Internships

Seneca Family of Agencies has a long history of partnering with universities to provide fieldwork placements for students. Fieldwork placements at Seneca are available in our San Francisco Bay Area, Central California, Southern California, and Washington state locations.

Undergraduate Internships

Currently, undergraduate internships are only available in our Orange County programs, in our Guided Animal (Horse) Intervention Therapy (GAIT) and Family Finding programs. Most undergraduate internships are one semester, but can be extended. To express interest in an undergraduate internship, please email [email protected].

Graduate Internships

Seneca provides in-depth clinical fieldwork placement and training opportunities for MSW, MFT, and PCC interns across our California and Washington programs. Additionally, we offer PsyD practicum placement in our Hayward CA program and macro-level MSW placements in our Oakland CA programs.

Graduate Students at Seneca Experience:

  • An intensive orientation to Seneca’s population served, values, philosophy, and practice at the beginning of their fieldwork placement
  • An opportunity to conduct fieldwork in a variety of programs
  • Training and supervision focused on the Seneca treatment model
  • Training presented on a wide range of topics applicable to working with children and their families
  • Weekly supervision provided by a Seneca clinician with an appropriate degree or license
  • Weekly group supervision when applicable to the student’s fieldwork agreement
  • Fieldwork stipend – see below for details

Time Commitment

In order to establish therapeutic relationships with our youth and families, we require a nine- to ten-month commitment from all students; beginning in the fall of each year and continuing through to the spring of the following year (our Atascadero program is on a different schedule). Some fieldwork placements can be extended to 12 months (fall to fall) if requested by the student at the time of application. Please note we do not offer winter-start or summer-only fieldwork placements.

All interns are required to complete Seneca’s two-week (M-F 9 am-5:30 pm) New Employee Orientation prior to beginning the internship. NEO is offered back-to-back during the summer and once a month for the rest of the year, allowing interns to select the NEO cycle that will not conflict with classes.

Fieldwork Stipend

Graduate students in placement 3 days (24 hours) per week receive $500 per month, and students in placement 2 days (16 hours) per week receive $300 per month. Interns who complete two years of internship with Seneca will receive $700 per month during their second year of internship if they are in placement 24 hours per week. Receipts for educational expenses are required for the full amount of your stipend.

Who should apply?

The training settings we offer are most appropriate for advanced students who already have some exposure to clinical populations and direct work with clients. You must be currently enrolled in a clinical graduate program to apply. Please note: internship placements do not automatically lead to employment at Seneca.

How to Apply

Seneca begins accepting applications for graduate fieldwork on February 1st of each year and continues accepting applications until all positions are filled for the fall. Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon after February 1st as possible to maximize their chances for interviewing with a program that matches their learning goals, academic requirements, and geographic availability.

  1. Visit our Careers Page to submit an online application with the following attachments:
  2. Select Fieldwork Placement as the employment category to ensure your application is sent to Seneca’s fieldwork coordinator.
  3. If it is after February 1st and you are unable to upload your application to the online application system, you may email your three application documents to [email protected].

Note for Post Graduate Clinical Associates:

As a post-graduate clinician (ASW, AMFT, APCC), you qualify for many of the Clinician/Therapist positions at Seneca. As an employee, Seneca will assist you in gaining your hours, trainings, as well as supervision and support as you move towards licensure. For more information about applying for a clinical position at Seneca, please go to the Careers page.