We will be accepting applications for our next Practicum starting in either June 2024 or August 2024. Practica run for either 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 a combined psychotherapy and assessment practicum placement.

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 rotation)

Agency Description

Lorenz Clinic of Family Psychology is a multi-disciplinary psychotherapy clinic serving the unique mental health needs of children, adults, families, couples and groups in the West and South suburbs of the Twin Cities, MN. Each of our locations has a multidisciplinary staff that includes child specialists, couples counselors, adult therapists, and psychiatric nurses. Having these specialized services under one roof helps us impact many problems from a variety of angles, making change more likely and sustainable. Lorenz Clinic maintains a mission of serving underserved populations and providing effective 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 Lorenz Clinic may be found at: http://lorenzclinic.com/about-us/

Learning Opportunities - Psychotherapy and Assessment

Practicum students work within the psychological services program and outpatient psychological services program. As such, students may expect to provide psychological testing and psychotherapy to children, families, and adults 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 provision of psychological testing services, and practicum students may also opt to provide outpatient psychotherapy as an additional training component of their practicum rotation. Additionally practicum students will participate in case consultation, documentation, and individual supervision. 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 Psychological Testing Batteries, 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 psychological services.

For outpatient therapy practica, the program typically takes doctoral students from clinical and counseling psychology degree programs. The placement requires at least 20-hours and at least two evenings per week for those conducting psychotherapy. 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.

For the assessment practicum experience, students will be expected to be on-site at the Wayzata clinic location. Student time will be spent in administration/scoring, 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 Lorenz Clinic. Typical concerns seen for assessment are attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, some learning disabilities, mood disorders, autism spectrum disorder, and diagnostic clarification. For the assessment practicum students will work with clients from ages 6 and up.

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 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 assessment required for assessment rotation)

Lorenz Clinic is proudly committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse and inclusive workforce. We are an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. 

Offers of employment are conditional and contingent upon successful clearance of all background checks.