Applicants with a strong background in psychology may have some of these requirements waived. These courses provide a strong background in psycho-educational disabilities and psychometrics. Arranged sequentially, they lead to technical proficiency in testing, diagnosis, and report writing. The emphasis here is on direct encountering of people in the helping relationship. Students participate in group counseling, develop and maintain counseling relationships, and conduct counseling sessions which are videotaped and critiqued by both staff and peers.
Students also develop counseling relationships and conduct play therapy sessions with children.
These are demanding yet highly rewarding experiences. Supervised Practicums Certification standards require a minimum of 600 hours of supervised practicum in a school setting. The Stout program exceeds this. First year students are placed in a school counseling practicum for one day a week. During the second year, students are placed in school settings under the supervision of a school psychologist, and work in one setting each semester.