Master’s Level Internships in Psychology, Clinical Social Work, & Mental Health Counseling

GOALS

The North Carolina Department of Adult Correction’s (NCDAC) primary goal is to promote public safety by the administration of a fair and humane system which provides reasonable opportunities for adjudicated offenders to develop progressively responsible behavior. NCDAC Master’s Level Clinical Internships in Psychology, Social Work, and Mental Health Counseling offer education, training, and preparation for the future practice of professional mental health treatment providers. Our internships provide a platform for future work in substance abuse, trauma, severe mental illness, community mental health, and integrated healthcare settings. In addition, the NCDAC Master’s Level Clinical Internships provide a wealth of corrections-specific instruction for interns wishing to find permanent employment in a correctional setting. This goal is accomplished by providing interns with training, supervision, and opportunities to achieve proficiency in consultation, assessment, intervention, and therapy with a diverse, under-served, disenfranchised, and frequently disadvantaged client population.

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES

The NCDAC has the responsibility to deliver comprehensive behavioral health services which provide for the care and treatment of offenders with mental health concerns. Treatment programs contain multi-disciplinary services designed to prevent, control, reduce or eliminate those conditions which contribute to the offender's mental impairment. These services include but are not limited to: (1) patient identification and diagnosis, (2) services for the acutely ill, (3) outpatient services, (4) residential services, (5) special programs for selected diagnostic categories, and (6) preventive services.

MASTER’S LEVEL CLINICAL INTERNSHIPS

This program offers unpaid clinical internships to graduate students in master’s programs of psychology, social work, and mental health counseling. Internship placements can be arranged in various prison facilities across North Carolina with either male or female offender populations. Most of these Internships involve working with an outpatient mental health team following a community mental health center model with the communities served being a large institution or several smaller prison units. However, there are also opportunities to intern in specialized programs for offenders with intellectual disabilities, with serious and persistent mental illness, and for those with sexual offenses. Some of these programs are based on an Inpatient or Residential model while others follow a Day Treatment or partial hospitalization model.

All Internship sites are committed to helping the student acquire the broad clinical skills necessary to perform the duties of a Licensed Psychological Associate, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, or Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in a health service setting. Evaluation of performance and progress is ongoing and includes feedback through supervision and formal evaluations completed in collaboration with the Intern’s academic institution. These evaluations focus on detailing the Intern's strengths and areas needing further improvement.

There are general characteristics of all the Internships regardless of the setting. The Internships start with a period of observation and familiarization with clinical/counseling work in a correctional setting. During this initial period, the Intern reads policy and procedure manuals and becomes familiar with the documentation required for behavioral health services. Concurrently, the Intern accompanies a Behavioral Health Clinician and observes behavioral health evaluations, therapy sessions, crisis interventions, and group therapy. When the staff and the Intern both feel comfortable with additional independence, the Intern begins conducting behavioral health screenings and assumes an individual therapy case load under the supervision of a licensed clinician.

All Interns are afforded the opportunity to conduct behavioral health screenings with a population that includes those with serious mental health disorders as well as personality disorders. The Intern may expect to interview and evaluate a sample of individuals experiencing psychotic and affective disorders as well as various mental health concerns. Interns with requisite education (e.g., Psychology Interns who have completed an assessment course) may have an opportunity to administer, under supervision, assessment instruments such as the WAIS-IV and MMPI-3.

INTERNSHIP ELIGIBILITY

The student must currently be enrolled in a master’s program in their respective area of study. The prospective intern must be receiving training to work in direct care with clinical populations that meets standards set forth by state level licensure requirements related to the university’s identified training program. Prior to establishing an Academic Affiliation Agreement with the university for Internship training, the DAC will consider the program’s curriculum and training model. The following criteria must be met:

1. The program shall be identified and labeled as a psychology, social work, or mental health counseling program that educates and trains students to engage in clinical activities which constitute the practice of their respective field. Institutional catalogues must clearly specify the type of program and training intent.
2. The program shall maintain authority and primary responsibility for the core and specialty areas.
3. The program shall have an identifiable body of students at the institution who are matriculated in that program for a degree.
4. There shall be an identifiable full-time faculty in residence at the institution, sufficient in size and breadth to carry out its responsibilities, employed by and providing instruction at the home campus of the institution.
5. There shall be a faculty member at the institution responsible for the student's program either as the administrative head of the program, or as the advisor, major professor, or committee chair for the individual student's program.
6. The program shall be an integrated, organized sequence of study as demonstrated by an identifiable curriculum track or tracks wherein course sequences and course content are described in institutional catalogues, departmental handbooks, or other institutional publications.
7. The program shall include, as listed on the transcript, internship, externship, practicum, or other supervised field experience appropriate to the area of specialty and the clinical practice of psychology, social work, or mental health counseling.

Note: We prioritize universities in North Carolina that are in reasonable proximity to facilities accepting Interns. Out of state universities are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Applicants are encouraged to review North Carolina’s General Statutes for additional detail regarding licensure requirements in the area of study:

Psychology Programs must meet the standards set forth by the North Carolina Psychology Practice Act (see G.S. 90-270.136 (5), G.S. 90-270.136 (8), and relevant portions of the North Carolina Administrative Code (see 21 NCAC 54). Further detail regarding standards can be reviewed on the website for the North Carolina Psychology Board.

Clinical Social Work Programs must meet the standards set forth by the North Carolina Social Worker Certification and Licensure Act (see G.S. 90B-3 (6) and G.S. 90B-3 (8) and relevant portions of the North Carolina Administrative Code (see 21 NCAC 63).The program must be accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Further details are available on the website.

Clinical Mental Health Counseling Programs must meet the standards set forth by the North Carolina Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors Act (see G.S. 90-330 (3) and G.S. 90-332.1 (3)) and relevant portions of the North Carolina Administrative Code (see 21 NCAC 53). Further information can be reviewed on the North Carolina Board of Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors’ website.