For counseling, MSW and MFT trainees
How Do I Find an Approved Practicum or Field Placement Site?
Start with your program's approval process, build a shortlist and track unanswered questions before committing to a counseling, MSW or MFT placement.
Text-only practice with fictional clients, for adult learners (graduate students and early-career practitioners). Feedback is AI-generated and can be wrong.
Start your placement search with your program's coordinator: ask who may contact sites, which sites are eligible and what approval must happen before you commit. Then build a shortlist against those requirements. Track site interest, program approval and unanswered questions separately instead of treating a promising conversation as a confirmed placement.
The checklist below is an editorial planning aid. It is not a directory of available placements or a statement that a particular site will satisfy your program.
Find the program's process first
CACREP 2024 Section 4.A requires counseling programs to provide ongoing support in finding appropriate fieldwork sites. CSWE 2022 EPAS 3.3.4 requires a process for identifying, approving and engaging with field settings. Neither statement is a promise that a particular site has an opening for you.
For an MFT program, ask its placement coordinator for its own site and supervisor approval criteria. Do not use a counseling or social-work standard as permission to skip the MFT program's process.
Build a shortlist around unanswered questions
Request the current handbook, approved-site list if available, timeline and new-site procedure. Before searching more widely, ask whether there are restrictions on location, remote work, paid employment or an existing relationship with a site. Put the answers in your own tracker with a link or date for the program instruction.
| Item to check | What to record | Who to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Permission to approach | Approved outreach or matching process | Placement office |
| Suitable activities | Proposed tasks and unresolved requirements | Program coordinator |
| Supervision arrangement | Proposed supervisor and approval status | Program and site |
| Practical fit | Schedule, travel and access questions | Site contact |
| Paperwork | Required agreement and responsible parties | Placement office |
| Start permission | Remaining conditions and confirmation | Program coordinator |
Use descriptions such as "awaiting program review" or "site interest only" until the responsible person confirms the next step. Avoid labelling a site "approved" based on its website or another student's experience.
Prepare a concise question for your coordinator
For a fictional search exercise, imagine that two sites appear possible. One has a convenient schedule but an unclear supervision arrangement. The other describes relevant activities but cannot confirm a start date. Rehearse this question:
"Before I move either option forward, could we confirm the approval requirements? I have listed the supervision question for one and the start-date question for the other."
Do not invent a program name, supervisor credential or approval status to make the exercise look complete. A blank marked "to verify" is the point of this planning sheet.
Move from searching to interviewing
Once your program permits the next step, prepare questions specific to the site's proposed work and supervision. The field placement interview worksheet covers that later conversation. After placement is confirmed, use the separate week-one preparation guide.
If the search stalls, bring your tracker to the placement office and ask which constraints can be revisited. Do not assume an unapproved site or a simulator can make up missing fieldwork. SeatTime provides optional text rehearsal with fictional AI clients; it is not a placement service, and its reps do not count toward practicum, field or licensure hours.
Frequently asked questions
Should I contact sites before asking my program?
First ask whether students may contact sites directly and whether there is an approved list or matching process. Follow that process before making commitments.
Does a site accepting me mean the placement is approved?
Treat the site's interest and your program's approval as separate items to confirm. Ask the placement office what evidence is required before you can accept or begin.
Can I use a site that is not on the current list?
Ask whether your program considers new sites, which documents it needs and whether review can finish before your required start. Do not assume a new-site review will be approved.
Does SeatTime find placements or supply placement hours?
No. SeatTime is optional rehearsal with fictional clients. It does not arrange placements, approve sites or provide practicum, field or licensure hours.
Try a five-minute practice conversation
SeatTime is a text-only practice simulator: you type to a fictional AI client, then read AI-generated feedback on what you did. No account or card needed for the free exercise.
Start the free practice exerciseSeatTime offers fictional conversation practice, not placement matching or site approval.
Text-only practice with fictional clients, for adult learners (graduate students and early-career practitioners). Feedback is AI-generated and can be wrong. It's optional practice outside your program and doesn't count toward any program, placement, or licensing requirement. Use fictional details only. Your supervisor's guidance comes first.
Choosing practice for a course or cohort? See program pricing and group access for counseling, MSW and MFT trainees.