CWS Identified Internships

Riverside Community Care
Lumpkin Summer Institute for Service Learning – Boston

Riverside Community Care has been a vital resource in Massachusetts for more than four decades. We offer a broad range of health and human services, including mental healthcare, developmental disability and traumatic brain injury programs, substance abuse treatment and early childhood services. Each year fourteen thousand adults, children and adolescents seek Riverside’s help. Our reach also extends to municipalities, other care providers and corporations. Whatever the need, wherever it may be, we strive to deliver responsive, innovative care that helps to build healthy communities.

Providing internship opportunities is beneficial to both students and Riverside. We are proud of the comprehensive and innovative services that we provide and look forward to offering students a rich and valuable internship experience. Following completion of their education, many student interns have continued their affiliation with Riverside as permanent staff members.

Students may be placed in programs working with individuals with mental health, substance abuse issues, developmental disabilities or traumatic head injury. Internships are also available working with young children and families in our Early Intervention Programs. Internship placements are individualized to meet the needs of the student and the program setting. Student interns function as team members and participate in all aspects of programming including case conferences and other clinical meetings. Student interns may also attend trainings offered through Riverside’s outstanding Staff Training Series.

• Mental healthcare, developmental disability and traumatic brain injury programs, substance abuse treatment and early childhood services to children, individuals and families for over four decades
• Serve 14,000 people annually
• 70 programs throughout Massachusetts

Internship Descriptions:

DAY TREATMENT INTERN
Psychiatric Day Treatment is a very structured therapeutic program for adults who are struggling with a Mental Illness. People receive day treatment by attending groups that use a wide variety of modalities and strength interpersonal skills within the milieu. Many coping skills are learned to help gain more insight, stabilize and decrease need for hospitalization in an effort to improve quality of life.

Intern Expectations:

• Initial orientation will support students becoming familiar with the culture and structure of the Day Treatment Program
• Observe the range of treatment groups, varying in type and functional level to help address the multiple needs of consumers in the program
• Assist group leader in planning and helping to organize group materials as appropriate as well as, assist in the running of group
• Develop a familiarity and comfort level with the population
• Attend community meetings and wrap-up meetings
• Gain an understanding of interdisciplinary team functions
• Attend Staff meetings and Staff rounds
• Research for specific groups, projects or other support duties as assigned

CLUBHOUSE INTERN
The Clubhouse model is a rehabilitative community, which emphasizes work, participation and choice. Members and staff work together as colleagues to accomplish the work and goals of the clubhouse and offers a variety of opportunities for social interactions.

Intern Expectations:
UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY for the traditional psychology student in a not so traditional setting. The nature of clubhouse is ‘you never know where the day will take you’…organized chaos.

Interns are based in the Clubhouse Services Unit that is responsible for making lunch, running a snack bar, producing a daily video and other media projects, producing a newsletter and arts/literary magazine, maintaining a website, promoting health and wellness through education and our gym, organizing social activities and fundraising, as well as over-seeing basic financial record keeping activities. Interns assist in all aspects of the unit, working side by side with other members (and sometimes staff) to ensure that tasks are complete in helping run the Clubhouse. Each unit has four staff and an estimated 10-20 members participating each day, so you will immediately be part of a team.

Interns can also assist in job development (filling out applications, writing resumes, and conducting mock interviews) and job placement (work side-by-side members in their place of employment in the community.) As opportunity permits you can assist in advocacy/case management issues such as entitlements and benefits, housing, and team meetings.

As we believe in utilizing the strengths and talents of all members and staff, we will seek out yours and will tailor a ‘special project’ for you to work on. In addition to the work-ordered day Units that run until 3:00pm, we will tap into your hobbies and passions that you can share to help run a weekly activity from 3:00pm-3:45pm. Our past interns have run a weekly art class, games tournament, a nutrition class, softball game, etc.

Unlike most settings you can choose, we do not focus on the individuals’ mental illness. There are no medication clinics, therapy, or groups. There is no chart reviews, for the most part you will know an individuals illness by their disclosure. Our number one priority is changing one’s perception of people with mental illness as clients or consumer of services in need of help but rather as people with support that can be great contributors. Clubhouse is all about relationships, recovery, and empowerment: getting to know the real person by doing real work together.

Are you the right candidate? Here are some of the attributes we seek:

1. Out-going: able to reach-out and ask members to assist in projects or tasks.
2. Self motivated: limited supervision to complete tasks when given the objective.
3. Patient: can acknowledge that working side-by-side can take twice as long to do.
4. Flexible: can ‘go with the flow’, does not need to follow a strict planned day.
5. Team Player: can go that extra mile, put on a smile, and just help if you can.
6. Sense of Humor: You know what they say about all work and no play.

EARLY INTERVENTION INTERN
Riverside’s Early Intervention provides educational, therapeutic, and support services to children between the ages of birth and three. The children we see have, or are at–risk for, delays in their development. Our primary focus is to empower families to meet their children’s individual needs through education, training and support.

Riverside Early Intervention Student Job Expectations

Riverside Early Intervention provides opportunities for both graduate and undergraduate students to work within our program under the direction of an assigned staff member(s). Student expectations may vary based on individual student and school requirements and the needs of the program.

Selection of students is based on a number of factors. Students are expected to have an interest in working with infants and toddlers and an ability to present oneself in an energetic, enthusiastic manner with positive affect. Knowledge and experience in the field of early childhood education is desirable, but the candidate may also be selected based on their personal experience and educational goals. Selection is also based on the program’s needs, the availability of appropriate supervision, and the ability to accommodate student’s scheduling needs.

Summary:
The student intern works in support of the multidisciplinary team within the Early Intervention program servicing children (0-3 years) and their families in the communities of Newton, Needham, Wellesley and Weston. The student intern is primarily responsible for supporting both center and community-based groups as well as supporting the overall administrative needs of the program.

Typical student expectations may include any or all of the following:

• Participate in child-focused or parent-child groups, as assigned. (More specific guidelines regarding expectations within group are provided as part of the student orientation)
• Prepare classroom space (i.e. arrange positional equipment, set up circle time, clear windowsills).
• Ensure classrooms are stocked with adequate supplies of wipes, paper towels, tissues, gloves, soap and cleaning solution.
• Assist in setting up and cleaning up for groups (i.e. gathers/returns materials, adaptive equipment, etc., cleans circle box items immediately following use, washes classroom surfaces, manages dishwasher).
• Assist in maintaining center’s supplies and materials (i.e. restock art supplies, fill cleaning bottles, maintain toy closet).
• Assist in planning for groups and developing curriculum ideas and therapeutic activities.
• Attend and participate in group meetings with clinicians as indicated.
• Assist with group documentation as assigned.
• Assist children on/off transportation vehicle, sign and file trip sheets.
• Assist with general clerical responsibilities during breaks from group responsibilities (i.e. filing, photocopying, other office projects).

*Observation of home visits and/or other clinical activities may occur based on individual student requirements and the availability/needs of the program. These opportunities are offered at the discretion of the program and will be discussed at the start of each student’s placement.

Group Expectations

• Before and after group
  • Help set-up and clean-up group rooms
  • Be ready to start when group begins
  • Ask staff any and all questions
  • Maintain confidentiality about children and families
• During group
  • Greet children & caregivers in a welcoming manner
  • Approach children with a positive attitude
  • Interact with children individually and in small groups
  • Encourage engagement, functional independence and social relationships
  • Provide assistance to keep children safe
  • Observe & imitate staff interactions with children
  • Make eye contact and speak with children at the child’s eye level
  • Encourage children to explore new activities
  • Use simple language
  • Learn the ways teachers use to communicate and encourage communication through pictures and gestures
  • Provide support during structured activities and transitions
  • Limit adult conversations
  • Tell children what they should do, not what they shouldn’t do
  • Use praise
  • Re-direct any parent questions to appropriate staff
  • Be aware that parents are frequently observing you with their child