Who is Community Solutions?

Community Solutions is a mission-driven, non-profit organization based in Santa Clara County, serving clients who experience mental health symptoms and substance use challenges. The vast majority of our clients are on the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum, come from underserved populations, and utilize Medi-Cal insurance. We also have a series of non-Medi-Cal programs that offer services to those who are experiencing, or have survived, domestic violence, human trafficking and sexual assault. We serve clients across the lifespan, prenatal through older adult, and all levels of mental health acuity. Programs vary in intensity level, providing outpatient, residential, inpatient, and school-based services. Services provided include prevention, intervention, case management, therapy, outreach, counseling, and more.

Where will I work?

We have three main sites: San Jose, Morgan Hill, and Gilroy, with a fourth, smaller site in Hollister. The Gilroy office is our headquarters, where a majority of CS leadership and infrastructure is housed. Interns are assigned a home office based on program and proximity. However, staff and interns mostly do community-based work, seeing clients in their own environment, with remote options available around specific tasks. Number of hours per week varies depending on degree and school requirements, and weekly schedules are determined based on the intern’s availability and program structure.

What type of internships are available?

Community Solutions offers internship opportunities for students pursuing degrees in Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, Counseling, Psychology and Public Health. The number of placements offered varies due to program capacity, but currently ranges from 20-40 students per year. Depending on the level of intern, students engage in case management, individual, family, and group therapy, outreach, counseling, crisis intervention, and special projects. We have LMFT, LCSW, and LPCC approved supervisors that serve as field instructors. Additionally, we have many internal support departments that provide assistance to interns, including our Training, Quality Assurance, and EMR departments.

What will I be doing?

Community Solutions offers a wide range of experience to our staff and interns. Our CS Learning Training Institute offers numerous trainings on evidence-based practices, including: mental health assessment, treatment planning, Medi-Cal documentation, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Seeking-Safety, Trauma-informed interventions for therapists, Celebrating Families!, Understanding Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Gender Expression (SOGIE), and time and energy management. Additionally, we are partnered with Santa Clara County Learn through which staff and interns have access to a plethora of other trainings including Solutions Focused Brief Therapy and Trauma-Focused CBT (taught by one of the developers himself, Dr. Mannarino). Finally, all interns are provided with the equipment necessary to complete their internship: we provide an agency laptop, cell phone and HIPAA-compliant tote while they are in their internship.

Is there compensation available?

Currently, we are able to offer several county stipends for next years’ interns, dependent upon a commitment to work in public behavioral health for at least one-year post-grad. Additionally, we have grant funding currently that has allowed us to compensate interns as employees, but it has not yet been confirmed for next year. We are continually looking for additional funding to support workforce development and paid internships!

For any questions regarding internships, please email Matthew Rensi, Learning & Development Manager, matthew.rensi@communitysolutions.org or Tyler Washington, Learning and Development Supervisor, tyler.washington@communitysolutions.org.