Mental Health Intern Spring 2020

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Background: The International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is at work in over 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. The Atlanta office resettled more than 1,000 refugees in FY16. Staff provide numerous program services to assist refugees from their arrival through citizenship.

Intern Overview: The Health and Wellness Intern, under the supervision of the Health and Wellness Associate, is responsible for assisting and supporting programming for the Health and Wellness Team.

Scope: The Health and Wellness Intern provides direct support to the Health and Wellness Associate in order to facilitate Mental Health and Violence screenings and case management that focus on identifying and addressing psychosocial needs and safety concerns of clients. The Health and Wellness Intern will also support the Health and Wellness Associate with client engagement, psychoeducational groups, community outreach, and partner agency collaborative opportunities.

Responsibilities:

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Work directly with the Health and Wellness Associate to support the organization and execution of Pathways to Wellness and Bridge to Safety programming.
• Take an active role in assisting with group facilitation, women’s empowerment opportunities, and client outreach.
• Providing general administrative and logistical support for clients involved in case management.
• Update and maintain appropriate documentation of referrals and services accurately and in a timely manner.
• Attend and participate in community engagement to promote IRC services as well as general mental health and gender based violence concerns.
• Participate in ongoing supervision with Health and Wellness Associate.
• Other duties as needed and assigned by Health and Wellness Associate.

Learning Objectives:

1. Learn about the mental health needs of refugee populations and culturally appropriate service delivery through a social justice and client-centered framework.
2. Learn about the occurrence of gender based violence within the refugee population and trauma-informed care model of crisis intervention and case management.
3. Develop effective rapport building, interpersonal communication and cultural humility skills specific to working with refugee populations.
4. Support Pathways to Wellness and Bridge to Safety programming including mental health and trauma assessments, psychoeducational groups, and community engagement activities that foster mental health advocacy and women’s empowerment.
5. Empower refugee women to affect change in their environments and communities by providing psychoeducational opportunities and providing access to appropriate community resources.
6. Learn about developing community partnerships and partner agency collaboration.

Intern Requirements:

• Experience working in social service with diverse populations including immigrants or refugees preferred
• Must be well-organized, professional, detail oriented, flexible, calm in crisis, and should have strong empathetic communication skills
• Creativity and initiative to solve problems that may arise
• Basic computer skills (Microsoft Access and Word, E-mail, Excel) required
• Desire to work collaboratively as a team member and in a multicultural workplace

• Valid driver’s license, reliable vehicle with current insurance, and the ability to travel regularly preferred but not required.

Time Commitment :
Interns are advised that some organized events will occur beyond traditional work hours.

Applicants are requested to submit a resume and cover letter in pdf format for consideration.