As one of the largest therapy private practices in Colorado, we receive over 100 applicants every year from Master’s students looking for a counseling practicum site or therapy internship on their way to becoming an LPCC or MFTC. We also provide LPC and MFT supervision for many therapists who have become successful, licensed therapists in Colorado.
When students apply for internships, here’s what we’ve experienced:
- About 90% of applications are extremely generic.
- Some applications have another practice’s name in them because the student forgot to replace the name while copy-pasting the same application they just used. It happens much more than you’d expect.
- Less than 10% of applicants include a personalized cover letter or any information about what makes the applicant stand out or why they’re particularly interested in interning with us.
- Nearly all applicants position the internship as what our practice can do for them and their career, not what they bring to our team of therapists (more on this later).
While we’ve already hired our interns for the spring and fall, we wanted to help students have a better chance at landing a counseling practicum site or therapy internship by sharing what helps candidates stand out to us, along with some tips on what not to do when applying.
Do your research before applying
Most therapy practices include a lot of information about what they do, who they see, and the therapists on their team on their websites.
If you’re interested in trauma therapy or EMDR, check the therapist’s website to see if that’s one of their specialties. If you’re interested in working with teens, it’s a good idea to see if that’s an age group that the practice works with. And if they don’t, that could be a way to share how you could help them see a different population of clients if they’re interested in expanding.
When you do your research, even if that’s just including a name or two from the therapists’ bios and some of a practice’s specialties, it shows that you’re not recycling the same application over and over.
In general, therapists try to be client-centered, and your application can show that you apply that same level of care and detail to your work.
Share what makes you different
We receive a shocking number of applicants who don’t take the time to share what makes them different, even if it’s volunteer work, somewhat work-related experience, or even the courses that have interested them in school.
Many don’t even take the time to write a cover letter. Here’s what about 90% of applications we receive look like:
To whom it may concern,
I’m a Master’s student at [School], and I’m looking for a counseling practicum site for [season] [year]. Here is my resume’. I look forward to hearing from you.
[Name]
When applicants introduce themselves like this, they are showing minimum viable effort for a maximum effort job. At the moment where you want to look your best, put your best foot forward by taking the time to show that you care.
Show what you can do for them, not what the practice can do for you
Even outside of therapy, one common mistake that applicants make when applying for any job is talking solely about how the job will help them, not how they will help or add to the business.
Many therapy practices are small businesses, and applications are typically reviewed by the business owner. If you put yourself in the shoes of a business owner, they’re typically not looking to hire someone who:
- Plans to leave or start their own private practice immediately after graduation, which means they’re likely taking their clients with them.
- Only mentions how the practice will benefit them, instead of identifying ways that they can help the practice, even if it’s just providing extended hours (Work after regular business hours! You’ll get tons of teen clients!) or expanding the types of clients the practice can see.
- Has many demands or extremely narrow areas of focus. We always want our interns to have a busy, positive experience where they see a lot of clients and get exposure to many different populations of people. When interns niche down too much from the start, it can be stressful for a business owner to get them the right types of clients
- Also, don’t demand a certain type of office from the start. We literally had someone request a window office in his cover letter and have a list of demands about the aesthetics of the office.
Make it obvious that you care
We want all of our therapists to care about the work they do with their clients. Showing you care with a thoughtful cover letter, typo-free resume’, and taking a few extra minutes to personalize your first contact with a private practice matters.
We know that finding a counseling practicum site can be a lot while you’re taking classes, but no therapist wants to feel like they were part of a “spray and pray” or copy-paste mindless effort in the middle of the night.
The more you can show how much you want to get the internship and be great at what you do, the better chance you’ll have of being hired.
Finding a counseling practicum site isn’t easy, but you can do it
While you’re searching for a counseling practicum site in Colorado, we hope these tips help you land a fulfilling, valuable internship.
We hire a limited number of interns per year, but even if we’ve completed hiring for the year, we provide individual and group LPC and MFT supervision as you’re working towards licensure. Therapy is a rewarding career, and taking the right first steps while you’re in school can set you on a bright path towards becoming a therapist in Colorado.
