Overview

LPP’s Assessment Practicum offers hands-on experience with assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning of various learning, emotional, personality, and developmental disabilities/disorders. Our vast number of available assessment measures provides a trainee with opportunities for incredible clinical growth and success. We aim to provide comprehensive clinical training in the delivery of high quality, culturally competent, assessment and therapeutic services to individuals and families in our community and beyond.    

 

Our 2025-2026 practicum program runs for 11 months in duration, from August 15, 2025 to July 10, 2025; however, these start and end dates can be flexible.  During this time, Assessment Practicum Trainees will complete at least 750 hours of training consisting of: 

• One introductory month of comprehensive training introducing the trainee to the assessment measures used at LPP as well as the policies and procedures of the externship program

• At least 10 comprehensive testing batteries including: intakes, building an assessment battery, administration of assessment measures, scoring, interpretation, and report writing, as well as a final feedback meeting with the client/family

• At least 100 direct service hours

• 1 hour of weekly individual supervision with the primary supervisor

• 1 hour of weekly group supervision including the other 10 professionals employed at LPP

• Ongoing, as-needed supervision and access to a supervisor

• Opportunities to directly observe clinical work of other clinicians with appropriate client consent

• Opportunities for case presentations and collaboration with professionals in group supervision

• Didactic learning opportunities including presentations on various selected topics from our staff, outside professional collaborators, and online learning workshops and courses

• Opportunities to observe administration of assessments, including the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS)

• Opportunities to observe individual therapy led by licensed professionals

• Opportunities to observe/co-lead various group therapies in the LPP office

 

Trainees are required to be on-site for intakes, test administration, and feedback meetings.  However, scoring, interpretation, report writing, and supervision may take place virtually or can be completed offsite, depending on the ability of the Trainee to focus, stay organized, and complete tasks at home with privacy and confidentiality. Individual supervision will primarily be provided in person, with virtual/remote supervision available as a contingency plan. In addition, some manuals and scoring templates may not be allowed to be taken out of the office for security purposes.  Group supervision takes place on Thursdays at 1 pm weekly, and our preference would be for the Trainee to attend this in person.  We anticipate 18 hours of training/learning opportunities to take place per week; however, the schedule is flexible depending on the Trainee and the schedule/availability of the supervisor.  For specific questions regarding hours and days, please inquire in your interview or via email to see if we can accommodate your preferences. 

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Supervision

The LPP Assessment Practicum is led by owner, Dr. Kati Wax (she/her), and the Director of Training and Primary Supervisor, Dr. Sam Payne (he/him).  Evaluation is an ongoing process over the course of training as collaborative feedback in real time is essential to growth.  Formal evaluations are conducted about halfway through the training period and then at the end of training.

 

Dr. Payne (he/him) is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who serves as the primary supervisor for the Assessment Practicum.  Dr. Payne’s specialties include working with all ages, families, and couples living with a variety of symptoms and presentations including but not limited to: depression and other mood disorders, anxiety symptoms, relational difficulties, persons presenting on the Autism Spectrum, people who identify as LGBTQIAA2S+, and those who have experienced trauma. In working with his clients, Dr. Payne gathers the context of the person (such as environmental, societal, historical, and social factors) with the aim of understanding the client’s experiences as clearly as possible. He strives to incorporate an intersectional, validating, body-positive, and sex-positive approach to working with clients. He believes that a safe and empathic environment is one in which a client feels empowered and seen, resulting in a basis for movement towards self-actualization, individuation, and personal success.

 

Dr. Payne completed his Internship under the supervision of Dr. Wax in the Connections Internship Consortium, a network of 4 therapeutic day schools in the Chicago Suburbs.  Dr. Payne spent his Internship, Post-Doctoral Fellowship, and a bonus career year at the New Connections Academy Site, a therapeutic day school for children and teens living with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Prior to this, Dr. Payne completed an externship at The Village of Hoffman Estates. Through these experiences and his time in a supervisor role at LPP, Dr. Payne has developed a high level of skill in assessing the needs of clients, developing comprehensive treatment plans, finding creative and effective interventions, and delivering results to clients and their families. 

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In addition to a diverse array of professional experience, Dr. Payne completed the Exploring Psychoanalysis Fellowship with the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute to build upon his psychodynamic and psychoanalytic knowledge base and therapeutic experience. In the therapy room, this means that the client is seen as the expert on their own experiences, creating an environment of trust and authenticity. Dr. Payne is also trained in the usage of EMDR for various symptoms most notably associated with trauma.  In addition to his dedication to his clients, Dr. Payne is passionate about the growth and development of future psychologists through teaching the dynamic components of neuropsychological, psychological, and psychoeducational assessment.

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Prior to starting LPP in 2020, Dr. Kati Wax spent 10+ years as the Clinical Director, Director of Training, Head of Clinical, and Owner/Operator of several renowned therapeutic day schools and a large outpatient practice in the Chicago Suburbs. Dr. Wax is skilled in working with school aged children, adolescents, parents, families, as well as adults. She specializes in those struggling with mood disorders, impulse control, self-esteem/identity challenges, relationships issues, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and features of personality disorders. More specifically, she is known for helping those who may be at higher risk of using inappropriate, maladaptive, or risky coping strategies to deal with stressors, as well as helping adolescents and young adults to navigate life challenges.

 

Dr. Wax believes strongly that a strength-based approach is essential to fostering a sense of self, a sense of empowerment, and a sense of identity within an individual, and within the family and school system. This is especially true for adolescents who seem to feel lost and overwhelmed by their world. 

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Dr. Wax founded Lincoln Park Psychology in order to fulfill her passion for helping others to make meaningful change. In addition, Dr. Wax has found immense joy in supervising large cohorts of clinical trainees since 2010. Having spent much of her career dedicated to clinical training, she and her team developed an APA-Accredited internship training program and she once held the position of President of the Association of Chicagoland Externship and Practicum Training (ACEPT). 

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Ideal Candidates

The clinical team at Lincoln Park Psychology intentionally works towards a communicative, interdependent work environment in a setting that does not naturally lend itself to this approach. Our team strives to maintain humanness alongside professionalism in their work through showing up for their colleagues and clients in a genuine, supportive, and sometimes humorous manner. We also seek to be inclusive and more representative of the general population, actively taking individual and organizational steps to do so. 

Ideal applicants for LPP’s diagnostic practicum who are open to sharing and exploring areas of growth/imperfections will gain the most from this practicum. Candidates should have strong organizational skills, flexibility, and solid clinical writing skills. Excellent accountability, time management, and communication skills are a must. Externs should see feedback and collaboration as opportunities to improve both their own skills and to provide the best care possible to our clients. We at LPP value this type of openness and seek a diagnostic team member who can also ascribe to this work philosophy.

From a long history of training future psychologists, Dr. Wax has found that Trainees with these traits have the most success and attain the most growth from their experiences.  Ideal candidates will possess:

• An excitement about growth and learning

• A strong clinical curiosity

• An ability to work independently, while also knowing when to reach out for consultation (knowing what you don’t know)

• An openness to collaboration and feedback with an understanding that this profession is a forever learning process

• A professional demeanor and genuine presentation

• An ability to form rapport with clients

• Organizational skills to stay on track with tasks

• A strong work ethic and a desire for success

• Creative problem-solving skills

• Sound clinical judgment

• Prior experience working with children, adolescents, and families

• An interest in psychological assessment

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Application Process

Students from Psychology Doctoral Programs who have met the requirements of their program to apply for Assessment Practicum are welcome to apply for the training position at LPP.  We ask that all applicants send their full application package via email to kwax@lincolnparkpsychology.com and spayne@lincolnparkpsychology.com for review.  Application packages should include:

• Cover letter specifying your interest in our site

• CV/resume of relevant experience

• Letter to verify eligibility to participate in Assessment Practicum from the Graduate Program Director of Training or the like

• Current transcript

• 2 letters of recommendation

• At least one writing sample that will indicate the clinical writing skills of the applicant.  

 

LPP abides by the ACEPT guidelines and timelines for applications, interviews, and position offers.  Please visit the ACEPT website for more detailed information.

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Contact Information:

Please reach out to Dr. Wax or Dr. Payne with any questions:

Dr. Kati Wax: kwax@lincolnparkpsychology.com

Dr. Sam Payne: spayne@lincolnparkpsychology.com