Professional
Development
Counseling Internship Program at the Imago Center DC
The Imago Center of Washington DC’s counseling internship program offers graduate and postgraduate students a unique opportunity to be part of an immersive training experience in Imago Relationship Therapy. Within the program, advanced students from graduate programs in social work, pastoral counseling, marriage and family therapy, and psychology provide sliding-scale counseling for individuals, couples, families, and groups — with a strong emphasis on couples work.
Interns also gain valuable opportunities to connect with, learn from, and contribute to the local, national, and global communities of Imago relationship therapists. Our practice is a vibrant, diverse, welcoming, and relational group of practitioners dedicated to fostering human connection and growth. The internship program meets both academic and licensing requirements for Virginia, DC, and Maryland.
What We’re Looking For
We seek students who are empathic, curious, and deeply committed to their own personal growth and professional learning. Our team is highly supportive, and we value individuals who are collaborative, community-minded, creative, and bring diverse perspectives that enrich our practice.
What We Offer
Interns at the Imago Center participate in:
-Weekly peer supervision groups
-Monthly all-staff meetings and clinical trainings
-Smaller work circles that contribute to the growth and development of the organization (such as marketing, education, finance, or community development), where they can take on responsibilities aligned with their interests
Onboarding is thorough, with opportunities to observe, watch demos and videos, and gradually transition into seeing your own clients. Interns typically begin with mostly individual clients (in person or via telehealth), and as they complete training and supervision in Imago Therapy, they gradually add couples to their caseload. There are also opportunities to co-lead or lead therapy groups if desired.
Important Details
-We typically select one or two interns to begin at the end of August.
-Interviews are conducted during the winter and early spring, with final decisions announced by the end of May.
-Participation in the 96-hour Imago Clinical Training is a required part of the internship. Interns pay for this training out of pocket, but we do our best to offer scholarships or financial support to those who need it.
About The Imago Center of Washington, DC
A multi-service mental health organization, the Imago Center of Washington, DC currently has twelve therapists on staff working in various locations around the DC metro area. We serve adults primarily, although several clinicians work with families, teens, and children. Our clients are truly diverse, socioeconomically, ethnically, and culturally, drawing from the multicultural and international demographic. We specialize in couple therapy, and all our therapists complete the 96-hour clinical training in Imago Relationship Therapy and receive regular supervision in Imago, as well as connection to the local, national, and global Imago communities. Most clinicians have been trained in some mixture of psychodynamic therapy and CBT, but also incorporate other resources including polyvagal theory and trauma-informed and somatic approaches. We also offer many groups and workshops for individuals and couples. Currently, we average about 650 client hours per month.
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