Upon reaching this page students should have already reviewed the Pre-Practicum Information in the  and have a full overview of what is to come. If you haven’t reviewed the Pre-Practicum Section, please review this section as it gives you a full understanding of the roadmap to follow 12 months prior to beginning your practicum through to successfully applying for your practicum.
The Director of Field Training must officially approve all practicums before a student can begin their placement.
When searching for a practicum site, it is important that students recognize their level of competence and look for practicum sites that will provide them with an entry-level counselling experience in general mental health settings.
The search for a practicum opportunity can at times be anxiety-inducing. It is important to realize that it is not uncommon, depending on your area, to have to apply to upwards of 30+ sites to secure one spot. It takes hard work. Not securing a spot does not necessarily mean that you are doing anything wrong. It is also a matter of fit, availability and timing.
For this reason, the way you approach your search is critical. You should absolutely be tracking your search with dates, notes, and other important details. This will allow you to reflect on what you have accomplished so far, provide direction and focus, and help you to time your follow up. For sites that have their own application dates, your tracking sheet will ensure you don’t overlook applying on time. We have provided a tracking sheet for you to use. This resource was developed by the YU Field Training team based on our experience and knowledge about the practicum search process and the type of information that is necessary for students to track.
Try hard not to feel discouraged if your initial attempts are not successful. Remind yourself this is a process that requires persistence and a positive attitude. However, if you find that after contacting 30+ sites you have no success, it may be time to check in with your Practicum Advisor to review your situation. Please be aware, one of the first things your Practicum Advisor will ask for is a copy of your up-to-date tracking sheet, cover letter and resume. This will be important information for them to have in order to assist you.
The requirements for an individual to be approved as a site and/or external supervisor of MACP Practicum students have been changed. The current requirements for practicum supervisors are listed below, beginning January 1, 2022.Â
The supervisor can practice counselling independently.
Qualifying and/or Provisional status will NOT meet MACP supervisor requirements.
• Current CV or Resume, that includes specific information on completed training, continuing education, workshops, or directed learning in providing clinical supervision.
• Copy of current professional registration, licensure, or certification.
Yorkville University’s MACP Practicum Portal Site Locator is a list of sites that have previously hosted Yorkville students and have indicated they are willing to have their agency or organization be approached by future students seeking placement. It is possible that some of these sites no longer meet current practicum site requirements; or, are not able to offer placements in a particular trimester.
We encourage students to do their own research beyond the sites that are listed, as this is not an exhaustive list. While we work hard to provide students with the most recent and up-to-date contact information for the sites on the list, we also recognize that site information and the site’s ability to accept a student does change from time to time without our knowledge. If you encounter this, please send an email to [email protected] so that we can update the contact information immediately.
As you are researching for potential practicum sites, be sure to read site and supervisor requirements in the Practicum Guide for Students.
It is equally important for students to understand that by the time they have completed their academic coursework, the majority of MACP students are just beginning their counselling careers and, therefore, are novices to the profession. As such, it is important for students to recognize their level of competence and look for practicum sites that will provide them with entry-level counselling experience in general mental health.
In general, appropriate practicum settings that may be acceptable include:
It is vitally important students understand the MACP program is first and foremost a counselling degree and not a psychology degree. As such, the focus of the MACP practicum is to develop basic entry-level counselling skills within the traditional 50-minute counselling session while also learning to appropriately apply psychological theory. It is important students seek out a potential practicum site that has an established and structured mental health counselling delivery model where general mental health issues, such as stress, depression, anxiety, grief, etc. are addressed.
Entry-level counselling students are strongly cautioned away from securing practicums at agencies or organizations where the focus is on highly specialised mental health services, such as:
Agencies that exclusively provide these services are not appropriate for MACP Practicum:
There are several organizations — in particular, health authorities — which require the university to apply on the student’s behalf. Generally, they will identify this on their website. Should you encounter this, please do not contact these organizations directly. Instead, please contact the Department of Field Training at [email protected]. You will also find information about some of the more common umbrella sites we currently work with (such as Alberta Health Services, Island Health Authority, Interior Health Authority, Ministry of Child and Family Development, Vancouver Coastal Health) below.
It is extremely important students do not circumvent the application process established by the organization by making their own practicum arrangements with an individual employee of the organization. Even if a student is an employee of the organization, or has contacts with individuals who work for the organization and the contact offers the student a practicum placement, students must still follow the organization’s application procedures and contact Field Training at [email protected] to apply on their behalf. At that time, students can provide Field Training staff with any information or contacts they may have related to their preferred placement site(s) within the organization and we will do our best to advocate on the student’s behalf.
Students are discouraged from applying to more than one health authority at a time. Due to the extensive process involved with each health authority application, the submission of more than one application for the same upcoming practicum term could cause additional delays in processing and approval times for every student.
These organizations have a formal affiliation agreement with YU that requires us to follow their application process. This ensures the organization is fully aware of all students completing a practicum within their organization and that Yorkville’s liability and workplace accident insurance coverage is not compromised. If a student does not follow the appropriate application process, Field Training will not be able to approve the student’s Practicum Application. The student will have to defer their practicum until the following trimester in order to give Field Training the opportunity to officially submit the application to the organization in the appropriate manner.
At the moment, The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is only accepting graduate practicum students enrolled in a Clinical Psychology graduate program. The YU Master of Counselling program does not fall into this category of clinical psychology as it is a counselling psychology program.Â
We encourage you to continue your search on the site locator on the MACP Practicum portal.
“If you are searching for a placement with the Correctional Service of Canada please use the search parameters: “Correctional Service of Canada.”  Sites with the Correctional Service of Canada that offer placements working with indigenous populations will be marked with an *asterisk.”
You can download a copy of the HSPnet Consent Form here for sites that require one:
For students who want to apply for a practicum with any of the sites under the umbrella of the Interior Health Authority (IHA), the initial request must be made by the university on behalf of the student. IHA does not want students contacting sites or their Clinical Student Placement officer/coordinator directly.
All required documentation for an IHA application must be received by the following deadlines:
To apply, begin by completing the HSPnet Consent Form provided at the beginning of the Agencies and Health Authorities section. Send your completed form and an up-to-date resume / cover letter (as one document) to [email protected], with your intended practicum start date. Include a list of the IHA sites (with geographical location) you wish to apply to in order of preference as Interior Health only accepts one application at a time.
Once Field Training (FT) submits your application to IHA you will receive a confirmation email. It can take several weeks to receive the decision from the Interior Health Authority. Students may or may not be contacted directly for an interview, but formal acceptance will come from the HSPnet program via the university. Please keep in mind that only a small percentage of Interior Health Authority applicants actually secure a practicum, so it is important to continue searching and considering other practicum opportunity options while you wait.
Please Note: If you are successful in obtaining a practicum with Interior Health a Police Information Check, immunizations and further training will be required before you can begin practicum.
For students who want to apply for a practicum with any of the sites under the umbrella of the Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), the initial request must be made by the university on behalf of the student through the HSPnet system. VCH does not want students contacting sites or their Student Placement Coordinator directly to arrange placement.
All required documents for a VCH application must be received by the following deadlines:
The VCH coordinator will send Yorkville student applications to potential sites shortly after these deadlines, but no earlier. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered.
Students should specify which program they would like to apply to: adult mental health, addictions or child and youth mental health. Applications are sent as fan-out requests to all accepting sites. To apply, please submit your resume, tailored cover letter and a completed HSPnet consent form to [email protected].
Please Note: If you are successful in obtaining a practicum with Vancouver Coastal Health a Police Information Check, immunizations and further training will be required before you can begin practicum.
For students who want to apply for a practicum with any of the sites under the umbrella of the Island Health Authority (IHA/VIHA), the initial request must be made by the university on behalf of the student through the HSPnet system. IHA / VIHA does not want students contacting sites or their Student Placement Coordinator directly. Also note, the IHA/VIHA gives priority to students studying at a university in British Columbia.
All required documents for an IHA application must be received by the following deadlines:
Important Note: Absolutely no extensions will be given.
To apply, begin by completing the HSPnet Consent Form. Send your completed form plus an up-to-date resume / cover letter (as one document) to [email protected], with your intended practicum start date. Include a list of specific IHA / VIHA sites / programs (with geographical location) you wish to apply to in order of preference as Island Health only accepts one application at a time.
Once Field Training (FT) submits your application to IHA / VIHA you will receive a confirmation email. It can take several weeks to receive a decision from the IHA. Please keep in mind that only a small percentage of Island Health Authority applicants secure a practicum, so it is important to continue searching and considering other practicum opportunity options while you wait.
Please Note: If you are successful in obtaining a practicum with the Island Health Authority a Police Information Check, immunizations and further training will be required before you can begin practicum.
For students who want to apply for a practicum with any of the sites under the umbrella of the MCFD for the Child and Youth Mental Health Program only, the initial request must be made by the university on behalf of the student. Please be aware that practicum opportunities with the CYMH program are highly competitive and you are advised to seek practicum opportunities elsewhere as well.
The MCFD suggests applying for practicum positions at least 6 months in advance. Some sites in highly-populated areas (Vancouver Island, Fraser, and Coast/North Shore) will accept applications up to 18 months before the intended start date. There is no firm deadline, but applications close when spaces are filled.
To apply, begin by emailing [email protected], stating the date you hope to begin your practicum and supplying a list of geographical locations in which are you interested. Please include the following documents:
Once Field Training (FT) submits your application to the MCFD and you will receive a confirmation email. A Field Education Consultant (FEC) from the MCFD will be in touch with you. Please note that it may take some time to receive a response, as FECs must canvass the team leaders in the areas you are applying for to determine if there is an available supervisor/ if they have the capacity to host a student for the identified term. If both these conditions are met, the FEC will refer students for selection interviews.
Please note: the MCFD has a specific Criminal Record Check program that students must complete with the FEC for their area if offered a practicum spot. RCMP or regional CRCs are not accepted. The FEC for your area will help you complete this requirement.
For students who want to apply for a practicum with any of the sites under the umbrella of the Alberta Health Services (AHS), the initial request must be made by the university on behalf of the student. AHS does not want students contacting sites or their Clinical Student Placement officer/coordinator directly.
All required documentation for an AHS application must be received by the following deadlines:
To apply, begin by completing the HSPnet Consent Form provided at the beginning of the Agencies and Health Authorities section. Send your completed form and an up-to-date resume / cover letter (as one document) to [email protected], with your intended practicum start date. Include a list of up to 3 sites (with geographical location) you wish to apply to in order of preference.
After the student deadline, Field Training (FT) will select the top 7 candidates and submit the applications to AHS. You will receive an email confirming if you have been selected and once again once your application is submitted.
It can take several weeks to receive the decision from Alberta Health Services. Students may or may not be contacted directly for an interview, but formal acceptance will come from the HSPnet program via the university. Please keep in mind that only a small percentage of Alberta Health Service applicants actually secure a practicum, so it is important to continue searching and considering other practicum opportunity options while you wait.
Please Note:Â If you are successful in obtaining a practicum with Alberta Health Services a Police Information Check, immunizations and further training will be required before you can begin practicum.
Yorkville University’s MACP degree program is officially recognized by a number of regulatory bodies and professional associations across the country and outside of Canada (see below).
The criteria for certification, registration or membership among the different regulatory bodies and professional associations varies. Therefore, the Department of Field Training recommends that you make yourself fully aware of the criteria of the regulatory body or professional association you wish join post-graduation, as these requirements may differ from the YU practicum requirements.
While you are an MACP student, we also recommend that you inquire directly with the various professional associations about the benefits of obtaining a student membership. The number and variety of benefits available to students will vary among associations, and you will want to be associated with the association that offers benefits that are the most relevant to your professional development, at this time.
Before you secure a practicum placement, it is very important that you self-inform about a regulatory body’s or professional association’s credential requirements for practicum site supervisors. It is your responsibility to ensure you secure a practicum site supervisor who has the credentials required by the regulatory body or professional association you wish to be affiliated with after graduation. It may be that a practitioner meets the YU eligibility criteria for being a practicum site supervisor but does not meet requirements for the supervision required to ensure you can become a member of a particular regulatory body or professional association.
In addition, it is equally very important that you self-inform about a regulatory body’s or professional association’s supervision requirements before you secure a practicum placement. What these are, and how they are applied, vary slightly from organization to organization, and may differ from YU practicum requirements (please see the relevant section of the Practicum Information Guide for the YU requirements). It is your responsibility to check directly with the regulatory body or association in which you are interested, to determine what they require for supervision.
You will want to make sure you are fully informed so that you will be able to maximize any supervision opportunities you may have during your practicum. For some regulatory bodies or professional associations, you will be able to use the hours of supervision acquired during practicum toward your registration or membership application, while for others you may not. In the case of the former, you will want to make sure that you acquire as many qualifying supervision hours as possible from your YU approved site supervisor during your practicum.
The Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology program is recognized by provincial and national associations and regulatory bodies, allowing our graduates to apply for registration or membership with a range of organizations, including the examples below. If your future career plans include becoming a registered mental health practitioner, it’s important to know that the requirements for certification, registration, or membership with provincial regulatory bodies and professional associations vary. For those aiming to become a registered Psychologist, Psychotherapist, or Counsellor, be aware that these professions are highly regulated, though the specific regulations differ by province and may change over time.
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Completing a practicum in place of employment is considered a last resort. It is possible to apply to complete practicum in a student’s place of employment if both the site and proposed practicum supervisor meet the necessary YU eligibility criteria, and the employer is agreeable.
An MACP student interested in doing practicum in his/her/their place of employment must adhere to the following guidelines:
All workplace practicums must receive additional review for approval. To obtain this approval, the student must complete the Practicum Application and provide required supporting documentation, such as the:
For those students applying to complete practicum in their current place of employment, the student is required to submit both the completed Workplace Practicum Information and the Site’s Organizational chart. These documents will be a part of the Practicum Application and must be attached with all the other forms for submission of the practicum application.Â
Click above to download YorkvilleU's MACP Practicum Requirement Chart which breaks down practicum hour requirements.
The MACP program is aware of challenges that students may face in locating a practicum site and site supervisor, including students who live outside of Canada in being able to complete the practicum requirements. Therefore, the MACP Department of Field Training has created a Cross Border & International Practicums Viability Checklist Questionnaire to help students who reside within and outside of Canada achieve a greater potential for success in completing their practicum experience. The MACP student who desires to complete their Practicum outside of the province or location within which they reside, or student who resides outside of Canada, is required to provide written responses to the Cross Border & International Practicums Viability Checklist Questionnaire. The student’s responses will be reviewed by the MACP Field Training Team and determination will be made as to the viability of the proposed practicum placement.
Click here to access and download the policy and viability questionnaire.
Students are permitted to work with children aged 10 and older without documentation. If students want to work with children aged 7-9 they will need to access and submit the Counselling Children Age 7-9 Policy and Viability Questionnaire document for approval. The rationale is that therapeutic interventions for children and youth under age 10 may require a more advanced and complex skill set or specialized training and the MACP program does not train students specifically for this. MACP will not approve a practicum student to counsel children under the age of seven (7) years.
Click here to access the policy and viability questionnaire document.
Students are permitted to volunteer at potential practicum sites prior to commencing their practicum provided there are clear parameters established at the practicum site regarding the role of the volunteer and the role of the practicum student. In a volunteer role, students are not permitted to log direct or indirect hours and should not be seeing clients in a counselling role as this could create a conflict of interest along with ethical/legal/insurance ramifications).
Click Here to Access the Volunteering At Practicum Sites viability questionnaire document
Professional Liability Insurance is required for all practicum students. This policy also extends to students outside of Canada. Insurance coverage should cover the student’s work being performed while in the capacity of a practicum student. Proof of liability insurance documentation must be submitted with the student’s practicum application. Students must maintain a current professional liability insurance policy throughout the practicum. As a general rule, students should purchase an insurance policy limit up to $2 million. However, if you are a student in Ontario working with a Site/Supervisor in Ontario, please be advised that your insurance policy limit should be up to $5 million.
Note: Practicum Students in Ontario who plan to register with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) prior to beginning their practicum, will need to purchase professional liability insurance starting from their CRPO registration date, not from the practicum start date.
In some circumstances depending on the practicum site, students may also be required to purchase an additional professional liability insurance rider. Riders are additional terms that go into effect along with your basic policy, to provide additional coverage and added protection against risks. Students are responsible for checking with their practicum sites to see if additional insurance riders should be purchased. For Practicum students who reside outside of Canada but have a Practicum Supervisor within Canada, there may be additional legal and liability considerations, processes, or restrictions. Students in these situations should notify and consult with their Practicum Advisors or Practicum Coordinators.
Many professional associations (i.e., Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association) offer liability insurance coverage as part of a student membership. Students may also obtain insurance through private insurance agents.Â
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