Undergraduate Clinical Internship -Spring 2021
About Us
Tuesday’s Child has spent the past 30 years working with children ages 18 months to 7 years with various behavioral difficulties by providing empathetic, therapeutic, and dedicated support to any family in need. We currently host a variety of programs, including a weekly behavioral group for children and parents, social skills groups, in-home services, a therapeutic preschool during the school year, and a summer camp designed for our current families and those new to behavioral intervention. As a non-profit organization, Tuesday’s Child prides itself on accepting families across Chicago regardless of financial status, and provides a sliding scale for our services. Participants in our program will benefit from individualized parent training, consultation with our clinical psychologist, developmental screenings, school advocacy services, and behavioral intervention groups designed to address aggression, inattention, avoidance, regulatory skills, social skills, and problem solving skills.
Undergraduate Internship Program
Interns will work directly with their supervisor, classroom teachers, and clinical staff to learn the core concepts of Tuesday’s Child, as well as the major tenets of child behavioral intervention, therapeutic strategies, and developmental screening. Interns will report directly to the Program Director and will receive clinical supervision throughout their internship on a 1:1 basis. Interns will become well-versed in behavioral management strategies and child mental health services, as well as gain a broad social work perspective on all needs of the families we serve. Interns will also contribute to the organization of a non-profit such as learning about grant funding, researching best practice models, and demonstrating efficacy of our services for donors. Our undergraduate internship opportunities are often ideal for those pursuing their Bachelor’s in social work, psychology, social services, child development, child life, clinical psychology, and other health or social service related fields.
All undergraduate interns during the school year participate in our Saturday morning behavior intervention group and are expected to participate in programming 1-2 other days during the week. We can certainly facilitate full time or additional days for interns as well, and applicants with greater availability will have preference. In the summertime, undergraduate interns will be present for a full time internship Monday - Friday between mid-June to mid-August.
Why Tuesday’s Child?
Just ask our previous interns!
- “Since starting in the fall to where I am now, I have seen great strides in my learning. Child development and behavioral intervention were not topics that I was clinically familiar with prior to starting this internship. As time has gone on, and with immense support from the entire TC staff, I feel confident in my abilities in my placement. I am thankful for the suggestions and feedback I have received. I feel that I can ask questions and receive extremely thoughtful responses from all the staff. I have slowly started to feel that I am picking up a clinical lens and starting to notice patterns and behaviors I was not aware of before. I feel consistently supported both in the moment and in supervision. My supervisor consistently addresses concerns or questions I have and provides me with new ways to view situations. I feel that I am constantly learning new information. I am thankful for help and support that TC has provided me and looking forward to the growth that I hope to see during the next quarter. "
- “My favorite part of the internship was being able to work with the children and see their change throughout the weeks. Being in the parent room was also one of my favorite parts because it gave me a lot of perspective on the tools that the parents were implementing at home and what it was like for them. I also really liked that there was a supervision part of the internship because during the day we’re all so busy with the kids that we can’t always ask questions and it allowed me to learn how I could improve myself."
- “Be confident! It’s okay to be overwhelmed when you start because it is definitely something new! But don’t worry, you will learn so much and the teachers are always there to support you when you need it. This has honestly been such a great internship and I feel as though I’ve learned so much from it! I honestly have had a great time here and all the teachers are so supportive and kind."
Both graduate and undergraduate interns have used their experience at Tuesday’s Child as a stepping stone to their career! Many have pursued further studies in social work, clinical psychology, special education, and other mental health fields. Others have pursued fruitful careers working with children and families in hospitals, private practice, schools, social services, research labs, mental health clinics, and many more! Some have even pursued their next career steps here with us at Tuesday’s Child and gone on to become a core team member - just ask our Executive Director!
The Details
Tuesday’s Child is always seeking interns year round, including full academic year, fall/spring semesters, or summer opportunities on both full time and part time bases, so please contact us with your preferred internship availability! Tuesday’s Child works with schools across the country and is always eager to add more partnerships to our program. We can offer school credit in many forms for all internships, however financial compensation is not provided. Tuesday’s Child is easily accessible via CTA and has access to a free parking lot/street parking. We are located at 3633 N California Avenue, Chicago IL 60618, close to the corner of Addison and California.
How to Apply
To apply, please submit your resume and a copy of the Tuesday’s Child Intern Application via Handshake. Applicants will first complete a phone interview to discuss the internship parameters, followed by an interview with our Program Director and your clinical supervisor for candidates we are considering. It is recommended you apply sooner rather than later as availability is limited.
Thank you for your interest in Tuesday’s Child! Please contact us with your application or any questions at rsurprenant@tuesdayschildchicago.org
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Rachel Surprenant, LSW
Program Director
Tuesday’s Child Chicago