Clinical Practicum Information

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY PRACTICUM
APPLICATION PROCEDURE and
POTENTIAL TRAINING SITES FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

This is a series of commonly asked questions about the Clinical Practicum in the Psychology Department. The list following these questions includes mental health agencies that have recently taken or have indicated an interest in taking Bridgewater State College undergraduates as Practicum students. The attached form at the end of this document provides a model for you to follow should you decide to fill out a formal application for the Clinical Practicum.

What is the Clinical Psychology Practicum and why do people do it?

The Clinical Psychology Practicum represents a unique opportunity for you to gain ‘hands-on" experience in the mental health field by working in a mental health or social service agency for undergraduate course credit. The Practicum is an excellent way to get live exposure to and experience with the people and psychological phenomena you have read about in your psychology classes. Possible placements include local hospitals, mainstream and special needs schools, drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, prisons, and child welfare agencies. It is possible to work with children or adults.

Most students who enroll in the Practicum are Psychology majors in their junior or senior year who are interested in exploring career options in the mental health and human service fields. The Practicum gives students a chance to "try out" working in the field, and to gain valuable experience prior to applying to graduate school or to their first job upon graduation.

What are the prerequisites for the Practicum?

Please be reminded that in order to qualify for the Clinical Psychology Practicum, you must have fulfilled several specific course requirements: Personality, Abnormal Psychology, and Clinical Psychology. Clinical Psychology can be taken during the same semester that you are doing the Practicum; however, the other two courses must be completed before you do the Practicum.

Now that I have decided I am qualified and interested, how do I apply?

The application procedure for the Clinical Practicum involves your contacting a site to express your interest, gather information, and if indicated, arrange an interview. Please note that you may have to contact several sites before you find the right "match" between your training needs and the resources and needs of a particular agency. This experience can be "good practice" for the job search that you will likely do when you graduate.

Once you have selected a training site (and they have selected you), you will need to fill out a formal application that will be reviewed by three people: the Practicum Supervisor, the Psychology Department Chair, and finally, the Dean of Arts and Sciences. This application must be approved by all three of us in order for you to enroll in the Practicum for B.S.C. course credit. At the end of this document, a model application is attached to guide you in filling out your application; and I will also be available to answer any questions you might have.

How many course credits will I receive for doing the Practicum?

Students typically enroll in the Practicum for 3 to 6 credits per semester.

3 credits translates to working at the agency for 9 hours/week over the course of the semester; 6 credits involves working 18 hours/week. Some students elect to do the Practicum for one semester only; others choose to be involved over the course of the whole academic year. Please note that while students are technically allowed to apply up to 15 credits of Practicum work toward graduation requirements, you cannot count more than 6 Practicum credits toward the total required credits for your Psychology major.

Can I get paid for doing the Practicum?

In short, no – you cannot get paid. The philosophy of the Practicum is that this is a learning experience, similar to a class. You are receiving academic credit for you work at your site, and your site is expected to provide you with training and education rather than financial compensation. Keep in mind, however, that once you have completed the Practicum, your site may choose to hire you as a paid employee, especially once you have graduated from college.

What are the on-campus, academic requirements for the Practicum – that is, what is required beyond my completion of a designated number of hours at a mental health agency?

In addition to completing a designated number of hours of training at your site, you will be required to meet with the Practicum Supervisor on a regular basis throughout the semester. This meeting typically takes the form of a weekly group supervision, in which you will have the opportunity to ask questions, get feedback, and reflect on your clinical experiences with both the Practicum Supervisor and your classmates who are placed at other agencies. The supervision hour is designed to be flexible and to respond to the needs of each particular group of students as they arise. In general, the group meeting has served as any and all of the following:

An intellectual bridge between students’ academic knowledge of psychology and their "real world" experiences in the mental health field

an informal support network in which students can discuss the stresses of clinical work, and "troubleshoot" with the supervisor and other students about how to address challenging situations at their sites

a place to explore mental health career options through discussions with the supervisor and through hearing about other students’ experiences in various clinical settings

Additional academic requirements for the Practicum include:

Keeping a journal of your experiences at your site, to be reviewed periodically by the supervisor.

Writing a brief term paper in which you reflect on and integrate your clinical experiences over the course of the semester. This paper can take the form of a "case study" of a particular client, a more general essay summarizing and discussing your experiences, or an exploration of a particular topic of relevance to your clinical experience.

POTENTIAL PRACTICUM SITES

The following list includes training sites that have recently taken or have indicated an interest in taking Bridgewater State College undergraduates as Practicum students. This list is not meant to limit your choices. Some students have discovered opportunities at agencies not previously connected to our Psychology department, and these placements have typically worked out well. Whether you choose a site from this list or find another training opportunity, the Practicum Supervisor will need to talk to your agency supervisor to clarify the details of your training prior to your making a formal commitment to the Practicum.

Please keep in mind that as the mental health field and individual agencies are perpetually changing these days, the specific training opportunities that are offered vary from year to year, even within the same site. Your goal in your initial phone contact/interview with a potential site will be to assess how well your interests, needs, and abilities match what that site has to offer. This is also an issue that you can discuss with the B.S.C. Practicum Supervisor during the application process.

Bay State Community Services, Quincy

Kathleen Burns (617) 471-8400

Brockton Multi-Service Center, Brockton

David Easton (508) 580-0800

Brockton/West Roxbury Veteran’s Administration Medical Center

Dr. David Mather (508) 583-4500 x1659

Burnell School (at Bridgewater State College)

Professor Sara Pheeney (508) 697-1200 x2222

ComCare

Stacy Glick (508) 747-0402

Corrigan Mental Health Center, Fall River

Cathy Karney (508) 678-2901

Department of Mental Health Crisis Center, New Bedford

Richard Detucci (508) 999-1248 or (508) 996-304

Family Continuity Programs (FCP), Quincy

Jill Forbes (617) 479-4069

Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Brockton

Linnaea Norris (508) 586-2660

New England Home for Little Wanderers, Jamaica Plan (Boston)

Carolyn Carter (617) 232-8610

Old Colony Correctional Facility, Bridgewater

Rick Pizzutto (508) 697-3360

Read’s Academy, East Bridgewater

Deidre Dowd-Pizzutto (508) 587-6862

Saint Vincent’s Home

Brandon Bouchard (508) 679-8511

Taunton State Hospital

Dr. Mitchell (508) 824-7551

 

[Compiled by Dr. Deborah Offner, 1998]