What It Means to Work With a Practicum or Intern Therapist
If you've been searching for therapy and come across the phrase "therapist in practicum,” “practicum therapist,” “clinical intern,” or “intern therapist,” you might have paused.
Is that a student? A real therapist? Someone practicing on me?
Fair questions. Let me try to explain this in a way that makes sense for everyone. At the time of writing this, I’m a therapist in practicum, and it took me a while to figure out the best way to explain it, so let me try to give that information to you.
The short version
A therapist in practicum or their internship is a graduate student in a counseling or therapy program who has finished substantial coursework and is now seeing real clients as part of their clinical training, under the close supervision of a licensed therapist.
That's me right now! I'm a therapist in practicum at Mosaic Nature Therapy and Wellness, completing my master's in Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology. I see clients in Illinois, virtually and in person through Mosaic, under clinical supervision.
What "under supervision" actually means
“Supervision” means a licensed, experienced therapist regularly reviews the clinician’s work. Every supervisor and supervisee has their own way of sharing information, but typically this means the clinician meets consistently with their supervisor to discuss cases, approaches, and anything they are uncertain about. The supervisor's job is to make sure the care you receive is thoughtful, ethical, and sound.
In other words, when you work with a practicum or internship student, you have two people on your care team. Everything is anchored to training, supervision, and an established program.
What a therapist in practicum brings to the room
Therapists in practicum are often deeply engaged in exactly the way you'd hope a therapist would be.
We're actively studying current research, not coasting on what we learned twenty years ago. We're motivated because this work is a calling; we recently rearranged our whole lives to pursue it. Typically, we also carry smaller caseloads than seasoned clinicians, which means more space to think carefully about each person we see.
Every person in my program has their own story of how they got into the career of becoming a therapist. Personally, I came to this work after nearly a decade in another career. Many practicum therapists have lived full lives before this: previous careers, parenthood, losses, reinventions. That lived experience walks into the room with us.
What it doesn't mean
Therapists in their internship or practicum experiences are not independently licensed. They cannot practice on their own. Everything they do runs through their workplace and their supervisor. If your needs turn out to be a better fit for a different clinician or level of care, part of ethical practice is saying so and helping you get there.
A good therapist in practicum will always be upfront about this.
The bottom line
"Therapist in practicum" is a transparent description of where students are in their paths of becoming therapists. If you see this or “Clinical Intern” as the label of someone you’re potentially working with, keep all these things in mind.
Often, if you are working with a therapist in a practicum or internship, it is more cost-effective, or even free of out-of-pocket charges. If you've been waiting for therapy to feel more possible, this might be a genuinely good door in.
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