Counseling or Marriage and Family Therapy Internship

starting May-August, 2025, Englewood, Colorado

Accepting Applications Now. We encourage you to apply early! At Thrive Couple & Family Counseling Services, we always want to meet therapists in training with great instincts, and a hunger to develop and grow. If this describes you, we’d love to learn more about you. We offer a learning opportunity to hone your clinical skills in a community of caring, fun and positive therapists. We offer the potential to be hired after internship in a full time therapist position.

Therapist interns will primarily provide couples and individual therapy for adults with relationship concerns. Some opportunity for child, family and teen therapy is possible. We are currently offering a blend of in-office sessions and online video therapy via a secure platform.

Please note, this is an unpaid internship as part of a student’s graduate program curriculum requirements. However, interns  receive extensive exposure to Emotionally Focused Therapy and successful private practice skills. We offer regular individual and group supervision, as well as in-house training on a variety of attachment focused modalities and interventions.

Internship Description

This is an internship position with growth potential! Schedule to be determined mutually, but we require a caseload of 12-15 client hours per week. It is possible to see clients daytime, evening or weekends. Interns should expect face-to-face clinical time, as well as additional time as necessary for case management, consultation and paperwork.

The current position ideally includes your availability for:

• A 12-month commitment. A 9-month commitment may be considered in some circumstances.
• Minimum 12-15 client hours per week
• Schedule requires one evening shift a week until 8 PM Mountain time (can be online), one morning shift in-office, and a Saturday shift in-office
• Additional hours for note completion, client engagement and communication, consultation, and session preparation

Our practice specialty is relationship and couples counseling using Emotionally Focused Therapy. Our goal is to have a community of relationship specialists supported to grow in their EFT skills while providing exceptional care to clients. We are committed to building and nurturing an inclusive, diverse, safe and welcoming community for our staff, interns, and our clients. Therapists of color and LGBTQ+ therapists are encouraged to apply.

Intern Duties

• Develop skills and provide counseling to couples, individuals and some families using experiential, attachment-based approaches such as Emotionally Focused Therapy.
• Provide excellent client care throughout treatment in terms of ethical practice, alliance-building and professionalism
• Commit to learning and honing your EFT counseling skills, working together on your stuck places and growing edges, and collaborating on cases with your supervisors.
• Develop Caseload and build to completing approximately 20 clinical counseling hours per week, including one weekend day and at least two weekday evening hours.
• Learn and utilize our systems for scheduling, phone, and billing.
• Complete notes and other required documentation in a timely and thorough manner.
• Provide consistent availability throughout your Internship to maintain client care.

Your Required Skills and Qualities

-Current enrollment in a Master’s Degree or PhD/PsyD mental health program (Marriage and Family Therapy, Counseling, Clinical Psychology, Mental Health, or Social Work). This Counseling or Marriage and Family Therapist Internship offers plenty of relational hours for MFT graduate programs. We DO NOT currently have an on-site Social Work supervisor.

-Exposure or interest in attachment-based relationship therapies such as Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) or Gottman Method.

• Interest in pursuing additional training in Emotionally Focused Therapy
• Some experience working with couples or families
• Attachment orientation required

-Completion of an ICEEFT endorsed EFT Externship is a requirement of the position before or in the first couple of months of internship. Concrete plans to attend are required before an internship offer would be made. All ICEEFT approved EFT Externships are listed here, and there are student discounts available (feel free to ask us for guidance; some offer more discounts than others): https://iceeft.com/emotionally-focused-couple-therapy-efct-externship/

-Eagerness to see lots of couples, and some individuals with relationship concerns. Our new client inquiries are 80-90% couples.

-Practice with integrity and ethics. Know your growing edges and refer to a team member when needed.

-A commitment to ongoing cultural competency development, and anti-racism work. An LGBTQ affirming and welcoming stance.

-Must have a smartphone, laptop computer, and feel competent technically

-Ability to see 15 clients hours a week, including at least 2 evenings a week, or an evening and a weekend day.

-Dependable and responsive. Grounded and easy to get along with.

-Eager to learn, with a coachable, positive attitude

-Plus if you have additional interest or experience in any of the following:  addictions, trauma, sex/intimacy therapy, child and/or family therapy

Why we think this is a great counseling internship

You get a great introduction to private practice in a warm and supportive community. You receive client referrals, office space or access to a video therapy platform, marketing support, and all the systems and amenities to learn in a polished and busy private practice.

To Apply

Please email include a cover letter, resume, and answers to the following questions to allison@thrivefamilyservices.com. Professional letters of recommendation are welcomed.

• Please describe any previous education or work experience with families or couples.
• Please describe how you would approach couples from an attachment perspective. Please also describe your understanding of what would NOT be an attachment approach to couple distress and challenges.
• What types of clients do you most want to work with? Are there any client issues or concerns you do not feel comfortable working with?
• Please describe your training and work in cultural awareness and anti-racism, and your plan for continuing to learn in this area.
• Please describe your interest in being part of an LGBTQ+ affirming practice that celebrates the LGBTQ+ community and their relationships.
• Our internship requires registration and attendance at an ICEEFT approved EFT Externship. Please describe when/where you would be able to complete this. There are student discounts available at most of these trainings, and some continue to be held online.
• What do you hope to gain individually and professionally from this counseling internship? What are your 1, 3 and 5 year career goals after graduation? How much does couple or family work factor into those goals?
• Please describe your schedule, availability, current location, and your current employment (if applicable). What, if any, changes would you need to make in your current situation to take this position and commit to 15 hours of clients per week?
• Please describe any anticipated absences during the internship period.