Practicum & Internship

Through Groundfire, practicum students will have the opportunity to:

• Work with community members via telehealth (remote/online) counselling,

• Practice narrative therapy and documentation techniques, and

• Engage in supportive group and individual supervision to develop their practice and meet practicum and regulatory body requirements for certification*.

Practicum placement includes access to most Groundfire workshops and trainings to further support students’ narrative training. Students will also develop skills in navigating sliding scale services and working within a group practice setting, including managing client caseloads through Cliniko.

While most practicum programs are unpaid, we are committed to financial transparency. During their practicum, students can request a financial review of their client fees and expenses (including supervision, operating costs and administration, external training, etc.) to better understand the ‘back end’ of counselling practices and ensure fair compensation.

*We can verify that practicum supervision through Groundfire meets CCPA requirements. Please confirm requirements for your program and regulatory body of choice, and consult with us to confirm our ability to fulfill those requirements.

Students applying for practicum placement with Groundfire Counselling & Community Work are expected to meet the following requirements:

• Identify within the 2SLGBTQIA+ community

• Be a student of a graduate program of counselling psychology or narrative therapy (international programs accepted as long as students are residing in ‘canada’ during their practicum.)

• Interested in working within their own communities of identity or practice

• Committed to a narrative ethic and anti-oppressive, decolonial approach to counselling/therapy

• Already training in narrative therapy/practice OR wanting to specifically train in narrative therapy/practice

We accept applications for practicum placements year-round, but generally start on-boarding in the Fall (September) or Winter (January) each year. If this does not align with your program’s requirements, our start dates can be flexible—please discuss with us.