THE GARDEN REFUGE
Counseling
Healing should be accessible—and personal. At The Garden Refuge, we charge on a sliding scale. Guided by licensed clinicians and some of the most highly trained clinical faculty, our graduate interns apply the latest research and a focus on meaningful connection. We’re growing tomorrow’s top therapists while helping you thrive today.
Choosing a Graduate Intern
You deserve excellent therapy and you don’t have to wait for someone with decades of experience to get it. Research shows that great therapists are great from the start. In fact, studies have found that clinician effectiveness often doesn’t increase significantly with years in the field (Goldberg et al, 2016; Germer et. al 2022). What really matters? Compassion. Connection. Supervision. And a commitment to growth, all things our interns bring to every session.
Still nervous? At our clinic, all interns are supervised by experienced, licensed professionals. That means you benefit from two levels of care: fresh insight from a passionate therapist-in-training, and behind-the-scenes guidance from a seasoned expert. Our interns receive weekly supervision and case support to ensure the highest ethical and clinical standards.
Many clients, especially teens and young adults, can find that they connect faster with interns. Interns are often closer in age and attuned to current challenges around identity, anxiety, family dynamics, and social stress. If your teen has resisted traditional therapy, meeting an intern therapist might be the change they need.
We're also proud to offer interns with advanced training that most clinicians don’t receive until years into their careers. Our team includes interns certified in Gottman Method Couples Therapy, the most research-supported model of relationship therapy in the world, as well as those with experience in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). That means couples and families working with our interns benefit from the same gold-standard tools used in leading clinics nationwide.
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Choosing an intern isn't a compromise, it’s a smart, supported step toward healing. Every intern is supervised weekly by licensed clinicians and backed by a collaborative team. Feel free to browse our team bios to find the therapist who’s right for you.
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Goldberg, S. B., Rousmaniere, T., Miller, S. D., Whipple, J. L., Nielsen, S. L., Hoyt, W. T., & Wampold, B. E. (2016).
Do psychotherapists improve with time and experience? A longitudinal analysis of outcomes in a clinical setting.
Journal of Counseling Psychology, 63(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000131
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Germer, S., Weyrich, V., Bräscher, A.-K., Götz, F. M., Willutzki, U., & Hoyer, J. (2022).
Does practice really make perfect? A longitudinal analysis of therapist experience and therapy outcome Journal of Counseling Psychology, 69(5), 745–754. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000604
MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission is to help individuals build emotional and physical self-reliance, and to help families create stronger emotional bonds and resilience through family history, counseling, psycho-education and other activities.