Masters Level Clinical Counseling Internship

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If you are a student looking for a place to complete your clinical internship, North Country Counseling has a place for you.  We offer internship opportunities for individuals in the clinical portion of their MFT, LPC or Clinical Social Work degree. As part of our internship experience, we offer close mentorship and supervision for student-therapists as they gain the skills and confidence to work with Individuals, Families and Couples across the lifespan with various mental health concerns.

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Graduate student interns are an integral part of North Country Counseling's mission and work to build phenomenal therapists for future generations, therapists that really get how to do good therapy. Interns at North Country Counseling gain valuable experience regarding relationship and team building, cultural competency, and self-of-the therapist issues. These experiences occur not only through trainings and supervision, but also through application of clinical skills.  North Country Counseling is committed to relationship building not only between the interns and staff, but also with the larger community and our clients.

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Key features of our internship include:

• Co-therapy/observation opportunities

• Seeing clients independently

• Supervision by LMFTs, LPCCs & LICSWs available

• Couples Therapy

• Family Therapy

• Individual therapy

• Group therapy (if we are currently offering groups)​

• Ability to develop groups

• Eating Disorder Specialties

• Various specialities - check out the biographies of our supervisors

• Documentation Training

  • Diagnostic assessment

  • Treatment planning

  • Progress Notes

  • Clinical Care Coordination

  • Discharge Summaries

• Case management

• Professional Development

• Best Practices Competency​​

• Ethical Client Care Competency​​

• ​Cultural Competency: 

  •  Culture impacts all of the work we do as therapists, as it is related to ethnicity, socio-economic status, sexuality, ability, etc. Interns experience on-going dialogue and reflection on these topics in supervision.

• Guidance in developing your personal theoretical orientation

• Self of the therapist development

  • Because our own individual histories and experiences impact the work we do as therapists, North Country Counseling invites interns to reflect on issues that come up for them while working with clients and with one another. The team environment at North Country Counseling challenges interns and staff to work through these issues, believing that our own processes are not separate from how we provide therapy.

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Internship Requirements​

• Required to be enrolled in Master's level clinical counseling program that leads to LPC, LPCC, LICSW or LMFT licensure in Minnesota or South Dakota

• Must be earning academic credit for an internship placement

• Must be able to meet the day/hour requirements of the internship

• Practicum hours are only available to those also completing their internship with North Country Counseling

• Applicants should be flexible, resourceful, and demonstrate knowledge of cultural diversity and the role of culture in the therapeutic process

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Application Details​​

• Applicants must complete the online application

• If we can meet your internship needs based on your program requirements, applicants will go through a two round interview process that consists of an initial interview with our internship site coordinator followed by an interview with the potential site supervisor(s) at North Country Counseling, which will include a role-play component

• All applicants will be required to submit sample clinical documentation write-ups including diagnostic assessment and treatment plan

• Applications for internships starting in September are due May 15th and notification of acceptance for internship will be provided by June 15th

• Applications for internships starting in January are due September 15th and notification of acceptance for internship will be provided by October 15th

• Early applicants are welcome and will receive an earlier notification of acceptance

• Internships start in September or January and run for nine months to one year depending on students' needs and academic program requirements (internships can be extended if necessary to obtain clinical contact hours)

• We accept two to four active interns at any point in time.  Placements are open until filled.  Applicants may apply in advance to start an internship after current interns complete their hours.  

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Internship Commitment​

• One hour of individual supervision per week

• Two hours of group supervision twice a month when there are 2 or more interns present at North Country Counseling

• Interns provide services during business hours, Monday - Thursday 8:00am - 6:00pm

• Documentation Training

• Non-clinical hours

• In-office and tele-health based opportunities 

• Clinical hours available for meeting with clients is based upon site supervisors clinical availability.  Interns must coordinate with their site supervisors schedule.

• Expected minimum of 15-20 hours per week for combined administrative work, office agency duties, co-therapy, client contact, and documentation hours

 

Shadowing & Training

• All Internship initially start with a shadowing and training process including:

  • Completion of all onboarding paperwork

  • Training on utilizing Electronic Health Records system and proper documentation processes​ (interns only, not practicum)

  • Training on Policies and Procedures of practice

  • Completion of all DHS and insurance required trainings

  • Co-therapy, shadowing or presence of supervisor in clinical sessions with intern

  • Non-direct duties including building relationships with referral sources and collateral contacts

  • Upon demonstration of appropriate skills and ability to navigate clinical sessions interns will commence meeting with clients individually for therapy services

  • Interns will continue to meet regularly with their direct supervisor throughout the duration of their practicum/internship

  • Shadowing hours are only available Monday - Thursdays 9am-5pm, depending on the schedules of our clinicians.  You must be flexible during those hours to attend sessions that are available for shadowing.
     

**All internship placement offers are contingent upon successful completion of reference checks and background checks including those outlined in the Minnesota Sexual Exploitation Act. This statute requires North Country Counseling contact employers from at least the last five years to determine whether any sexual exploitation of clients has occurred.​

 

Applicants who do not successfully pass background checks or comply with Minnesota and HIPAA date privacy requirements will be dismissed from the placement immediately.

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If you have any questions about our internship program, please reach out to our Internship Site Coordinator Cassandra Brix at cassandra@northcountrycounseling.net or 320.223.2382.

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