We will be accepting applications for our next Practicum starting in either January, February, June, August, or November 2024. Practica run for either 6, 9, or 12 months, depending on students’ needs and academic program requirements. Though not required, year-long placements are preferred in order to assure clients the highest level of continuity between trainees. The Clinic offers both psychotherapy and assessment practicum placements.
Although the clinic serves clients throughout the lifespan, practicum students are able to focus on the client population that best suits their learning goals.
- Psychological Assessment
- Advanced Outpatient Psychotherapy (Adult, Adolescent, Family, Child, Couples rotation)
Agency Description
Aspiring Minds Psychological Services, LLC. is a multi-disciplinary neuropsychological and psychotherapy clinic serving the unique mental health needs of children, adults, families, couples and groups in the Colorado Springs metropolitan area in Colorado. Our multidisciplinary staff includes child specialists, couples counselors, adult therapists, and neuropsychologists. Having these specialized services under one roof helps us impact many problems from a variety of angles, making change more likely and sustainable. Aspiring Minds maintains a mission of serving underserved populations and providing evidence-based assessment and treatments within the relational context. As an outpatient clinic, our primary focus is providing an array of weekly services aimed at assessing and treating the most common mental health issues. We are skilled at triaging client needs, selecting effective treatments, and collaborating with community resources and higher levels of care. We work closely with pediatricians, primary care physicians, schools, and social services agencies to achieve alignment in goals in complex cases. Additional information about Aspiring Minds may be found at: http://www.aspiring-minds-psychological-services.com
Learning Opportunities - Psychotherapy
Practicum students work within the program. As such, students may expect to provide psychotherapy to young children and families who may identify from various cultural contexts, including racial minorities, gender/sexual minorities, socioeconomic status, and/or indigenous heritage. A typical workday will consist of co-facilitation of psychological testing services, individual therapy, and grand rounds for case conceptualization and skill building. Practicum students will have access to their supervisors and other staff located at the clinic to benefit their learning throughout the workday. Students may be expected to complete normal documentation as part of their learning experience, which may include Diagnostic Assessments, Treatment Plans, Progress Notes, and Discharge Summaries. Students are expected to deepen their learning to focus on second-order change and to think beyond immediate interventions, which allows for further awareness of systemic influences on psychotherapy.
For outpatient therapy practica, the program typically takes doctoral students from clinical and counseling psychology degree programs. The placement requires at least 33-hours per week. In our experience, the educational quality of a practicum is negatively correlated with a student’s concurrent credit load, and students are encouraged to begin practicum only after completing the majority of their degree requirements.
Learning Opportunities - Assessment
Practicum students work within the Psychological Testing program. As such, students may expect to provide psychological testing to young children and families who may identify from various cultural contexts, including racial minorities, gender/sexual minorities, socioeconomic status, and/or indigenous heritage. A typical workday will consist of supervision, case consultation, documentation, or administration/interpretation of psychological tests. Practicum students will have access to their supervisors and other staff located at the clinic to benefit their learning throughout the workday. Students may be expected to complete normal documentation as part of their learning experience. Psychological Testing students will complete psychological batteries with the supervision of a Licensed Psychologist. Students are expected to deepen their learning to focus on second-order change and to think beyond immediate interventions, which allows for further awareness of systemic influences on psychotherapy.
For the assessment practicum experience, students will be expected to be on site 22 hours per week. The other 8 hours will be spent in supervision, didactic training/case consultation, and report writing. The assessment practicum will consist of administering, scoring, and writing reports for clients of varied ages and a variety of referral concerns. Some of the referrals are from clinicians within Aspiring Minds, others are outside referrals. Typical concerns seen for assessment are attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, some learning disabilities, mood disorders, autism spectrum disorder, neurocognitive disorder, pre-surgical clearance, and diagnostic clarification. For the assessment practicum students will work with clients from ages 5 and up; however, students may observe the child neuropsychologist with children as young as 12 months of age.
Requirements:
Student Qualities Desired for Effective Work in this Program
Ideal students will have completed lifespan development, ethics, and psychopathology classes and have a strong interest in working with families within the relational context. Students in the Psychological Testing program should have completed a course in cognitive and personality assessment prior to entering this program. Students who have a passion for learning and place training as the priority will benefit the most from the program. Bilingual applicants are encouraged to apply.
- Prerequisite Coursework:
- Ethics
- Counseling theories
- Psychopathology
- Psychological Assessment - (cognitive and personality assessment required for assessment rotation)
Pay: We pay out practicum students 18.00 per hour.