How to choose a therapy practicum site

Decide what you need to learn next

Before comparing agencies, write down what you want to be able to do by the end of the placement. Use your program's learning objectives and your most recent feedback. You might need practice introducing your role, organizing an intake, writing a clear note, or bringing a focused question to supervision. Take the list to your faculty or prospective supervisor and ask which goals fit this placement.

Separate a required experience from a personal interest. An agency's specialty may appeal to you, but ask what a trainee at your stage actually does there. Will you observe the work, participate under supervision, or mostly handle unrelated tasks? Ask who decides when responsibilities change and what evidence they use.

For counseling programs, CACREP 2024 Section 4.A, Entry-Level Professional Practice connects fieldwork support to the quality and variety of experiences needed for the program's specialty. That is a counseling accreditation standard. MFT, social work, and psychology trainees should use their own program's objectives rather than adopting CACREP requirements.

Find out exactly what program approval covers

Ask your field placement office how sites and supervisors are approved, which documents it needs, and when you may begin seeing clients. Confirm whether the approval covers the named supervisor, location, service format, and proposed duties. A site that hosted another student may still need review for your program or placement period.

Bring the proposed schedule and job description to that conversation. Ask who checks the supervisor's credentials and training, who signs the agreement, and who resolves a disagreement between school and site. Keep written answers with the placement paperwork. For each outstanding approval, note who is responsible and what still needs to happen.

In counseling, CACREP Section 4.G–J addresses the fieldwork handbook, written supervision agreement, site orientation, and program consultation. Those documents can give you specific questions to ask. For other disciplines, request the equivalent materials from your program. Program approval also does not settle every licensing-board condition; ask the relevant board about any separate issue affecting your intended license.

Ask how supervision works during an ordinary week

Meet the person expected to supervise you, if possible. Ask when supervision happens, whether that time is protected from other duties, what you prepare, and how to get help between meetings. Find out who covers an absence and how urgent concerns reach the designated clinician. An invitation to “ask anytime” needs a practical contact method and backup.

For social work, NASW Code of Ethics 3.01, Supervision and Consultation addresses supervisor competence, boundaries, and fair evaluation. CSWE's Field Education FAQ, “How often must I meet with my field instructor?” leaves supervision frequency and format to the program. Do not import another discipline's schedule as a universal requirement.

Ask for a description of a recent supervision meeting without client details: what material did the trainee bring, how was it reviewed, and what did the trainee practice afterward? Ask how that process would apply to a skill you want to develop. Discussing the supervisor's preferred theoretical approach can be useful, but also find out how they teach it.

Check how someone will observe and assess your work

Ask how the supervisor learns what happens in your sessions. Possibilities to discuss include live observation or approved recordings, alongside your account of the work. Confirm what your program requires, how client permission is handled, and which systems the site uses. Never plan to record on your own device simply to satisfy a school assignment.

CACREP provisions 4.C and 4.F include privacy-compliant recording or live supervision and formative and summative evaluation. For psychology, APA Ethics Code 7.06, Assessing Student and Supervisee Performance calls for an identified feedback process at the start and evaluation against relevant, established requirements.

Request the evaluation form before you commit. Ask how and when the supervisor provides feedback, how concerns are discussed, and what happens if the site and school assess your progress differently. A useful interview question is: “If I am struggling with a skill, what would the next few weeks of supervision look like?” Listen for the practice they would assign, the feedback they would give, and when they would review your progress.

Understand the client work you would actually receive

A site's general client population may differ from the cases it assigns to beginning trainees. Ask how referrals are screened, who decides whether a case suits your training, and how the caseload changes over the placement. Discuss any experience you lack plainly. Do not present an interest in a population as evidence that you are ready to work with it independently.

The 2026 AAMFT Code of Ethics 4.4, Oversight of Supervisee Competence, and 4.5, Oversight of Quality of Care Provided by Supervisees, addresses work within supervisees' preparation and oversight of the care they provide. This is an MFT ethics source, not an approval of any particular placement.

Ask what happens when an assigned client's needs exceed the support available to you. Who reviews the assignment, arranges consultation, or changes the plan? Also ask about access to interpreters, consultation on cultural questions, and training for the service formats you would use. Record the site's answers so you can review gaps with your program before accepting.

Test the schedule, accessibility, and cost

Put a proposed week on your calendar, including travel, supervision, documentation, required meetings, classes, paid work, and caregiving. Ask whether “flexible” means a choice of fixed days or a schedule that changes each week. Confirm evening expectations, term breaks, remote-work arrangements, and what happens when appointments are canceled. Your availability and the site's operating hours need to fit in practice.

Discuss access needs through your institution's process. The U.S. Department of Education's guidance, “When should I request an academic adjustment?”, advises requesting adjustments early and following school procedures. Work with the appropriate campus office and placement staff to determine arrangements; do not assume that a general accessibility statement answers your specific situation.

Ask about pay, fees, parking, required equipment, and other expenses. For social work, CSWE's FAQ, “Can I have a paid social work field education placement?”, permits paid placements under its standards while leaving employment-based policies to programs. That does not establish wages, employment status, or approval for your arrangement. Get the actual terms and review them with your field office.

Take a short question sheet to the interview

Ask for examples and documents during the interview so you can compare what each site offers. These questions can help you compare answers across placements:

If you can speak with a current trainee, ask about the routine they experience: whether supervision occurs as scheduled, how feedback arrives, and whether duties match the placement description. Avoid asking for client stories. A trainee's account is useful context, but confirm agreements with the people responsible for them.

Resolve the gaps before you accept

After each interview, write down what is confirmed, what remains unknown, and which answer would change your decision. A simple comparison can cover program approval, teaching opportunities, supervision access, schedule, cost, and accessibility. Keep required conditions separate from preferences so an attractive specialty does not outweigh a missing approval.

Send unresolved questions to the appropriate person. If the site cannot identify a supervisor, explain how you will receive feedback, or establish the support available during client work, bring that gap to your program before committing. Name the unanswered question and ask your program whether it must be resolved before you accept.

Once you choose, confirm the supervisor, start date, duties, schedule, and remaining paperwork in writing. Save the agreement and arrange an early check-in with the program or site to compare the placement you discussed with the work you are beginning.