Social work internship: integrated behavioral health

The social work internship program through integrated behavioral health (IBH) provides a clinical experience in social work, while embedded in a pediatric primary care setting. We focus on candidates with a strong background in cultural humility and issues related to equity and diversity. We are interested in supporting students throughout their internship experience while working from an equity lens, while remaining committed to educating and supporting students who reflect the diversity of patients and families we serve.

With continued demand for mental health providers, specifically for children and adolescents, we are committed to training the next generation of mental health providers to provide quality, evidence-based interventions in a comfortable setting at their pediatrician’s office.

Find out more about the integrated behavioral health program.

Learn more about the internship program application process:

Overview

Required academic background

Candidates need to be in a Master-level social work program and completing their clinical (advanced) practicum.

Site information

We are offering IBH internships at five primary care clinic locations in the metro area. The sites for the 2023-2024 school year are:

  • Brooklyn Park
  • Hugo
  • Minneapolis (hospital based clinic)
  • St. Paul (hospital based clinic)
  • West St. Paul

Internship information

Learning opportunities

Students will have opportunities work with patients, patient families and pediatricians in a primary care clinic providing mental health support in the following ways:

  • Meeting with families during scheduled well-child visits to address mental health concerns
  • Providing safety/suicide risk assessments with patients accessing primary care
  • Providing brief, short term therapy (5-10 sessions) of therapy for a small caseload
  • Connecting families and patients to appropriate mental health services within the community.

Expectations of the social work student

The student will need to:

  • Commit to a full academic year (September-May), for a total of 600 hours of work
  • Be available during business hours, Monday-Friday when clinics are open
  • Participate in MSW individual and group supervision, as well as twice monthly IBH team meetings. You will also participate in clinic specific meetings with your team.

IBH department responsibilities

We will provide:

  • A licensed (LICSW) field instructor who will communicate with the student’s university supervisor.
  • Weekly individual supervision and twice a month group supervision.
  • Exposure to a variety of ages and diagnostic groups.
  • An interdisciplinary setting.
  • Involvement in exploration of systems issues related to equity, health care access and social determinants of health.
  • Flexibility to explore other areas of interest to the student.
  • Opportunities for additional continuing education.

Social work internship opportunities

Here a list of potential opportunities for IBH social work intern, beyond the basic internship requirements:

  • Grand Rounds: Thursdays from 8am-9am.
  • In hospital education in services, including Schwartz Center Grand Rounds and Children’s Health Network in services regarding mental health.
  • Shadowing opportunities across other social work coverage areas.
  • Informational interviews with other multidisciplinary team members.

Application process & additional information

Application process

We are accepting 2nd year clinical MSW interns for the 2023-2024 school year. We are working with each of the four local MSW programs (University of Minnesota, University of St. Thomas, St. Catherine University and Augsburg University) and follow their timeline for applications following the field fair in April 2023.

Additional information to consider before applying

If accepted, additional requirements and process are implemented:

  • Employee health screening in person, which includes review of medical history, immunization verification and 9 panel urine drug screen to ensure individual health and safety
  • Criminal background check and current DHS fingerprinting background check
  • Education verification

Internship contact

If you have questions, please contact:
Rebecca Shore, LICSW, at [email protected]