Internship and Practicum Programs

We are done accepting new applications for summer/fall, but still have space for Dec/Jan.

At Whole Connection we accept interns in their final year of their master's program or practicum students who sign on also for their internship. We accept MSW, MA (counseling), PhD (Psychology), and MD students because our supervisors have variety of licenses such as:

Licensed Psychologist
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC),
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
Licensed Psychiatrist (MD)

Whole Connection's internship and practicum program primarily works to serve the needs of individuals living in the front range of Colorado from Boulder County to Denver County accessing mental health care through Medicaid and other insurances. Your caseload will be primarily with Medicaid clients. 

Also, our program focuses on providing extensive training (at Whole Connection and through partnership with other organizations) and a wide range of clinical experience for candidates looking to become psychotherapists and for some understand case management and psychiatry. 

    • Simmons School of Social Work

    • Denver University School of Social Work Online Program and In Person

    • Denver University School of Counseling Program

    • Naropa Graduate School in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

    • Metropolitan State University of Colorado School of Social Work

    • University of Colorado Denver School of Counseling

    • Colorado State University School of Social Work

    • Smith College School for Social Work

    • Regis University School of Counseling

    • Northwestern Counseling Program

    • Southern New Hampshire Counseling Program

    • Syracuse University School of Social Work Program

    If you are not a graduate student at one of the above schools but want to work with us please contact your placement coordinator about your interest.

  • Application processes can be fast so we encourage you to apply 3+ months in advance. We accept Applications for start dates throughout the year which can include, but not limited to January, March, May, and August/September.

    For May and August/September, we suggest applying 5-9 months in advance.

    For the May and August/September Start date we encourage people to apply January. Of course every school is different so please reach out and apply and let us know if you have a different start date.

  • Once we have reviewed applications we will invite people for in depth interviews (either Video or in person), which are generally followed up with a interview/Q&A from current trainees

    Then Reference checks if needed as well as an offer to talk with a current intern or practicum student to learn more about our program. This part would be for the student’s benefit to learn and not an additional interview.

    Lastly the leadership team will do their final reviews and follow up with in the week.

  • We provide nine months, year long, and longer (practicum through internship) placements. It depends on our need and the students need. The shorter the time here usually the higher weekly clinical case load.

Additional Internship and Practicum Position Information

CLINICAL WORK

At Whole Connection interns have the possibility of having a diverse psychotherapy caseload and work with a population with varied needs and diagnostic presentations.  These hours can be met through individual caseload clients (sometimes complementing them with family sessions) and the possibility of observing a Relationship Process Group led by one of our experienced therapists on staff.  Interns will also perform phone screens for prospective clients and intakes. We currently also have possibilities for some to learn more about case managment by working with our Community Care Coordinator.

SUPERVISION

Individual supervision will be given by one of our licensed supervisors, one hour per week. In addition we also create extra supervision once a month around a video recording of a clinical session. We also hold a weekly 90-minute group supervision that includes the whole clinical team, which also can include conversations on Assessment, Diagnosis, and Treatment Planning AND always we are looking through a social justice lens. These group supervision switch between large group supervision (which alternates between Boulder and Denver every 2 weeks) and small group supervision, which is the small cohort of trainees that will primarily work in either Boulder or Denver.

Collaborative DEI TRAININGs

We partner with other organizations in town such as Umbrella Collective, to bring in experts in different fields on diversity, equity and inclusivity (DEI). This is essential to continue our learning and growth as therapists and to make sure we are growing, remaining engaged, and staying up to date with the current research, techniques, and theories. 

on-boarding TRAININGS

At the beginning of any students on boarding and prior to any clinical work the following trainings are essential:

  • Assessment 101 and Diagnosis 101

    • It is essential as psychotherapists that we understand the basics of an initial assessment with clients. In doing this we are better able to address the needs of the client. Through our initial assessment we also start to gather the information to make an accurate diagnosis if appropriate. Since we work with Medicaid clients, they all must meet medical necessity to be seen for psychotherapy, because of this we need to be able to diagnosis them properly. With training on this and constant supervision we hope to provide a diagnosis that is helpful to our clients.

  • Documentation

    • Thorough note taking is essential to this work. Through our training we will go over the importance of accurately tracking progress and the benefits to keeping up to date notes. Note taking helps us as therapists learn about our own process and is a way to reflect on our clinical work. This training will go into the details of how to complete Initial Assessments, Treatment Plans, and Progress Notes. Note taking will be an essential part of your work as an intern and supervision on notes will be provided throughout the internship.

  • Crisis Care

    • As an important piece of being therapists, we need to be able to address crisis situations appropriately. These situations come up in our individual sessions as well as phone calls. Although Whole Connection is not a crisis or intensive outpatient situation, we still need to be able to work with crisis when it presents. Through this training interns will learn how to assess appropriately for suicidal ideation, homicidal ideation, and abuse and neglect.

  • Broaching Identities

    • We believe broaching our identities and understanding the complex and important impacts in our selves and with our clients around identity, is crucial for any clinician to understand. Early one we ask our interns to explore ways to build connection in therapeutic relationships with a focus on the importance of broaching identity differences with clients. The process of broaching is meant to welcome clients, their intersecting identities and cultural contexts into the room.

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