As a paid graduate intern, you will receive funds for learning and maintaining the following duties (NOTE that many of these are business/administrative skills not taught in graduate school!) :

— How to implement fundamental counseling theories and evidence based practices

— How to schedule and maintain a client caseload

— How to create, organize, and implement business projects to promote your professional interests

— How to create payment statements/invoices, billing logs, and how to work alongside of a dedicated billing service

— How to professionally network and conduct table sessions/advertising

— A deep understanding of the relationship between counseling and insurance payment methods

— How to inventory and utilize office supplies to improve your client’s experience as a guest to your office

— To develop a 5 year business plan for your future counseling practice

— Marketing skills and methods for advertising yourself as a professional

— Maintaining records and progress notes

— Returning calls and connecting with potential clients

— and so much more!

Note: This position is only offered to 1-2 graduate students. Please inquire for further information on contract details and payment.

Basic counseling theories offered at universities are: Person-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, and some minor discussion of Existential/General Humanistic Therapy.

• While these are foundational theoretical approaches, they are limited in their ability to target diverse populations and symptom categories. 

Advanced counseling theories are offered at OCS, LLC in addition to the foundational theories above. The paid graduate counseling intern will leave learning an additional four theories, increasing their comprehension of theoretical approaches to expand significantly

• Theories offered (24): Person-Centered Therapy, Existential Therapy (Yalom, May, Frankl), Narrative Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectic Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Choice Theory/Reality Therapy, Contemplative Therapy, Feminist Psychotherapy, Positive Psychotherapy, Adlerian Therapy, Attachment Theory (Winnicott, Bowlby, EFT), Jungian Psychotherapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Narradrama Therapy, Transactual Analysis, Polyvagal Theory

Graduate students will be encouraged to select four modalities to study extensively following a criteria:

• Selecting a theory that aligns with how the student views the world and others

• Selecting a theory that aligns with how the student problems solves

• Selecting a theory that aligns with how the student interacts with others (personality traits)

• Selecting a theory that the student disagrees with to reduce clinical blindspots/bias

Graduate students will be provided 15-20 individual clients and 1 group therapy to develop their counseling skills under supervision of a licensed mental health professional

Counseling programs often will impress upon their students to have a more rigid approach to interactions with clients (ex. Encouraging students to not disclose or utilize personality traits to build rapport with the client, or focusing on symptom dynamics rather than the counselor-client relationship)

The OCS, LLC paid internship program conceptualizes the professional development of the counseling student and their personal identity as one in the same. We:

• Assist the counseling student in identifying their core values as an individual, establishing their core values as a counselor, and synthesizing these to align with the ethical standards set by the American Counseling Association

• Develop an awareness of how the student views the human condition and the origin of this personal perspective, as well as how to utilize this to simulate curiosity, humbleness, and move toward objectivity within the clinical settings they encounter.

• Establish a personalize style of therapy that blends theoretical approaches, personality and identity, and experiences/strengths to create an advanced method of relating to and guiding clients

Often graduate students will receive access to consultation and supervision via coursework (frequently lead by individuals still pursuing their credentials)

Graduate students will be provided daily individual supervision and weekly group supervision by a group of licensed, seasoned clinicians with a diverse range of specialities.

• Students will receive consultation/supervision on: counseling ethics, administrative strategies, professional development, trauma, grief, mood disorders, personality disorders, family systems, health care systems, insurances, assessment skills, diagnostic skills, team-oriented treatment methods, etc. in order to prepare the student for a variety of professional settings

• Students will have access to these services post-graduation (even if not pursuing contracting with OCS, LLC)

Graduate counseling programs do not often provide courses that develop business knowledge in aspiring therapists. 

The program will establish a thorough working knowledge of the following business aspects:

• Electronic Medical Record systems

• Scheduling Clients

• Billing and Invoices

• Marketing

• Advertisement

• Business Proposal Drafting

• Team Management

• Clerical/Organizational Skills

• Leadership Skills

• Client Retention Skills

• Community and Professional Networking 

• Program Development

• Project Management

• Independent Contracting knowledge (what to look for when accepting a work/independent contract)

• Education on Employment vs Contractors

• Monthly Metric Tracking Skills