Post-Master's Fellowship Pre-Licensed Therapist | LMFT / LPCC / LICSW Track

Lorenz Clinic · Minneapolis, United States

Lorenz Clinic Of Family Psychology Fellowship

Applications for Lorenz Clinic's 2026 Post-Master's Fellowship are now open. This is a nationally recognized, full-time, paid psychotherapy training position for pre-licensed mental health clinicians pursuing LICSW, LMFT, or LPCC licensure in Minnesota. Each year, a small cohort of fellows — selected from over a thousand applicants nationwide — joins us to train in relational, systemic, and developmentally informed psychotherapy. About half of our fellows relocate from across the country to participate; the rest come from leading graduate programs in the region.

Lorenz Clinic was the first in Minnesota to offer an organized, competency-based post-master's fellowship. The program has been recognized as among the most rigorous and formative pre-licensure training placements available to clinicians in this region, and we consider it our most significant contribution to the profession.

A cover letter is required. Applications submitted without a cover letter will not be considered.

The fellowship is a two-year, full-time training placement designed for clinicians who want the pre-licensure period to be genuinely developmental — not merely a grind toward supervised hours. It is not a high-volume billing role. Caseload, supervision, and curriculum are all structured around the fellow's developmental stage and learning goals rather than productivity targets.

The program is rigorous. The first year is the most challenging, and the fellows who succeed tend to be those who engage the program's structures actively rather than enduring the experience privately. Clinical work at this level — carrying an active caseload, developing clinical judgment under supervision, sitting with people in genuine distress — is genuinely demanding. This fellowship provides more structure for that work than the pre-licensure period typically offers. Fellows who bring their real cases to consultation, use the supervisory relationship as an active collaboration rather than a passive service, and show up in their training groups when it is uncomfortable tend to develop rapidly and report the experience as transformative.

The fellowship is oriented toward producing psychotherapists: clinicians who work with a second-order theory of change, who use the therapeutic relationship itself as a vehicle of transformation, and who can hold clients in genuine depth.

The fellowship's curriculum addresses all 16 APA Competency Benchmark domains. Core training activities include:

• Supervision — 8 hours/month:
• 4 hours/month with a doctorally prepared psychologist
• 4 hours/month with a professional supervisor (psychologist or master's-level licensed clinician, per licensure track)
• Monthly PMF Seminar — 8 hours: A full-day, in-person learning event for the PMF cohort.
• Weekly Didactic Seminar — 1 hour: A topical survey seminar shared with the clinic's doctoral psychology interns.
• Monthly Grand Rounds — 1 hour: An internal case presentation or invited speaker event open to all clinical staff.
• Monthly Case Consultation — 4 hours: Specialist-led, consultee-focused, and non-evaluative.

Post-master's fellows provide psychotherapeutic services to a variety of clients under direct supervision. A typical fellow carries approximately 12–18 active clients, built gradually during the first months of the fellowship. Three program tracks are available:

• Outpatient psychotherapy — individual, couples, family, and group therapy
• Intensive outpatient group psychotherapy — structured group treatment across diagnostic presentations

Track assignment is based on the fellow's stated learning goals, prior preparation, and program need. The clinic's strong referral base allows for meaningful input on client age range and presenting concerns.

Historically, approximately 88% of second-year fellows who seek staff positions at Lorenz following program completion find them here. Staff employment is not automatic — fellows must apply and be selected — but the fellowship functions as a genuine pipeline into the clinic's clinical and supervisory ranks. Many of the clinic's current supervisors and clinical leaders are former PMF alumni. Fellows who wish to continue their professional development within the Lorenz system have access to a formation ladder that extends from supervised practice through supervision, clinical management, training leadership, and advanced clinical stewardship. The program has produced clinicians who have gone on to hold some of the highest levels of clinical and supervisory credential available in the field.

Compensation and Benefits

Base salary: $51,000–$90,000/year, based on qualifications, caseload, and program track. Pay-for-performance compensation is available at the fellow's election; however, the fellowship is designed to prioritize learning depth over volume, and fellows whose primary goal is income maximization will find a better fit elsewhere. This is a W-2, salaried role with a steady, predictable paycheck.

Benefits include:

• Student loan repayment program
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Life insurance and short- and long-term disability insurance
• 401(k) with employer matching
• Healthcare Savings Account (HSA)
• Paid time off, paid holidays, and Paid Burnout Time (a structured protected leave benefit separate from standard PTO)
• Paid service/volunteer time
• Flexible scheduling; hybrid options available
• Licensing exam preparation support
• Professional development assistance
• Employee assistance program

Requirements

The most successful candidates demonstrate a track record of sequential, scaffolded clinical learning aimed at a career as a psychotherapist. We look for clinicians who are curious about what they do not yet know, open to feedback that requires growth, and oriented toward the profession as a vocation rather than a credential.

Minimum qualifications:

• Master's degree in psychology, clinical counseling, marriage and family therapy, social work, or closely related field from a regionally accredited program (doctoral candidates should consider our Postdoctoral Fellowship or Clinical Extern programs)
• Successful completion of a clinically focused master's-level practicum or internship where individual psychotherapy — including diagnosis, treatment planning, and ongoing therapeutic work — was the primary activity
• LICSW-track applicants specifically: a social work degree alone is not sufficient. This is a psychotherapy training fellowship. Placements focused primarily on case management, care coordination, or generalist social work services do not meet this requirement regardless of quality
• Declared licensure track (LICSW, LMFT, or LPCC in Minnesota); social work track applicants must hold a current, non-provisional LGSW before start date
• Completed master's-level practicum totaling at least 9-12 months of clinic-based formation where outpatient psychotherapy was the primary focus, prior to start date; placements that were primarily remote or telehealth will not be considered

Preferred qualifications:

• Prior preparation in systems thinking, group relations, or relational and psychodynamic intervention models
• Bilingual candidates are strongly preferred — expanding access for underserved communities is central to our mission
• Demonstrated commitment to the profession and the common good

How to Apply

Admission is competitive and reviewed by the Training Committee. To apply, submit a cover letter and CV via the online job portal for your preferred clinic location.

A cover letter is required. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.

The cover letter is the primary means by which we assess whether a candidate has understood this program, why they want to be here specifically, and whether their goals represent a genuine match. Cover letters should address:

• Training goals and what you hope to develop during the fellowship
• Preferred track and why it fits your learning objectives
• Commitment to the common good and to the profession as a field
• A brief narrative of your experience providing psychotherapy

Submit your cover letter and CV via the online job portal for your preferred clinic location. Candidates invited to interview may be asked to provide writing samples, references, or a letter of recommendation from a past clinical supervisor.

For questions about benefits including the student loan repayment program, contact human resources. This position is listed under Minneapolis for search visibility. Lorenz Clinic's locations are in the southwest metro — Minnetonka, Victoria, Chaska, Prior Lake, Burnsville, Rosemount, and Lilydale — approximately 15-30 minutes from downtown Minneapolis. The primary in-person worksite will be one of these suburban locations, with hybrid flexibility depending on program needs.