Autism Day Treatment Internship

We strive to create an inclusive environment in which all are seen, heard, and supported; encouraged to bring their whole authentic selves; and honored in their differences.

Program Summary:

Our Autism Day Treatment Internship Program offers a multi- disciplinary, relationship based, developmental approach on therapy. Our program works with children ages 2 – 6 years old, with treatment rooms of up to 6 children. The morning rooms generally consist of younger children who may be new newly diagnosed or coming to us with a lower skill set. The afternoon treatment rooms consist of children who have maybe “graduated” from a morning room and are working on the next stage of skill development, or they have come to us with higher skills and we’re meeting them there.

• Position Overview:
• Each Room is staffed by a Treatment Team
• Two paraprofessionals and one intern per team
• Each room is overseen by a mental health professional and a program supervisor who completes assessments, creates treatment plans and goals, coordinates the overall team, and provides supervision for practitioners and interns.
• Two mental health practitioners plan and facilitate the daily therapeutic activities. They facilitate the day and model interventions for other staff. They also handle scheduling and staffing decisions in the room. They are also responsible for providing families with in-home support. Family support can be in the home, in community, or here at St. David’s Center.
• Each room has a speech and occupational therapist who work with clients for 4 days a week- each client receiving speech and OT for 1 hour a day. They each have their own treatment plans and goals, and they facilitate a separate rehab space.
• Interns will jump in right away, learning behavioral interventions and strategies by observation and modeling from experienced staff members. As interns progress through the internship, they’ll begin to develop and lead activities and by the end of the internship, our goal for interns is to feel confident planning and facilitating the entire treatment day. Interns will learn clinical documentation skills including daily billing, treatment plans, diagnostic assessment write-ups, etc. There is also the opportunity for individual family support in tandem w/ a Mental Health Practitioner.

This position offers the opportunity to work for an agency that is committed to inclusivity and diversity, employee wellness, the professional development of employees and the overall wellness of clients being served. St. David’s Center accomplishes these objectives through supportive & collaborative team environments, flexible work schedules and mission-inspired work.

Schedule:

• Sensory Prep: Brief intervals throughout the day to make sure sensory systems are well-organized. Calming, arousing, focusing activities.
• Music: provided daily by our Mental Health Practitioners
• Snack/Lunch: sitting at a table, impulse control, sharing space, communicating wants, and feeding issues
• Gym/Playground: a sensory break, giving time to relax, and time to work on functional play skills with outdoor equipment and peers
• Mental Health Therapy: activities targeting specific treatment goals in highly structured setting
• Rehab Therapy: led by speech and OT, targeted goals focused on speech/lang. development, fine and gross motor skills, and sensory processing
• Notes/Group Processing: reflect on the child (what did we see them do/not do today) and ourselves

Undergraduate Requirements / Schedule:

• 3 month (40 hour summer block) or 9 month internships available
• 20 hours/week: 3 days/week in classroom, extra outside for paperwork, planning, supervision, and family sessions
• Schedule Requirements –
• Morning treatment hours: 7:30am - 12:30pm
• Afternoon treatment hours: 11:30am - 4:30pm
• Students will be matched with a morning or afternoon treatment team, depending on the needs of the program at the time of hire. We do our best to accommodate preferred schedules. Students must be available 3 – 4 days per week, for a total of 20 hours per week.
• Car required - No
• Stipend available - No
• Other requirements – No

Graduate Requirements / Schedule

• Specific hours or days - Min. 3 days per week, 7:30 – 12:30 for AM shift; 11:30 – 4:30 for PM shift.
• 15 hours/week – 3 shifts in day treatment room (AM or PM) providing MH Skills and Psychotherapy in group setting
• 5 hours/week – In-home family skills or psychotherapy, individual skills, clinical paperwork, assessment observation, treatment planning time, other tasks assigned by supervisor.
• Supervised evening hours - One time per month – Family Support Group (These are paused due to Covid-19)
• Supervised weekend hours - No
• Other time requirements - In-home therapy may be scheduled in the evening
• Car required - Preferred
• Agency does background checks - Yes
• Orientation scheduled - 2-4 day(s) training scheduled prior to start.
• Stipend available - No
• Other requirements - No
• Pay: Unpaid

Job Qualifications:

Education-

• Counseling, Psychology, Human Services, Social Work, Marriage, and Family Therapy
• Internship Commitment - Internship Duration – 9 -12 months
• Internship Term –
• (Dates are approximations – We will always try our best to work with school requirements/timelines)
• Fall – September 1st – May 31st
• Spring – January 1s August
• Summer – May 1st – January 31st
• MSW Summer Block – Late May - August

 

All new employees will be required to provide proof of being fully vaccinated (not to include booster doses at this time) or have an approved exemption before their start date. 

St. David's Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, veteran status or disability.