Counselling training programs

The Student Counselling Centre (SCC) places a very high value on facilitating and participating in training activities to contribute to the counselling professions. To support this value, the SCC hosts three unique counselling training programs.

Marriage and Family Therapy Practicum

The Student Counselling Centre offers a 8 to 10 month Marriage and Family Therapy supervised practicum experience for students enrolled in a Master of Marriage and Family Therapy Program. A double practicum may be considered for suitable applicants. The systemic lens which MMFTs bring to the therapy room is an excellent fit in the University environment, as students navigate transitions, and grow in intersecting systems in their lives. The Student Counselling Centre is an affirming environment that seeks to celebrate diversity and we encourage applicants from the BIPOC and 2SLGBTTQ+ communities to consider training with us.

Practicum students will have the opportunity to provide individual and group counselling to University of Manitoba students. Some couples work may also be available for additional relational hours. MMFT practicum students at the Student Counselling Centre will receive supervision from an MMFT Supervisor or Supervisor-Qualifying, and will be integrated into team meetings, professional development opportunities, and campus outreach activities. The Student Counselling Centre offers a rich environment to develop and cultivate therapeutic skills due to the professional diversity of our staff team.

Additional highlights include:

  • diverse clientele, including international students and newcomers, BIPOC students, 2SLGBTTQS+ folks, people with disabilities, and student parents; as well as many who live in the intersections of these identities;
  • a wide range of presenting/therapeutic issues including trauma; anxiety and OCD, grief, transitions, and relational concerns; 
  • opportunity for workshop and group development and facilitation;
  • a developmental approach to growth in the practicum experience;

Applications are submitted through the Master of Marriage and Family Therapy program at the University of Winnipeg, but questions or inquiries may be directed to Danna McDonald, RMFT-SQ, RSW, via email danna.mcdonald@umanitoba.ca.

Pre-Doctoral Residency in Professional Psychology

The Pre-Doctoral Residency in Professional Psychology at the SCC is accredited by the Canadian Psychological Association and provides experiences in conducting intake interviews, individual and group counselling, psychological assessment, career counselling, outreach programming, working with diverse clientele, consultation, crisis intervention and supervision. Opportunities for research involvement are also available. Highlights of this residency include:

  • Innovative developmental training approach based on a concurrent experiences model that respects resident's unique experiences, interests and needs;
  • Diversity of clientele with opportunity to work with individuals with a wide array of presenting difficulties including anxiety difficulties/disorders, depression, trauma, post-traumatic stress, eating disorders, thought disorders and developmental concerns;  
  • Provision of a minimum of 4 hours of weekly supervision throughout the residency;
  • Exposure to a variety of intervention approaches such as CBT, ACT, EMDR, couple counselling using the Gottman approach, mindfulness, client-centered strategies and clinical hypnosis; 
  • Participation in a jurisprudence seminar and a diversity seminar series as well as biweekly professional development seminars and weekly staff consultation meetings;
  • Supervision training and serving in the role of a primary supervisor to a student in the Advanced Practicum in counselling training program for a 4 to 6 month period;
  • Opportunities to work with Indigenous students through a partnership with the Indigenous Student Centre.

For details on our residency program please expand the information below.

More information

The Student Counselling Centre (SCC) at the University of Manitoba invites applications to our CPA accredited Pre-Doctoral Residency Program in Professional Psychology. The SCC residency has been accredited since 1991 and is one of only four post-secondary counselling services in Canada to be accredited. Our residency invites applications from qualified candidates in APA or CPA accredited Counselling Psychology and Clinical Psychology programs.

Why train with us? 

We offer a unique, student-centered training experience within a dynamic and challenging clinical environment. As the primary mental health service for a campus of 32,000+ students, the SCC will provide you with the opportunity to work with a very diverse clientele, including Indigenous students and international students from more than 100 countries. You will also be exposed to a full range of presenting issues, including acute and chronic mental conditions, cooccurring disorders and developmental concerns.

We employ a developmental training model with ongoing concurrent experiences that we believe best prepares you for your future work as a Psychologist. We work with each resident to identify their interests, strengths and training needs to develop a residency year that will facilitate them reaching their professional goals. The cumulative training experience we provide continually builds residents' knowledge and skills and helps them develop professional management skills key for future success.

To prioritize your development, the SCC devotes significant resources to supervision and training. Residents receive an average of five hours of supervision weekly with opportunities for professional consultation on a daily basis. In addition, we also provide a training seminar focusing on topics such as diversity, advocacy, case conceptualization, crisis counselling and more.

What our past residents (interns) had to say

“The most valuable part of the internship for both my academic job and private practice was the excellent supervision I received and of course, the opportunity to work with a wide range of clients. I wish I could have had another year of training at the SCC.”

“This internship had a huge impact on my professional development and was incredibly rewarding." 

Unique training experiences

  • Training in couples counselling informed by the empirically validated Gottman approach;
  • Didactic and experiential training in supervision, including supervised practice as the primary supervisor of a master’s level practicum student;
  • Offering culturally-relevant mental health services in our Indigenous Student Centre (Migizii Agamik);
  • Receiving training and experience in individual crisis counselling and large-scale trauma debriefings;
  • Career counselling and outreach training;
  • Assessment training in our Learning Disability Services Clinic;
  • Opportunity to develop and facilitate your own groups and workshops.

Our past residents

Our residents have gone on to successful careers in a variety of settings in Canada and the United States including:

  • Post-secondary counselling centres (as staff and Directors);
  • Academic and clinical faculty positions;
  • Community agencies;
  • Hospital and medical settings;
  • Private practice.
  • For additional information about our past residents please click here:

More about our residency

We highly value life balance and selfcare and will work with you to facilitate a memorable and enjoyable experience that will prepare you for future success. To help with this, your work week and year will include:

  • Work hours from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm weekdays with no on-call times;
  • Four weeks paid vacation, all statutory holidays, and 10 additional paid days during the December holiday closure;
  • A comprehensive staff benefit package including extended medical and dental coverage;
  • Your own private fully equipped office.

The University of Manitoba is our region’s largest and only research intensive university offering 100 academic programs, including professional disciplines such as medicine, law and engineering. The University of Manitoba is located on the original lands of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene peoples and on the homeland of the Métis Nation. UM is home to a thriving community of Indigenous researchers, staff and more than 2,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit students. 

With an ethnically diverse population of over 749,000, Winnipeg is the sixth largest city in Canada and has been described as the “cultural cradle of Canada” and offers an array of talented artists, significant architecture, award-winning musicians and athletes, and legendary festivals and cultural events.

More detailed information:

Social Work Field Placement

The Social Work Field Placement for students in Social Work education programs is an eight (8) month placement for up to two students, offering supervised experience in providing direct counselling services to University of Manitoba students. Opportunities also exist for participation in community advocacy, outreach activities and program development. Highlights of this field place include:

  • Gaining skills and experience in conducting individual and group counselling;
  • Receipt of weekly individual supervision on student's counselling and training experiences;
  • Diversity in clientele, as well as in the nature and intensity of presenting concerns;
  • A developmental approach to training that respects the skills and needs of the field placement student;

For more information on the Social Work Field Placement, please contact us at 204-474-8592.