Training Program Description

Welcome and thank you for your interest in the pre-doctoral internship offered by University of Massachusetts Lowell Counseling Services (UMLCS)! Applications are accepted from doctoral students at William James as part of the William James College Internship Consortium in Clinical Psychology.

UMLCS is a multidisciplinary counseling center whose mission is to empower students to achieve their academic, personal, and professional goals by offering a range of psychological services in an atmosphere that is safe, confidential, supportive, and healing. UMLCS embraces and celebrates diversity, values all intersectional identities, and works to eradicate discrimination and dismantle systems of oppression. We commit to lifelong learning and advocacy for and with marginalized individuals so that we can provide equitable services that enhance the wellbeing of those we work with.

UMLCS has been training Counseling, Psychology and Social Work graduate students for over 40 years. Our staff members are passionate about training and committed to the development of the next generation of clinicians. UMLCS strives to prepare interns to become well-rounded, competent, culturally humble, and ethical practitioners who can excel in a variety of clinical settings.

UMLCS offers two full-time internships each year. Pre-doctoral interns earn a $26,000 stipend, two weeks’ vacation, and five days of sick leave per training year.

Interns will receive excellent, comprehensive, and collaborative supervision and participate in didactics that focus on addressing the unique needs of the university clientele we serve. UMLCS provides an environment for interns to develop assessment, treatment, and crisis intervention skills through exposure to the daily practice of a university counseling center. Interns will also be actively supported to engage in and prioritize their own self-care. All staff are limited to five clinical hours per day and there are no after hours on-call duties required. UMLCS values the importance of balance, well-being, and boundaries. Our interns, like all staff members, are highly valued, treated with respect and given the recognition they deserve as colleagues.

Our full staff is actively involved in the training and the professional development of the interns we work alongside. Interns will have the opportunity to work directly with licensed psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, and licensed mental health counselors in individual and group supervision, training seminar, case consultation, group therapy, and consultation. All interns have licensed psychologists as their primary clinical supervisors, receiving three hours per week of individual supervision. In addition, each intern will receive one hour per week of group supervision from a licensed psychologist or licensed independent clinical social worker.

Clinical Activities

Triage: Interns complete one hour of triage per day. Triage is focused on rapid assessment and initial treatment planning wherein interns provide clinical recommendations, including short-term individual therapy, group therapy, medication management, referrals to case management, or referrals to other campus and community services. Interns will also have exposure to crisis counseling and risks assessment in this role.

Intake: Interns complete intakes on a weekly basis. Interns will learn to complete a thorough biopsychosocial evaluation and refine skills related to diagnosis, creating SMART goals within a brief therapy model, thorough case conceptualization, and treatment planning.

Individual Therapy: Interns conduct approximately 15 hours of individual therapy per week. Individual therapy is provided from a brief therapy framework with the majority of students being seen biweekly.

Group Therapy: Group therapy is provided on a weekly basis and UML students can participate in group therapy throughout their undergraduate and graduate career. Interns will co-facilitate at least one interpersonal process group each semester. Interns will have the opportunity to co-facilitate General Interpersonal Process Groups and/or affinity-based Interpersonal Process Groups to meet the unique needs of our students. Previous affinity groups offered include: BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and Women’s Interpersonal Process Groups.

Crisis: Interns will have exposure to crisis work and risk assessment through completion of daily triage appointments and during individual and group therapy.  Interns to not provide on-call coverage.

Supervision

Individual Supervision: Interns will receive three hours of individual supervision weekly by a licensed psychologist and one hour of group supervision per week by a licensed clinical social worker. Supervision is deeply valued at UMLCS. Interns are expected to come to supervision prepared to discuss their cases and engage in deep reflection of their clinical work. Interns will be required to record their sessions at regular intervals to be reviewed with their supervisor to aid in clinical skill development.

Group Supervision: Interns will participate in one hour of group supervision per week as a cohort.  Group supervision is led by a licensed psychologist or licensed independent clinical social worker.  This is a time for interns to be together to discuss cases, practice giving feedback and clinical recommendations, and obtain support and guidance on professional issues related to the practice of therapy.

Didactics

Training Seminar: Interns participate in a weekly training seminar where clinical staff and guest presenters discuss pertinent clinical topics. Interns are expected to present during the year on a clinical topic they hold expertise or interest in. Previous presentations include Antiracism, Brief Therapy, Couple’s Therapy, Eating Disorders, Feminist Supervision, Lethal Means Safety Planning, and Masculinity and Male Socialization.

Case Consultation: Interns participate in weekly case consultation where staff collaborate and receive consultation regarding high-risk cases. Interns will learn to complete thorough risk assessment, provide feedback to other staff members, explore the necessity for higher level of care, and discuss safety planning and harm reduction.

Diversity Seminar: UMLCS recognizes the suffering that oppression and discrimination cause and are committed to creating an inclusive and affirming environment to support our student body. To prioritize antiracism and anti-oppressive practices, interns and clinical staff will participate in and lead presentations focused on topics related to social justice, equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging.

Application

We look forward to receiving your application!  Applications are due by October 30, 2025 for the 2026-2027 internship year. 

Applications should include a curriculum vitae, cover letter, four 500-word autobiographical essays, one sample assessment report, academic transcript, APPIC Professional Conduct Form, and three letters of recommendation using the APPIC Reference Form. 

Applicants will be notified via email by November 20, 2025 if they will be offered an interview.  

All interviews will be conducted via Zoom and completed between December 15, 2025 and December 19, 2025.  Please submit applications and direct any questions to:

Paige Getchell, Psy.D.
Assistant Director of Clinical Training
University of Massachusetts, Lowell
220 Pawtucket Street
Lowell, MA 01854
Email: Paige_Getchell@uml.edu
Phone: 978-934-6800

Or

Deborah Edelman-Blank, Psy.D.
Director
University of Massachusetts, Lowell
220 Pawtucket Street, Suite 300
Lowell, MA 01854
Email: Deborah_Edelmanblank@uml.edu
Phone: 978-934-6800