Write a 500-750-word paper discussing the following:
How and when you would begin to search for your practicum site.
What steps would you take to secure a practicum site?
What are the top two questions you would ask a supervisor interviewing you?
List how many total hours, based on the state you live in and GCU requirements that you will need to
complete your practicum. Discuss the difference between direct and indirect hours and how many you will
need of each during pre-practicum and following practicum course(s).
What documentation do you need to have in place before you begin your practicum?
Summarize your goals that you would like to achieve by the time you complete the practicum.
APA format is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.
Preparing for the Practicum
2
PREPARING FOR THE PRACTICUM
Preparing for the Practicum
I will start searching for a practicum in the second semester so that I can dedicate the
succeeding summer to it. Factors that I would consider when searching for it include my
preferences to different organizations as well as different content areas. However, I will
emphasize more on the preference for organizations rather than the content area as the approach
would help me stay open-minded by not seeking to specialize too early, and instead, gather
experience in multiple aspects. Again, I will consider my professional strengths and weaknesses
and look for a site where I would improve on my shortcomings while at the same time I would
be enhancing my strengths.
So as to secure my preferred practicum site, I will first ensure that I read thoroughly the
requirements of the organizations of interest and fulfill them. I will familiarize with possible
practicum sites early enough so that I can gain substantial knowledge about them. I will then
contact my practicum coordinator to whom I will share my views and request for information
that I could be missing. I would then develop a professional resume and take it to the institutions
of interest personally. This will give the institutions an impression that I am interested in
working with them.
The first most important questions I would ask the supervisor include the following: what
are the most important things am I likely to learn from my practicum in this organization? To
what extent do you supervise your students? Their answers will enable me fulfill the expectations
of my supervisor.
3
PREPARING FOR THE PRACTICUM
I will require 850 hours for the practicum to fulfill the requirements of my institution and
get the necessary experience. Since I reside in the state of Arizona, I would efficiently coordinate
between the practicum site and my university. The university considers direct hours to include
the time spent on interaction with clients and for assessments. On the other hand, indirect hours
include the time that would be spent on activities such as meetings, conferences, planning,
preparing for work and so on (Office of Field Experience, n.d, Pg. 13). I will require 100 hours
for the pre-practicum, 40 of which I will spend as direct hours, while the remaining 60 hours will
be allocated to other activities necessary. The remaining 750 hours will be allocated to the
practicum with an allocation of 60% to direct practice and 40% for the indirect part. Activities
carried out for all the hours will be documented in accordance to the regulations of the
University.
For the practicum, I will require the following documents so as to meet the university
requirements: a cover sheet, a form for the proof of professional membership, an
acknowledgement for the guidelines of the practicum, an information form about the practicum
site and the supervisor, a proof of insurance liability, a duplicate of the supervisor’s license, as
well as an application form declaring my interest to enter the practicum (Office of Field
Experience, n.d, Pg. 9).
By the end of the practicum, I expect to demonstrate professional growth and ability to
apply theories learned in classwork to practice (Grand Canyon University, 2015). In addition, I
will accomplish the following goals: identify and assess the needs of the community, plan and
engage actively in the achievements of the organization, engage in the context of the
organization through activities such as attending meetings and training sessions, review the
different approaches adopted by the organization for various professional tasks, articulate
4
PREPARING FOR THE PRACTICUM
reasons for the development of various interventions, express excellent communication skills,
and explore multiple areas so as to gain diverse knowledge regarding my profession.
References
Grand Canyon University. (2015). General practicum information
Office of Field Experience. (n.d). Grand Canyon University masters for addiction and counseling
practicum manual.
