Why Should I See an Intern?

The thought of engaging in therapy with a graduate student intern mat raise a lot of questions for potential clients, but all therapists, no matter the type of clinical degree or how many years of experience they’ve obtained to date, were all interns once.

Below are some of the benefits of seeing a graduate student intern, and why you might want to consider therapy with an intern for you or your child:

Interns are available and eager for new clients, providing quick access to appointments

During their master’s degree programs, clinical therapy and skills are their biggest focus in their program, so an intern has a great deal of investment and energy devoted to each of your therapy sessions. They have a smaller caseload which means more time to prepare for your session. They also have appointment flexibility so you can schedule at a time convenient for you.

A student intern has been preparing for years

They are required to complete hundreds of hours of preparation before beginning therapy sessions. This includes trainings on working with various populations and presenting problems, clinical observations, case management, service coordination – all in addition to their master’s level coursework. Graduate interns are up to date with recent and previously introduced treatment interventions, bringing a fresh perspective to the therapeutic process.

They are available at a reduced fee

Graduate student interns can see clients at $25 an hour ($40 for intake sessions) and once the student graduates and becomes licensed, current clients of the intern may receive the benefit of having a discounted session fee moving forward. This is a good opportunity for someone who has been considering giving therapy a try for the first time, but there have been barriers due to cost/insurance coverage.

They have the support and supervision from multiple team members within the practice

The graduate student intern works directly under a Licensed Supervisor and will meet with their supervisor at least weekly to review and discuss cases, in a confidential setting. In addition, the intern has access to the whole clinical team to access knowledge, resources, and strategies the other clinicians have acquired over their combined years of experience. Interns have a learning and growth mindset, which makes them more willing to ask questions.

You’ll be a part of helping them gain confidence as a clinician

As the client of a graduate student intern, you get to play a part in helping to develop their clinical skills and style. Students only learn in practicum through experience, and they are all extremely grateful and respectful of those willing to work with them.

Interested in scheduling an appointment with our intern(s)?

Request an appointment by clicking here.