Washburn Center's Master’s level Interns gain professional development and a solid foundation of clinical knowledge as they build careers in mental health therapy. Our unique program offers collaborative and direct field placements to graduate students exploring careers in children’s community mental health.
Use your internship to actively improve the lives of MN kids
Regardless of where Interns are placed, each student will get first-hand experience working with children accessing mental health services, and will support families alongside both peers and independently licensed Therapists and Case Managers.
Our field placements offer hands-on training in individual, family and/or group therapy, as well as case management, and Interns will focus in on center-based, home-based or school-based therapy. While most placements stem out of Washburn Center’s Minneapolis office, majority of interns will spend much of their time in the community.
Gain knowledge you'll use for the rest of your career
In addition to case consultations and in-service workshops, learning opportunities for master’s level internships include: diagnostic assessments, case management, development of treatment plans, progress notes and discharge summaries. Internships are typically a nine month experience from Aug/Sept to May.
Pathways Fellowship for BIPOC Interns:
Washburn Center for Children’s Pathways Fellowship aims to support people of color pursuing a career in the mental health field by reducing social, economic and racial barriers. Pathways builds upon Washburn Center’s clinical internship program and its long-time commitment to training professionals in children’s mental health. This fellowship supports the pathway to independent licensure for interns pursuing their Masters degree in Social Work, Professional Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy and Psychology.
Fellows receive:
• mentoring with an experienced clinician of color
• a cohort experience to build comradery and support with other Pathways Fellows (twice monthly, 90 minute meetings)
• a fellowship grant in the amount of $7500 to assist with expenses while pursuing graduate education or licensure
BIPOC Interns who are hired as interns for the 2025/2026 co-hort can apply for a Pathways Fellowship during the Pathways Interview Process in Summer 2025.
Washburn Center for Children has one of only a few preschool and early elementary day treatment programs in Minnesota. This intensive program provides early intervention and helps children in pre-school through second grade in the Minneapolis school district to gain and improve self-regulation skills, learn pro-social behaviors, and learn adaptive ways to rely on adult relationships for support.
At Washburn Center for Children, we join a child’s perspective of their world, viewing this as both important and critical; centering mental health care to help them develop increased social, emotional and behavioral skills and functioning. We work with a collaborative model that focuses on repair through relationships.
Children continue to attend their community school or preschool for a half day. Our Day Treatment staff collaborate closely with a child’s teachers and caregivers to ensure the ongoing success of the child and to help the child transfer lessons learned in Washburn Center’s therapeutic group to their traditional school setting.
During placement, our Interns assist staff with treatment plan interventions with the children in a group session setting, typically working 16-20 hours per week. Interns choose between morning or afternoon half-day sessions with the following schedules:
· Morning Internship: Monday through Thursday, 9:15 am to 12:30 pm
· Afternoon Internship: Monday through Thursday, 12:45 pm to 4:30 pm
Clinical interns also receive the following training and support during their placement in our Day Treatment Program:
· 1 hour of individual supervision per week
· 1 hour of group supervision every other week
· 12 hours of Developmental Repair training
· 6 hours of Crisis Prevention Intervention training
Intern Responsibilities
Group Therapy
· The intern, alongside therapists, support classroom treatment for children ages 5 to 10 by:
· Work with co-group therapists to provide scheduled group services
· Complete weekly group plans for the following week and send to program supervisor for approval. Review, discuss, and plan therapeutic interventions and group activities with therapists each week.
· Implement an individualized treatment plan based on the diagnosis with co-therapists
· Work with co-therapists to provide and lead scheduled group services
· Plan and implement therapeutic activities based on the child’s individual treatment plan goals and objectives, developmental needs, and therapeutic group themes
· Lead a group environment that demonstrates consistency, respectful communication, safety, predictability, clear limits, and encouragement
· Intervene respectfully, safely, and directly to maintain the children’s physical and emotional safety and use therapeutic approaches to help prevent aggressive, destructive, and harmful behavior
· Ability to use and apply therapeutic methods learned through the Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) which includes verbal de-escalation and therapeutic holds
· Provide a safe and welcoming physical group therapy environment by ensuring the room, toys, books, and furniture in are in good condition, interesting, clean, and represents the diverse cultural and developmental needs of the clients. Prepare the rooms, order supplies, and maintain the group therapy space
Supervision and Professional Development
Interns are invited to:
· Attend debriefing meetings at the end of each group session
· Attend bi-weekly intern group supervision
· Complete both online and in-person Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) training
· Complete on-line Learning Management System trainings
Requirements
· Required to be enrolled in Master's program of Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, Counseling Psychology, or Professional Psychology (LPCC, MSW, or MFT)
· Must be earning academic credit for an internship placement
· Must be able to meet the day/hour requirements of the internship
· Applicants should be flexible, resourceful, and demonstrate knowledge of cultural diversity and the role of culture in the therapeutic process
· Knowledge and application of trauma informed practice and experience working with children that have experienced trauma is desired
· Practical and theoretical knowledge of child development desired