Social Work Internship

The Loyola University Maryland Counseling Center is excited to offer an in-person social work internship to 2nd year clinical students at the University of Maryland Baltimore, School of Social Work and Salisbury University School of Social Work. The internship is a 24-hour-a-week position from September through May. A required orientation will be held at the end of August.

Interns will provide individual counseling and psychotherapy to undergraduate and graduate students with a wide range of psycho-social and emotional concerns, within the context of a short-term treatment model. With the support of their supervisors, interns will explore a range of theoretical orientations; ethical practice; therapeutic relationship building; the psychological change and healing process; cultural humility; and crisis intervention.

During the year, interns will carry an average case load of 8-12 clients and may have opportunities to gain experience and training in the following areas:

Initial Assessment
Group Facilitation
Brief Individual Therapy
Comprehensive Referral
Outreach
Specialization Track Opportunities
- LGBTQ+ Services: The LGBTQ+ Services Track at Loyola University Maryland’s Counseling Center is focused on outreach development, case consultation, and didactic learning. Our goal is to integrate LGBTQ identity into the components of training that already exist and add a layer of going beyond what was already established. Trainees who participate in this track will have the opportunity to learn more about the LGBTQ+ Services administrative role in counseling center settings through the learning activities listed above, with a project of creating one individual or group outreach a semester and/or contributing to the LGBTQ Resource Fair hosted annually in the Spring Semester.
- Student Athlete Mental Health Services: The Student-Athlete Mental Health Services Track at Loyola University Maryland’s Counseling Center focuses on sport psychology and student-athlete mental health services. This track exposes trainees to aspects of clinical, consultative, and professional development when working with student-athletes, teams, coaches, and the broader system of a Division I college athletic department. Trainees will have flexibility when it comes to how they design and complete this track and will meet with licensed sport psychologists on staff throughout the year to discuss and explore interests. The track will include didactic seminars focused on topics related to sport psychology. Other training experiences may include (depending upon trainee schedule and availability): individual therapy/performance enhancement work with student-athletes; supporting outreach services such as the injury support group; consultation with coaches; workshops and consultation with teams; or the design of an outreach project. In line with our center’s strong emphasis on liberation and social justice, trainees will be empowered and encouraged to integrate a focus on historically marginalized populations and issues related to DEIBJ (e.g., LGBTQ+, BIPOC, first-gen, healthy masculinities, sexual violence prevention) into their training experiences.

Training and Professional Development Activities Include

Orientation: Interns will develop personal training goals based on an assessment of their experience and skills.
Supervision of Individual Caseload: Each intern will receive weekly, individual supervision, designed to support professional development, case management, and clinical skills. Supervision is provided by a licensed clinical social worker on staff.
Didactic Seminars & Group Supervision: Didactic seminars will be offered by members of our multidisciplinary team that highlight clinical areas such as risk assessment and intervention, ethical practice, cultural humility and awareness, body image, and more. Topics explored will consider themes relevant to generalist practice and university counseling center populations. Group supervision will also be provided by a member of the clinical staff to provide an opportunity for case presentation and group consultation.
Cultural Journal Reflections: Interns will also complete Cultural Journals once a month intended to explore and further develop various identities (e.g., religious, social class, ethnic, gender, racial, etc.) throughout the internship year. Each month a written reflection of one of these social group memberships will be submitted and feedback for further exploration will be provided. During monthly meetings with the Associate Director of Social Justice, interns will reflect on their exploration and deepen the understanding of their written perspective.
Administrative Duties: Interns will be expected to complete administrative tasks in a timely manner and will consult with their clinical supervisors about the appropriate amount of time needed for these tasks. Administrative responsibilities include case management, documentation, and preparation for supervision and case conference.

Application Procedure

Applications for the 2024-2025 internship cycle will be accepted between February 2 – March 1, 2024. For priority review, please submit application materials and indicate interest in our field placement site via the portal by February 2, 2024. Interested applicants can submit their program required materials through their program’s field placement portals. Referrals for this field placement are managed through the applicants’ field education offices; interested applicants can submit their program required materials through their program’s field placement portals.

Please also send the following directly to the Loyola University Maryland Counseling Center’s Associate Director of Training, Kourtney Bennett, PhD (via email - kbennett@loyola.edu):

1.   Cover letter;
2.   Curriculum vitae;
3.   A graduate transcript (unofficial acceptable);
4.    *Two recommendation letters, from clinical supervisor(s) and/or clinical course instructor, that include information that highlights the following areas:
a) case conceptualization, b) awareness of and ability to respond to themes of equity and inclusion, c) ethical practice, d) use of supervision, and e) workplace engagement/case management. We also appreciate consideration of areas for growth as we work to ensure our training program meets the needs of potential trainees.

*Recommendations must be submitted directly from the recommender by fax to 410-617-2001 or email to kbennett@loyola.edu.

Note: Incoming interns will be asked to complete a back ground check prior to the start of training.

For questions about this training program or additional application materials, contact Kourtney Bennett, PhD, Associate Director for Training by calling 410-617-2273 or by email at kbennett@loyola.edu.