Clinical Psychology Training Program (PsyD/PhD)

We offer the following training tracks:

• Therapy and Advanced Therapy Practicum
• Internship in Clinical Psychology
• Diagnostic Practicum
• Post-Doctoral Internship

For over 18 years, JCFS Chicago has been accepting students from affiliated universities in the fields of social work, psychology, special education, speech/language therapy, dance/movement therapy and art therapy. Our diverse services allow for rich learning experiences in foster care, group homes, outpatient counseling, intensive therapeutic services, early intervention and therapeutic special education. We are committed to structuring training experiences that provide professional development for both staff and students. We value trainees from diverse backgrounds and strongly encourage applicants from diverse cultural backgrounds to apply to our program.

All of our trainees become integrated members of the Psychological Services department, attending in-services and training seminars alongside staff members. In addition, our trainees regularly contribute to the agency’s blog and the “Moment for Multicultural Competence” monthly newsletter.

Recipient of the Association of Chicagoland Externship and Practicum Training (ACEPT) 2021 Outstanding Training Site of the Year Award

JCFS Chicago has collaborative relationships with many schools and institutes. In recent years, we have accepted trainees from the following institutions:

• The Chicago School
• National Louis University (Illinois School of Professional Psychology)
• Adler University
• Midwestern University
• Roosevelt University
• Wheaton University
• Loyola College, Maryland
• Baylor University
• Loyola University, Chicago

Practicum/Extern Training

JCFS Chicago has a longstanding psychology extern training program for both diagnostic and therapy externs currently enrolled in a doctoral level clinical psychology program. Each training year JCFS Chicago offers Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced practicum placements for doctoral level students.

JCFS Chicago offers a comprehensive practicum placement focused on providing students with high quality supervision and didactic training, a diverse and challenging client population, as well as experience working within a multidisciplinary team and agency. The training year begins mid-August and ends in late June.

Learn more about the Practicum/Extern Training.

JCFS Chicago Internship In Clinical Psychology, accredited as a doctoral internship in health service psychology

JCFS Chicago, offers an 1850-hour (minimum), APA Accredited* one-year, JCFS Chicago internship in clinical psychology to qualified graduate students from clinical or counseling psychology programs. The primary goal of the JCFS Chicago internship program is to prepare interns for future clinical practice as entry-level professional psychologists who can work competently with children, adolescents, and families. The educational philosophy of the JCFS Chicago psychology internship program is based on a Practitioner-Developmental-Apprentice model. This model is based on a training mission emphasizing direct clinical practice consistent with the tradition of professional psychology training in the United States (practitioner), facilitating the transition from intern to professional psychologist (developmental), and providing consistent guidance for quality clinical service delivery, as well as, personal and professional growth (apprentice). Taken together, each of these categories builds upon an intern’s prior training in psychology and provides a training experience that is sequential, cumulative, and graded in complexity.

At the core of the JCFS Chicago mission is service delivery. In addition, professional psychology training emphasizes direct clinical work. Therefore, clinical practice is the primary medium that fosters the educational and professional growth of interns while they are at JCFS Chicago. The primary focus and purpose of the JCFS Chicago internship program is to assure breadth, as well as quality of training in regards to an array of professional practices.

Download JCFS Chicago Internship In Clinical Psychology Program Description and Overview
Internship Admissions, Support and Initial Placement Data
Updated for 2022-2023 reporting year
Equal Employment Opportunity Policy

For more information regarding doctoral-level training opportunities in Clinical Psychology (PhD/PsyD only), please contact Carri Hill, PhD, Assistant Director of Psychological Services .

*Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation American Psychological Association
750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
Phone: 202.336.5979 / E-mail: apaaccred@apa.org
Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation