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Become a Clinical Placement Site

Thank you for your interest in hosting Naropa graduate students at your mental health agency. We are always looking to partner with new agencies in Colorado and now nationwide!

Naropa University is a small, private, nonprofit university whose graduate-level counseling programs combine fundamental clinical mental health education with mindfulness and contemplative practices. Learn more about the Graduate School of Counseling & Psychology.

If your agency is able to fulfill the clinical requirements detailed below, and if you are interested in further exploring a potential new partnership, please select a button below.

For Agencies Already in Communication with a Naropa Student 

If a Naropa student has reached out to you for a clinical placement and you would like to move forward with a partnership discussion, click below to schedule an approval meeting:
SCHEDULE APPROVAL MEETING

For Agencies That Would Like to Become a Clinical Placement Partner

If you are not already working with a Naropa student and are interested in a partnership, please use the button below to complete the interest form: 
COMPLETE INTEREST FORM

About Clinical Placements

Practicum & Internship provide for the application of theory and the development of counseling skills under supervision. These experiences offer opportunities for students to counsel clients who represent the ethnic and demographic diversity of the community.

The first of two professional practice experiences in the MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, the Practicum is required and provides for the development of counseling skills through fieldwork at a community agency with on-site consultation and supervision. It is designed to provide a supportive and instructional forum for students’ initial experiences working with clients in community settings. The student will observe and work in a therapeutic setting, at one site, for at least 100 hours during one semester, accumulating approximately 8–10 hours a week. Individual/triadic supervision is to be provided by a licensed on-site supervisor.

The second professional practice experience in the MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, the Internship provides for the application of theory and the development of counseling skills under supervision. Internship is defined as basic and intermediate clinical and educational exposure in a clinical treatment setting where the intern is an active member of a treatment team and holds a full client caseload. The student must complete a 700-hour internship placement at one site for a minimum of two semesters, accumulating approximately 20–25 hours a week. Individual/triadic supervision is to be provided by a licensed on-site supervisor.

Common Types of Practicum & Internship Sites

  • Community mental health agency or center
  • Schools/organizations for youth with mental health services
  • Group practices of mental health providers
  • Addiction recovery centers
  • Inpatient facilities
  • Acute treatment units
  • Hospitals where mental health services are offered
  • Outpatient facilities
  • Justice system facilities—jails or re-entry programs
  • Hospices

YOU ARE READY.

This is where experiential learning meets academic rigor. Where you challenge your intellect and uncover your potential. Where you discover the work you’re moved to do—then use it to transform our world.

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About Naropa

Located in Boulder, Colorado, Naropa University is a Buddhist-inspired, nonsectarian liberal arts university that is recognized as the birthplace of the mindfulness movement. Naropa offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs that emphasize professional and personal growth, intellectual development, and cultivating compassion. 

Academics

Contemplative education brings together the best of Western scholarship and Eastern world wisdom traditions. Therefore, your pursuit of wisdom at Naropa means learning both about academic subjects and about your own place in the world. This innovative approach places Naropa on the cutting edge of the newest and most effective methods of teaching and learning.  

Admissions & Aid

If you’re seeking an education that resonates with both personal fulfillment and global impact, Naropa could be your top choice. At Naropa, you will experience a comprehensive curriculum that integrates the best of Eastern and Western educational approaches. Explore how Naropa can fuel your journey of intellectual and spiritual development.

Life at Naropa

Through its incredibly vibrant and welcoming community,  “Naropa offers a home for those who aren’t willing to conform to convention—the mystic, the healer, the prophet, the rebel, the artist, the revolutionary, the oddball—those who are incredible contributors to the evolution of society and of our planet.”—Core Associate Professor Zvi Ish-Shalom

The Naropa Difference

How is Naropa different from other universities? At Naropa, a liberal arts education balances rigorous academics with powerful interpersonal skills and self-awareness to educate the whole person. Naropa’s contemplative approach is inspired by Buddhist philosophy and the conviction that we can build a diverse, contemplative, enlightened society when we have transformed education to affirm the basic goodness of every person. 

Support Naropa

At a time when the value of higher education is being questioned, Naropa University stands firmly rooted in its mission to create a more just and regenerative world by nurturing insight, awareness, courage, and compassion in its students. By making a gift to Naropa, you play a pivotal role in helping to create the authentic, effective & mindful leaders that the world desperately needs.

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Naropa University campuses are closed on 12/17/2025. 

Due to adverse weather conditions of high winds and planned power outages, all Naropa campuses will be closed today.