Mental Health Specialist InternAt — Waymakers

Ability to communicate with empathy and concern. Must be patient, enjoy working with people (especially adolescents), maintain confidentiality of the clients, be able to work with Staff and Volunteers congenially, and have pleasant phone personality. Must have a valid driver’s license and reliable automobile. Experience working with adolescents is helpful. 

Provides support to Shelter Staff in supervising the teen residents and assist with administrative tasks and house operation.

Assists the House Supervisor and Youth Supervisors
Participate as an active listener and provide support for Shelter residents
Report suspected cases of child abuse to proper authorities
Maintain structure of Shelter program as established by set policies and procedures, keeping aware of House Rules and Consequences as they apply to residents
Develop recreational, educational and/or cultural activities for the residents
Provides support counseling to the residents
Reports daily contacts and activities to Youth Supervisors
Help with meal preparation/supervision as needed
Assist with program fundraising events
Promotes the best interest of the Shelter program

Tasks:
Provide support to shelter staff in supervising the teen residents and assist with administrative tasks and house operations.
Assist the House Supervisor and Youth Supervisors with daily tasks
Participate as an active listener and provides support for shelter residents
Reports suspected cases of child abuse to proper authorities
Maintains structure of shelter program as established by set policies and procedures, keeping aware of House Rules and consequences as they apply to residents
Provide support counseling to the residents
Reports daily contacts and activities to Youth Supervisors
Helps with meal preparation/supervision as needed
Promotes the best interest of the shelter program
Assist House Supervisor and Volunteer Coordinator with fundraising events

Training:

There is one mandatory training scheduled before the start date of the internship. This will be scheduled with the Volunteer Coordinator once the student has completed the screening process.

To help the student achieve their learning outcomes, Volunteer Coordinator will provide an initial 2.5 hour training to go over program policies and procedures including the daily structured schedule of the program.

To help the student achieve their learning outcomes, Volunteer Coordinator will meet with the intern once a week to check-in and provide feedback, address any issues and/or concerns and keep open forms of communication via email or by phone.

To help the student achieve their learning outcomes, our Youth Specialist will work directly with our interns and supervise them while they are working the floor and engaging with our residents. Our Youth Specialist will be providing direct supervision to interns and assist them if needed. Youth Specialists will also communicate with me to provide feedback on interns.

Learning Outcomes:

Run groups on various topics (ex. coping skills, social skills, communication skills, stress management, etc.) and communicate with empathy and provide support to residents in our program.
Use problem-solving skills effectively and be able to deescalate a situation while effectively communicating with team members.