Externship Program

Student Counseling Services offers a 16-20 hour/week externship for master’s level or doctoral students enrolled in Counseling and Clinical Psychology programs who have completed at least one prior therapy practicum. Dr. Megan GU, Ph.D. is responsible for the administration of the externship program.

The purpose of the externship is to develop students’ therapeutic skills and to familiarize them with a university counseling center setting. The externship requires 2-3 days per week, distributed as receiving two hours of individual clinical supervision, seeing 7-10 individual clients, serving as a process observer or a co-leader for a general psychotherapy group, attending training seminars, shadowing triage appointments, and attending to clinical documentation. The externship begins in mid-August and ends in mid-May. The maximum number of externship positions is determined each year based on agency needs.

Students are selected on the basis of previous clinical experience, recommendations of faculty from their home program, and personal interviews with the Student Counseling Services staff. Student Counseling Services follows ACEPT guidelines regarding application timelines, the interviewing process, and notification procedures. Interested persons are encouraged to apply by sending a letter of interest, curriculum vita, transcript (unofficial is acceptable), and 3 directly emailed reference letters to Megan Gu, Ph.D., Externship Coordinator at sgu12@ilstu.edu. Externship questions may be directed to Dr. Gu via e-mail or telephone (309-438-3655). Interviews take place during the spring semester.

The advanced practicum (“externship”) at Illinois State University is a security-sensitive position that requires a background check to verify that candidates have no criminal record that would preclude placement at Student Counseling Services. A background check is conducted following the formal offer and the outcome has the potential to preclude placement at our site. For more information regarding the criminal background investigation policy, please see Criminal Background Investigation Policy.