Clinical Internships and Traineeships
The dedicated group of intern counselors who are completing their training before becoming licensed as clinical psychologists, marriage and family therapists, or clinical social workers is truly the heart and soul of New Beginnings. These doctoral and graduate level professionals provide individual, group, couples, and family counseling to the diverse group of people who make use of our services.
The interns are trained and guided by experienced clinical supervisors and mental health professionals from the community. Supervisors meet weekly with the interns and provide technical assistance, guidance and support, advanced training, and feedback to the counselors for whom they are responsible. The Center is supported by community volunteers who assist in the clinic’s many activities. Well respected graduate schools in the Southern California area have placed their students with us, including Pacifica Graduate Institute, Antioch University Santa Barbara, UCSB, USC, Pepperdine, Fielding Graduate University, Cal State Lutheran.
New Beginnings Counseling Center provides a well-respected, rigorous training program for master’s and doctoral level interns and prepares its interns for practice as licensed professionals. In addition to providing individual and group supervision, New Beginnings hosts advanced clinical trainings weekly and quarterly. Our Professional Development Level I Training Series consists of 1 to 2 hour weekly trainings in core clinical competencies and topics such as: case presentation and conceptualization, clinical assessment writing, clinical note writing, legal and ethical issues, serious mental illness, evaluating crises, grief and loss, domestic violence, identifying and reporting child abuse, elder abuse, and dependent adult abuse.
Our Professional Development Level II Training Series consists of six 10-hour training sessions throughout the year in working with special populations or theoretical approaches, for example: Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Dual Diagnosis, Working with Veterans, and Play Therapy. Instructors are experienced clinicians in the community, presenting from their specialized areas of expertise and theoretical orientation. The training sessions are specifically targeted to assist counselors with the populations we serve and the issues our clients present.
New Beginnings also hosts 30-minute monthly presentations from local community providers to assist counselors and case managers in learning about resources for their clients and building connections in the community that will assist them throughout their professional career.
New Beginnings Counseling Center appreciates the valuable contributions of our interns to the success of our programs. We do not charge interns anything on an ongoing basis; we do charge a one-time administrative fee of $225. Applicants are accepted year-round, according to the clinic’s needs.
Below we feature quotes from our interns:
“Best place in town to train. Treatment rooms are beautiful. Supervision is a great learning opportunity.”
“We are very supportive to each other. Everyone’s helpful, and this trickles down to client interactions.”
“We can operate at a slower pace. Some people utilizing a lot of resources are expected to be rushed. Clients are surprised, appreciative, and relaxed. We’re great at establishing relationships with people and organizations. We know how to be thorough and treat people really well.”
“To be able to accompany someone across a three-year period of time has been really wonderful. This is something we can offer. Not many places allow or facilitate long-term psychotherapy.”
How to Apply:
For Counseling Internships:
Please send a cover letter, resume, and three letters of recommendation to New Beginnings’ Clinical Director, Shana Burns at sburns@nullsbnbcc.org.
Please also download and print the application:
NBCC-Intern-Application (PDF)
For Supervisors:
Please send a resume or curriculum vitae to sburns@nullsbnbcc.org.