Washburn Center for Children is a private non-profit, community mental health agency. The Outpatient program serves children and adolescents ages 3 to 21 and their families. The population served at Washburn is diverse and a substantial proportion of the clients are low income. A sliding fee scale is offered for clients who have no third party medical coverage. Children come to Washburn with a wide range of emotional and behavioral difficulties, including behavior disorders, mood and anxiety disorders, trauma history and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, adjustment issues, challenging family dynamics, as well as learning and school difficulties. Parents often come seeking help in improving their parenting skills or family communication. Along with mental health issues, the clients seen at Washburn have numerous other life stressors and require a fair amount of care coordination along with the therapy.

Pre-doctoral Practicum Placement:

 

Washburn Center for Children's Predoctoral Psychology Practicum offers a unique training experience for trainees with particular interest in child and family-focused therapeutic work in a community mental health setting. Washburn Center for Children is a well-respected, established psychology training site with experienced supervisors and rich clinical opportunities.

Practicum students will get first-hand experience working with children and families accessing Outpatient mental health services, with support from experienced supervisors, an inviting and knowledgeable Outpatient team, and multidisciplinary colleagues across Washburn Center for Children’s spectrum of services. Clients in our Outpatient program present with a wide variety of concerns and come from diverse backgrounds. Services typically include diagnostic assessment, treatment planning, individual and family therapy, care coordination, and documentation of services. Services are provided at Washburn Center’s three Outpatient clinics, in Minneapolis, Edina, and Brooklyn Park.

In addition to providing direct services, practicum students benefit from a rich learning environment at Washburn Center for Children. They participate in supervision, case consultations, and care coordination meetings. They are invited to attend agency in-services and other training opportunities, as their schedule permits. We offer therapy and advanced (mix of therapy and assessment) practicum placements that are typically a one-year experience at 16-20 hours/week, from September to August.

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 for Children’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 trainees who are hired as practicum students for the 2024/2025 cohort can apply for a Pathways Fellowship during the Pathways Interview Process in the Summer of 2024.

·       Our students typically need to be available to work some before-school and after-school/evening hours in order to accommodate scheduling with clients.

·       Students should be prepared for meeting DHS requirements regarding paperwork.

·       There is a high productivity expectation and self-care is needed and emphasized. 

·       Practicum placements begin in September and are a year commitment.

·      Trainees will also need to be available during the first few weeks of practicum at WCC for mandatory training/orientation. An onboarding calendar will be provided about XXX weeks before your start date. 

·      Trainees are required to attend Case Consultation meetings the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month from 9:00 am to approximately 10:30 am at our Minneapolis location.      

Applications for the 2024-2025 training year can be submitted on February 4, 2024, which is the uniform practicum application date set by our local graduate programs. Interviews will be held the week of February 12th. Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume, along with a list of three references.

Washburn Center for Children (WCC) maintains a COVID-19 Preparedness Plan that mitigates the transmission and spread of COVID-19 to ensure the safety of staff, clients, residents, and community members.  As part of the COVID-19 Preparedness Plan and to comply with federal, state, and local government regulations Washburn requires COVID-19 vaccinations for: 

·       All employees 

·       All interns/trainees/fellows 

·       Contractors/consultants who are working onsite at a WCC facility and/or are delivering services to clients regardless of location 

·       All volunteers (including Board of Trustees members) who have in-person contact with WCC staff, clients, or volunteers 

·       Exemptions for medical or religious reasons may be requested using the included forms.  Exemptions will be considered for medical reasons and due to religious beliefs.