My internship story

As an intern, I struggled for many awkward months after graduation trying to find the right internship for me.  I excelled as a student in school, but I lacked the preparation and contacts I needed to easily and smoothly transition into internship.  It was a scary time for me.

I’m happy to report that all ended well.  I eventually established an internship that worked for me and finished my hours without a problem.

But, I know that there are other interns and students out there facing the same confusing and sometimes scary post-graduate landscape.  I still remember what that feels like.

You can have an ideal internship

With all of those feelings and experiences in mind, I created a workshop in the spring of 2011 called Building Your Ideal Internship to share my knowledge and experience and mistakes with other students and interns.  In this workshop, we talked about things like:

                        -how to define your biggest priorities for internship, so you know how to pick a good one

                        -a timeline from coursework to graduation, through the licensing process and internship

                        -ways to capitalize on your strengths and uniqueness so you stand out from other interns

                        -tips on matching yourself with an excellent supervisor

                        –mistakes to avoid when preparing for internship (many of these made by yours truly)

                        -a well-developed sense of agencies and practices that are a good fit with your interests

I hosted the workshop once a month.  It was a one-shot deal where I crammed all the information I could into three hours.  It was a very full three hours, let me tell you.

And, we had all sorts of people there.  We had people who had already graduated and could share about their experiences with various practicum sites and the license application process.  We had people who were two semesters into the program and wanting to get a head start on things.  Many were preparing for practicum and wanted guidance.  Most folks were a few months shy of graduation and wanted to get a game plan for post-graduate life.

While developing the workshop, I polled over one hundred agencies and practices in the Austin area to determine if they are currently recruiting LPC interns and LMFT associates. At the moment, I have established contacts with 32 private practices and 91 agencies that are currently recruiting, and more are being added as I continue to develop these listings.  I compiled all this information into resource guides and made them available exclusively to workshop participants.  Many told me that those resource guides alone were worth the price of admission.

The biggest complaint I had about these workshops was that we did not have enough time for discussion and that people wanted more.

So, based upon that request, I am continually offering new workshops and continuing education opportunities to pick up where your graduate program curriculum left off.

If you’re someone who prefers to learn in a one-on-one setting, I offer private consultations so that we can develop a customized plan for your internship.  If you’re a do-it-yourselfer and are just looking for some leads for placement options in Austin, you can purchase the resource guides for your personal use.

Here’s what we have lined up next.

The Building Your Ideal Internship workshop

Worried about finding a suitable internship or practicum site?

Have you thought about what you want to get out of your internship?

Are you curious about ways to distinguish yourself from other students and interns in Austin?

Unsure about how to select a supervisor?

This is the workshop that started it all– a three-hour, crash course that will help you get excited about internship.  From offering logistical tips to big picture goal-setting to practical help, this talk will give you a big advantage when it’s time to find a practicum or internship site.

“I’m only in my first or second semester of school– isn’t it a bit early to be thinking about this?”

No!  It may feel far off, but graduation will come much sooner than you think!  The earlier you come in to a workshop to plan, the better prepared you will be.

Ready for the nitty gritty details?

Date: January 30, 2016

Time: 9-12

Tuition: $80
You can sign up here:

What’s in it for me?

If you attend, you’ll get lots of help:

You’ll receive the latest edition of the resource guides (fresh leads for placements in agencies and practices in Austin).

You’ll leave with a big picture plan about your top three priorities for internship.

You’ll understand the difference in salary and operating costs if you intern at an agency versus a private practice.

You’ll have a better idea of how to market yourself inexpensively and effectively.

You’ll get ideas about how to pick a supervisor who matches well with your interests.

You’ll have a renewed sense of confidence in yourself and in the internship process.

Still not sure it’s worth the investment?   You don’t have to take my word for it—past participants can vouch that it was a worthwhile use of time and money to attend my other workshops.  You can find some of their feedback listed below.

Sign up here!

Thoughts from previous workshops

“This workshop exceeded my expectations! It was very helpful and has allowed me to recognize what I have already done and has eased my anxiety about what I have left to do! It gave me a plan which is very helpful… I really enjoyed the whole thing. It was very well organized and the way you presented the material was extremely helpful.”

“Part of what makes your workshop so helpful is your positive attitude. So much of what we as students hear on an almost daily basis is that the field is flooded, the competition is fierce, it’s difficult to find a practicum site let alone an internship, making it in private practice is tough, and on and on. After today I have hope that I can do this – that it will take time and effort on my part but I would not have expected otherwise. I really appreciate that instead of coming from fear or worry about competition you seem more interested in inspiring us and seem to be coming from a place of love. So, thank you. It feels good to be finding people like you and creating a community for myself of people whose motivation comes from someplace else besides fear.”

“I truly cannot think of anything [to improve the workshop]. It was a very organized, informative workshop that attended to issues at all levels of the process…This was so helpful! I will definitely recommend your workshops and hope to attend more in the future. Thank you!”

“You’ve helped me make some decisions about my future– thank you.”

“Thank you so much, Ann. I really enjoyed the workshop. I would recommend you to my friends both for the workshop and for therapy. You have a genuine, warm spirit that shines through.”