Internship Program

We encourage a culture of curiosity, passion, fun, professionalism, and honesty. We believe that every one of us has experience and training that should be valued and respected in the workplace.

We also believe that every one of us has the ability to gain expertise and confidence to become a leader in the field. Whether you are searching for a drama-free place to see clients or you want to become the next Nedra Glover Tawwab or Brene Brown, we will listen to your career goals and help you on your journey.

We create an active collaborative culture by offering weekly opportunities for us to continue to grow as therapists and humans. Twice a month we have consult group, once a month we have clinical trainings, and once a month we engage in insight-oriented anti-oppressive work through facilitated conversations, readings, and exercises. We are a community of learners, and we believe in engaging through humility and curiosity.

Therapy is a craft learned over many years. It is more than learning modalities. We believe that the work of healing requires deep introspection, deep listening, deep joy, and deep repair. As therapists, we attune to our own nervous systems so we can become aware of when we become activated. We do the deeper work of noticing how our own trauma geneology and intersections of identities show up in the work. We learn how to notice survival bids with gentle kindness and curiosity, with a constant quest for unconditional positive regard. We are deeply skeptical of any mentality that encourages a feeling of righteousness, because we cannot be righteous and attuned at the same time. Healing happens in the messy bits, the in-betweens, the spaces were we can say "yes, and." We step towards nuance and complexity, legacy and context.

We had a lot of fun in designing a comfortable and welcoming environment. We'll let the pictures speak for themselves!

Our placements (internship or practicum plus internship) are one year long from January to December. We ask that applicants commit to the full year training experience.

At present, we are only accepting interns for a one-year placement from January to December. Because we have a cohort model of education and supervision, we are unable to accept mid-year transfers.

Yes, in most cases, we are able to offer practicum then internship for a placement that is one year long in total. Our program meets the requirements of Antioch University. If you are looking for a practicum and you are from a different school, you're welcome to apply and we can work with your school to confirm that we can meet their requirements.

For interns, we ask that you plan to be in the office on Fridays. Part of that day will be dedicated to clinical supervision and trainings, and the other part will be seeing clients. You will have opportunities to conduct client sessions individually and with a mentor clinician.

Other than Fridays, we have a lot of flexibility as to when you see clients. We ask that you see clients only between the hours of 7:30am and 9pm, but you can choose telehealth or in person appointments.

We ask that interns do not see clients on the weekends. Although we do have a Clinician On Call during the weekends, we have more robust support avaiable during weekdays.

Every Friday, we have clinical supervision with the entire intern training team (2 clinical supervisors and 2 mentor clinicians). After that, we have practice sessions with the mentors where you'll be learning how to use different therapeutic modalities.

As you can see, the Catalyst internship program is a robust training program. We invest a lot of time and energy into creating the internship program and making sure you have a variety of supports.

Our internship program is "revenue neutral" -- meaning that it does not make any profit -- rather, any income generated by the interns' sessions is put back into the program.

The first year of the intern program is 2026. In the future there might be capacity for a training fund or scholarship, but we don't have that capacity at the moment.

Our internship training at Catalyst Counseling is focused on working with individuals. We find that the skills acquired through individual work provide a strong foundation for later working with couples or families after graduation. Our program emphasizes building a solid understanding of individual needs and therapeutic techniques, which are essential before advancing to more complex dynamics involved in couple or family therapy.

Yes, absolutely! It's not required, but any intern is welcome to attend our clinical trainings. Clinicians meet weekly on Tuesdays from 1-2pm. Meetings are a mix of clinical trainings, anti-oppression trainings, and specialized consult groups (see the Associate Training Program page for more detailed information).

We love EMDR. It's a fantastic modality. It also requires specializes supervision. We are well-equipped with light bars and tappers and all the goodies to accommodate associate or licensed clinicians who want to practice EMDR, but we don't have the level of specialized EMDR supervision available for interns to offer EMDR.

At present, we don't offer groups at Catalyst. We do have excellent community connections through NAMI Eastside, PEPS, and other organizations. We are happy to connect you to these organizations and you can earn your group hours in that way.

Our training program has a strong relational component, so we do require clinicians to be in the office every Friday. The remainder of your internship can be done online. If you live out of the area, you must be able to reliably commute to our office on Fridays in order to be considered.

Although we have LMFT's on staff, we don't have anyone who has gone through the full process to become an AAMFT-approved supervisor. If you are in a Marriage and Family Therapy program, you would need to ask your practicum coordinator if our program meets your requirements.

At Catalyst Counseling, our internship and clinical training program offers an exceptional foundation for developing therapeutic skills. Participants will gain in-depth knowledge of various therapeutic modalities and techniques, enabling them to offer tailored treatment approaches. Additionally, our program emphasizes the importance of understanding and respecting your nervous system, an essential skill for effective therapeutic practice. We also focus on sustainable practices, ensuring that our interns not only learn to help others but also maintain their own well-being. This comprehensive training prepares you to excel in a therapeutic career, equipped with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills.