Internships Paid and Unpaid

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Paid and Unpaid Internships Available. Training is in May, September, November, and January.
Shifts are flexible.
About Samaritans Southcoast - Overview:

Samaritans Southcoast, Inc. is an emotional support and suicide prevention hotline open to all callers, 15 hours a
day, 7 days a week, free to anyone who needs help. Our hotline is staffed by caring, compassionate, and
confidential helpline specialists, volunteers, and student interns specially trained in listening, crisis management,
and suicide prevention. More than 14,000 calls are answered every year. In addition to receiving inbound calls
from those in need, our helpline specialists, volunteers, and student interns are engaged with our senior citizen
population, survivors of suicide, and local organizations and school groups. Senior citizens who might otherwise
be lonely and isolated receive Kare Calls. In addition, Samaritans Southcoast hosts Safe Place, a peer-to-peer
support group for suicide loss survivors. Samaritans Southcoast also provides outreach education about suicide
prevention to local school groups and organizations and at health fairs (virtual and in-person).
Paid Internship Overview:
Samaritans Southcoast is an internationally accredited emotional support and suicide prevention
telephone hotline offering undergraduate and graduate-level internships for students studying
psychology, psychiatry, social work, mental health counseling, nursing, pre-med, and public health.
Students in general study programs or other majors are also encouraged to apply.
Internship includes listening to and supporting people experiencing emotional distress and intervention for
those in a mental health crisis, experiencing suicidality, or having initiated suicide, and shift supervision.
Interns must complete twenty (20) hours weekly for six (6) months.

Paid internships are offered twice yearly:
July 1 - December 31 (Must complete training beginning in May) - Application deadline April 1, 2022
January 1 - June 30 (Must complete training beginning in November) - Application deadline September
30, 2022

Interns participate in a mandatory, intensive 35-hour, remote training program.* Training combines
virtual classroom sessions, interactive online simulations, films and videos, and observation sessions
with experienced helpline specialists on the phones. Internships are designed to be both experiential
and interactive. They encompass a spectrum of topics, including listening skills specific to Samaritans’
befriending techniques, depression, suicide and loss, general mental health issues, substance abuse
disorder, problem callers, medical emergencies, data collection, and using technology, and policies and
procedures for hotline work, among other topics of timely importance.
Duties and Responsibilities Include:
● Answer calls on emotional support and suicide prevention hotline.

● Provide professional and compassionate support to callers at all levels of need.

● Embody Samaritans Southcoast’s befriending methods.

● Perform accurate data entry to track the effectiveness and impact of hotline services. About Samaritans