Employment/Training: Internships

Overview | Bachelor's Level | Master’s Level

Bachelor’s Level Internships.

Youth treatment. In our residential programs for emotionally impaired youth, the youth treatment specialist intern provides hands-on experience in the daily care and counsel of these youth and their families. In this setting, youth treatment interns will utilize acquired professional intervention in the treatment of a wide variety of troubled youth.

Activity therapy. Our Activity Therapy Department provides internship experiences designed for students in the therapeutic recreation field. In these internships, students gain firsthand knowledge in the use of activities as therapeutic tools in residential treatment.

Foster care and independent living. Wedgwood also provides internships in the areas of foster care and our independent living program. In these internships, students are exposed to various aspects of case management, i.e. testifying at court hearings, service plan documentation.

Prevention programs. Wedgwood Christian Services have a variety of Positive Youth Development programs serving Kent County youth, ages 7 to 18. Our prevention efforts target youth, helping them to make healthy choices in abstaining from sex, alcohol, tobacco and drugs. Program opportunities for interns to assist prevention staff are in the following research-based curriculums.

Our offices are located at 2520 Eastern Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49507. We service youth directly in the community. Sites are located throughout Kent County. Wedgwood offers many professional training opportunities that are free to intern students.

• The Botvin Life Skills curriculum targets substance abuse prevention and is taught in an experiential format. The curriculum is taught in over 50 sites throughout Kent County to youth between the ages of 5 to 18. The group sites are located in schools-during and after school hours, in community centers, and in churches. A puppet show format is used with early elementary age youth and experiential learning formats are used with older youth.

• A second program option that interns can participate in is the Michigan Teen Outreach Program which integrates an asset-based curriculum, youth community service and parent/family outreach. There are 14 groups running in Kent County during and after school with youth 11-18. Again the learning format is experiential based.

• A third opportunity we have is for interns to assist with the YES! (Youth Empowering Services) Mentoring Program. Twenty-five youth on probation in Kent County are paired with responsible and caring adults within the community for one year. Opportunities with this program would include participating in the match process, marketing and recruitment, community collaboration, providing support and encouragement to mentors, providing activities for the matches, participating in mentor trainings, data entry and analysis.

These internship opportunities would best fit students with a major/minor and/or interest in psychology, social work, community collaboration and change and/or education. The hours of programming are both school hours (9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.) and after-school hours (3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.), Monday through Friday. An internship can consist of 3 to 40 hours/weekly, depending on the student intern’s needs and schedule. Programs run year round.

Internships for prevention programs are filled for the 2005-2006 school year. Applications for the 2006-2007 school year will be taken in spring 2006.

Lighthouse Academy Student Teaching and Clinical Experience. The Lighthouse Academy serves high school students who have been expelled from school in Kent County. The school operates from 9 AM- 3 PM during the traditional calendar year and summer hours based on the individual needs of each student. Program components include a thorough assessment with educational and biopsychosocial measures and individualized student learning plans, a computerized curriculum, regular life skills classes, groups focusing on specific problem behavior targets, one-on-one mentoring/advocacy, service learning projects, career exploration and development, and case management and referral to needed community resources.

Internships are available in this innovative educational, therapeutic program for candidates in education seeking a student teaching placement or in psychology or social work. Hours need to be concentrated mostly in school operating hours and on-site with personal transportation to and from site required. Interns will work alongside a certified teacher or an MSW therapist at the Academy depending on the type of internship. Interns will be under the supervision of the principal who holds a master’s in counseling psychology.

Other internships. On a limited basis, Wedgwood can also provide internship experiences in the area of social work administration and program evaluation. Students in these internships gain practical experience in social work research and outcome evaluation techniques. Periodically, additional opportunities may be available in special projects such as grant work and community organization.

Download an Internship Application: Click here

For more information, please contact Mary Bowers, HR Coordinator at 616.831.5563.