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 BBS supervisors that serve as field instructors. Additionally, we have many internal support departments that provide assistance to interns, including our Training, HR, Quality Assurance, and EMR departments.

What will I be doing?

Community Solutions offers a wide range of experience to our staff and interns. Intern duties vary based on assigned program, degree, and experience level. Clinical interns will provide therapy services, including mental health assessment, treatment planning, care coordination, and more. Bachelors level and MSW 1st year students will perform primarily case management services, including connection to resources, skills-training, outreach, and more.

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).

Is there compensation available?

Yes! We have received grant funding that allows us to pay our interns at the following rates:

Master’s Level: $23/hour

Bachelor’s Level: $20/hour

Highschool/Community College Level: $17/hour

Additionally, 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.

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.