Doctoral psychology practicum in Boston at Tufts Medical Center

The Department of Psychiatry at Tufts Medical Center offers a 24-hour-per-week advanced practicum for doctoral students in clinical and counseling psychology. The program runs from September through May each year and provides students with hands-on clinical training in a supportive and collaborative setting.

Inside the clinical psychology practicum at Tufts Medical Center

Students gain experience across a wide range of services. Training includes intake and consultation clinics, individual and family therapy and psychological and neuropsychological testing. Students are also integrated into psychiatry training within the department and invited to attend didactics, multidisciplinary case conferences and other learning opportunities throughout the hospital.

What you will learn during the practicum

During your practicum at Tufts Medical Center you will build skills that prepare you for independent clinical practice. Training is hands-on, diverse and tailored to the needs of our patient community. You will have the chance to:

• Provide individual and family therapy
• Conduct intake assessments and consultation
• Shadow, administer and interpret psychological and neuropsychological testing
• Participate in multidisciplinary learning across Tufts Medical Center

Supervision + mentorship

Each student receives one hour of psychotherapy supervision and one hour of testing supervision each week. Students also join a biweekly case conference with other trainees and therapists, creating a supportive environment for growth and collaboration. As part of the program, students are fully integrated into psychiatry training at Tufts Medical Center and are invited to attend departmental didactics, join multidisciplinary case conferences and take part in other learning opportunities across the hospital.

Training tracks for 2026–2027

Tufts Medical Center will offer three practicum tracks for the 2026–2027 training year:

• Child and adolescent psychology track (1 student): Students work with children, adolescents, transitional age youth and families. Along with psychotherapy, they participate in weekly pediatric integrated behavioral health clinics that provide assessments, consultation and short-term interventions.
• General psychology track (2 students): Students work with patients across the lifespan, with a primary focus on adults. They provide psychotherapy and conduct psychological and neuropsychological testing.
• Geriatric psychology track (1 student): Students focus on older adults in the geriatric clinic and memory care services. Training includes psychotherapy, caregiver support, assessment and exposure to innovative treatments for this population.

How to apply for the practicum

The Department of Psychiatry at Tufts Medical Center is a member of the Massachusetts Psychology Training Consortium.

For questions or to express interest in the practicum, please contact Dr. Alice Connors-Kellgren, Director of Psychology.