Unpaid Internship Opportunities

Mental Health Cooperative takes pride in fostering an environment and creating opportunities that allow its employees to excel professionally.  Internships are just one of the ways in which Mental Health Cooperative is building the next generation of mental health service providers. 

We offer many different opportunities throughout our main Metro Center location in Nashville, TN and within our satellite offices.  Our internships offer a wide variety of learning opportunities that focus on providing high-quality, evidence based behavioral health services for children, youth, families, and adults.   

You will be paired with a field supervisor that meets the specifications outlined by your College or University and afforded many growth opportunities throughout your internship with working with a diverse population that has been diagnosed with a severe and persistent mental illness coming from various socioeconomic backgrounds.
Counseling and Therapy Services
Mental Health Cooperative is seeking advanced social work or counseling interns to assist in providing clinical mental health services to clients of all ages.  This unpaid internship opportunity will allow you to learn clinical therapeutic skills utilizing evidence-based modalities, conduct client assessments, treatment and discharge planning and documentation skills.   Many of the clients have experienced grief and loss, depression, anxiety, and trauma, but because of various circumstances, they don’t have the means to pay for the treatment they need.  MHC works primarily with clients who are uninsured or have TennCare to give them the same treatment and care offered to others and will allow them to better manage their symptoms and live productive lives.  One unique and exciting aspect of this internship is that you be will allowed to carry a small case load of clients on your own while working with your field supervisor. 

MHC can accommodate up to 5 interns in our Therapy department and interns must be master’s level students in a social work, counseling, or psychology program.  This unppaid internship requires a two-semester commitment. 
Bachelor's Level Opportunities
Unpaid Internships for undergraduate level interns are comprised of case management and social service delivery for a wide range of ages.  You will be observing and shadowing clinical providers along with providing low level care to clients on a walk-in basis, and assisting in some of the specialized departments such as Emergency Psychiatric Services, Healthy Transitions, First Episode Psychosis Initiative, and Medication Assisted Treatment.
Emergency Psychiatric Services
Mental Health Cooperative’s Crisis Treatment Center is designed to provide immediate access to specialized care for adults and youth experiencing a psychiatric emergency.  The Crisis Treatment Center is open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.  Within Emergency Psychiatric Services there is a wide range of learning opportunities including individual and group therapy utilizing Solution Focused and Brief Therapy models, crisis assessments and triaging calls for clients in crisis, and treatment and discharging planning. 

MHC can take up to 5 unpaid interns within this department and must be master’s level student in a social work, counseling, psychology program.

Internship Timelines:

January

(Spring Semester Start)
Application & Interview Window:
September 1 to October 15

Selection & Offers Made:
End of November

May

(Summer Semester Start)
Application & Interview Window:
December 1 to December 31

Selection & Offers Made:
​​​​​​​End of February

August

(Fall Semester Start)
Application & Interview WIndow:
​​​​​​​April 1 to April 15

Selection & Offers Made:
​​​​​​​Mid-May
If interested, please complete the application from the links above.

Questions about any of these opportunities? 
​​​​​​​Please contact Wendy Anderson, Licensure Supervision Coordinator at wanderson@mhc-tn.org