Students are encouraged to identify and obtain an internship site on their own. If you are having difficulty, please reach out to the program coordinator, Dr. Jim Fent, at  jfent@palomar.edu, or your internship course instructor.

Before enrolling in these courses, it is recommended that you secure an internship one month before the start of the semester. Please review the list of requirements before enrolling in one of our internship courses:

• Register through one of the following: California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals (CCAPP) or Certification for Alcohol and Drug Treatment Professionals (CADTP).
  • Registrants need to be aware of the New CA State Requirements for SUD Counselors (AB 2473)
• Internship sites need to be certified by the California Department of Health Care Services for the Certifying Boards to recognize hours.
• Internship supervisors must hold qualifying credentials.
• Students will take concurrent internship labs when enrolled in their practicum courses (AODS 289L and AODS 299L) through the Cooperative Education Department at Palomar.
  • Students choose whether they want to enroll in a 2- or 3-unit lab course.
  • Students will need an Enrollment Application and a Statement of Cooperation, signed by their site supervisor, to secure their internship by the end of week 2 of their semester.
• Students enrolling in AODS 298/298L are best equipped for their internship if they have completed AODS 165, AODS 250, and AODS 255 before enrollment.
• The capstone courses, AODS 299/299L, have prerequisites. Students must complete the following courses before enrollment: AODS 165, AODS 250, AODS 255, and AODS 298/289L.
• Students must have a minimum of 255 hours of supervised practicum hours between AODS 298 and AODS 299, even if these hours exceed the minimum cooperative education hours from the chart below. 

Organizations that Palomar College AODS Students have completed practicums at: 

(You do not have to choose from this list)

• Brother Benno’s
• SCRC Southern California Recovery Centers
• Choices In Recovery
• Aurora Behavioral Health
• Amity Ranch
• North County Serenity House
• American Addiction Treatment Centers
• Casa Palmera
• Interfaith Community Services
• Alpha Project (Casa Raphael)
• TURN Behavioral Health Services (formerly known as MHS)
• McAlister Institute
• West Coast Recovery Center
• The Fellowship Center

Cooperative Education Requirements