Interns placed in the North Star IOP program will develop clinical skills including diagnostic assessment and intensive treatment for children aged 5-12 with highly acute psychiatric and emotional/behavioral needs. Children at this higher level of care (HLOC) require daily therapeutic services. Interns will engage with children on various levels: running daily groups, facilitating weekly individual sessions, and biweekly family sessions. North Star operates as a team dynamic with ongoing professional staff support, and interns will learn and interact with our agency’s psychiatrist/medical director presenting on cases, understanding and generating diagnoses based on clinical assessment/conceptualization. They also work with client families and their community providers including schools, hospitals, and outside treatment providers.
Interns become familiar with different aspects of the agency and have opportunities to sit in on additional clinical training/meetings. They may also have an opportunity to be exposed to Evidence-Based Practices offered by the agency including Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), The Modular Approach to Therapy for Children with Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, and Conduct difficulties (MATCH-ADTC), as well as Attachment, Regulation, and Competency (ARC). Interns are provided weekly individual and group supervision with licensed professionals in the mental health field, as well as ongoing guidance from colleagues. Interns are treated as “clinicians-in-training,” and can expect to be given a caseload of 3-4 cases on a cyclical basis as the client's length of stay is 8-10 weeks. Equally as important, they are treated as members of the team with opportunities for involvement in additional agency and community-related activities to become better acclimated to the agency, community, as well as a high-paced work environment.
(Both 3-month summer and 6-12 month school year internships available)
- Bachelors and Second Year Master’s level students in Social Work, Mental Health Counseling, or related field.
- Experience with children. Basic knowledge of child development.
- Must commit to at least 3 months and at least 3 days/week during program hours (School Year: 2-5 pm; Summer: 10 am-1 pm).
- Fridays 9:30 am-2 pm are required.
- Comfortable with risk assessments and acute populations.
- Allowed 2 weeks of vacation; otherwise, expected at placement during school breaks unless special circumstances apply and are arranged with the supervisor.
- Proficiency in writing and communication skills is required.
