Graduate counselling internship guidelines

Program details

Application deadline
Tuesday, April 2, 2024 at noon

Positions available
1

Practicum duration
September 2024 - April 2025

Hours per week
Minimum 15 hours/week

Need more information?

Contact Laura Paetkau at paetkaul@camosun.ca or 250-370-3571.

About the Counselling Department

Camosun's Counselling Team is committed to supporting the mental health and well-being of registered Camosun students by providing professional, short-term individual and group counselling services. The students we support arrive at the college from a wide variety of experiences of identity, as well as cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. Our services are geared towards facilitating emotional and psychological wellness, removing potential barriers to academic success, and helping students to thrive during their studies.

We have counselling offices located at both Lansdowne and Interurban campuses and our service hours are weekdays 9am to 4pm (except Tuesday from 10:30am to 6pm).

Our Training Program

Student counsellors who undertake an internship placement with the Camosun Counselling team can expect to gain experience as a generalist counsellor. Student counsellors will be encouraged to develop their practice from a trauma informed lens, while solidifying the unique theoretical underpinnings of their work. Student counsellors will be supported to expand their understanding of the processes of change and emphasize responsible, competent and ethical considerations in their counselling practice.

Student counsellors will participate in activities and roles typical of college counsellors at the Counselling Centre. In addition to a primary supervisor, student counsellors will have the opportunity to draw on the support and knowledge of the entire counselling team. Student counsellors will also have the opportunity to see how our team members collaborate with allied professionals within the Department of Student Affairs and the larger Camosun College community.

Core Activities

• Orientation: [approximately 16 hours at start of placement]
  Student counsellors will participate in an orientation to the Camosun Counselling Department’s facilities and administrative procedures prior to the commencement of the fall semester. The orientation will occur in the first week of September.
• Counselling: [approximately 8 hours / week]
  The Counselling Centre is a training site for students already possessing advanced helping skills. Our work is based on a short-term service delivery model, though  student counsellors will have the option of engaging in ongoing counselling relationships (for example, meeting bi-weekly over a semester). Direct service will primarily include individual counselling sessions, with the possibility of taking part in group counselling, workshop facilitation and/or outreach.
• Supervision: [normally 2 hours / week]
  The Supervisor is a Registered Clinical Counsellor. Student counsellors will receive supervisory feedback on their counselling practice through direct video review. Peer support and case consultation will also take place.
• Case consult: [2 hours bi-weekly]
  Student counsellors are invited to attend case consult meetings.
• Indirect service: [3-5 hours weekly]
  Student counsellors will engage in various other activities including documentation, preparation for supervision, video review, consulting informally with the counselling team, and clinical readings.

Eligibility and Application Information

Internship Eligibility

Internship positions will be reserved for those persons who:

• Are graduate students currently enrolled in a Master degree in counselling or related discipline (with a clinical focus) at a recognized university
• Have successfully completed an initial counselling practicum
• Demonstrate advanced counselling skills and success in related coursework
• Can make a commitment of 8 months from September to April
• Demonstrate enthusiasm about participating in practicum core activities

Application Requirements

If you are interested in being considered for an advanced internship placement with us, please submit the following documents and information:

• A cover letter introducing yourself and your theoretical orientation. Please also describe your interest in, and suitability to, this internship site
• A current resume or CV
• Contact information for two references (one from a supervisor who has observed your clinical/practical experience and one from an Instructor/Professor who can comment on your academic performance).
• A recent copy of your university academic transcript

Email your completed practicum application package to Laura Paetkau at paetkauL@camosun.ca

Interviews and Selection Criteria

While we appreciate all expressions of interest in our advanced internship program, only students with previous counselling-related clinical and/or practical experience will be considered.

Candidate interviews will follow shortly after the application deadline. During the interview, candidates will be asked to discuss their interests and qualifications, as well as take part in a counselling session role play.

Qualifications assessed will include such things as:

• Related experience
• Counselling knowledge, skills and clinical approach or style
• Case conceptualization, theoretical framework and ethics
• Personal suitability (e.g. judgment, flexibility, sensitivity to diversity, openness to feedback, teamwork) and "fit" with our team