Internships are an integral part of every psychology students’ education. SamaraCare offers internship opportunities at both the Master’s and Doctoral levels. Our hands-on training provides students with a real-world context to apply what they are learning. For those seeking to gain practical experience and/or wanting to get a head-start on their career, an internship with SamaraCare may well be what they’re looking for. Availability of internships varies depending on the timing of the inquiry.
MSW/MA Clinical Internship
SamaraCare internships are for MSW/MA students looking to develop and strengthen their clinical education and tools. This is a nine-month to one-year program. It offers exposure to a wide range of clinical issues, treatment needs, different populations, and various theoretical orientations. Due to the highly clinical focus of the internship site, this placement is only appropriate for students in the second year of their MSW/MA program.
Being located in a major metropolitan area, MSW and MA students have the opportunity to work in a multi-racial, multi-ethnic community. They will work with individuals from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds. In addition to providing services at our headquarters in Naperville, IL, students may offer clinical services at satellite sites of collaborating partners (e.g. Loaves and Fishes in Naperville, a food pantry service) as well as telehealth. Students will be immersed in direct clinical practice with children, adolescents and/or adults.
Interns participate in weekly individual and group supervision sessions (both one hour) and are included in clinical consultation groups as well as ongoing learning and enrichment opportunities. An integrative model of supervision, combining skills model, solution-focused model, motivational techniques, developmental model and relationship model will be used. Our primary goal is for students to master the skills needed to become an independent, ethical practitioner and obtain the highest possible level of competence. This training experience also provides students with the unique opportunity to become familiar with and trained in working with issues relevant to the integration of spiritual and existential perspectives as well as clinical practice. For more information, please contact Kary Pekarek at 630-357-2456 ext. 305 or email her at [email protected].
Pre-Doctoral Clinical Internship
SamaraCare offers a one year training program to pre-doctoral practicum level psychology students. We also accept advanced therapy practicum students. Both will learn the foundational elements of the behavioral sciences in an outpatient community mental health setting with a broad range of clients.
These interns develop basic competency in the areas of case conceptualization, treatment planning, outcome evaluation and therapy. Therapy practicum students also do some assessments. Interns will have the option of becoming familiar with issues relevant to the integration of spiritual and existential perspectives and clinical practice.
Students in practicum training will provide direct clinical services to children, adolescents and/or adults under the supervision of a licensed clinical psychologist. The program includes working at satellite sites of collaborating partners (e.g. a local food pantry, Loaves and Fishes). This training provides a minimum of 950 hours of supervised professional experience. Availability of these internships varies by the timing of the inquiry. For more information contact our Business Office at 630-357-2456.
