Mental Health Internship Program
The Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections (ADJC) Mental Health Internship Program is a partnership between the school, the student, and our agency, with each role being interdependently important for overall success. All interns are supervised by a staff member and the student must receive school credit for work performed. The duration for an internship with ADJC may be one semester, one year, or an agreed-upon length of time between the student, ADJC and the school. An internship with ADJC will introduce a student to the Arizona juvenile justice system and in general will learn about the juvenile justice system in Arizona with programs for graduate level students and above in Clinical Psychology, Social Work, or Counseling. An internship with ADJC is based on five overarching premises:
- To provide meaningful work experience for the students and give them a structured experience where they can apply knowledge gained in the classroom.
- To guide students educational development through mentoring.
- To strengthen relationships with community schools and universities.
- To treat interns as professionals and valuable members of our agency.
- To foster an environment for learning and growth which can produce experienced professionals for our field.
Internship Guidelines
The following requirements are necessary to pursue an internship with the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections:
- A formal agreement between the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections and the student’s school or university.
- Must be 21 years of age or older.
- Must have completed and cleared a formal background check, including fingerprinting, before beginning an internship or interacting with ADJC youth on a regular and direct basis.
- All cleared interns must attend orientation and training prior to beginning the internship.
- Interns will respect the function of department staff and contribute fully to maintaining a professional relationship between staff and interns.
- Interns will carry out assignments in a professional manner and will seek the assistance of the coordinator or immediate supervisor when necessary.
- Interns will respect and accept the department’s right to dismiss any intern for such reasons as poor performance, poor attendance, unwillingness to accept direction, etc.
- Appropriate dress attire is required.
- Additional security issues will be discussed in training.
Why Should You Apply?
We are an agency committed to rehabilitate youth by providing appropriate and effective clinical treatment which will lead them to become productive members of society. We strongly believe that staff, interns and volunteers place a crucial part in each youth turning their lives around for the better. If you are interested in a career in juvenile corrections, clinical psychology, social work, or counseling, then consider ADJC as a place to explore those possibilities.
Where Can You Intern?
Requests for an internship with ADJC can be made by graduate level students in the following areas of study: Clinical Psychology, Counseling, or Social Work. Please note we do not currently have internship opportunities for undergraduate students. Please keep in mind that all intern positions are not always offered all the time and a request for an internship is not guaranteed; however, it is our goal to consider all applicants and to make sure that all potential interns are a good match for our agency.
How Do You Apply?
If you are interested in becoming an intern with the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections, please contact our Internship Coordinator for more information.
