Do I need to secure my own field placement?

All field placements must be vetted and approved by our Clinical Director team. You may request a site for placement and our clinical placement team will assist with the qualification process. Additionally, our dedicated clinical placement team will work with you to locate an appropriate Northwestern-approved placement site. You may also request a site be vetted for your placement if you are interested in completing your clinical training there.

In the Practicum season, students can expect to spend a minimum of six hours and no more than 16 hours per week at their clinical placement site. They will complete at least 50 hours of direct counseling and receive close to 100 hours of group and individual or triadic supervision.

In the Internship season, students can expect to spend at least 16 hours and no more than 32 hours, with an average of 10 hours per week, at their clinical field placement site. They will complete at least 240 hours of face-to-face counseling and receive 85 hours of clinical supervision.

The Counseling@Northwestern field placement team will make every effort to find appropriate field sites based on each student’s needs, but the number of options for students who do not drive is limited. Not having a car may delay a student’s placement.

While it is possible to complete one of your placements at your current job, it must meet Northwestern’s criteria and the mission and vision of the program and be approved by faculty. This is to ensure that you receive the best clinical experience to meet your training needs. You can discuss this with the field placement team once enrolled in the program, but approval is not guaranteed.

Trainees can be placed up to 75 miles away based on site availability and program requirements.

Field placement hours must be completed during your site’s business hours to align with agency activities and client meetings. Field hours vary from site to site, but most agencies operate during regular business hours (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.). Hours may also be available later in the evening or on the weekend. As a counselor-in-training, you are required to adjust your schedule to accommodate both your site’s and your supervisor’s schedules. The more limited your availability is, the longer it may take to complete your clinical training requirements and thus, delay your graduation. 

Please note, the University’s course and supervision schedules take precedence over client and site schedules. We recommend you increase your availability during your Internship season to ensure a timely graduation.

Field placement is a critical part of your counselor education. If you are in the accelerated Standard Program, your field placement will begin in your first quarter and continue until graduation. If you are in the traditional Standard Program, your field training will start in your fourth quarter and continue through the end of the program. If you are in the part-time Standard Program, your field training will start in your seventh quarter and continue through the end of the program. Students can expect to start seeing clients at their placement site between weeks one and eleven in the Practicum year.