An intern has not yet earned a professional license, but is currently in a graduate level program in order to obtain one. Working with an intern provides a unique experience for clients to work with their therapist towards forming a treatment plan that helps the client meet goals and the therapist gain experience in their practice. All therapists should help you identify and meet your goals, but seeing an intern provides a slightly different experience in a few important ways.
Because interns are not yet licensed to practice independently, services are offered at a discounted rate. Practically, this saves you money as the client. On the other hand, it may seem intimidating to place your trust in someone new to practicing, which is a valid concern. Intern therapists are required to attend supervision with an experienced and licensed therapist, who can provide additional advice and guidance. Maintaining an open line of communication about your expectations in therapy encourages your therapist to seek out the proper techniques and direction to best help you.
There are also unique benefits to seeing an intern who is new to the field. Some positive aspects include:
- Up-to-date information and best practices: interns are learning onsite through practice, and are also learning from professors who are well-versed professional therapists themselves. A current graduate intern has access to the latest teachings and evidence-based research within the field of art therapy.
- A fresh perspective: as a client, it’s natural to be worried that a provider may just see you as another case of your diagnosis—not as a whole person with unique experiences. If you’ve felt stuck, or like other providers treat you as “just another case” based on a label, it might be helpful to seek someone new who won’t fall into patterns of treatment just because they have worked for others before.
- Smaller caseloads: therapist interns see less clients individually and spend more time in supervision. This allows the intern more time to spend thinking about your needs as their client, how they can best serve you, and ensuring they are meeting practice standards with their supervisors.
These are all exciting reasons to work with an intern; however, it’s ultimately most important to consider your own needs as a client, and whether those needs are compatible with seeing an intern therapist. You may also want to ask yourself:
- Do I feel comfortable asking for what I want? That’s a big question—one to think about when meeting any therapist—but an intern is learning from clients, just as you are from them. It’s important to think about whether you feel comfortable asking your therapist clarifying questions, or speaking up when you think something might not work for you. It will help you both, but only if you feel you are ready for that dynamic.
- Can I be flexible in our approach to solving problems? Maybe you and the intern work through a problem one week, but when you see them again, they mention that there was another perspective that they hadn’t considered and wanted to bring to your attention. It’s important to consider whether you feel comfortable with the feedback process and building on your experiences together.
- How long do I need to see a therapist to work on the problems I want to address? Depending on the graduate program, interns will only be onsite for a limited amount of time—ranging on average between 8 to 16 months. There is plenty of progress to be made during that time, including working on the skills needed to be open to changing providers while maintaining growth; however, if you feel you need to see a single provider for longer, this is an important logistical concern.
Ultimately, the goal of every therapist should be to help you grow and guide you towards helping yourself. Seeing an intern therapist is an opportunity to walk that path together, as your time with them helps them implement the skills and techniques they have learned for this purpose. If this sounds right for you, reach out about connecting with an intern therapist.
Frances Barker is a graduate student at Syracuse Universily working on a master’s degree in creative arts therapy. They are completing their internship at Spotted Rabbit Studio and are under supervision by Kit Shulman, LCAT.
Frances specializes in LGBTQIA+ issues, neurodivergence, complex trauma, relationship dynamics, and substance abuse. They are currently accepting clients at Spotted Rabbit’s Brighton studio for an early March start date.