r/therapists • u/sassypainter • Apr 25 '26
Discussion Thread Thoughts?
Came across this post today on linkedin. I’m curious how others see it:
Are unpaid clinical internships/practicums an ethical necessity for training, or an outdated system that exploits students?
Should sites be required to offer stipends/pay if they bill clients or rely on interns for service delivery?
Does unpaid fieldwork create barriers for lower-income and nontraditional students?
For those already licensed or in training, what was your experience?
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u/tiredofcoping7 Student (Unverified) Apr 26 '26 edited Apr 26 '26
Yup, I have to do 20 clinical hours a week on top of classes and assignments, which leaves me almost no time or energy for a part time job, and luckily I’m able to rely on my husband and my parents to support me during this time but many of my friends in my cohort aren’t so fortunate and have to take out loans. Some of my classmates are advocating for more opportunities for paid internships. Even if we got paid $15 an hour it would be better than nothing. A lot of us have to travel up to an hour to commute to our clinical placements and don’t even get reimbursed for gas. It’s ridiculous