Students and interns are essential partners in advancing our mission and helping individuals and families thrive. By choosing a Wilder placement for your training, you’re not just gaining valuable experience, you’re making a real difference in the lives of people in St. Paul and beyond.
Our training program is widely known for providing unique and rigorous field placements where students and interns gain competency in working with underserved communities from a multicultural, multi-disciplinary lens. Students and interns can expect to work with a client population that comprises a wide range of racial, ethnic, language, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Emphasis of Training:
We offer placements in our Community Mental Health & Wellness, Healthy Aging & Caregiving, Early Childhood Education, and Communications, and Volunteer Engagement services for students pursuing Bachelor degrees in social work, early childhood education, psychology, and related fields.
Wilder offers placements for junior-level Bachelor of Social Work students from Metropolitan State University and St. Thomas University. This placement program provides students with hands-on experience in health and human services through a cohort-based training and supervision model.
Wilder offers placements for undergraduate students with studies in early childhood education, youth development, psychology, or a similar field. This placement provides hands-on experience in a classroom at Wilder's Child Development Center, our preschool and childcare center. We have openings three times per year: summer, fall, and winter/spring semesters.
If volunteer hours count for your course or service learning requirements, please visit our volunteer webpage here for more information on current openings or reach out to Wilder Volunteer Services at [email protected].
We offer placements in our Community Mental Health & Wellness and Healthy Aging & Caregiving services for students in the following disciplines: Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Alcohol and Drug Counseling. Placement openings vary from year to year.
Placement Opportunities
Access Services
Wilder Recovery Services: Substance Use Disorders Treatment
Adult Rehabilitative Mental Health Services
Children’s Therapeutic Services & Supports
Therapeutic Teaching Model
Assertive Community Treatment (ACT)
Mental Health Day Treatment
Our placements for Master’s students begin in early September and end in late April or early May. Applications for a September start should be submitted by March. Please note: For MSW students, we adhere to the established timeline for applications, interviews, and ranking that is established by local academic programs.
To apply, students are asked to complete a brief application indicating their placement interest and needs, and submit this along with their cover letter and resume/CV. Please note: Students must sign into or create a Google account to submit this application.
Occasionally, we have openings for a winter (January) or summer (May) start. Students who are interested in one of these start dates should submit a brief inquiry form to see if there are any available placements. Inquiries should be submitted by October for a winter start and by February for a summer start. If a placement is available, students will be asked to complete the full application.
We offer placements in our Community Mental Health & Wellness services for psychology practicums and internships, and in our Healthy Aging & Caregiving services for occupational therapy fieldwork.
Community Mental Health and Wellness offers field placements for doctoral psychology students seeking a practicum in therapy or assessment, or for an advanced practicum.
Our therapy practicum placement offers opportunities for students to provide individual, family, and group psychotherapy with children, adolescents, and adults in our outpatient clinic. Our clinical staff utilize a variety of cognitive, behavioral, and relational treatment approaches. Interventions are grounded in a trauma-informed approach to treatment and consider social determinants in the formulation of health problems and solutions. Students develop a generalist approach to practice, working with a variety of age groups and modalities, but also have the opportunity to practice in their area of preference.
Our assessment practicum placement provides students a hands-on experience in psychological evaluation and testing within a collaborative, interdisciplinary team. Students work alongside other professionals to provide comprehensive recommendations for children, adolescents, and adults. In addition, evaluations for young children, ages 0-5, are also part of the training experience. Students gain valuable experience in all aspects of evaluation services including assessment planning and test selection, case formulation, and explanation of results. Advanced practicum students are preferred for assessment placements, although students with previous clinical experience and coursework in assessment are considered.
Our placements for doctoral practicum students begin in early September and end in May or early summer. Applications for a September start should be submitted by January. We adhere to the established timeline for applications, interviews, and placement offers that is established by local academic programs.
To apply, students are asked to complete a brief application indicating their placement interest and needs, and submit this along with their cover letter and resume/CV. Please note: Students must sign into or create a Google account to submit this application.
Community Mental Health & Wellness offers an internship for doctoral psychology students in their final year of training. Our internship is a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC).
The psychology internship program at Wilder focuses on providing trauma-informed, integrated care to clients and their families, guided by best practices in mental health assessment and treatment. The program emphasizes a whole-person and culturally-informed, family-centered approach, with a strong commitment to inclusive practices and health equity. Interns receive extensive training in understanding the development of psychological disorders and using a variety of assessment tools to diagnose and treat a wide range of mental and behavioral health conditions. Self-motivated interns who have a passion for social justice, are committed to health equity, and have a desire to work with a diverse population of clients are considered a good fit for our training program.
Our core training experience is comprised of generalist training in both psychotherapy and evaluation and testing. Interns maintain a balance of training in each area, but are able to tailor their preference for greater emphasis on intervention or assessment.
In addition to direct services in therapy and assessment, interns are able to advance their skills through other focused practice opportunities. Interns can elect to receive additional training in the following specialty areas of focus: group therapy, supervision and consultation, integration of alternative and indigenous healing practices, and early childhood assessment and consultation.
We participate in the Internship Matching Program sponsored by APPIC. All applicants must register online for the Match to be eligible for our internship. Visit National Matching Services Inc for more information about the Match, including registration and current dates and deadlines.
For more information on our training program, please review our brochure.
Healthy Aging & Caregiving Services offers direct service experience for students to support our Customized Living Services at Hamline and Ravoux Hi-Rises in St. Paul. Learn and practice your skills alongside our Aging & Caregiving Services team to provide person-centered care for older adults, adults with disabilities, and those with chronic conditions. We have openings for Level I and II Fieldwork throughout the year through affiliated schools (including University of Minnesota, Anoka Technical College, St. Kate’s University, and University of North Dakota) for students in occupational therapy assistant and doctor of occupational therapy programs.
If you have questions about our training opportunities, or do not see your field of interest listed, complete this inquiry form and we will respond.
I am so grateful that I came to Wilder for my training. I didn’t know it was possible to work in this way. Now I will always know how it can be done best.
-Former Wilder Intern
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