CCTC Practicum Workgroup

Bob Hatcher
 

The CCTC (Council of Chairs of Training Councils) chaired by Bob Hatcher (the workgroup includes Kim Lassiter and reps from most of the CCTC organizations, such as CUDCP, NCSPP, etc) has produced two practicum-related documents. The first document is a definition of practicum and the second is a set of administrative recommendations for graduate programs in relation to practica. These documents are the result of lots of back and forth among the workgroup and then the CCTC itself at its semi-annual meetings.

CCTC Practicum Workgroup
Jeff Baker, APPIC
Sherry Benton, ACCTA
Beth Doll, CDSPP
Steve Dollinger, CUDCP
Kelly Ducheny, NCSPP
Kim Lassiter, ADPTC
Brian McNeill & Cindy Juntunen, CCPTP
Emil Rodolfa, ASPPB
Laurene Wilson, CCPPP
Bob Hatcher, Chair

Recommendations for Practicum Policies

The CCTC Recommendations for Practicum Policies document is intended to assist graduate programs in developing and/or modifying their policies regarding practicum training. Feedback is most welcome (robhatch@umich.edu). This document has a companion document, the CCTC Practicum Definition Document, also available on the CCTC website, at www.psychtrainingcouncils.org. The Practicum Competencies Outline may be accessed at this address as well.

CCTC Practicum Workgroup: Recommendations for Practicum Policies

Categories of Activities Constituting the Practicum
Keeping in mind our definition of the practicum as an educational experience under the auspices of the graduate program, we consider the practicum as comprising the following activities leading to appropriate competencies:

Direct Psychological Service Activities: These activities may include: Direct service to clients, including individuals, couples, groups, organizations, etc. Interaction/consultation with others on the client's behalf, including Other professionals within the practicum site, such as psychologists, physicians, nurses, social workers, and others. Professionals and systems external to the practicum site, such as current and previous providers, courts, schools, and physicians.
Parents, teachers and other caretakers.
Indirect Psychological Service Activities:
Observation of direct service activities.
Case Management: Record keeping and report writing related to these activities, client eligibility review, insurance documentation.
Coordination of treatment teams in the practicum setting.
Outcomes assessment and tracking.
Supervision of Service Activities:
Supervision Received: Supervision of direct and indirect psychological service activities by appropriately qualified staff and faculty.
Supervision Received: Formal peer supervision overseen by qualified staff or faculty. Training Activities:
Seminars/Educational Meetings as part of practicum program.
Other preparation: Including use of scientific and professional literature to inform direct service or other professional activities.
Presentation and Case Review: Including case presentations, record reviews and quality assurance activities.
Additional Professional Activities
Program development and evaluation.
Outreach
Advocacy activities
Provision of supervision to others, overseen by qualified staff or faculty.
Management/administration of clinical setting.

Educational Model and Curriculum Plan
The academic program's curriculum plan1, based upon its educational model2, should specifically address practicum training, detailing how the practicum helps to realize the program's educational goals. The plan should include an overall statement of the goals and objectives of practicum training and a description of how these goals and objectives are designed to realize those of the academic program. The curriculum plan should specify how the practicum is integrated with other elements of the program, and ensure that adequate forums are provided for discussion of the practicum experience3.
Administrative Policies and Procedures for Practicum
The academic program should have a set of administrative policies and procedures designed to provide a structure for achieving the goals and objectives of the program's practicum training.
Administrative policies and procedures should address the following:
For Practicum Training Overall
The design of the practicum and specification of required experiences. Across all students, policies should ensure that the sequencing, duration, nature and content of the practicum are appropriate for and consistent with the program's training goals and objectives4.

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¹ For purposes of integration and coordination, where relevant, reference is made in this document to CoA Guidelines & Principles for Accreditation of Programs in Professional Psychology ("Guidelines"); in this instance, Domain B, Section 3, p. 9: Curriculum Plan.
² Guidelines, Domain B. Sections 1 & 2, p. 9.
³ Guidelines, Domain B, Section 4, Paragraph b, p. 10.
⁴ Guidelines, Domain B, Section 4, Paragraph c, p. 10.

The selection of practicum sites consistent with the program's training goals and objectives5. These sites should:
Agree to provide training, including sufficient supervision, consistent with the program's training goals and objectives6;
The establishment of formal training contracts with these sites, including a procedure for specifying a clear, mutual understanding of the agreed-upon goals and objectives of the practicum experience.
The evaluation of the practicum training offered by the sites to ensure high quality experiences.
A process for planning, tracking and reviewing the practicum training experiences of each individual student.
Policies and procedures for addressing problems discovered in reviews of student and site.

For individual students, policies and procedures should ensure that: Each student has an overall written practicum plan that specifies training goals and a sequence of practicum experiences selected to address these goals. This set of experiences is designed to ensure that the sequencing, duration, nature and content of the practicum are appropriate for and consistent with the student's educational needs and goals7. This plan will reflect the program's training goals and objectives, and is expected to evolve during the course of the student's educational experience8.
Each student's progress is reviewed at least yearly (see 1.5 above).
Each student receives the training experiences specified in the practicum plan as implemented through the program's written training contracts with the practicum sites (see 1.3 above).
A clear process exists to provide each student with feedback throughout the course of the practicum regarding her or his achievement of the levels of competence expected in the plan.
Failure to achieve competence. Should a student fail to achieve competence in a particular area or areas, additional steps should be undertaken in accordance with the program's policies on remediation.
A central cumulative record is established for each student that contains the student's practicum plan, the activities undertaken in practicum as part of the plan, and the level of achieved competence as specified in the plan.
Feedback/review of the student by the site occurs at least twice during each practicum experience. This review will monitor the student's fulfillment of the practicum contract and level of achievement of the expected competencies. Students should receive direct written feedback regarding their performance.
Feedback is obtained from the student regarding the practicum experience and the site early and again later during the practicum experience, so as to assess the sites' fulfillment of the practicum contract, and to pursue changes needed in the event problems become apparent.

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⁵ Guidelines, Domain C, Section 3, Paragraph f, p. 11.
⁶ Guidelines, Domain B, Section 4, Paragraph a, p. 10.
⁷ See Guidelines, Domain B, Section 4, Paragraph b, p. 10.
⁸ The format for the plan could range from a document specifically written for an individual student, to an individualized plan created with a template based on program-wide training goals and objectives. The plan may well change as the student's goals and objectives evolve.

Defining the Practicum
The practicum is the first set of supervised practical training experiences in the sequence of professional training in psychology and is designed to meet the training goals of the graduate program. The practicum comprises all supervised pre-internship training experiences conducted under the auspices of the graduate program in settings providing professional psychological services9, 10. The practicum promotes the integration of academic knowledge with practical experience, and prepares the student for future training in professional psychology, particularly for the internship that follows. On practicum, students apply and extend the knowledge, skills and attitudes learned in the program's didactic and classroom-based experiential components to produce increasingly sophisticated levels of understanding and skill.
Goal of Practicum: Through the practicum, the student attains levels of competence in the core foundational and functional competency domains needed to make effective use of future training experiences in the practice of professional psychology, particularly the internship, as envisioned in the training goals of the graduate program11.
Objectives of Practicum: The practicum assists students in integrating academic knowledge with applied experience in settings providing professional psychological services, contributes to the development of competence in the basic skills of professional psychological practice, and enhances the effective use of training experiences. The practicum furthers growth of the student's identity as a professional psychologist.

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⁹ This definition incorporates supervised pre-internship experiences that some graduate programs call assistantships or externships.
¹⁰ Services include: Assessment, treatment, consultation, management and administration, supervision, advocacy, education, program development and evaluation. Service recipients may include individuals, couples, families, groups, organizations and communities.
¹¹ Specific guidance on practicum competency goals is available in the CCTC Practicum Competencies Outline and the Assessment of Competency Benchmarks, available at (http://www.psychtrainingcouncils.org/documents.html). Practicum administrative recommendations are available at this site.
Note: This version approved at the March 22, 2007 meeting of the CCTC.