Graduate Clinical Intern - Behavioral Health (unpaid)

What You’ll Do

As a Clinical Intern, you’ll work directly with clients while building core clinical competencies under the guidance of licensed supervisors. Depending on program assignment, you may:

• Conduct ongoing clinical assessments, formulate diagnoses, and deliver individual, family, and group therapy.
• Provide crisis intervention via phone, video, or in person — including de-escalation, risk assessment, and coordination of higher-level care when needed.
• Offer case management to connect clients with medical, vocational, educational, financial, housing, or transportation supports.
• Develop, implement, and monitor treatment plans that promote stability, symptom reduction, and sustainable skill-building.
• Document all services and client interactions in accordance with agency, state, federal, and payer requirements.
• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team — including medical, psychiatric, clinical, and community partners — to ensure continuity and quality of care.
• Participate in weekly clinical supervision (minimum one hour per week).

Assignments and responsibilities vary by program, but all interns gain broad exposure to community behavioral health care.

Essential Responsibilities

• Provide direct clinical services across a range of modalities and settings (phone, video, in-person).
• Facilitate evidence-based interventions focused on improving functioning, preventing deterioration, and supporting recovery.
• Perform crisis response, including risk assessment and coordination of safety plans or referrals.
• Maintain accurate, timely, and compliant clinical documentation.
• Support clients in advocating for themselves in school, employment, housing, and other life domains.
• Build strong working relationships with internal teams and external partners to ensure integrated care.
• Perform additional duties as assigned by your supervisor.

Internship Requirements

• Ability to conduct assessment, diagnosis, therapy, crisis intervention, and case management with children and/or adults.
• Ability to recognize and interpret mental health and substance use symptoms (e.g., flat affect, psychomotor changes, pressured speech, etc.).
• Knowledge of psychopathology, substance use treatment, and therapeutic modalities.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to interpret professional literature and regulations.
• Solid critical thinking, time management, and prioritization skills.

Minimum Qualifications

• Actively seeking at least one semester of field placement from a graduate-level behavioral health program and enrolled in a class with a learning experience requirement.
• Relevant experience or demonstrated knowledge of mental health and/or substance use disorder treatment.
• Ability to plan and deliver a range of clinical services and interventions.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with providers, partners, and community agencies.
• Ability to maintain documentation that meets state, federal, and organizational standards.

Required Education & Licensure

Current enrollment in an accredited MS/MA program in counseling, social work, marriage and family therapy, psychology, or a related behavioral health field.

Essay Requirement

We are seeking clinical mental health interns who are passionate about working in a community mental health setting. Our goal is to provide meaningful training in an environment that serves diverse and underserved populations, with an emphasis on equity, inclusion, and culturally responsive care. Each applicant is required to upload an essay (500-700 words) addressing one of the prompts below. (Please note, your application will not be considered without an uploaded essay.)

Essay Prompt 1: Mental health work can be emotionally demanding. How do you manage stress and prevent burnout? Please include a description of a time you faced a challenging situation in a clinical, work, or academic setting and how you handled it. Please also address what skills or competencies you hope to develop through this internship.

Essay Prompt 2: What does cultural humility mean to you and how do you integrate it into your work? Please include a description of a time when you worked with or learned from someone with a different background, culture, or worldview and how it impacted your perspective. Please also address what steps you take (or plan to take) to ensure that your clinical practice is inclusive, anti-oppressive, and trauma-informed.

Essays will be evaluated for clinical insight, personal motivation, commitment to diversity, and readiness to work in a high-need environment.