Counselling Practicum Placements
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ATHABASCA UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE Counselling Practicum Placements The Counsellor Educators’ Perspectives by Heather Lynn. Abbott Demish Campus Alberta Applied Psychology: Counselling Initiative In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTERS OF COUNSELLING Alberta May 2005 DEDICATION This is dedicated to my children, Samantha and Brandon, and my parents, Charles and Darlene, who have supported and encouraged me throughout the completion of this Master’s program. Thank you for your inspiration and your love. i ii iii ABSTRACT Supervised practice for master’s level counselling students during a practicum is often considered a critical aspect of counsellor education training, yet, little is known about the processes used to acquire high quality practicum placements. The research here sought Canadian counsellor educators’ perspectives on the barriers faced in acquiring high quality practicum placements and recommendations for facilitating high quality practicum placements. An electronic survey was distributed to 156 members of the Canadian Counselling Association Education Chapter. The data was analyzed through the use of frequency analysis and a thematic approach. Barriers that were identified in placing counselling students in high quality practicum settings were: government policies, agency policies, lack of high quality practicum sites available, and lack of qualified supervisors. A systemic framework for conceptualizing the practicum/internship system is utilized to discuss the literature and the results. Future research suggestions are offered. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge and thank my supervisor Dr. Vivian Lalande for her time and effort in assisting me in seeing this project through, I am grateful for her guidance and her commitment to the process. I would also like to acknowledge and thank the many Campus Alberta faculty members and staff who are dedicated to supporting students in their academic journey. And of course, I would like to extend my thanks to the many wonderful students and friends in the Campus Alberta pilot group, particularly Katya Roubina and Patricia Hannigan for their support and friendship over the years. You have enriched my journey and lightened the load. I also wish to extend my gratitude to my treasured and closest friends, Wendy, Anne, and Rhonda, for their endless support and friendship and of course, to my family for being so wonderful and patient while I embarked upon this journey. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Dedication i Approval ii Abstract iv Acknowledgements v Table of Contents vi CHAPTER I – INTRODUCTION General Introduction and a Practicum Definition 1 The Importance of Practicum Training and Rationale 2 Purpose of the Study 5 CHAPTER II – LITERATURE REVIEW The Practicum as a System; Pitts and Miller’s (1990) PIS 6 Student Subsystem 10 Student Impairment and Student Incompetence 12 Preventing and Addressing Student Problems in the PIS 12 Initial Screening to Prevent Student Impairment 13 Student Readiness for Practicum 15 Preparing Students for Practicum 17 Student Monitoring and Evaluation During Practicum 18 When Student Impairment/Incompetence Continues 19 Fear of Litigation 21 Summation of Student Issues in the PIS 21 Faculty Subsystem 22 vi Faculty and Practicum Coordinator Roles 23 University Subsystem 26 Distance Masters of Counselling Education Programs 27 Placement Setting Subsystem 28 Quantity and Availability of Placement Sites 30 Quality of Supervision 30 Training of Supervisors 31 Counselling Profession Subsystem 33 CCA Council on Accreditation of Counsellor Education Programs (CACEP) 34 CPA (2002a) and Regional Licensing Requirements 35 Jobs and Potential Placement Sites 35 Codes of Ethics 36 Socio-Cultural Political Subsystem 37 Privacy Laws 37 Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada (CFHCC) 38 Summary 40 Summary of the Literature Review 42 CHAPTER III – METHODOLOGY Sample and Participants 46 Data Collection 46 Theoretical Orientation and Procedures for Data Analysis 47 CHAPTER IV – RESULTS Quantitative Analysis 51 vii General Counselling Program Information 51 The Nature of the Practicum 52 Summary of the Quantitative Results 54 Qualitative Analysis 54 Government Regulation and Policies 55 Agency Policies 57 Quality and Quantity of Placement Settings 58 Quality and Quantity of Supervision 60 Faculty and/or Practicum Coordinator 63 Accreditation 64 Summary of Qualitative Results 65 CHAPTER V – DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSIONS Discussion and Implications 67 Strengths and Limitations 74 Recommendations for Future Research 75 Conclusion 78 REFERENCES 81 APPENDIX A 87 APPENDIX B 91 APPENDIX C 92 APPENDIX D 95 APPENDIX E 102 APPENDIX F 104 viii ix x CHAPTER I: Introduction General introduction and a practicum definition Currently in Canada there are 20 universities that offer a master’s degree in counselling psychology and/or educational psychology (CanLearn, 2004; Peterson’s Guides, 2005). Essential to all of these professional counsellor education programs is the provision of high quality supervised counselling experiences in a placement setting whereby a student gains the competencies and the skills necessary to become a proficient counsellor. In fact, Johnson and Stewart (2000) maintain that most psychologists would state the most important aspect of graduate training is the quality and quantity of clinical supervision received. The Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) (2002a) defines the practicum as a field training experience to assist students in acquiring and applying psychological skills and techniques to a variety of client problems and populations. Practicum training begins early in graduate training and is usually integrated with didactic instruction via coursework (CPA, 2002a) and provides a means for students to acquire skills and to begin to identify with the profession. The CPA (2002a) further elaborates that student practicum experiences are coordinated by “… a core faculty member or by an adjunct professor associated with the practicum setting” (43) and that masters level students are supervised by practitioners registered for independent psychological practice in the corresponding jurisdiction (CPA, 2002a). According to the CPA (2002a), at this early stage of training, frequent access to supervision is required and faculty and site supervisors should be in regular contact with one another. In Canada, the Canadian Counselling Association (CCA) accredits master’s level counselling programs and outlines accreditation guidelines and procedures for master’s level counselling programs to adhere to through the Canadian Accreditation of Counselling Education Programs (CACEP) standards (CCA, 2005a). CACEP sets very specific standards and guidelines for the 1 supervised practice experience during practicum and these particular guidelines are included in Appendix A. The practicum guidelines cover supervision, client hours, counselling activities, evaluation, activities and settings. The CCA introduced the accreditation standards in 2003 and to date, there are no accredited programs, likely because it was so recently introduced (Lalande, 2004). In regards to the practicum, CACEP states, “Clinical instruction includes supervised practice completed within a program of study. Practicum requirements are considered to be the most critical experiences of the program” (CCA, 2005a, Supervised Practice, ¶ 1). Throughout this project, references will be made to the CACEP accreditation standards as it provides a national framework and focus for practicum placements in Canada. For the purpose of this research project, a practicum will refer to supervised field experiences (by a host and faculty supervisor) whereby master’s of counselling psychology students apply and develop psychological knowledge and skills in assessment and interventions with a variety of clients and populations at a particular practicum placement site for a specified amount of time in fulfillment of their master’s program requirements and in preparation for their professional roles. The importance of practicum training and rationale Practicum training in a counselling education program is critical for many reasons: the student, the clients, counsellor educators and the profession. Roe (2002) stated acquiring academic competence in knowledge, skills and attitudes are necessary but not sufficient; thus to train competent practitioners, the knowledge, skills and attitudes must be applied to performance in training. During a practicum, counselling students can effectively link theory to practice. The practicum experience for some students may also constitute “an important part of the practical experience that they will gain prior to applying for a professional position” (Pitts, 1992, Orientation and Application, ¶ 2) and may be regarded as “an integral part of the students’ vita building process” 2 (Pitts, 1992, Orientation and Application, ¶ 2). The development of a professional identity also begins during a practicum experience. For example, although referring to the internship, Kaslow and Rice (as cited in Pitts and Miller, 1990) describe the internship as an important part of training which impacts a student’s professional identity. Thus the quality and the nature of the practicum/internship experiences are critical in supporting healthy and integrated emerging professional identities. In terms of the counsellor educators’ roles in acquiring high quality practicum placements, Custer (as cited in Jordan, 2002) states, it is the