Minnesota Center for Psychology-Therapy Practicum
At Minnesota Center for Psychology (MCP), it is part of our mission as a clinic to provide both high quality care to our clients and high quality supervision to all of our trainees. The therapy practicum at MCP has been designed to provide trainees with a variety of experiences meant to facilitate growth in several key areas of professional development as a clinician. More specifically, we provide opportunities to conduct diagnostic assessments, case conceptualization and treatment planning, and therapeutic interventions developed with empirical support. As means of fostering a value in empirically supported treatments, all of our therapy practicum trainees are asked to join our Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) team while also being provided opportunities to see clients presenting with more general therapy concerns. In addition to developing clinical skills, our practicum trainees are provided with a supportive and nurturing atmosphere that allows for the development of self-confidence, professional identity, and enthusiasm for the field of mental health. Being a for-profit private practice setting, we also hope to provide trainees with an introduction to some of the concrete and nuanced aspects to practicing within such a setting as they begin to make decisions about their future career.
Below is an estimate of how a typical therapy practicum trainee spends their time each week. We ask trainees at this level to spend approximately 20 hours per week at our clinic with 50% of this time being engaged in face-to-face tasks with clients.
2-3 Individual Therapy Clients (General Therapy)
2-3 Individual Therapy Clients (Dialectical Behavior Therapy)
2 Skills Groups (Dialectical Behavior Therapy; 2.5 hours each)
1 hour Individual Supervision
1 hour Group Supervision
1.5 hours Case Consultation (with DBT team)
1 hour Didactic Seminar (on DBT and related topics)
5.5 hours Administrative Tasks (e.g., progress notes, documentation)
While we strive to be as flexible as we can to accommodate what are typically very busy trainee schedules, please note that we ask all practicum trainees who are new to our clinic to be available on Thursdays from 10:00am-11:00am to attend group supervision and 11:00am-12:00pm to attend our weekly Didactic Seminar. Additionally, we ask all clinicians (including all trainees) to attend a weekly Case Consultation on Thursdays at a time of their choosing (either 8:00-9:00am or 1:00-2:30pm).
Our practicum is designed to span one full year (Labor Day to Labor Day) which means that we cannot accept practicum students who are seeking placement during other parts of the year. Please note that for trainees in academic programs that only require a 9 month practicum, our clinic will allow a trainee to end their practicum after 9 months with the understanding they remain at the clinic for the full 12 month commitment. During these remaining 3 months (assuming official graduation), the trainee’s “Student” status will be changed to “Independent Contractor.” As such, the trainee will be paid for their work and will begin accruing hours toward licensure.
*Please note that we will not be able to offer clinical training in Adolescent DBT during the upcoming 2023-2024 training year. We hope to once again do so during future years.*
We thank you for taking the time to review this brief introduction to our practicum training experience at MCP. We hope that you find it a match for your training goals and professional development. Should you have any questions about our practicum training or wish to submit a Curriculum Vitae (CV) with cover letter expressing your interest in practicum training at MCP, please feel free to email the Practicum Coordinator, Ben Dieffenbach, MSW, LICSW at ben.dieffenbach@minncp.com or contact him at 651-644-4100.