Katie Godshall, LCSW
Intern Program Supervisor
I recently attended LSU School of Social Work’s Internship fair in Baton Rouge. It was a delightful experience. The JFS table was one among more than 40 different community programs, schools and agencies. The room was abuzz with students asking questions and exploring community resources. I had the pleasure of engaging with numerous students to discuss their interests and career goals, and thoroughly enjoyed describing the history of the JFS Behavioral Health Intern Training Center (BHITC), and the unique experiences our internship program offers.
In 2016, Jewish Family Service expanded our education program to develop the BHITC. Expansion enabled the Agency to provide up to ten internship positions per year. These positions are available to graduate level counseling and social work students. Working to educate and form our interns into strong clinicians is exciting. Interns are exposed to numerous therapeutic approaches and frameworks. In collaboration with their classroom education, we work with students to identify a theoretical framework in which they feel most confident using. BHITC interns have the opportunity to develop and facilitate groups, facilitate Teen Life Counts (TLC) to teens and adolescents in schools, counsel individuals and families, provide case management support to members of our community- including victims of human trafficking, and engage in our senior services. These experiences and more provide interns with a well-rounded educational experience.
JFS currently has seven interns from five different schools; including Loyola University, Tulane University, Xavier University, University of Holy Cross and Rutgers University. This spring, four counseling students will graduate and move on to provide services to the community. Since December, an additional eleven students who expressed interest in the BHITC were interviewed. To date, JFS will be welcoming two new interns from Loyola University. We are thrilled by the community response and will continue to grow and strengthen the Behavioral Health Intern Training Center.
If you are interested in learning more about internship opportunities with Jewish Family Service, please contact me by email: Katie@jfsneworleans.org
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