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School of Education
New Horizons Family Counseling Center

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. When do I begin working with families?

    In your first year you will take, among other courses, Family Process & Development in the fall, and Marriage & Family Counseling course and Counseling Practicum in the spring. Almost immediately after the spring semester you will begin the Advanced Family Practicum, which takes place over the summer between your first and second years.

  2. What does the Advanced Family Practicum entail?

    Students are assigned two teams of four to five students and a faculty supervisor, who comprise your live supervision team. FamilyInitially each counselor is assigned one family, and all of the counselors on your supervision team schedule their families for the same night, one hour after another. While you counsel your family, your supervision team is in the neighboring room watching the session live via high technology equipment. They will observe your work; take notes on the session; discuss the family, relevant issues, and appropriate techniques; and even call in during the session and offer you suggestions for action to take as the counselor.

    It may seem intimidating at first, but students find that this approach to be one of the richest experiences of their time in the program in terms of learning about family counseling, processing what family counseling is and how it works, and being supported as an emerging family therapist.

  3. Will I feel prepared to work with families?

    CoupleThe coursework and counseling experiences in your first year prepare you well for family work. The summer advanced practicum is highly supervised, you work closely with faculty supervisors, clinic directors, and colleagues who offer feedback and guidance for you throughout that experience and your internship at NHFCC. The program and the clinic are highly supportive environments, and there is always someone around with whom you can consult or bounce an idea off of.

  4. How many families will I be able to work with?

    Students are assigned one family during the Advanced Family Practicum. In the fall semester of their second year, as part of the Family Internship, students are assigned 8-10 families. This allows for a diverse, enriching experience which makes our students highly attractive to Doctoral programs and service agencies.

  5. What positions have New Horizons interns been able to get after graduation?

    Master's level graduates have gone on to work at Community Services Boards, non-profit organizations such as Avalon, private group practice, Ph.D. programs, Ed.D. programs, Psy.D. programs, and other couples and family counseling agencies. Doctoral graduates have gone one to become college professors and have opened private practices.

  6. Do all counseling students work in the New Horizons clinic?

    No. The clinic's focus is on couples and family therapy. Students who specialize in the fields of community or addictions counseling do internships at other agencies in the community. All of the masters students in the specialty of Marriage and Family Therapy complete one practicum and two internships at New Horizons, for a total of 600 hours of practical experience.

  7. What technology is used at New Horizons?

    Sessions can be observed by students and faculty via ceiling-mounted cameras that are installed in the two rooms where sessions are held. Videotaping of the sessions in those two rooms is done from a central office, on VHS tapes.