For more than 150 years, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has been a leader in educating the world’s most influential artists, designers and scholars. Located in downtown Chicago with a fine arts graduate program consistently ranking among the top four graduate fine arts programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, SAIC provides an interdisciplinary approach to art and design as well as world-class resources, including the Art Institute of Chicago museum, on-campus galleries and state-of-the-art facilities. SAIC’s undergraduate, graduate and post-baccalaureate students have the freedom to take risks and create the bold ideas that transform Chicago and the world—as seen through notable alumni and faculty such as Michelle Grabner, David Sedaris, Elizabeth Murray, Richard Hunt, Georgia O’Keeffe, Cynthia Rowley, Nick Cave, and LeRoy Neiman.

Externship Program

Overview

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) Counseling Services offers advanced practicum externship opportunities. Our focus is providing brief, integrative psychotherapy to a diverse population of undergraduate and graduate, international and domestic art students. We are committed to providing our clients with ethical and supportive treatment and to provide our trainees with the tools for success in their work with our student population.

Our value in training is to increase the skillset and confidence of our trainees through a focus in the following areas: brief therapy, intake assessment and triage, consultation, clinical documentation, and crisis intervention. Additionally, we focus on general competencies such as ethical practice, multicultural competence and professional development.

Expectations

Externs are expected to be on-site for 20 hours a week (two full days plus one half day) throughout the academic year (late August until the end of May), and will receive two hours of individual supervision as well as one hour of seminar each week. One hour of supervision is provided by a licensed clinical psychologist and the other by a postdoctoral fellow. Typically, Tuesday mornings from 9:00–10:00 a.m. are required for the practicum seminar, subject to change. Externs are expected to carry a caseload ranging from 8–12 individual psychotherapy clients. In addition to providing psychotherapy, each extern is expected to also conduct intake assessments, crisis intervention, clinical consultation, and provide referrals/recommendations. Externs are also expected to participate in relevant on-site training to enhance their experience.

Eligibility Requirements

This is considered an Advanced-level Practicum. Interested applicants should be enrolled and be in good standing in a doctoral program in clinical or counseling psychology. Applicants should have already completed at least two years of doctoral level practicum experience (basic/intermediate and diagnostic) and have experience providing psychotherapy. Candidates should also have some prior exposure to and interest in psychodynamic and/or existential-humanistic theories.

Application Procedure

SAIC Counseling Services training program is not an ACEPT member, but we welcome applications from students whose schools have membership to this organization. We offer interviews on a rolling admission basis until all positions are filled.

When the application process begins at the beginning of February, interested applicants should submit the following materials in one .PDF document:

• Cover letter describing your experience and interest in our site
• Resume or curriculum vitae
• Transcript from your program (an unofficial transcript is acceptable)
• Two letters of recommendation from mental health professionals who are familiar with your clinical work

Writers can choose to email the letter directly to Dr. Rodriguez or via the applicant.

Questions

Please email all questions to: Joey Rea, Psy.D Training Director, Counseling Services, SAIC
jrea1@artic.edu

August 2023 - May 2024