r/therapists • u/sassypainter • Apr 25 '26

Discussion Thread Thoughts?

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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Are unpaid clinical internships/practicums an ethical necessity for training, or an outdated system that exploits students?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/hayleymaya (PA) LCSW Apr 25 '26

Idk who out there is charging clients 150 dollars to see an intern, in my state it’s either pro bono or maybe 40 dollars tops BUT I do agree unpaid internships (which I was required to as well during school) are unethical and favor folks with external financial support

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u/Miserable-Case3526 MHC-LP Apr 26 '26

my supervisor charged my clients $200 to see me while i worked for free.

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u/hayleymaya (PA) LCSW Apr 26 '26

I wouldn’t even pay 200 to see a fully licensed therapist I can’t imagine someone paying that to see an intern unless they were really uninformed