The Doctoral Psychology Externship program at Portland Mental Health & Wellness (PMHW) is a comprehensive training program for current graduate students in clinical psychology. The externship program is designed to provide students with advanced training in the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and research of mental health disorders. The program provides externs with hands-on experience working with diverse patient populations in a variety of settings, including outpatient and intensive outpatient settings. Supervisors in the externship program work from a wide range of therapeutic approaches, such as psychodynamic therapy, gestalt therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and other evidence-based treatments.

Externs receive weekly individual and group supervision, as well as didactic training, to support their professional development. Examples of past didactic trainings include: process-oriented therapy, multicultural practice, intersectionality in case conceptualization, working with gender and sexual minority populations, and trauma-informed care. The goal of the program is to prepare externs for successful careers as licensed clinical psychologists, with a focus on continually developing cultural humility and anti-racist practice and a strong foundation in evidence-based practice.