On-Site Prac VS Off-Site Prac

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Can anyone give me some Pros and Cons to having one or the other? I come from a program with an on-site prac (our own counseling clinic open to the entire community). However, some places I've applied to only have off-site pracs. I'm trying to determine which seems most beneficial.

Thanks in advance!

I don't know that one is more or less beneficial than the other; both have their pros and cons, and in my opinion, a program should offer both types of experiences to truly allow for a solid foundation of training and knowledge in its students.

On-site placements such as counseling centers are generally great because they're easy (for you) to get to, generally have motivated populations (other than those forced by the school to attend), and will usually deal with less-severe forms of mental illness (key word = usually).

Off-site placements tend to offer larger varieties of patient populations, treatments, and work settings. They can be more stressful and frustrating, but they can also teach invaluable skills such as communicating to interdisciplinary team members, asserting the value of your services, and working with "difficult" clients who face multiple life obstacles (e.g., low income, lack of transportation, multiple health problems, non-existent social support).

It really depends on what each practicum offers. Some programs' on-sites are basic collegecounseling, whereas others offer services to the community and training in specific treatment manuals.

On-site can be easier for paperwork and flexibility (since you can drop into the clinic between classes), but that also means some people spend more time in the clinic because it is right there. Supervision and overall training can be good/bad at any site.

Originally Posted by ddsooner

Can anyone give me some Pros and Cons to having one or the other? I come from a program with an on-site prac (our own counseling clinic open to the entire community). However, some places I've applied to only have off-site pracs. I'm trying to determine which seems most beneficial.

Thanks in advance!

I am a little confused by your question, please see the bold font above. Also, please let me and others know if one of the following best represents your status:

1) Are you currently in a doctoral program or are you applying to doctoral program?

2) If you are in a doctoral program, are you applying to practicum or externships this year?

3) If you are not in a doctoral program, are you asking about whether it is better to enter a program that offers off-site and on-site practicum versus on-site alone?

Originally Posted by futurepsydoc

I am a little confused by your question, please see the bold font above. Also, please let me and others know if one of the following best represents your status:

1) Are you currently in a doctoral program or are you applying to doctoral program?

2) If you are in a doctoral program, are you applying to practicum or externships this year?

3) If you are not in a doctoral program, are you asking about whether it is better to enter a program that offers off-site and on-site practicum versus on-site alone?

I am currently in a Masters program working with doctoral students at the same on-site prac (the university's community counseling clinic). This doctoral program requires students to work at this site for the first 2 years(post masters). Third year students work at an off-site prac.

Is it better for students to enter a program that offers off-site and on-site practicum versus off-site alone.?

thanks!

I don't know that it makes any major differences on its own, but as a general trend it seems like nearly all of the good schools have required on-site pracs whereas most of the awful schools don't. There are exceptions to this of course, but I've only heard of a few non-professional schools that don't have in-house clinics. I don't think a single place I looked at seriously didn't have one. Not sure what difference it would make to internship directors, but it does seem exceedingly bizarre to me for a clinical program to completely farm out clinical training to folks not affiliated with the program. Even with tight regulation of what sites are options (which is also lacking at many places), you would think they would want someone internal keeping an eye on your clinical experiences and development and that seems difficult/impossible to do adequately when dealing with external sites. .

Originally Posted by Ollie123

I don't know that it makes any major differences on its own, but as a general trend it seems like nearly all of the good schools have required on-site pracs whereas most of the awful schools don't. There are exceptions to this of course, but I've only heard of a few non-professional schools that don't have in-house clinics. I don't think a single place I looked at seriously didn't have one. Not sure what difference it would make to internship directors, but it does seem exceedingly bizarre to me for a clinical program to completely farm out clinical training to folks not affiliated with the program. Even with tight regulation of what sites are options (which is also lacking at many places), you would think they would want someone internal keeping an eye on your clinical experiences and development and that seems difficult/impossible to do adequately when dealing with external sites. .

My program does not have an onsite clinic, but I'm really not sure how common this is among schools that are not free-standing professional schools. I think that not having an onsite clinic may be more common in larger cities (where multiple other resources exist for potential clients and for training), and at smaller universities that do not have students in other healthcare programs. I know our program has tried to set up an onsite clinic in the past, but when space is at a premium in a large city, and when campus resources are stretched (as they are at many places), it becomes difficult.

For the OP, check that the programs that don't have onsite clinics still have a good amount of oversight at the externship sites. My program only places prac 1 and 2 students at a few select sites where the faculty consult or where other strong relationships exist. We also have an externship director whose job it is to check in with all the sites, monitor the training going on, and provide additional supervision if needed.