Acorn Therapy's internship experience is designed to prepare students for the practice of professional mental health therapy consistent with the philosophy embodied in the practitioner-scholar model of training. The overarching goals of the internship are to assess, refine, and extend your knowledge, skills, and attitudes in the following areas of therapeutic practice so as to develop a proficient level of competence that prepares you for post-graduate associate-level work.

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• Philosophy and practice of trauma-informed care;

• Philosophy and practice of neurodiversity-affirming care;

• Self-as-therapist and development of therapeutic identity;

• Application of theoretical knowledge and supervision to clinical work;

• Professional conduct, ethics, and legal matters across scope of therapy practice;

• Clinical assessment, judgment, and diagnosis within a transdiagnostic framework;

• Therapeutic considerations and intervention selection within trauma-focused context;

• Philosophy and application of sustainable healthcare practice for the clinician;

• Frameworks of administrative practice to support clinical work (e.g., documentation).

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Training Design

 

The internship experience we offer is developmentally planned and sequentially organized. Interns begin the year with orientation, which is aimed at helping students transition from theory to practice as part of the broader team and begin their position as a clinical intern. Our program operates under the assumption that most interns will have had relatively little experience in the provision of therapeutic services within a private practice outpatient setting. Consequently, the orientation situates interns to the scope of mental health therapy in outpatient private practice (including administrative scope); the culture of consultation and supervision; issues related to serving trauma-impacted and neurodivergent populations; policies and procedures related to the referral, triage, and case assignment process; and following trauma-informed praxis for the onboarding and intake process of new clients.

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Here's a breakdown of the core areas of our internship experience:

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• Orientation: General introduction to all areas of the internship;

• Didactic seminar sessions: More in-depth explorations of various topics and/or encouraging interns to contemplate their experiences in the topic area so as to integrate knowledge with clinical services;

• Participation in case conferences: Through weekly 1:1 supervision and monthly group consultation;

• Observation of other professionals: If desired, observation of specific skills such as intake, clinical assessment, EMDR, somatic psychotherapy, etc.;

• Providing services: In conjunction with a clinical supervisor and/or under observation of supervisor, whether in-person or via video;

• Developing competency: Participate in training activities including discussions and review of session recordings in supervision; discussions and case presentations in didactic seminars; interaction and discussion with other staff and interns; trainings providing theoretical knowledge and application recommendations.