Opportunities for
Associate Therapists
A Boutique Training Home for Emerging Therapists
I am currently hiring associate therapists in San Francisco who are looking for clinical depth, private practice experience, and genuine community.
This opportunity is for California registered associate therapists who want more than hours and supervision. It is for clinicians who want to develop their clinical voice, build a thoughtful private practice foundation, and grow inside a relational training environment where therapists are not expected to do this work alone.
The work is grounded in a simple belief: when therapists are supported, clients feel it.
Private practice training, held in community
Early clinical work can be isolating. You are learning how to sit with complexity, build a caseload, navigate documentation, trust your clinical instincts, receive feedback, and become yourself as a therapist.
This associate therapist opportunity is designed as a boutique training home for clinicians who want support, rigor, warmth, and community.
The long-term vision is to grow while still maintaining the slowness and focus boutique practice. Further, to continue cultivating a training institute grounded in relational care, clinical depth, and mutual support.
When you are held, you can hold others differently
Clinical Orientation
The practice is grounded in relational, psychodynamic, attachment-based, somatic, experiential, and LGBTQIA2S+ affirming psychotherapy.
Associates may work with adults navigating anxiety, loneliness, chronic stress, grief, shame, relationship strain, dating difficulties, identity, and the ache of feeling disconnected in a life that may look fine from the outside.
This is not a high-volume therapy setting. The aim is to build a thoughtful private practice where clinicians receive meaningful supervision, practical training, and support in becoming more fully themselves as therapists.
What Associates Can Expect
This opportunity is designed to support both clinical growth and private practice development.
Associates can expect:
Weekly clinical supervision that includes both traditional case consultation and restorative circle space for reflection, connection, and shared learning
Restorative circles that offer facilitated space for support, reflection, and connection, helping therapists feel less alone and more able to practice from a steadier center
Support with consultations, intakes, assessment, treatment planning, documentation, and endings
Training in relational, psychodynamic, attachment-based, somatic, and experiential psychotherapy
Guidance around ethics, clinical decision-making, private practice norms, and professional identity
Support developing a caseload through a combination of practice referrals (when available), marketing, and community presence
A profile on the practice website
Support around Psychology Today, ethical advertising, and client-facing copy
Ongoing opportunities for restorative circles, peer consultation, and meaningful connection with other clinicians
A practice culture that values depth, humility, feedback, care, and mutual support
Who This Opportunity is For
In-person and telehealth work
The practice is based in San Francisco, with in-person therapy available in the Castro area and telehealth available for clients located throughout California.
Associate therapist opportunities may include both in-person and telehealth work. Availability for in-person sessions in San Francisco is strongly preferred.
About Erik Karff, LMFT
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in San Francisco providing relational, psychodynamic, attachment-based, somatic, and LGBTQIA2S+ affirming psychotherapy for adults and couples.
My clinical work often focuses on anxiety, loneliness, shame, grief, relationship struggles, identity, men’s issues, queer experience, and the parts of life that can feel difficult to carry alone.
I also facilitate In Good Company, a restorative circle for LGBTQIA2S+ affirming clinicians and healing professionals in San Francisco. That work has deeply shaped how I think about clinical training, community, and the kind of support therapists need in order to remain open, grounded, and available in the work.
Interested in applying?
If this sounds like the kind of training home you are looking for, I would be glad to hear from you.
Please complete the brief interest form below. After reviewing your note, I may follow up to request a resume or CV and schedule an introductory conversation.
A Note About Community & Restorative Circles
Restorative circles are a central part of the practice culture I am building.
They are not clinical supervision or case consultation. They are facilitated spaces for support, reflection, and connection - places where therapists can slow down, speak honestly, listen deeply, and remember they are not alone in the emotional weight of the work.
Through my In Good Company restorative circles for LGBTQIA2S+ affirming clinicians and healing professionals, I have seen how powerful it can be when therapists have a place where they do not need to perform, prove themselves, or carry the work alone.
This matters clinically. The support therapists receive shapes the care they are able to offer. When clinicians feel more grounded, connected, and held in community, that steadiness can (and will) reverberate into the therapy room in discernable ways.
Clinical Approach
The practice is grounded in relational, psychodynamic, attachment-based, somatic, experiential, and LGBTQIA2S+ affirming psychotherapy.
Associates may work with adults navigating anxiety, loneliness, chronic stress, grief, shame, identity, dating difficulties, relationship strain, and the ache of feeling disconnected in a life that may look fine from the outside.
This is not intended to be a high-volume therapy mill. The aim is to build a thoughtful private practice setting where clinicians receive meaningful supervision, practical training, and support in becoming more fully themselves as therapists.
I am especially interested in connecting with California registered associate therapists in San Francisco and the Bay Area, including:
Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapists
Registered Associate Professional Clinical Counselors
Registered Associate Clinical Social Workers
You may be a strong fit if you are reflective, clinically curious, open to feedback, and interested in relational or depth-oriented psychotherapy.
This may also be a good fit if you are drawn to private practice, but do not want to build your clinical identity in isolation.
Interesed in Joining the Practice?
If this opportunity resonates with you, I'd love to hear from you.
Please complete the brief form now. After reviewing your responses, I may reach out to request a resume or CV and schedule an introductory conversation.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be registered with the California BBS?
Yes. This opportunity is intended for California registered associate therapists, including AMFTs, APCCs, and ASWs. If you're not currently registered you would need to be on your way
What clinical approaches inform the practice?
The practice is informed by relational, psychodynamic, attachment-based, somatic, experiential, and LGBTQIA2S+ affirming approaches to psychotherapy.
Is this an associate therapist opportunity in San Francisco?
Yes. This is an associate therapist opportunity based in San Francisco, with a focus on private practice training, clinical supervision, relational psychotherapy, and community.
Will associates receive supervision?
Yes. Weekly clinical supervision is a central part of the associate therapist program.
Is the work in person, remote, or hybrid?
The practice is based in San Francisco. Associate therapist opportunities may include both in-person therapy and telehealth for clients located in California. Availability for in-person sessions in San Francisco is strongly preferred.
What makes this opportunity different?
This opportunity is designed as more than a place to collect hours. The goal is to offer a boutique private practice training environment where associates receive supervision, community support, practical guidance, and space to develop their own clinical voice. Connection and community are central.
