Internship Opportunities

MHA’s N*COMMON program coordinates internship opportunities throughout the organization and in partnership with other nonprofit and public partners.  Below is a listing of the internship opportunities at MHA.  These internships can be for the fall, spring or summer semester or the entire academic year.  All internships are unpaid, but can be applied toward school credit.  Weekly supervision will be provided to each intern.

Direct any questions to Karishma Sheth at (301) 424-0656, ext. 520 or by email at ksheth@mhamc.org.  If you are interested in an internship opportunity listed below, please submit a completed internship application with your resume to Karishma Sheth via email at ksheth@mhamc.org or via fax at (301) 738-1030.

Undergraduate Students Only

Bridges to Pals is a mentoring program for at-risk youth.  Undergraduate students are the best fit for internships and will assist with keeping the program’s database up to date, revising/updating training materials, contacting clients and mentors to check in on the match, attending home and match visits when possible, brainstorming volunteer recruitment possibilities, researching activities for the monthly newsletter, updating program’s resource manual and participating in the quarterly trainings when available.  Bilingual is not necessary, but is helpful.

Friendly Visitor volunteers visit and befriend the isolated, frail elderly living in Montgomery County.  The primary focus of the internship would be to do outreach to Silver Spring businesses and other local entities.  The goal of the internship is to increase the volunteer force in the Silver Spring area.  Duties will include researching potential organizations, outreaching to those organizations and making presentations in order to publicize the program and recruit volunteers.  Undergraduate students (public relations, marketing, etc.), preferably students in their senior year.

Kensington Wheaton Youth Services has undergraduate level internships for students who are energetic and committed individuals to serve as interns for its school-based Linkages to Learning programs.  Interns will work closely with the staff on a variety of tasks, including program coordination and assistance, outreach, event planning, donor and volunteer management, and administrative duties.  Work schedule is flexible and is decided on a site level; however, the candidate must be able to commit to between 10-15 hours per week.  The internship will provide interns with an opportunity to develop the following skill sets:

• Experience in providing programming to elementary and middle school children
• Experience working with a diverse, multicultural population
• Experience working with immigrant and/or lower-income families
• Experience in case management and social service delivery
• Experience in program development and promotion
• Experience in data collection and needs assessments
• Experience in budget management
• Experience in working with a school-based collaboration model

In addition, the internship is a wonderful opportunity for students to increase their fluency in Spanish, Amharic and French languages.

N*COMMON provides mental health counseling to recent immigrants, both Spanish and French-speaking.  It is an exciting, pioneering project that provides clinical services to individuals and families who are often underserved: those who are newly arrived to the United States and are without insurance.  The program also conducts groups in local schools on family separation and reunification.  N*COMMON accepts undergraduate interns studying social work, counseling or related fields, but there are also some possibilities for graduate-level students.  Interns gain experience working with families, individuals and groups of all ages, with a variety of therapeutic needs.  Work can include providing case management, conducting assessments, assisting with groups, maintaining contact with clients, and assisting with materials, research, and outreach.  There is also room to accommodate individuals’ interests.  Interns interested in direct practice/clinical work are the best fit.  Bilingual in Spanish or French is a MUST. 

Undergraduate or Graduate Students

Hotline Outreach & Programming for Emotional Support (HOPES) - The Montgomery County Hotline is looking for dedicated interns to work as hotline counselors. The hotline is a 24-hour 7 day a week confidential service that provides supportive listening, crisis intervention and suicide prevention, and information and referrals to the community. All interns are required to attend a 36-hour training class, in addition to three sessions of on-the-phone training. The hotline is a great place for college students in the fields of psychology, counseling or social work to gain experience for graduate school and to develop skills to work in the field of mental health.

Voices VS Violence (VVV), a violence prevention and intervention program serving youth and families throughout Montgomery County, is looking for energetic interns who can work a flexible schedule (approximately 10-15 hours a week), who enjoy working in an office or with youth and who are able to work at least a summer or a semester's length of time. The internship may be extended.
Undergraduate or graduate students in counseling, psychology, social work, criminal justice and sociology are the best fit.  Bilingual (Spanish/English) applicants encouraged, but not required. 

Depending on one’s interest and abilities, duties may include:

• Providing presentations to youth and/or parents on violence prevention topics
• Designing and implementing group activities for elementary school aged youth
• Co-facilitating psycho-educational groups for at-risk youth ages 12-18
• Providing case management services for youth involved with the juvenile justice system
• Assisting with research, data collection and analysis
• Developing service learning curriculum to be implemented with youth ages 12-18

Graduate Students Only

Kensington Wheaton Youth Services (KWYS) offers graduate level clinical internships for social work, marriage and family therapy and counseling psychology students.  Interns will be given the opportunity to provide individual counseling to children and adolescents as well as family counseling. Interns may also facilitate groups in school based settings.  Weekly clinical supervision is provided in addition to bi-monthly group consultation.  Bilingual Spanish is a plus.

MHA Internship Partnerships

In addition to the above opportunities, MHA also partners with other nonprofits in the County to offer internship placements.  Partners include:

• Boat People S.O.S.
• Caribbean Help Center
• Child Center and Adult Services (AMIGO Program)
• Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E)
• InterFaith Works
• Family Services Agency
• Identity, Inc.
• Korean Community Service Center of Greater Washington
• Linkages to Learning
• MCPS Employee Assistance
• National Family Resiliency Center

 

If you would like to apply for an internship, please submit the Internship Application to Karishma Sheth at ksheth@mhamc.org or via fax at (301) 738-1030.  Please submit your resume with the application.