Internships
Thank you for your interest in an internship at Bay State Community Services (BSCS)*
BSCS is a leader in the field of behavioral health services, specializing in care for the most vulnerable children and families in our community. We are committed to preparing the next generation of behavioral health practitioners through our robust clinical and generalist training programs. BSCS partners with nationally recognized academic institutions to provide graduate-level clinical internships in a variety of practice settings including our outpatient clinic, residential programs, and home-based services. BSCS also offers bachelor’s level generalist direct service internships for social work and human service-related majors.
BSCS’s Internship Training Program is structured to support the student’s development of competency in the following areas:
- Ethical and Professional Practice
- Trauma-informed Practice
- Practice with Vulnerable Populations
- Engagement with Clients
- Comprehensive Assessment
- Evidence-informed Intervention
- Professional Practice in a Behavioral Health Care Setting
Throughout their training, students will participate in didactic seminars, case presentations, clinician observations, individual and group supervision, and direct practice. Students will learn and practice a range of evidence-based and research-informed engagement, assessment, and intervention methods drawn from psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, family systems, constructionist, and humanistic theoretical orientations as well as trauma-informed and anti-oppressive frameworks. Our training curriculum reinforces and promotes the critical thinking and problem-solving skills required of behavioral health providers to meet the complex needs of the people whom we serve.
Key Training Components
*For current BSCS employees interested in our Internship Program, please follow the steps under the Current Employees section.
BSCS offers two types of graduate-level internships:
Clinical– a clinical internship focuses on direct practice with children, families, and/or adults. Typical clinical activities may include: clinical case management, diagnosis, assessment, treatment planning, and individual/family/group therapy.
Macro– a macro internship focuses on working with the human services organization, systems, and/or policies. Typical macro activities may include: community outreach & engagement, policy analysis, program development and/or evaluation, agency-based training, and grant writing.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Must be enrolled in an accredited graduate program.
- Academic program of study must be directly related to the internship (ex. Counseling degree for a clinical internship).
- Additional qualifications may be noted on the specific internship placement description.
Minimum Requirements:
- CORI/ SORI background (fingerprinting and/or other background checks may be required; please see individual internship placement descriptions.
- Completion of the BSCS Internship Orientation prior to the start of the internship (internship orientation hours may be counted as non-direct contact hours)
- Attendance at weekly Internship Professional Development & Training Seminar
Please note, given the nature of our work, the winter break between the fall and spring semesters should not exceed two weeks for master level interns.
APPLICATION PROCESS
To apply for an internship with Bay State Community Services, please complete the following application steps:
Step 1: Review the above Internship Opportunities. The Available Masters Internships list identifies all current masters internships within the organization. Please note most internships offered by BSCS are unpaid internships. The only paid internships that BSCS offers are the graduate level Coastal and Plymouth Home-based Internships; all other BSCS internships are unpaid.
Step 2: Complete the Application. Enter all required information including your top 3 Internship Placements from the above PDF.
Step 3: Submit the Application. In addition to entering the required information, you will need to upload your resume and a cover letter.
BSCS offers two types of bachelor level internships:
Direct Practice– a direct practice internship provides the intern with the opportunity to learn in a setting where they will have contact with children, families, and adults utilizing our services. Typical direct practice activities may include: observing/ shadowing clinical staff, case management, resource distribution, referrals, and group co-facilitation.
Macro– a macro internship focuses on working with the human services organization, systems, and/or policies. Typical macro activities may include: community outreach & engagement, policy analysis, program development and/or evaluation, agency-based training, and grant writing.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Must be enrolled in an accredited bachelor program.
- Academic program of study must be directly related to the internship (ex. Human service, social work, psychology, education, etc.).
- Additional qualifications may be noted on the specific internship placement description.
Minimum Requirements:
- CORI/ SORI background (fingerprinting and/or other background checks may be required; please see individual internship placement descriptions.
- Completion of the BSCS Internship Orientation prior to the start of the internship (internship orientation hours may be counted as non-direct contact hours)
- Attendance at weekly Internship Professional Development & Training Seminar
Please note, given the nature of our work, the winter break between the fall and spring semesters should not exceed three weeks for bachelor level interns
APPLICATION PROCESS
To apply for an internship with Bay State Community Services, please complete the following application steps:
Step 1: Review the above Internship Opportunities. The Available Bachelors Internships list identifies all current bachelors internships within the organization. Please note most internships offered by BSCS are unpaid internships. The only paid internships that BSCS offers are the graduate level Coastal and Plymouth Home-based Internships; all other BSCS internships are unpaid.
Step 2: Complete the Application. Enter all required information including your top 3 Internship Placements from the above PDF.
Step 3: Submit the Application. In addition to entering the required information, you will need to upload your resume and a cover letter.
- September 1 application submission deadline for Spring semester internship start (ex. Sept. 1, 2024 for Spring 2025 start)
- December 1 application submission deadline for following Fall semester internship start (ex. Dec 1, 2024 for Fall 2025 start)
- January 1 application submission deadline for Summer semester internship start (ex. Jan. 1, 2025 for Summer 2025 start)
If your academic program requires that you complete an internship in a position that is separate and distinctly different from your current employment position, please know that we will make every effort to support you, however, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to adjust your current position and/or provide a paid internship.
The ability to adjust existing employment positions (i.e. number of hours per week, the nature and volume of workload, etc.) as well as the ability to provide financial compensation for an internship, are dependent on the financial and contractual obligations and limitations of our programs and funders, and the operational needs of our programs.
*If your anticipated internship start date is sooner than the above timeline, please reach out to the Director of Clinical Training.