The Genesis Therapy Center Practicum Externship

The Genesis Therapy Center offers an 11-month counseling practicum placement for master's students in clinical psychology.


The clients served by students will be children, adolescents and adults using different types of counseling such as individuals, couples and families.


Student trainees will commit a minimum of 3 days to The Genesis Therapy Center. Students need to be available on ALL Tuesdays and Thursdays until 1:00 p.m. for Genesis staff meetings, peer consultation, extern supervision group, and didactic presentations which are held on these days. The remainder of the student’s hours will be scheduled dependent upon office availability and the student’s academic schedule. Each student should expect to work at least one evening until 9:00 p.m. or on Saturdays for their clinical hours. The practicum will start with an orientation on the first Saturday in August. This orientation is MANDATORY.


In addition, there is an overnight whole-staff retreat in March from 3:00 on a Friday afternoon until 3:00 on Saturday afternoon. This retreat is mandatory.


The practicum will last through the last week of June (longer if more direct service hours are needed). Time off from the practicum is limited to one week of vacation (5 days), a maximum of 5 sick days, and Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day and July 4th. Vacation days must be approved by the Executive Director, Training Director, and your individual supervisor.


Practicum students at Genesis must have the ability to work autonomously and be self-directed in addition to being able to work as part of a team. They must also possess a vehicle and have the ability to drive to a variety of our locations throughout the Chicago Metro area.

Training: Direct Service Activities

Psychotherapy (10-14 outpatient hours per week): Student trainees will be encouraged to carry several long-term psychotherapy cases as a way of gaining a more intensive clinical experience. Building gradually, the student trainee will be expected to carry a caseload of 10-14 individuals, families, and/or couples per week.


Outreach (1-2 hrs. per week): With the assistance of staff, students will help plan, develop and present brief workshops that address issues relevant to the sites where we are located. In addition, students will be expected to participate in community expos/health fairs and with our annual fund-raising benefits.


Group psychotherapy (1-2 hrs. per week): Students are encouraged to develop a group based on a topic and/or population of interest. They will also have the opportunity to learn how to market their services to the community.

Family Hugging Together — Oak Forest, IL — The Genesis Therapy Center

Training: Supervision and Clinical Training Activities

Supervision: Students will receive one hour of individual supervision per week. Review of audio-visual sessions will be required of all students. In addition, at least twice in the training year, live supervision will be provided.


Externs will be required to participate in the extern supervision group which will meet four times/month for one and a half hours for a total of 6 hours per month.


Supervision Schedule:

  • 1st and 4th Tuesday of the month meet in Oak Forest from 8:00 – 9:30 a.m for extern group supervision
  • 1st and 2nd Thursday of the month meet in Oak Lawn from 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. for peer consultation
  • 3rd Thursday of the month is our agency wide staff meeting in Oak Forest at 7:30 a.m.
  • Additionally, you will be expected to meet weekly for an hour for administrative supervision for the first 2 months of your practicum and then less frequently as you become more familiar with paperwork and administrative tasks.

Didactics: Genesis Staff present on various topics throughout the year. Didactics occur following the Tuesday extern supervision group. Additional trainings are offered by GTC staff on topics relating to populations served. Students are encouraged to attend the location supervision group for the site they are working in as well as required to attend The Genesis Therapy Center’s monthly staff meeting.


Students will be expected to present cases both in student only groups as well as in groups with the staff as a whole. More frequent supervision is always available in the event of a difficult case or situation

Training: Indirect Service Activities

These activities include the following but are not limited to: Participation in marketing activities such as fliers and mailings; database maintenance of referral sources; creation of articles and material for the newsletter, website and social media; preparation time for cases and group sessions; readings as assigned by supervisor; and becoming familiar with the Mission of The Genesis Therapy Center and developing an understanding of how not-for-profits function.


Students are also expected to fulfill community engagement activities, which include but are not limited to: preparing and serving boxed lunches at the Oak Lawn Senior Center on the last Thursday of the month; data base maintenance of referral sources; creation of articles and materials for the newsletter, website and social medial; preparation time for cases and group sessions; readings as assigned by supervisor; and becoming familiar with the Mission of The Genesis Therapy Center and developing an understanding or how not-for-profits operate. Other engagement activities may be asked of the student as the year progresses based on the needs of the Oak Lawn and Oak Forest communities.

The Genesis Therapy Center follows ACEPT guidelines for practicum placements

We require a cover letter, transcript, curriculum vitae and three letters of recommendation with all applications. For further information, please email us at info@genesistherapy.org.

For more information about our programs, or to schedule an appointment, call our Administrative Office at 708-535-7320.

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