Clinical Internship for Refugees

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*NOTE: We are full for Summer 2015. Please apply for Fall 2015.*

Internship is in collaboration with Heartland Human Care Service’s Refugee and Immigrant Community Services (RICS) department, under the Preferred Communities program funded through the U. S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. The Preferred Communities program is an extended case management model designed for implementation with refugees experiencing heightened vulnerability in areas of basic living needs, health and mental health, and community engagement. The RICS Preferred Communities program especially serves individuals with social and psychological vulnerabilities.

Responsibilities include:

• Conduct mental health screenings with refugees and facilitate follow up conversations, which may include psycho-education and explanation of U. S. mental health services
• Complete Preferred Communities intake process with new participants
• Facilitate and/or co-facilitate community support groups focused on providing psycho-education, increasing social support, and supporting acculturation and adjustment
• Facilitate psychiatric and therapy referrals as needed
• Conduct risk assessments and safety planning as needed
• Provide linkages to in-office case managers and maintain open communication with team members as needed to ensure continuity of services
• Participate in the Chicago Refugee Mental Health Task Force - an inter-agency collaborative group that meets monthly for the purpose of enhancing service provision and addressing gaps in services in the Chicago area
• Maintain a small caseload of individual therapy clients:
  • Provide bio-psychosocial assessment for each therapy participant
  • Develop case formulation and treatment plan for each therapy participant
  • Demonstrate familiarity with and use of evidence-based therapeutic treatment modalities, especially those appropriate for use with refugees
  • Document treatment progress, conduct ongoing assessment of treatment effectiveness and adjust treatment approach as necessary
  • Plan appropriately for termination of therapeutic relationship in preparation for ending work with a participant due to 1) participant determined ending point, or 2) completion of internship
  • Develop relationships with mental health providers to address gaps in services
  • Facilitate educational workshops on refugee mental health for new arrivals, translators, and other interested parties

Qualifications:

• MUST be a graduate student enrolled in an accredited Social Work, Clinical Psychology, or other similar masters or doctorate level program with at least one previous year of graduate level internship experience
• Previous experience with refugees or multi-cultural, multi-ethnic experiences are preferred, but not necessary