Summer Therapeutic Services Intern
Assist therapeutic services team with case management for refugees and survivors.
Overview
Assist therapeutic services team with case management for refugees and survivors.
You have:
- Must be enrolled in a Bachelor’s or Master’s-level program focusing on counseling or social work.
- Ability to communicate effectively with clinical team, clients, and staff.
- Experience with vulnerable populations preferred.
- Desire to work with an ethnically diverse international population.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Driver’s license, personal vehicle, and willingness to drive clients.
- Proficiency in a second language spoken by the client base strongly preferred.
- Commitment of at least 15 hours per week for 4 months.
- Strong computer skills required for remote work.
- Ability to receive and utilize constructive feedback.
The Safety & Wellness team provides intensive case management to refugees, survivors of torture, victims of crime, victims of human trafficking and asylum-seeking families living in Arizona. The Therapeutic Services intern will work closely with the Clinical Managers, Caseworkers, and Wellness Team to provide culturally competent, comprehensive services to refugee, foreign national, and immigrant survivors of war, violence, displacement, and trauma. In addition, interns will learn how to provide trauma-informed, victim-centered, strengths-based services that promote health and safety, inspire confidence, respects client choice, and assists survivors towards independence.
Please note that this position is unpaid but can fulfill MSW program school requirements. Interns for this position are required to have some in-person availability; the position is hybrid in person/remote out of our Tucson, AZ office.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Provides support for workshops including session planning, logistical preparation, and co-facilitation - Provides follow up with clients for continued care coordination - Refer clients to community resources and other case management duties - Accompanying clients to appointments—including medical, mental health intake appointments, and other appointments and services - Arrange for interpreters for individual and group sessions where needed - Transport clients using your own vehicle when needed - Complete and maintain required clinical documentation in a timely manner - Maintain confidentiality of records relating to clients' treatment - Attend individual supervision and/or group supervision if needed - Commit to at least 15 hours per week for the duration of the internship - Perform additional job-related duties and responsibilities as requested - Work in both a standard office environment and community-based environment - MSW students will have additional duties, such as conducting one-on-one therapeutic curriculum with clients and/or conducting mental health assessments with clients under supervision - Conduct client satisfaction surveys to evaluate IRC’s therapeutic services program
REQUIREMENTS:
- Must be enrolled in a Bachelor’s or Master’s-level program focusing on counseling or social work - Ability to communicate effectively with clinical team, clients, and staff - Experience with vulnerable populations preferred, in particular psychological trauma due to war, displacement, violence, and persecution - Desire to work with an ethnically diverse international population in innovative ways - Ability to work effectively with partners, colleagues, and clients in a cross-cultural, team-based environment - Ability to present oneself in an appropriately personable and professional manner to clients and staff - Ability to be both consistent and flexible as circumstances warrant - Ability to receive and utilize constructive feedback regarding performance, presentation and relationships with others - Strong written and verbal communication skills - Strong computer skills - Proficiency in a second language spoken by the client base strongly preferred but not required - Experience utilizing interpreters (in-person or via phone) preferred - A positive attitude and a desire to learn and adapt traditional clinical skills to meet the needs of a diverse client base - Driver’s license, personal vehicle, auto insurance, a clean driving record, and willingness to drive clients in personal vehicle - Technology requirements: - o Interns will be required to use their own technology tools to work on virtual opportunities. - o IRC is not responsible for any personal device expenses such as personal smartphones, tablets, hotspots, data charges, etc. - o All personal devices must: - Be kept current with all operating system updates and security patches, - Use a password or PIN with a minimum of 4 characters to log onto smartphones and tablets and 8 alpha and numeric characters for a laptop. - Have lock screen set to 10 minutes or less with a password required to unlock the device - Configurations must be set to delete all data or lock after 10 unsuccessful attempts to enter a password or PIN. Lockout period must be no less than 30 minutes. - Additional policy details will be discussed during orientation and training.
CLEARANCES:
All offers are contingent on successfully passing background and criminal history checks as required by federal and state law or by IRC policy.
COMMITMENT:
- Minimum 15 hrs/wk for 4 months (commitment of one academic year strongly preferred) - Primary availability during IRC business hours (M-F; 9am-5:00pm) - Preference given to applicants able to make multi-term commitment
Reports To: Mekala Pavlin, LCSW
Qualifications
Potential interview questions
| Can you describe your experience working with diverse populations and how it has prepared you for this role? | We want to understand your background and ability to interact with clients from various cultural backgrounds. | Discuss specific experiences that highlight your sensitivity and adaptability to different cultural contexts. |
| Describe a time when you had to provide support to someone in crisis. What did you do? | This question assesses your crisis intervention skills and your ability to think quickly under pressure. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| How do you prioritize tasks when managing multiple clients and their needs? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| What does trauma-informed care mean to you, and how would you apply it in this role? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| How comfortable are you with driving clients to appointments and what considerations do you keep in mind? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| Can you talk about a situation where you received constructive feedback? How did you respond? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| What strategies would you use to ensure effective communication with clients who might have language barriers? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| What motivates you to work with refugees and immigrant populations? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |