THE GENESIS THERAPY CENTER THERAPY PRACTICUM
The Genesis Therapy Center offers an 11- month counseling practicum placement for masters students.
The clients served by students will be children, adolescents and adults, 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 students’ hours will be scheduled dependent upon office availability and the students’ 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 of August. This orientation is mandatory.
In addition, there is an overnight staff retreat in mid-winter from 3:00 p.m. on a Friday until 3:00 p.m. the next Saturday. This retreat is also mandatory. The practicum will last through the last week of JuneStudents 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 students’ hours will be scheduled dependent upon office availability and the students’ 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 of August. This orientation is mandatory. (longer if more direct service hours are needed). Time off from the practicum is limited to one week of vacation, a maximum of 5 sick days, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day and July 4th. Vacation days must be approved by the Genesis Therapy Center’s 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 also must be able to get to a variety of our locations throughout the Chicago Metro area. We require all students to have their own vehicle to travel from site to site.
Training: Direct Service Activities:
Psychotherapy: 10-14 client hours per week. Student trainees will be encouraged to carry several long-term psychotherapy cases as a way of gaining more intensive clinical experience. Building gradually, the student trainee will be expected to carry a caseload of 10-14 individuals or couples per week.
Outreach (1-2 hrs. per week): With the assistance of staff, students will help plan,
develop and present brief workshops and/or community service projects 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 fundraisers.
Group psychotherapy (1-2 hrs. per week): Students are encouraged to develop a group based on a topic and/or a population of interest. They will also learn how to market their services to the community.
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 8-9:30 a.m. for extern group supervision.
- 1st and 2nd Thursday of the month meet in Evergreen Park from 8:00-9:00 a.m. for peer consultation.
- 3rd Thursday: GTC Staff meeting at 7:30 a.m. in Oak Forest.
- Additionally, you will be expected to meet weekly for an hour for administrative supervision for the first 3 months of your practicum and then less frequently if your paperwork and administrative tasks are going smoothly.
Didactics: Genesis Staff present on various topics throughout the year. Didactics occur following the Tuesday extern supervision group. Students will be expected to present 1-2 didactics to their peers and staff members in the spring. 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 at 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 entire staff. 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; discuss a clinical issue on our podcast, website and social media; preparation time for cases and group sessions; readings assigned by supervisor; and becoming familiar with the mission of The Genesis Therapy Center and developing an understanding of how not-for-profits function.
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. or our Training Director, Terae Tatum-Blakeley at tterae69@gmail.com.
