The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP, 2009) defines a counseling student’s internship as the “capstone” experience in his or her training (p. 60), and the importance and value of the counseling internship experience has been established in the literature (Bernard & Goodyear, 2004; Gibson et al., 2010; Gnilka et al., 2012). However, despite all of its benefits, the masters-level internship process itself can pose several stressful challenges for the counseling intern, specifically “peripheral stressors”. Peripheral stressors refer to those stressful challenges or issues that counseling students face outside of counseling sessions and beyond client work. The purpose of this study was to assess counseling interns’ perceived peripheral stressors when completing their masters-level internship. Research questions included: What are the student-perceived peripheral stressors when completing a masters-level counseling internship? How stressful are these challenges to counseling interns, if at all? Do students in CACREP recommended internship structures experience various stressors differently than students in longer internship structures? Is there a difference in the effect of stressors among demographic groups? A survey was developed and distributed in Qualtrics survey software. The survey was used to identify counseling interns’ perceived peripheral stressors as they relate to the counseling internship, and determine how stressful these challenges are to interns, if at all. The results indicated that some peripheral stressors experienced by interns could be considered “a concern” or “problematic.” Further, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted, resulting in the peripheral stressors being appropriately grouped into six common or underlying dimensions: Deficient Training Experience at Internship Site, Struggles with University Supervisor, Internship Site Selection Process, Personal Wellness and Financial Strain, Meeting CACREP Requirements, and Issues with Internship Site Personnel. The factor scores were then used to compare peripheral stressors in internship across internship structures and other demographic groups through analysis of variance and t-tests. Certain groups of students, including but not limited those employed outside of their counseling internship and those that must find and secure their own internship site, perceived more stress in some of the peripheral stressor factors than other counseling interns.

This qualitative study aimed at exploring the policy-making process of the Internship Policy (2004) within the Msunduzi Municipality. The context of this policy is in the domain of education, with emphasis on skills development. This study applied the functional policy stages model to the Msunduzi Municipality Internship Policy (2004), using the policy cycle as a model for analysis, with the purpose of describing and understanding it better. This study will contribute in the public policy field and assist service providers and policy-makers in government with a better understanding of the dynamic realities of the policy-making process. A qualitative research method was used. In-depth interviews and key informant interviews were conducted with Human Resources Development Management Committee members, Human Resources Support Managers, Sound Governance and Human Resources Management Committee members and former training officer (Policy Champion) - to collect data, together with an analysis of secondary data of policy literature and publications on national policy frameworks of internships and skills development. The analysis used the models of policy processes to frame the discussion of the research findings. Content analysis was used to analyse data, with research findings categorized into themes. Those themes were: definitions of the internship programme within the Msunduzi Municipality, policy agenda setting, policy formulation, policy decision-making, policy implementation and policy evaluation. It emerged from this study that the internship programme is not a new phenomenon in the Msunduzi Municipality; it has been in existence since 1998, operating informally without a codified policy. The Skills Development Act No. 97 of 1998 and its implementation frameworks – the National Skills Development Strategy for South Africa (1997), the Human Resources Development Strategy for South Africa (2002); the Public Service Sector Education and Training Authority (PSETA) (2000); the Public Service Act (1994); Public Service Regulations (2001); Workplace Skills Plans (WSPs) and the relevant white papers informed and supported the establishment and implementation of internship programmes in the Msunduzi Municipality. The problems of the previous internship programmes and political motives from Councillors and staff acknowledging the need for having a formal codified policy to govern the functioning of the internship programme in the Msunduzi Municipality merged and created a new policy agenda. Developing the Msunduzi Municipality Internship Policy (2004) was an alternative and it was approved as a final policy after several discussions and consultations. It is implemented by strategic business units and utilizes the bottom-up approach. The weakness that the Msunduzi Municipality Internship Policy (2004) has in its policy document is that it lacked an evaluation strategy, which is problematic because there are no set objectives that have to be followed during the evaluation process. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2010.

The advent of democracy in South Africa has opened up a window of opportunity for issues or social ills to be brought forward to the attention of policy makers. South Africa is faced with a high number of unemployed graduates and one factor attributable to this is their lack of experiential training which is a requisite for entering the highly competitive labour market making it difficult for them to access employment. The government, in one attempt to address this policy issue, adopted internships as a remedial initiative in 2002. The youth make up a very high percentage of the South African population and therefore it is detrimental to the country if this high percentage of the population remains unlinked to the economy. It is now imperative also to understand that the assembling of what seems a good corrective measure of an issue does not guarantee success. The reality in South Africa indicates that there is a major problem around the implementation of policies and programmes by government. The implementation phase of the internship programme plays a very crucial part in ensuring an effective delivery of programme benefits, thus the importance of continuously evaluating implementation processes in implementing departments like the Department of Public Service and Administration. The findings of the study reveal that there are flaws in the implementation of the Internship Programme in the DPSA, relating to access strategy, the target population and the relevance of on the job training provided to interns. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sci.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010.

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Auburn University, / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographic references (p.100-108).

Thesis (M.H.S.A.)--University of Michigan, 1976.

Thesis (M.H.S.A.)--University of Michigan, 1976.

Thesis (D. Miss.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Ill., 1998. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 180-190).

Thesis (D. Miss.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Ill., 1998. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 180-190).

Thesis (D. Miss.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Ill., 1998. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 180-190).

Thesis (M.Sc.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2004. / Bibliography: leaves 84-90.