Our Internship Program

Philosophy On Training

Braylon Health recognizes the benefits of training the next generation of mental health, medical, and substance abuse practitioners. We seek to assist students in:

• Strengthening their knowledge
• Broadening skills in their chosen field of study
• Developing beginning social work, counselor, and medical practitioners

Focusing on a health service practitioner framework, students assigned are broadly educated rather than more narrowly trained for specialty practice. Braylon Health utilizes a "Teaching-Practice" model in which given students receive supervision from those within their field, contact with a multidisciplinary team, as well as didactics, providing more in-depth discussion on effective treatment, including theories of intervention in the areas of mental health and substance use, work with specific populations, and general professional development.

General Areas of Competency Addressed

1. Engage in Practice-informed Research and Research-informed Practice. 
2. Develop familiarity with agency policy and case records. 
3. Develop an understanding and use of the supervisory process.
4. Demonstrate an ability to manage workload with support of supervisor.
5. Demonstrate an understanding of the student’s role based upon their discipline and adherence to their discipline’s code of ethics and professionalism standards.
6. Demonstrate cultural humility and an understanding of the needs of diverse populations.
7. Demonstration ability to implement aspects of a treatment plan relevant to their discipline.
8. Demonstrate the ability to terminate with clients and evaluate the intervention effectively.
9. Demonstrate an understanding of and the use of community resources, and Braylon Health's own multidisciplinary team.
10. Demonstrate effective writing skills.

Additional competencies are based upon requirements of the student’s discipline and university’s identified objectives of the placement. 

For MSW students, the following specialty competencies are an additional focus;

1. Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice  
2. Engage in Policy Practice. 
3. Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities.  
4. Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities.  
5. Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities.  
6. Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities.

Ethical and Legal Standards

Ethical and legal standards refer to ethical behavior and professional conduct which follows the professional guidelines established by the student’s own governing body. 

For Braylon Health assigned students, the expectation is that they adhere to the following ethical guidelines that apply to them:

American Psychological Association (APA)

National Association of Social Workers (NASW)

American Counseling Association (ACA)

National Certification Commission for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC)
American Psychiatric Association (APA)

Individual and Cultural Diversity

Cultural humility versus cultural competency is the goal of Braylon Health. This is embedded in the understanding that one cannot become fully competent in the lived experiences of others, specifically when focusing on the intersections of various identities that the individual client may hold (e.g. gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religious, age, differing ability etc.). Exploration of power differentials within the treatment relationship, the roles of our own (and our client privileges), and the impact of cultural beliefs on views of offered services, must remain at the forefront of our work. Attention to social and cultural values influencing our professions, as well as the development of awareness of individual and cultural differences and values within the practitioner, are themes addressed throughout the student’s work experience at Braylon Health.

Professional Values and Attitudes

Professional values, attitudes, and behavior competences are an expectation and are cultivated within the Braylon Health Placement. Such competencies include: 1) Self-awareness and self-evaluation, as well as self-regulation to manage personal values and maintain professionalism in practice which is assessed in individual and group supervision. 2) The making of ethical decisions in-line with the student’s Code of Ethics for their discipline. 3) Openness to feedback from not only their primary supervisor, but other members of the multidisciplinary team including other students. 4) Demonstrate professional demeanor in appearance, and all forms of communication (written, oral, electronic), and 5) Ability to think critically and effectively, including through the use of available research, knowledge gained from classwork, and other sources of information. 

Communication and Interpersonal Skills

Communication and Interpersonal Skills competence is broad, comprehensive, and includes, but is not limited to: 

1.) Communicating effectively which includes both verbal and nonverbal communication (electronic included). 

2.) Ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing; 

3.) Social and interpersonal perceptiveness/effectiveness, including effectiveness in relating to our clients, our referral sources, other students, Braylon Health staff, and the larger community. 

4.) Self-awareness of how our own attitudes, values, privileges and possible biases can impact our interactions with those we serve, other students, and Braylon Health staff. 

Supervision

“Supervision represents the knowledge of, purpose for, and roles in supervision as well as intervention, provided by a senior member of a profession to a junior member, or members, of the same profession. The relationship is evaluative, extends over time, and has the simultaneous purposes of enhancing the professional functioning of the junior member, monitoring the quality of professional services offered to the client and serving as a gatekeeper of those who are to enter the particular profession (Dr. Janeece Warfield, Wright State University, School of Professional Psychology training manual)." 

The Braylon Health field placement/internship program understands that access to professionals’ within the student’s assigned discipline is not just a requirement of their school and licensing board, but is best practice. Supervision both individual and group, will be provided at a minimum at the level of intensity determined by the student’s school, but may be increased based upon identified need/requirement to attain competency in a specific service area.  The required supervision based upon student’s level of training and university program requirement will be documented and all hours of supervision tracked and signed off on by the student, student’s training supervisor, and the Braylon Health Clinical Director.

Consultation and Interprofessional/Interdisciplinary Skills 

Braylon Health includes a multidisciplinary team (social workers, professional counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, substance abuse counselors, etc). Consultation refers to the planned collaborative interaction between the professional psychologist and one or more clients or colleagues in relation to an identified problem area or program. Consultation is an explicit intervention process that is based on principles and procedures found within the behavioral health, substance abuse, and medical disciplines.  At Braylon Health, consultation focuses on addressing the needs of clients in individual, group, and family programming. Competency in interprofessional/interdisciplinary skills involves knowledge of the viewpoints and contributions of other professions/professionals; knowledge of the strategies that promote interdisciplinary collaboration vs. multidisciplinary boundaries; and knowledge of how to develop and maintain collaborative relationships and respect for other professions. As Braylon Health is a multidisciplinary team, students will benefit from consultation with other disciplines and an increased understanding of the roles/responsibilities of those outside of their chosen discipline.

Procedure 

It is expected that field placement and internship experiences are in collaboration with established universities. At the time of placement for professional counseling, social work, and psychology students, the student must be enrolled and approved by their assigned university’s Internship/Practicum/Field Study department to participate in Braylon Health’s program. Braylon Health’s Clinical Director and/or Medical Director will serve as the point-of-contact and Braylon Placement Coordinator and will interview and approve student applicants. The Braylon Placement Coordinator will also assign the appropriate credentialed staff person to serve as the clinical supervisor to meet the requirements for supervision as determined by the student’s university and licensing rules. The Braylon Placement Coordinator will be responsible for ensuring that all aspects of the field placement/internship experience including training hours, supervision, assignment of tasks, and didactics are provided and students’ attendance is documented.  The field education experience is an integral part of social work education. 

All students must complete an application for employment, provide three (3) references, and  submit to a criminal background check which includes fingerprinting.  If a criminal background check reveals a conviction for any crime listed in Section 5101:2-5-09 of the Ohio Administrative Code (OAC), the student will be ineligible for placement at the agency.  If convicted of any other crime, the decision to utilize the student will be at the discretion of the Braylon Placement Coordinator

Interns/field placement students are required to complete an orientation series that includes training areas required by agency licensure. 

 Training areas will include, but are not limited to:

1. Employee Orientation (as outlined in the Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services/OhioMHAS Employee Orientation Checklist)
   1. Employee and client safety.
   2. Provider’s mission, vision and goals.
   3. Characteristics of the population served.
   4. Sensitivity to cultural diversity
   5. Policies and procedures specific to my job duties and responsibilities.
   6. Confidentiality, including HIPPA and 42 CFR Part 2 (as applicable).
   7. Reporting abuse and neglect policies and procedures.
   8. Client rights and grievances policies and procedures.
2. Comprehensive assessment components and Treatment Plan (in compliance with requirements of OhioMHAS Client Readiness Checklist).
3. The roles of the multidisciplinary team.
4. Understanding mental illness or substance use disorder treatment and recovery.
5. The community behavioral health system, social service systems, the criminal justice system, and other healthcare systems.
6. Psychiatric and substance use disorder symptoms and their impact on functioning and behavior.
7. How to therapeutically engage either with a person with mental illness or a person in substance use disorder treatment and recovery.
8. Crisis response procedures; and,
9. De-escalation techniques and an understanding of how the individuals own behavior can impact the behavior of others.
10. Clients Rights and Grievance Processes.

Services Provided:

1. Mental Health Co-occurring assessments and treatment via individual, family, and group therapies.
2. Intensive Outpatient Substance Abuse groups lasting 3 hours per session with sessions offered at least 3 days per week (use of the Matrix model as well as Living in Balance).
3. Partial Hospitalization/PH.
4. Case Management Services.
5. Drug Court & Re-entry Services.
6. Foundation Wellness Program: Outpatient Psychotherapy.
7. Peer Support access, individually and via group.
8. Psychiatry.
9. Required monthly client reports, if applicable.
10. Telehealth.
11. Transportation available.
12. Housing assistance.
13. Mobile Crisis Services.
14. Assertive Community Treatment (ACT).

Internship/Field Placement Staff

Braylon Health provides unpaid practicum/internship experiences. 

As Braylon Health only provides unpaid experiences, field placement students/Interns are allowed to participate in outside professional activities. However, the Supervisor of the Field Placement/Internship Program must first grant permission.   This position is taken to reduce the potential for liability, and to keep clear the role of the field placement student/intern within the program