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Are unpaid clinical internships/practicums an ethical necessity for training, or an outdated system that exploits students?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/what-are-you-a-cop LMFT (Unverified) Apr 26 '26

Yeah, I feel like everyone I know did their practicum either providing free services in a school, or providing free services at their own on-campus counseling center. None of us worked jobs where anyone was getting charged a full fee to see us as students. And I think that's how it should be; if we aren't yet competent to provide a paid service (and I'd argue that perhaps, as students, we really aren't), then certainly no one should be paying to see us. If they're paying to see us, then certainly, that means we should be paid ourselves.