Trainee benefits
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JTSN membership begins with a mandatory two-part training, designed and delivered by experts at the Global Center for Journalism and Trauma, worth 9 CEs recognized by APA, the NY State DoE, and most other U.S. mental health licensing bodies.
No partial credit. You must complete both full days of the live webinar to receive CEs and continue in the training program.
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JTSN staff has partnered with security experts at Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) to ensure free one-to-one consultations for any trainee whose client has digital security concerns or who may be under digital surveillance.
FPF consultants teach you how to use fully encrypted software for telehealth contacts and documentation.Please note: HIPAA compliance does not ensure full encryption.
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Need more time and attention on an issue related to the journalism profession or culture?
In addition to monthly case consultation groups, trainees are encouraged to consult with JTSN staff psychologists or Global Center journalists on issues related to journalism occupational culture and journalist trauma and resilience factors. Leading experts on journalism culture and trauma are available to trainees for free one-on-one consultations within one week of an email request.
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Trainees who complete all aspects of the 6-month training will be invited to add their profile to the online JTSN Therapist Directory. This is a tool to help journalists identify trustworthy, compatible, available therapists.
You will also have access to the JTSN Internal Directory — a secure list exclusively for JTSN providers with contact information that your colleagues may not wish to list publicly.
As you develop your expertise in journalist mental health, your professional community will include providers from around the country who share your interests and can offer cross-cultural collaboration.
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During your training you will receive compensated referrals through our partner, the International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF).
Referrals: Trainees must be available to receive a journalist therapy referral (“training case”) within one month of the initial training. Members will be expected to carry a minimum of one and a maximum of two (budget allowing) journalist cases, for up to 20 sessions or six months (whichever comes first). Members must dedicate at least one practice slot to a journalist client for a minimum of six months.
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Trauma therapy is highly skilled and rigorous work. We understand that fair compensation is critical for sustaining support services for journalists and ensuring diversity in our therapist network.
JTSN raises funds to pay trainees a reasonable rate for therapy hours with training cases.
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To support our trainees and build our clinical community, JTSN provides:
Free online learning & support groups for the first six months of practice, facilitated by Global Center staff psychologists
Individual expert consultations for training case support
Virtual and in-person reunions
Free CE offerings
Continuing education newsletters to keep you in the loop
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It takes a community to support agents of truth and justice. JTSN members will receive invitations to annual reunion meetings and free live virtual CE offerings.
Our in-person conferences feature inspiring speakers, forums to interface with news leaders, and time to support and learn from one another.
Thoughtful, compensated referrals
As a therapist-in-training, you will receive carefully matched client referrals for time-limited treatment, ensuring you are compensated for your clinical hours.
JTSN trainees will receive initial pre-screened referrals within two months of the initial webinar training. You will be expected to see clients for up to 20 sessions over a 6-month period (whichever occurs first). Within these parameters, clinician and client can decide together the best schedule for their goals and needs. Any client requiring or requesting additional treatment after the 6-month treatment period should be referred out in their local community.
To prevent over-burden, therapists are asked to work with no more than two training cases. If you begin a case several months into the program, you will continue to be compensated for the remainder of that client’s 20 sessions even if other aspects of the training have ended.
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The International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF)* is JTSN’s referral partner. IWMF caseworkers verify the identity of each prospective JTSN journalist training case, screen them via phone call, and confirm their eligibility to participate in the program before referring them.
Please note: IWMF screening staff are not licensed clinicians, and minimize inquiry into clinical information. They are provided with baseline training in trauma-informed interviewing and self-care, while in trauma-facing work, as well as weekly support meetings by JTSN clinical staff. JTSN therapists conduct the initial clinical intake and full psychological assessment.
After screening, the JTSN Program Director then collects basic background information and matches prospective journalists with therapists in training based on geography, therapist specialization, and requested attributes as appropriate (e.g., female gender, clinician of color, etc.).
Journalist client eligibility criteria:
Journalist experiencing psychological distress or impairment related to stress or
trauma associated with journalistic workLocated in a U.S. state that JTSN currently serves, and will be available for therapy in
that state at least 2x per monthHas access to technology compatible with telehealth
Absence of certain crisis/severity indicators (e.g., evidence of active suicidality, imminent safety risk, acute psychosis, aggression/hostility, intoxication or severe substance abuse
Journalist agreeable to trying a time-limited treatment model
*IWMF serves and refers journalists of all genders.
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You will receive one referral at a time. We ask that you schedule that referral within two weeks of receiving notification of the referral, or communicate with the JTSN Program Director if you are unable to do so. Once you have an active client, you are welcome to schedule one additional client. We will not ask you to carry more than two journalist clients .
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We ask that you leave two messages for the client, and inform them that they have one week from the second message to contact you before you will move onto the next referral. After that, they are welcome to contact the JTSN Program Director to discuss restarting with you or another therapist.
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Yes. Therapists are compensated for referral therapy hours after submitting a monthly invoice. There’s no claims process, and no payment from clients for sessions.
Clients who repeatedly cancel late or no-show may need to pay you directly for missed sessions. We review that procedure in detail in the training.
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Journalists participating in the pilot are offered 20 free therapy sessions, to be used within six months.
Therapists should use clinical judgment during the intake: if symptom severity or complexity indicates that time-limited treatment is not appropriate, you should refer the client to a higher level of care. JTSN staff will be happy to try to assist you with referrals.
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No. We understand that you are bringing these patients into your private practice and that you must exercise your own best clinical judgment. Our goal is to set clear, mutual expectations at the outset in terms of limits of treatment.
Examples of situations that might result in not providing the allotted number of sessions include:
You feel a patient needs to be referred out to a higher level of care,
A patient only wants a few of the offered sessions
Your client is unable to attend regular sessions, and you believe that you cannot assist your client to meet therapeutic goals on the schedule they are available for.
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What if the client needs more therapy after 20 sessions? What if we would like to continue treatment together?
The JTSN pilot program will compensate therapists for up to 20 therapy sessions per client, within a 6-month window. In most cases we encourage you to hold a time-limited treatment frame. Time-limited care is part of the consent process, and if the client needs or wants additional treatment, they will be informed at the outset that you may need to refer them out after 6 months.
That said, there is no rule that you can’t continue to see a client if you can reach an acceptable financial arrangement through your own practice. Additionally, journalists may be eligible for additional time-limited therapy grants through our partner organizations. We are happy to discuss this with you.
Become a JTSN-trained therapist
Have a question?
We’re here to help. Visit Therapist FAQs or contact us by completing the form below.
Contact JTSN
For journalists seeking support or for any other inquiries, please fill out the form below, and our team will be in touch shortly. Or, simply email us at info@jtsn.org.