Internship in Addictions Counselling

One of the core assumptions of the Addictions Counselling Program is that supervised practice – counselling individuals, groups, and families experiencing addictions-related issues – is critical for the development of the helping practitioner. The curriculum of the program reflects the primacy of supervised field practice through internship experiences. Students in the program are required to complete ADCS 3050: Internship in Addictions Counselling I, then ADCS 4050: Internship in Addictions Counselling II. The internship courses places students in supervised practice at field sites with addictions and mental health practitioners.

During the Internship course students spend approximately 32 hours per week at a community agency setting over the semester (13 weeks). Where possible, students are placed in community field site settings where they will experience addictions counselling practice in a combination of primary, secondary, and tertiary levels, which may include prevention and health promotion, harm reduction, case management, group facilitation, outreach and community development initiatives in addition to assessment and counselling services. The internship will also orient the student to ethical and professional practices.

The Internship Directory is to give students examples of past placements and potential placement possibilities. Every effort is made to accommodate the needs and preferences of individual students. Many students will likely travel and relocate for non-local, out-of-town placements during the internship semester. To date, internships have occurred nationally in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and the Maritime provinces. The type of field placements is varied to meet student interests. An example of the broad range of placements utilized to date include government-based outpatient addictions counselling clinics, community-based non-profit counselling agencies, residential addictions treatment programs, substance abuse detoxification programs and facilities, schools, outreach programs for at-risk populations, and harm reduction programs for marginalized populations, just to name a few. The ADCS Placement Directory is not exhaustive and students are welcome to do research into new potential agencies for placement. This list contains sites for Internship I and Internship II.

There are documentation requirements for placement that students are responsible for:

Contact the Internship Specialist if you have questions about documentation requirements.

• ADCS 3050 Internship I
• ADCS 4050 Internship II

Internship placement sites are secured on a local, national, and international basis. International placements will only be considered for students taking ADCS 4050 - Internship II and who meet specific criteria. International placements have been located in the United States (Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Texas), the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Ireland), Australia, South Africa, and the West Indies. There are many exciting opportunities for students who are interested in international addictions experience.

Students interested in international placement have to meet specific criteria to be considered for placement outside of Canada and should review the ADCS International Placement Criteria. Students should also review the Student Travel information via UofL Safety. International placements are more complicated than national or local placements. Students are recommended to start the placement process for international placements at least 9 months prior to placement start by contacting the Internship Specialist and following the ADCS International Placement Criteria as early as possible. Contact the Internship Specialist with any questions.