Volunteer With Us!
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This summer, West Coast Therapy and Wellness is looking for professionals and students to join us as Summer Interns!
We are looking for interns interested in being trained in how to treat Selective Mutism, a childhood anxiety disorder that renders children unable to speak in social settings.
If you are a therapist, this is a great way to add a specialty to your practice
If you are an undergraduate or graduate student, this is a unique opportunity to gain evidence-based, hands-on clinical skills in working with young children with anxiety.
There is a lack of providers treating Selective Mutism, and we hope to disseminate training to widen options for treatment.
What is this internship?
During the summer you will receive incredibly unique and extensive training. This is not an administrative internship- there will be hands-on and 1:1 mentorship on how to work with young kids with anxiety.
Details are as follows:
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1-day didactic in "How to treat kids with selective mutism and types of treatment interventions."
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This is followed by participation as a counselor in 4 group therapy weeks. These weeks are 5-day intensive outpatient programs where you work 1:1 with children with Selective Mutism. The focus of the groups is targeted exposures to support the children in talking across different settings. The groups will be kept small and have policies in place to protect the health of all participants.
The summer intensive program is meant to replicate the school setting as much as possible for the kids. The primary goal for the kids is to generalize talking to as many people, places, and activities during the week. Individual goals are developed prior to the sessions and adapted each day, throughout the day, to meet the needs of each participant.
What is the commitment for the internship and training?
The internship would require 50+ hours:
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1 day didactic training: 10 am - 5 pm: Date TBD in May or June
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Session 1: June 24- 28, 9:30 am - 1:00 pm
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Session 2: July 15 - 19 9:30 am - 1:00 pm
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Session 3: July 22 - 26 9:30 am - 1:00 pm
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Session 4: July 29 - August 2, 9:30 am - 1:00 pm
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Outside of the session dates, you will meet with children and therapists for 1:1 warm-up sessions to practice your clinical skills and prepare the children for the groups.
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*This is a competitive internship and we will only accept 2-3 interns for the summer.
Each intern must commit to the full program including attending training, warm-up sessions, and group sessions. If you are only able to attend some of the session dates, please reach out to us and we may be able to accept you for a partial internship.
What experience is required?
Experienced, working with children is required. We do accept undergrad students majoring in psychology who have experience working with children. Graduate students and therapists will also be considered.
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This is an internship and a training. We provide this training free and with your support, we can run the summer program for the kids. Considering it is a big commitment, we offer a $1200 stipend.
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Please complete the form below if you are interested in learning more. We will contact you for an initial 30 minute interview.
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