HDFS Practicum

All HDFS majors complete an intensive practicum in a diverse range of human service agencies in and around Knoxville, including the Boys and Girls Club, Children’s Services, Emerald Youth Foundation, Girls on the Run, Sunshine Early Intervention, East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. This variety of placements reflects the flexibility and adaptability of our program to different career paths. Through these internships, our students develop practical skills like managing caseloads and working effectively with coworkers, administrators, children, and families. They gain hands-on experience in applying their academic knowledge to real-world situations.

Counseling & Counselor Education Internships

All MS in Counseling and PhD in Counselor Education develop skills for professional practice through engaged learning on campus and in community organizations and schools throughout East Tennessee. Each year, our interns offer over 25,000 hours of high-quality, accessible mental health services in settings relevant to their career goals. Through these internships, our students develop a broad range of counseling skills to be effective in their communities and their schools well beyond graduation.

Counselor Training Clinic 

The Counselor Training Clinic (CTC) provides high-quality individual and group counseling services for undergraduate and graduate students while supporting the learning of graduate students in our Counselor Education programs. Clients collaborate with counselors to create and achieve personal goals to enhance their mental, emotional, relational, spiritual, and physical well-being. To learn more about the CTC, visit us here.

Rural Appalachian Mental Health Partnership

Rural Appalachian Mental Health Partnership (RAMHP) is five-year project made possible by the US Department of Education. RAMHP is dedicated to preparing school counselors and school psychologists to offer culturally-responsive and evidence-based services in high-needs partner schools. RAHMP Scholars engage in monthly professional development and cohort-building activities, complete specialized coursework, and engage internships in partner-schools. In exchange for a two-year post-graduation service obligation, RAHMP Scholars receive $20,000 in scholarships, $10,000 in field experience stipend, and travel reimbursement. RAMHP Scholars must be enrolled in the MS in Counseling with a Concentration in School Counseling or the EdS in School Psychology. To learn more, contact Professor Melinda Gibbons. 

Imagining Possibilities (IP)

IP: Imagining Possibilities (formerly known as Possibilities in Postsecondary Education and Science, PiPES) is a five-year project made possible by a Science Education Partnership Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that seeks to make a positive difference in East Tennessee. IP: Imagining Possibilities provides opportunities for high school students in Monroe and Campbell counties to explore STEMM careers (science, technology, engineering, math, and medical science) and to promote college awareness. Professors Melinda Gibbons and Erin Hardin oversee the project, which includes two summer camp experiences at UT, in-school curriculum delivery to ninth- and tenth-grade students in rural partner counties, a video series to boost students’ science self-efficacy, a senior college prep course, and professional development for high school teachers.  

To learn more, visit https://ip-pipes.utk.edu/

Study Abroad

Our study abroad programs focus on how broad cultural values impact family, healthcare, and educational policy as well as gender equality and daily family life and the role of culture, food policy, and food systems in physical, social, economic, environmental, and social justice outcomes. Each year, Professor Heidi Stolz offers several options including UTK in Sweden: Culture, Family and Childhood and UTK Rome to Barcelona Food Study.