Internships and Training Opportunities

Read about our Application Procedure

UMSL Counseling Services offers graduate trainees an opportunity to participate in a variety of professional activities in the stimulating atmosphere of an urban university.

Part-time training opportunities are offered for graduate students in counseling, psychology, or social work. The training program's goal is to provide an intensive and diverse clinical experience consistent with the individual student's training needs, interests, and level of expertise. Graduate training is a major priority of our staff and there is a strong commitment to on-site supervision and professional education. Graduate trainees are viewed as colleagues and are encouraged to be actively involved with the staff and with the development of new programs and workshops.

Range of Clinical Experience

Trainees have the opportunity to become involved in several programs that CS offers to UMSL students, faculty, and staff. Included among these are individual & group counseling, outreach, and workshops. The workshop and outreach offerings vary in response to the needs of our client population and the professional development interests of the interns and staff.

Although some UMSL students fit the profile of the traditional college student, the mean age of the UMSL student is 27. Our clients come from a variety of countries, states, and cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and represent a diversity of identities. Client concerns range from developmental issues to situational crises, to more serious psychological disorders. This diversity contributes to a broad training experience and a stimulating professional environment.

The Staff

CS staff is composed of 3 full-time professionals and 1-3 graduate trainees. The professional staff members are trained in a variety of treatment approaches and theoretical orientations including humanistic, psychodynamic, multicultural, person-centered, cognitive-behavioral, emotion-focused, creative therapies, ACT, DBT, and EMDR.

Specifics of the Training Program

A training experience at CS requires a commitment of 20 hours per week for the full academic year (from late August through mid-May). Activities usually involve some combination of the following:

Direct Service

• Intake and Individual Counseling: Trainees receive training and experience shadowing and completing initial assessment interviews. Opportunities exist for brief, time-limited counseling, along with longer-term counseling, when needed, to address client concerns. Trainees usually see 8-10 individual clients per week and carry a caseload.
• Group Counseling: Trainees receive training and experience in co-leading and potentially leading weekly support, process, or psychoeducational groups.

• Outreach: Trainees will be asked to participate in a wide range of campus outreach. Activities may include tabling in various campus locations, assisting with presentations or workshops, and participating in campus-wide mental health initiatives, such as National Depression Screening Day.

Supervision

• Individual Supervision: Each trainee has an individual supervisor who is a member of the professional staff. Weekly one-hour supervision meetings focus on the development of the trainee’s counseling skills and treatment planning for individual clients. Videos of client sessions are used to enhance supervision.

• Group Supervision: The trainees meet as a group with the Training Coordinator, or member of the professional staff, weekly (1-1.5 hours). These meetings focus on specific training needs and issues and provide a forum for case discussions of various clients. Videos of client sessions are used to enhance supervision.

Training

• In-Service Education: Trainees receive weekly training on a variety of topics, such as different interventions or theoretical orientations, working with diverse populations, specific mental health concerns, or other topics of professional development.

Internship and Practicum Application Procedure

Eligibility 

Applicants may be candidates for the M.Ed., MA, MS, or M.S.W., in programs of clinical psychology, counseling, or clinical social work. Practicum applicants should preferably have completed courses in the theories of counseling or psychotherapy, ethics, and basic counseling or psychotherapy skills. Internship applicants should have completed their practicum courses and other relevant academic coursework.

Please submit:

1. A letter of interest containing information about what makes you interested in being a counselor and what interests you in our practicum opportunity.
2. A curriculum vita, listing relevant educational, work, or volunteer experiences and graduate courses completed.
3. Email contact information for two persons familiar with your professional and/or academic performance. They will be contacted to provide an assessment of your skills and potential suitability for the position.

Send to: Karen Munkel, LCSW, at munkelk@umsl.edu 

Please be advised of the following:

• The position offers a $3000 stipend, with the first $1500 paid after completion of the first semester and the remaining $1500 being paid at the end of the second semester.

• The internship lasts for two semesters, starting in mid-August 2024 and concluding in May 2025. We DO NOT offer one-semester or summer practicum positions.

• We reserve the right to review applications, conduct interviews, and make offers before the application deadline. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply early for full consideration.

• After your materials are received, you will be contacted once your application is complete. After our initial review of applications, in-person interviews will be conducted. You will be contacted if selected for an in-person or virtual interview.

• You can learn more about our center on our website.