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The Field Experience in Behavioral Healthcare (MHS 4425) course consists of two parts:
• In-class Experience: Student's discuss their observations and experiences, and
• Field Experience: Student's observe and participate with multidisciplinary staff of a provider agency.

Applications are due approximately two semesters in advance of the semester you intend to take the course. The specific due dates can be found on the field experience main page.

The placement list consists of a broad range of behavioral health services. Placement types include: in-patient and outpatient mental, behavioral and addictions treatment facilities, residential foster care, ABA services, behavioral health research, community service organizations, criminal justice, and many others. 

Because placements vary widely, so do student experiences. You may engage in case management, assessments, group facilitation, client interaction, documentation, administrative tasks, and shadowing staff. You are also expected to learn how the organization operates—its services, funding, and client population—to help guide your career interests. Take initiative and seek out learning opportunities to make the most of your time at the site.

Placement locations vary from semester to semester depending on any agencies' needs and placement availability. The current site list includes locations that relate to every behavioral healthcare concentration including even some sites with more research & program development focus. Every effort is made to match students with sites that match their interests, but placement at any specific site cannot be guaranteed. To improve your chances of getting a location of your preference, it's important to schedule your field planning meeting as soon as you receive the notification to do so. Site selection is done on a "first meet, first choice" basis - meaning the earlier on you schedule your planning meeting during your planning period the more sites from which you will have to choose.

At times students are offered employment or want to apply for openings at their sites during the course of the semester. Students are permitted to accept positions with agencies during the semester or after the semester concludes. If a student decides to take a position while the field experience course is in progress, it is important to discuss this with the Field Placement Coordinator to ensure that you will still be able to meet the requirements of the field experience course once your role with the agency changes. While it is rare for paid internships to be offered to undergraduate interns, students are able to obtain paid internships if they are available at any location. Again, please make the Field Placement Coordinator aware that you have accepted a paid internship prior to the start of the semester.

There are instances where you may be able to utilize your employment as your field experience location. There are requirements that have to be met to insure that your employer can be considered a field placement site, which include; signing an affiliation agreement with USF, agreeing to the supervision and hours requirements, and identifying learning opportunities you can do outside of your normal work responsibilities to insure that you are still growing your professional skills and experience during the semester.

If you would like to find out if your employer can meet the requirements, please provide your employer information to the Field Placement Coordinator during your field planning meeting. The coordinator will contact your employer to determine if that location can be utilized for your field experience and will inform you when that process is complete and your placement is confirmed. In the event that your employer does not qualify as a field location, the coordinator will work with you to identify an alternative option for your placement.

Exemptions for Field Experience can only be given to students who have completed college-level internships while in a degree program, if that internship work is determined to be comparable to the Behavioral Healthcare Field Experience Course. For example, students who have received their AS degrees in Counseling & Human Services from Hillsborough Community College complete 3 internships in that degree program and can be exempted from Field Experience. Previous employment, internships or volunteer work conducted outside of a college program do not meet the requirement for exemption, as they are not completed with the required on-site supervision, course instruction or course grade to utilize for substitution.

If you have questions about specific internship work that you have done and want to know if it qualifies, please contact your academic advisor or field placement coordinator.

• Not having met the prerequisite and co-requisite course requirements by the semester you intend to take Field Experience.
• Submitting your application after the deadline - The specific due dates for applications can be found on the field experience webpage. Once you meet with the academic advisor and determine the semester for you to take field, it is important to check the webpage to make sure you are aware of the date your application will be due and submit it on time.
• Legal infractions - positions in behavioral healthcare routinely require criminal background screenings, drug screenings, and other types of screenings prior to internship placements and/or employment. Students with legal infractions often find they are unable to secure positions in the field.

It is important that you disclose any background information that may prevent your placement early on in your degree pursuit.

If you have areas of concern, please arrange to meet with the Academic Advisor and Field Experience Coordinator so we can help you determine alternatives that will assist with your successful completion of the degree. Be advised that USF has no influence to circumvent screenings at any agency.