Practicum Opportunity – THIRD ACADEMY (Calgary, AB)

September 2026 to June 2027

This exciting placement offers the opportunity to work in a private school setting with students
aged 6-19 (Grades 1-12) who meet one or more Alberta Education criteria for special needs.
They have moderate to severe impairing issues that can include cognitive disabilities, learning
disabilities, neurodevelopmental conditions, mental health conditions, or a combination of the
above. Their conditions significantly impair their ability to function in a school setting.
Interns will work as a part of a team of 6 to 8 counsellors, attending 3 days a week on site from
8am to 4pm for the length of the school year. The primary modality is individual counselling
(90+% of time), although there are limited opportunities to do group level interventions. Acute
crisis (e.g. suicidal ideation, self-harm) intervention is common. Interns will work with students
across all grades, developing and learning to apply counselling skills in a manner that is
appropriate for the students’ developmental stages and cognitive functioning.

There are no opportunities to work clinically with adults, couples, or families, or to conduct assessments of any kind. This is a placement that exclusively offer counselling children and teenagers.
However, interns are expected to frequently collaborate with parents, school staff, and other
professionals on the multidisciplinary team in service of their work with the students.
Interns receive 1 hour of individual supervision and 1.5 hours of group supervision each week,
all provided virtually. There is no prescribed modality of treatment; interns work with their
supervisor to identify one that is a good match for their interests and values once proficiency in
relationship building and foundational counselling skills with youth has been demonstrated.
Prospective interns should have a strong interest in working with children. Past employment or
volunteer experience, academic coursework, and/or professional training(s) relating to clinical
work with children is highly desirable. Training in suicide intervention (e.g. ASIST) is strongly
recommended. Demonstrated abilities to work independently and collaboratively are a must, as
are well-developed interpersonal skills, a willingness to be flexible and adaptive with their
learning styles and goals, and the capacity to deal with highly challenging and atypical youth.
Candidates must be available to attend orientation for 2 days in the last week of August prior to
starting after Labour Day. Any personal holidays or time off outside those on the school’s
academic calendar cannot be accommodated, nor can the 10 month length of placement or the
required 3 days per week be varied. Specific days of work cannot be guaranteed.
Please send cover letter/CV to David Sereda, MA, RPsych dsereda@thirdschools.ca by Feb 15th.