5 Great Internships for Social Workers

  • Counseling Centers
  • Health Care Facilities
  • Non-Profit and Human Service Organizations
  • Educational Facilities
  • Hospice Locations

If you are seeking a degree in social work, you will want to consider one of the following five internship opportunities commonly available to you. Each of these institutions can provide you with the type of on the job training that will help you be successful when you enter the labor market. You will be able to learn from professionals currently engaged in the field, while still maintaining your coursework at the college level. Keep reading to discover five great internships for social workers.

Counseling Centers

If you are an individual who enjoys one-on-one or group counseling opportunities, an internship at a center will be a great fit for you. You might also want to look into mental health faculties in your area to inquire about possible opportunities available to students today. You will be able to work with all types of individuals, helping to prepare you for your future career in counseling.

Health Care Facilities

Social workers perform vital roles in a health care facility. As an intern, you will learn how to help patients and their families in a number of different ways. You might provide services to a person who is grieving over the loss of a loved one, or help a spouse begin to cope with the new reality of their partners medical diagnosis. Social workers are a great asset to any health care facility, making this one of the five great internship opportunities available today.

Non-Profit and Human Service Organizations

Social workers are deployed to a variety of human service organizations. Examples include facilities that help individuals deal with Alzheimer’s, autism, a number of cognitive and emotional disabilities, and much more. These individuals and their families require a great deal of assistance and support, and this is where social workers often are called upon. As an intern, you would have the opportunity to work closely alongside professional social workers to help the patients achieve their goals and objectives. Many of the individuals serviced by these organization are from a disadvantaged population, making your work even more valuable in the long term.

Educational Facilities

If you would like to one day work in a school setting, this type of internship will prove extremely beneficial to you. Many secondary schools and universities today rely on social workers to help engage an increasingly diverse student population. Depending upon the school setting, your duties will vary widely, from helping families gain access to services that they need and qualify for to helping facilitate career counseling to university students. This is one of the five best internship opportunities available to social workers today because the need is so great.

Hospice Locations

If you are a person that can provide comfort to individuals and their families in times of great need, working in a hospice center is an internship that you can benefit from. Social workers are in high demand in this field because of the services that they are able to provide to individuals who are terminally ill. This type of work can be quite difficult, but extremely rewarding at the same time. Individuals in hospice are dying and they are need of your love and support, as are their families. As an intern, you will learn how to better provide them the type of assistance that they need.

Related Resource: Top 10 Best Online Social Work Degree Programs

These five internship opportunities are available to you as an aspiring social worker. Look them over and decide which particular sector of this exciting career field you would enjoy entering into. Then, make contact with a few facilities in your area and inquire about the opportunities available for interns. Embrace the journey and learn as much as you can through the process.