Pre-Fieldwork

Practica is a component of your clinical experience that is intended to further prepare you to enter the field. You must accumulate a minimum of one hundred (100) clock hours of practica (pre-fieldwork) experiences prior to advancing to fieldwork and enrolling in PPSC 677A.

Fifty-five (55) hours of the one hundred (100) clock hours will be completed in the classroom as part of your required coursework for the program. For the remaining forty-five (45) hours, you will complete qualified practica experiences that will further foster your skill development and knowledge of the field. Please see the chart below for guidance on the practica experiences you will complete independently.

Submitting Practica Hours for Approval

Practica hours should be submitted for approval through the School Counseling Practica Hour Log at the end of each semester during which practica hours were completed. The hour log will prompt you to submit practica hours completed as part of a course to each respective course instructor for approval. Meanwhile, your submission of practica hours completed independently will be routed to the Office of Licensures and Credentialing for approval. All experiences submitted through the hour log will be formally reviewed to ensure they are qualified practica experiences.

Hours Completed Through Coursework (55 Hours)

A portion of the required one hundred (100) practica hours will be completed through your coursework. These activities are intended to enhance your academic knowledge and clinical skills.

Hours Completed Independently (45 Hours)

When determining how to earn the remaining 45 hours, you are expected to choose activities that foster your academic, career, and social emotional development.

Some examples of qualified practica experiences include but are not limited to: personal and career assessments; personal counseling experience in either an individual or group context; school-based programs serving parents and family members; community service programs serving children and families; and school related experiences such as “shadowing” a school counselor, observing classroom instruction, attending district and school based meetings, and mapping school-based community resources.

If you have questions regarding whether a specific activity would be considered a qualified practica experience, please contact the School Counseling Program Coordinator.

Successful completion of the following courses (or approved equivalency):

• PPSC 601: The Counseling Process (with a grade of at least 3.0)
• PPSC 610: Sociocultural Counseling & Intervention
• PPSC 685: Foundations of School Counseling

You are required to join a professional counseling organization in the first term of their program and provide proof of professional liability insurance.

Professional liability insurance is a common benefit provided to professional association members at little to no additional cost. Both the American School Counselor Association and American Counseling Association offer professional liability coverage at little to no additional cost to their student members. Please visit the specific association for additional membership and application information.

Pre-K-12 Track

• American School Counselor Association

College Track

• American Counseling Association

Combo Track

• American School Counselor Association
• Optional College-Aligned Organizations: 
  • NASPA: National Association of Student Personnel Administrators
  • NACADA: National Academic Advising Association
  • ACCA: American College Counseling Association
  • ACPA: American College Personnel Association

You are required to have a valid Certificate of Clearance for the entirety of fieldwork. Please visit www.ctc.ca.gov to obtain your Certificate of Clearance.

You are required to have a valid negative TB test for the entirety of fieldwork. Skin TB tests are valid for 2 years and chest x-ray exams are valid for 5 years.

When advancing to fieldwork for the first time, you will need to submit with your placement form a current curriculum vitae (CV) or resume, which should include information such as your educational background, courses completed, volunteer/work experience, pre-fieldwork and/or fieldwork experiences, conferences/presentations, skills, or professional membership(s).