What is the Wellness Centers Clinical Training Program?

The Wellness Centers Clinical Training Program is one of the largest clinical training programs in the Midwest for psychology, counseling psychology and social work graduate students.  About 50 interns are placed each year at one of the seven Wellness Centers of the City Colleges of Chicago. Interns receive comprehensive training as they provide clinical services in our student counseling centers. The diversity of the student population at each college enriches the interns' experiences as they gain dynamic training in cultural responsiveness and in working with clients from many different races, ethnicities, age groups, countries, religions.  Interns are trained and supported in working with clients through all phases of treatment, and all therapy interns maintain several long-term clients on the caseloads.  Clients present with a broad range of issues from stress and time management challenges to serious mental illness.  Ind addition to work with students, interns also provide services to faculty and staff.

What are the Wellness Centers?

The Wellness Centers are student counseling centers, providing best-practices mental health and case management services for students, faculty, and staff. Core services include individual and group counseling, psychological testing, educational outreach, linkage to community-based serves, and consultation for faculty and staff regarding “students of concern.”

What is the role of the practicum/externship/internship student?

Graduate students in training participate in all aspects of service delivery. Students are expected to provide crisis, short-term, and some long-term counseling; case management; and community outreach. Doctoral-level diagnostic interns, of course, focus on assessment; however, most will also enrich their experience by carrying a small caseload of therapy clients and by participating in outreach.

What types of placements do you offer?

Placements are provided for second-year, master’s-level students in psychology and social work and doctoral students in psychology. Doctoral-level opportunities include diagnostic and therapy placements.

We value conscientious interns who desire a training experience that includes managing a highly-diverse, challenging caseload. We seek students who are able to engage clients from very different backgrounds, present with a broad range of problems, and often come from low SES communities. Flexibility, independence, good oral and written communication skills, maturity, and good judgment are also highly valued.

To which site(s) should I apply?

Many factors affect which site is a best fit for you. It is especially important to know the clinical licensure of a site’s supervisor. The supervisor’s license type impacts what types of interns that site can place. The chart below is a helpful guide:

Other Factors to Consider When Choosing a Site

You should consider other factors such as the guidance of your training department, the make-up of a site’s student population, and the site location. Regarding site location, some of our colleges are a considerable distance from Chicago’s Loop, however, interns at these sites usually drive or take CTA and find their commutes to be manageable. Be sure to assess transportation and commute time issues when selecting site(s).

 Available Sites, Clinical Supervisor, Supervisor’s License, and Number of Placements

 *For diagnostic interns from Adler and The Chicago School, please note that sometimes doctoral-level supervision can be arranged for sites where the clinical supervisor is an MA or MSW.

To Apply

Applications are accepted via email only. Your application packet should contain: 
     CV/resume
     Cover letter stating why you would like to intern with us
     Three letters of recommendation (one of the three must not be from a professor)
     Your graduate school transcripts. 
Attach all of these documents to your email. Please do not send separately.

If you are applying to only one site, email your application directly to that site’s supervisor (see chart below). If you are applying to more than one site, email your application to:  cccinternships@gmail.com . 

IMPORTANT! When applying to more than one site, in the subject line of your email, please type your last name, first letter of the sites for which you are applying, and your program level (MA, MSW, PsyD, PhD). 

For example, John Smith, a master’s-level student in counseling psychology, is applying to Daley, Truman, and Wright Colleges.  In the subject line, he types:  Smith D T W MA

For example, Alice Brown, a doctoral-level student in counseling psychology, is apply to Kennedy-King and Olive-Harvey Colleges.  In the subject line, she types:  Brown O K PsyD

 Please feel free to email any of the supervisors for additional information