Early Childhood Mental Health Clinical Internship At — We Care Services for Children
The internship program is available through our mental health programs serving central Contra Costa County. This opportunity is available for trainees in their final year, as part of their graduate school curriculum. The ideal candidate is passionate about early childhood mental health and supporting the relationship between child and caregiver.
The We Care traineeship prepares trainees to provide therapy to children birth to six years old and their families. Trainees will learn various therapeutic modalities and receive a comprehensive foundation in early childhood mental health. Through hands on experience students will learn how intergenerational trauma impacts risk and resiliency – both through parents’ past experience and through the historical legacy of oppression of their cultural group. Trainees will be supported to build their reflective capacity about how their social location, personal relationship history, assumptions and stereotypes may impact therapeutic relationships. Trainees will learn how to diagnose young children, do assessments and learn how to make referrals for more comprehensive assessments.
Training and supervision focus on understanding attachment in child-parent relationships and exploring strategies to promote security and parental responsiveness in those relationships. Training incorporates understanding of typical developmental milestones and strategies to nurture child development. Trainees will be supported to develop observational skills with infants and young children, to screen for developmental concerns and offer developmental guidance for common challenges in early childhood.
Interns will be meeting with children and their caretakers. Some children can become upset and engage in temper tantrums and running away. The intern will nave be alone with a child, a caregiver will always be present.
| Type | Frequency | Amount | Explanation | Show to students? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly Pay | weekly | to be determined | No |
Interested students will be given an application and if selected will have an in person or online interview. This gives our staff a chance to get to know the student and gives the student a chance to see if We Care is a good fit.
| Hours | Duration |
|---|---|
| 20 | hours per week |