Early Intervention Program, North Adams: This multidisciplinary program lets you observe and participate in assessment and treatment of newborns and children up to three years old who are at risk for developmental delays. You observe psychological assessments, and work with occupational therapists, physical therapists, and developmental educators. You can also design group activities for children and co-lead groups.
Elizabeth Freeman Center, Inc., Pittsfield and North Adams: This agency offers a wide variety of placements such as working with battered women in a shelter, working with groups of at-risk elementary and high school students, assisting with program evaluation and statistical analyses, and providing referrals and information to women. All students who work directly with consumers are given training, lasting up to three weeks, before starting.
Twin Valley School District, Wilmington, VT: Several staff members, including the Special Needs Coordinator, supervised our intern, who observed supervisors working with children, sat in on parent-team meetings, visited classrooms and observed children in different settings, provided written observations of children's behavior, received training on several reading assessment tools, and worked one on one with several special needs students.
Brien Center, North Adams: This community mental health center offers a wide range of opportunities. A frequent placement site is the South Forty Program, an after-school program for two age groups of children, latency and older, who are usually referred or mandated for services. You can observe and directly participate in group activities, and provide individual support when possible. You can also shadow clinicians and attend staff meetings.
United Counseling Services, Bennington and Manchester, VT: Like the Brien Center in North Adams, this agency offers various trainings and placements. A recent intern shadowed a social worker consultant at a preschool regarding social and emotional issues; our intern designed and implemented a strategy for a set of disruptive, oppositional siblings.
Other intern sites include Drury High School, Key Program, Berkshire Farm, Conte Middle School, Tapestry Women's Health Project, Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, Adams Youth Center, Louison House, Bennington School, Juvenile Court, UCP of Western Mass and BFAIR.
