Post-Graduate Training Program for Maryland-Based LGPCs and LMSWs!

Setting a Solid Foundation for Life as a Newly Licensed Therapist!

You’ve graduated from school, you’ve passed the exam, and you’ve finally been approved for your license! That alone is reason to celebrate!

You’re excited about new possibilities (and maybe a little overwhelmed), and you know that you want to start your new career on solid ground!

You know that school is over, and real-world learning has just begun. You want to set yourself up for success by choosing to start your career at a place that will prioritize your professional development and provide mentorship and supervision.

If that’s you, you’re in the right place!

LifeSpring Counseling Services’ Post-Graduate Training Program for Newly Licensed LGPCs and LCPCs.

Doctors have residency programs after graduation. Newly licensed counselors and social workers get a minimum of two-years of supervision and clinical practice before obtaining full licensure. The quality and frequency of that supervision can vary vastly based on the site where one is working.

LifeSpring’s Post-Graduate Training Program has been intentionally designed so that newly licensed therapists can count on quality and consistent supervision in addition to built-in mentorship and training. We want to help you avoid the challenges, frustration, and overwhelm of starting your career without these supports in place.

Read below for the logistics of our 3-year Post-Graduate Training Program.

Meet Our Supervisors

  • Melissa Wesner, LCPC

    Newly licensed therapists can expect that I will help them cross their t’s and dot their i’s. This isn’t always the exciting part, but it’s the part of the work that helps us sleep well at night!

    As a Certified Brainspotter and Brainspotting Consultant, I’ll be encouraging new therapists to pursue Brainspotting as a means of transforming their work with clients.

  • Liza Krohn, LCSW-C

    “I find supervision energizing and appreciate the mental stretch it gives. It brings us back to best practices and continuous learning, while reminding us that we are human and function best in community.

    I love seeing clinicians build confidence in their skills and learn to trust their gut over time. Sometimes I get to see “lightbulb” moments where an idea/approach clicks, but I also get to see growth in the way questions are asked and cases are conceptualized as clinicians build experience.”

Apply Today!

Year 1: Building a Strong Foundation

The Year 1 Post-Graduate Training Program will include:

  • Individual Supervision

  • Group Supervision

  • Mentorship

  • 2 in-person retreats located in Baltimore County

Year 1 professional development trainings will be centered around the following topics:

  • HIPAA

  • Ethics & Digital Ethics

  • Note Writing & Treatment Planning

  • Electronic Health Records, Record-Keeping, & Compliance

  • Billing & Accepting Insurance

  • Telehealth: Compliance & Best Practices

  • Building Rapport & Assessing the Therapeutic Relationship

  • Screening & Risk Management

  • Developing Your Professional Identity

  • Marketing

  • Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy interventions

A Certificate of Completion will be awarded upon successful completion of the Program.

Year 2: Diversity & Wellness

The Year 2 Post-Graduate Training Program will include:

  • Individual Supervision

  • Group Supervision

  • Mentorship

  • 2 in-person retreats located in Baltimore County

  • Group therapy experience

Year 2 professional development content will include:

  • Dismantling Oppression Training Series

  • Intersectionality

  • Sexual health

  • Group therapy

  • Holistic Wellness

  • Self-Care & Burnout Prevention

A Certificate of Completion will be awarded upon successful completion of the Program.

Year 3: Developing Your Specialty

The Year 3 Post-Graduate Training Program will include:

  • Specialized Supervision with Focus on Trauma, Child Therapy, or Brainspotting.

  • Group Supervision

  • Mentorship

  • 2 in-person retreats located in Baltimore County

  • Advanced Group Therapy Experience

  • Opportunities to Develop a specialty in trauma, child therapy, or Brainspotting.

Year 3 professional development content will include:

  • Brainspotting Phase 1 Training (Paid by LifeSpring if you choose this specialty)

  • Brainspotting Consultation (paid and provided by LifeSpring if you choose the Brainspotting track)

  • Trauma Training (all year 3 participants)

  • Screening for Trauma (all year 3 participants)

  • Child Therapy Track will include supervision with our child therapy supervisors, training in working with children and parents.

  • Training in documentation when working with minors (for individuals in the child-therapy track)

  • Screening and assessments for working with children (child-therapy track)

  • Interventions in working with children training

A Certificate of Completion will be awarded upon successful completion of the Program.

Are you a good fit for our post-graduate training program? 

Our ideal cohort members are LGPCs and LMSWs who are:

  • Motivated, teachable, and eager to learn

  • Professional, reliable, & dependable

  • Looking for quality mentorship & supervision

  • Committed to developing their clinical skills & professional identity

  • Physically located in the Greater Baltimore area

  • Willing and able to keep a full-time work schedule (flexible hours)

  • Wants to be an active part of an intentional learning cohort after graduation

Note: Program participants will be full-time, paid W-2s at LifeSpring Counseling Services.
Applicants who are accepted into the program will begin their cohort the last week or August or the first week of September.

Apply Here!

We will be accepting applications for round 2 of our Post-Graduate Training Program starting May 2024.

The start date for this program will be 10/1/24.

See what our year 1 members had to say!

  • “Transitioning from a counseling intern to a full-time licensed therapist was quite the adjustment period. I'm so grateful to have found a practice and supervisors who are truly dedicated to providing budding clinicians with the support and skills needed to be confident and successful in this field.” ~ Jordan Bramhall, LGPC

  • “As a graduate from a school counseling master’s program, I was initially intimidated by the transition into clinical mental health counseling. The post-graduate training program gives me all of the learning opportunities I need to feel supported and capable as a new counselor!” ~ Cam Davis, LGPC

  • “Our 6 month cohort retreat was an exceptional time filled with lots of valuable therapy related information, and one more opportunity to bond with my cohort. The energy is always engaging, supportive and authentic, because Melissa has the unique ability to form a united cohort group. I am so grateful to be a cohort member of our cohesive group.” ~ Annlynn Best, LGPC

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The Post-Graduate Training Program bears some similarities to our full-time mental health therapist position.

    This program is different in that it provides more support and structured education. In this program, we are incorporating mentorship, intentional training, specialty training, and specialized supervision and consultation. Additionally, this program involves 2 in-person retreats each year.

  • The individuals who are not a good fit for this program are:

    —independent, rather than team-oriented

    —generally uninterested in opportunities for continued learning (through training, supervision, mentorship, etc.)

    —not open to feedback

    —are only interested in completing 1 year of the program vs. completing it in its entirety.