Doctoral Internship
Advanced clinical training in specialized DBT and community mental health
Mental Health Systems (MHS) offers masters-level students (doctoral interns) the opportunity to train within a structured, community-based mental health environment focused on DBT, trauma treatment, and evidence-based care.
Interns at MHS gain experience working with adolescents and adults navigating complex emotional, behavioral, and mental health challenges across intensive outpatient programming.
A supportive place to grow
As an independently owned organization with more than 20 years of experience in specialized mental health care, MHS is committed to helping developing clinicians build confidence, competence, and practical clinical skills.
Our training environment
Interns train inside a structured, community-based setting, working under experienced supervisors across our intensive outpatient DBT and trauma programs. You’ll gain hands-on clinical experience and see how evidence-based care works day to day.
Growth here is well supported. Regular individual and group supervision, team case consultation, and didactic training give you the room to develop your skills, all within our APA-accredited doctoral internship.
MHS emphasizes:
- Evidence-based treatment
- Clinical collaboration
- DBT-informed care
- Trauma-informed approaches
- Real-world clinical application
- Supportive supervision and consultation
Training with complex and high-acuity populations
Pre-licensed clinicians gain experience working with clients experiencing a wide range of presentations and diagnoses, including:
- PTSD and trauma-related disorders
- Major Depressive Disorder
- Bipolar Disorder
- Borderline Personality Disorder
- Substance use disorders
- Anxiety disorders
- Panic Disorder
- Social Anxiety
- ADHD
- Personality disorders
- Emotional dysregulation and chronic suicidality
Real-world complexity
Clients often present with significant comorbidity, providing interns with valuable experience working within complex clinical systems and treatment needs.
Evidence-based and skills-focused care
Training at MHS centers on the implementation of evidence-based practices, particularly Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and trauma treatment.
Our programs emphasize practical skill development that clients can apply directly in everyday life, helping interns build experience delivering structured and actionable care.
Gain exposure to:
- DBT principles and interventions
- Group-based treatment models
- Crisis management and stabilization
- Emotional regulation treatment
- Skills training and psychoeducation
- Treatment planning and collaboration
- Multidisciplinary consultation
Program goals and philosophy
Our clients are often times crisis-oriented and MHS’s primary service, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), is a treatment of choice for this population. This orientation to crisis oftentimes manifests as suicidality and self-injury, chronic relationship disruption, sudden emotion dysregulation, and chronically elevated symptom intensity. Our clients tend to be very engaged in treatment and we put forth great effort to destigmatize the Borderline Personality Disorder and other diagnoses, as well as other aspects of mental illness that continue to face stigma.
The mission of the Doctoral Psychology Internship Program at MHS is to train and teach Interns to become effective professionals in the practice of clinical psychology in a community mental health setting. MHS subscribes to the Local Clinical Scientist model of training. Interns are trained to provide evidence-based services and apply information gained by science and research to each unique client. Interns are trained to identify how social, biological, and psychological factors impact a client’s mental health symptoms and to use this information in the application of effective therapeutic interventions.
Training and electives
The internship is a one-year, full-time program. Interns are expected to complete 2,000 hours over 12 months, working 40 hours per week with two weeks of paid time off.
Additional details
The sections below cover the finer points of the internship. Expand any topic to learn more, and click on the downloads tab to get comprehensive program information.
Edina is located in Hennepin County, Minnesota, a part of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Twin Cities metro area. Minneapolis boasts a broad variety of opportunities for engagement in culture and entertainment.
With numerous museums, a thriving arts community, many restaurants that have won national acclaim, a bustling theater scene, several music venues, and major sports teams, there are numerous ways to explore and enjoy all that Minneapolis has to offer. In addition to many indoor locations of interest, Minneapolis is home to a well-cultivated public park system, extensive bike and public transportation options including both bus and light rail, and plenty of space in the surrounding country for hiking, boating, camping, and enjoying the wilderness.
Even though the winter gets cold, people still enjoy outdoor activities including skating, skiing, hiking, and ice-fishing. Minneapolis and its surrounding suburbs are frequently towards the top on lists of healthiest and happiest places to live and is known for its bike-friendly infrastructure.
MHS values diversity in its clients, students, and staff, and works to achieve diversity through respect, acceptance, appreciation, and community. As such, we believe in cultivating an environment that is open, safe, hospitable, inclusive, and welcoming such that Interns – and all students – feel comfortable in their clinic and within their training experiences. We welcome applications from potential candidates from all walks of life, and are actively recruiting applicants from diverse backgrounds. Such applicants are encouraged to identify themselves, if they wish to do so, in their cover letters and/or biographical statements.
All applicants are required to submit application materials through the APPIC website and application process. Our deadline for application review is November 30, 2026.
Effective December 2023, the MHS Doctoral Internship is accredited by the American Psychological Association.
Questions regarding our accreditation status can be directed to:
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 1st Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002
Tel: 202-336-5979
Email: apaaccred@apa.org
Web: https://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation
