Practica
Beginning in the fall of the second year of study, students begin to enroll in a Practicum (412-1). Most of our students elect to do their practica at one of the four captive placements at The Family Institute at Northwestern University which is only one block from the Psychology Department. The Family Institute is the Midwest’s oldest and largest organization devoted to marital and family therapy, education and research and offers state-of-the-art facilities for clinical services, education and research including six therapy suites with adjoining video-control/observation rooms ideal for recording/live supervision of student therapy and assessment sessions. Some students elect to do practica at the NU Medical School on the Chicago campus. Other options can also be arranged in the Chicago Metropolitan area.
During the third and fourth and fifth years of study, students continue to enroll in Practica. Students spend 8-12 hours per week in a position that entails responsibility for patients and supervision time. Of the four practica at the Family Institute one is an assessment practicum for diagnostic interviewing and psychological testing, one is a cognitive-behavior therapy clinic for the treatment of anxiety disorders, another is a cognitive-behavior therapy clinic for the treatment of mood disorders and the fourth is an Integrative therapy practicum where systemic approaches to assessment and psychotherapy are taught.
Before a student can apply for internship, s/he must have an approved (defended) their dissertation proposal; and, the sponsor must ensure that data collection for the project will be completed before the student actually begins the internship.