Clinical Mental Health Intern

Vibrant Emotional Health•Bronx, NY

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Vibrant Emotional Health offers a year-long mental health counseling internship program for up to eight master’s-level interns from Mental Health Counseling and Social Work programs. The internship runs from September through August and requires a minimum of 16–20 hours per week on site. Interns participate in five-month rotations at Adolescent Skills Centers and Family Youth and Peer Support Services, with an optional two-month rotation on direct-service community-based teams. Weekly individual supervision, group supervision, and didactics are provided by faculty and colleagues from across Vibrant’s programs. The internship integrates clinical support into community-based, peer-friendly programs serving youth and families who face barriers to traditional mental health services. Interns work holistically with families, provide psychoeducation and access to supports, and may help integrate clinical services where access is limited. At Adolescent Skills Centers, interns support youth ages 16–22 with emotional and behavioral challenges as they pursue educational and vocational goals. At Family Youth and Peer Support Services, interns help families and caregivers understand mental health systems and available supports, collaborating with peer advocates and staff with lived experience. Optional community-team rotations offer opportunities to shadow home- or school-based services and learn about assessment, treatment planning, interventions, and care coordination. Interns use core practices to help young people and families make progress toward well-being. They work with youth and families on social and emotional needs and independent-living and life-functioning skills, carrying a caseload that the posting describes as 5–10 youth in the Adolescent Skills Center guidelines and 6–8 youth or families in the general position description. Schedules are developed in collaboration with site coordinators.

Requirements

Be enrolled in a master’s-level Mental Health Counseling program for the Adolescent Skills Center internship slots; the overall program is described as serving interns from Mental Health Counseling and Social Work programs.
Be in good educational standing.
Commit to a minimum of 16–20 hours per week on site.
Work collaboratively to establish a schedule with site coordinators.

Responsibilities

Complete assessments, service plans, and intakes.
Facilitate groups and provide crisis intervention, counseling, conflict resolution, and tutoring.
Support youth and families in achieving identified goals and improving well-being, social and emotional functioning, and independent-living skills.
Assist youth and families in securing essential documents, such as Social Security cards, photo identification, and driver’s licenses.
Provide concrete services and referrals or linkages to health, mental health, substance-use, preventive, and other support services.
Provide psychoeducation to families and, in peer-support settings, collaborate with Peer Advocates and staff with lived experience.
Co-facilitate groups and meet with families and youth to provide information about services and mental health concerns.
Participate in outreach and community events when assigned to Family Youth and Peer Support Services.
In community-based rotations, accompany teams on visits and shadow assessment, treatment planning, therapeutic interventions, and care coordination.
Meet weekly with a supervisor to discuss issues and concerns and offer suggestions and resolutions.
Report and document incidents to the immediate supervisor and/or Program Director within 24 hours.
Maintain accurate caseload entries and other assigned records, including student time and attendance tracking.
Attend meetings, seminars, and trainings aimed at improving the intern’s practice and the agency.
Carry out other tasks and assignments delegated by the supervisor.