must be approved first. Liberty University must validate that the student’s proposed site will provide a good educational experience and that it has adequate oversight and safeguards built in to ensure an appropriate clinical environment.

Faculty Group Supervision is a requirement for passing the internship.

• Satisfies the requirement of group supervision.
• Occurs via live video for 120 minutes (2 hours) each week of the semester.
• Led by a Liberty professor and will include 8-10 other practicum students.

Time Preferences

• When applying for internship, students must pick two different general time preferences.
  • The Practicum and Internship Office strives to place each student in one of their two selected time preferences. However, students are placed in preferences on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • The Practicum and Internship Office cannot guarantee the specific day or time Faculty Group Supervision will be held.
• Students will be placed in a section according to either their first or second time preference provided on their application.
  • It is your responsibility to accommodate your assigned meeting time, as our office will be unable to switch you.
  • Please do not try to drop/re-add yourself to a more preferred section, as students are unable to add themselves to the practicum or internship courses.

Choosing Time Preferences: Students will choose their two general time preferences by selecting weekday or weekend in combination with morning, afternoon, or evening based on the following timeframes.

• Weekday Morning – Monday through Friday, start time between 8-11:30 a.m. (EST)
• Weekday Afternoon – Monday through Friday, start time between 12-4:30 p.m. (EST)
• Weekday Evening – Monday through Friday, start time between 5-9:30 p.m. (EST)
• Weekend Morning – Saturday only, start time between 8-11:30 a.m. (EST)
• Weekend Afternoon – Not Available
• Weekend Evening – Sunday only, start time between 5-9:30 p.m. (EST)

NOTE: Times are based on Eastern Standard Time (EST). Please keep that in mind when choosing a preference if you live in a different time zone.

Students should communicate the above information with sites and supervisors during their interview process.

Please see Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Fieldwork Manual for changing site(s) and/or supervisor(s).

Students are required to purchase CORE for their practicum and internship. CORE replaced Tevera starting in Spring 2024. Please visit our CORE product page for more information.

For students who used Tevera previously, we recommend setting up your Tevera account as an alumni account. This is helpful for students who have graduated and wish to continue using Tevera for licensure hours tracking. Please find the training to set up your alumni account here: Setting your Alumni Status (tevera.com).

It is important to know that some sites in VA require that you have been approved as a Qualified Mental Health Professional-Trainee (QMHP-T). When you have completed 30 hours of your Master’s program you may submit an application for the QMHP-T credentials. While this is not an official policy, your application may be considered by the state. Here is the link to information about QMHP application for the state of VA.

Virginia QMHP information: view the “Regulations for Registration of Qualified Mental Health Professionals” PDF document.

In order for students to be enrolled in an additional semester of internship, they must complete the Additional Semester Request Assignments in their Canvas internship course. They will not apply through the SharePoint portal with the full application again. Only students who are currently enrolled in their first semester of Internship will request an additional semester.

• The assignments that need completed in Canvas are:
  • Internship Documentation Quiz
  • Liability Insurance Face Sheet
• If you plan to continue with your current, approved site(s) and supervisor(s), you will need to submit the following:
  • Fieldwork Contract (one for each supervisor/site)
  • Liability Insurance Face Sheet
  • Telemental Health Training Certificate
• If you plan to switch your site(s) and/or supervisor(s), you will need to submit the following:
  • Fieldwork Contract
  • Supervisor and Site Information Forms
  • Supervisor License Verification
  • Affiliation Agreement and Student Addendum
  • Liability Insurance Face Sheet
  • Telemental Health Training Certificate

As a reminder:

• Students enrolled on a 2016-2017 DCP to present are required to take two consecutive semesters of internship. Each semester is worth 3 credit hours.
• Students enrolled on a 2015-2016 DCP and prior can choose to take one, two, or three consecutive semesters of internship.

Please see Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Fieldwork Manual for the International Fieldwork Policy.

As you evaluate your individual licensure requirements and options for clinical supervision, we would like to make you aware of a potential independent resource. Motivo offers clinical supervision online through secure video conference as well as connections to in-person supervision.

Liberty University makes no representation as to the quality of service or eligibility of clinical supervisors. You must determine whether the services offered by this company are useful to you, and whether its use complies with your state’s licensing board requirements. Please be aware that this company is not affiliated with Liberty University, and Liberty University makes no determination or representation that use of these products or services complies with any state licensure board requirements.

By navigating to Motivo’s website, you will be accessing this independent company’s website and subject to whatever terms, conditions and policies are required therein.