Training at The Relational Center is grouped into two categories: 1) Clinical Placements and 2) Organizational Development. Each category has its own set of eligibility requirements as indicated in the descriptions that follow...



1. Clinical Track - Practicum, Field Work and Internship Placements

Clinical placements at The Relational Center require a one-year commitment. Trainees and interns who choose to extend their tenure beyond their first year will be offered advanced level training to support their professional development.

MSW students, MFT trainees and clinical psychology graduate students looking for a field placement or a clinical practicum are encouraged to apply. If we have not already established a fieldwork or practicum site agreement with your graduate school, we will make every effort to work with you to add The Relational Center to your school's approved site list. Registered MFT Interns and Associate Clinical Social Workers are strongly encouraged to apply as well. If you are seeking post-masters clinical practice hours to submit to the Board of Behavioral Sciences of the California Department of Consumer Affairs, your training and supervised experience at The Relational Center will be eligible to be applied toward licensure.

All of our trainees will receive training in the model of counseling supported and endorsed by The Relational Center, including concepts and theory we deem to be most relevant to our mission and vision. View the curriculum.

Those who elect to return for a second year will go on to learn the specific theory and practice of Relational Gestalt Therapy, especially as it applies to work in multicultural contexts, across multiple levels of system, and in community settings.  The second year also provides the opportunity for tailored learning plans in one or more practice concentrations. Arrangements can also be made for concentration studies to be extended for a third year.  Examples of concentration areas include:
1) Trauma Studies
2) Couples Counseling/Family Therapy
3) Group Work
4) Community Development

All trainees are required to attend weekly theory lectures/discussions and practice groups as well as weekly supervision with an individual supervisor.  Also, all trainees will be expected to have a minimum of 5 client contact hours per week.

The cost of a clinical placement at The Relational Center is $150 per month for Year 1, $100 per month for Year 2, and $50 per month for Year 3.  Scholarships and work study arrangements will be granted to applicants who demonstrate financial need and represent underserved communities. Minorities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Complete an on-line application for this program***.

***The Winter 2009 Training Cohort is now full. We encourage those interested in a placement at The Relational Center to check back in the summer to find out whether we have opened our application process for a Fall Cohort.

If you have already been accepted as a trainee at The Relational Center, you can arrange automatic monthly payment through a major credit card (MC, Visa), PayPal , or directly from your checking account.

2. Organizational Development Track - Coaching Across Multiple Levels of System

This program is an experiential and didactic course of study designed to prepare students to provide support to individuals and organizations in the areas which The Relational Center has identified as important to our mission (leadership development, managing change, coping with complexity, participatory strategic planning, effective program planning and evaluation, quality management and improvement, and cultural competency). This program will offer a uniquely relational model for organizational work, emphasizing the field paradigm of organizational development (to supplement and expand on the standard systems model) and a dialogical model of intervention we refer to as Relational Gestalt Coaching. This program is intended for a range of candidates, including: 1) coaches and consultants who are interested in adopting a relational Gestalt approach in their practices; 2) organizational leaders and managers who would like to work from more of a coaching orientation; and 3) mental health professionals who are interested in expanding their scope of practice to include coaching work.

This program is currently in a pilot program phase of development. Currently we are offering a 5-day residential workshop in Relational Gestalt Coaching to convene in the Spring of 2009 (exact dates TBD). Students who participate in this pilot program will receive ongoing coaching support from the program faculty and local trainees will also have the opportunity to complete a coaching practicum with one of The Relational Center's organizational clients. Feedback and evaluations from participants of this pilot program will serve as the foundation for future programs offered through our organizational development track.  Check back soon for program details!

To get more information about all training opportunities at The Relational Center or to request an admissions application, call (323) 935-1807 today or email your request to training@relationalcenter.org .