Interns:  Benefits Three Ways

When University of Farmington psychology major Tory McKenney needed some additional academic credits, her advisor had an idea.  Having sent other students to Kennebec Behavioral Health, she suggested that Tory finish credits by taking an internship at the Access Center at KBH.  In a whirlwind senior year, Tory got her academic credits, worked part-time at KBH, and also got the experience that helped her determine that she wanted to go to graduate school and further her education in mental health.  Before she even graduated from UMF she was also offered a full-time job at KBH and started immediately.

Now, after doing intake interviews with persons with mental illness, making follow-up calls, making electronic entries as an intern, Tory has been hired as an Access Center Specialist.  Not only was the psychology major able to land a job in a mental health center, but she has determined that she wants to prepare to further her education as a nurse practitioner specializing in mental health.

Tory is not the only intern who was able to turn an internship at KBH into a full-time job.  Our employees who stay after an internship are proof that it’s good for the student intern, good for Kennebec Behavioral Health, and good for keeping Maine graduates in the State of Maine.  The University of Maine at Orono, Farmington, and Augusta are only three examples of programs which have recently placed student interns with KBH.  We offer internships for undergraduates as well as graduate students who are pursuing social work or mental health care provider degrees.    

Melissa Winchester, director of KBH’s Home-Based and Multisystemic Therapy Programs, has a strong commitment to interns.  She remembers that she herself could not have been licensed if she had not been able to find an internship with appropriate supervision.   She now supervises master’s level social work students for four to five hours each week.  She states, “Hiring interns has also led to our hiring full-time employees for our programs.  It’s a great model because interns get to experience the use of best practices and evidence-based treatment.”

“Interns are an important part of the KBH organization,” states Dennis Dix, director of the Access Center.  “They are able to help us reduce time to service, reduce our wait list, and fill availability at our clinics.  Graduate level interns are also able to do intakes under my supervision. KBH is an extension of their educational program.”

The benefits are considerable, according to Dr. Karen Mosher, KBH’s Clinical Director.  “Having students here keeps us very current in the field.  It helps us establish linkages to academic communities and their knowledge and insights.”  She goes on to describe not only KBH benefiting from being able to provide state of the art services, but students benefiting from knowing exactly what they are getting into in the day-to-day work of the mental health field.

Linda Pellegrini, director of the Community Support Program, agrees.  “My goal is to establish ties to all the state university sites to keep interns coming to KBH.  They become educated on local resources and they become comfortable with what they know.  They either continue to work here or know our programs so well that we have them referring to our programs.  I also believe that everyone working in the mental health field needs to have touched the life of a chronically mental ill person.  Our Community Support Program enables them to do that.”

The benefits are accruing in three ways.  The interns get a great professional experience, our programs get the benefit of getting work done by students bringing the latest research and evidence-based skills from the universities.  Maine gets another benefit when graduates and professionals stay to work at settings like KBH which they know and respect.