Program Intern, Selective Mutism Service

We’re dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders by giving them the help they need. We’ve become the leading independent nonprofit in children’s mental health by providing gold-standard evidence-based care, delivering educational resources to millions of families each year, training educators in underserved communities, and developing tomorrow’s breakthrough treatments.

About the role

As part of the Selective Mutism Service team, you will report to the Directors of the Selective Mutism Service. This is an unpaid part-time internship designed to provide students and trainees with supervised, hands-on learning experiences in children's mental health. Interns participate in structured training, observation, and guided practice with children with selective mutism in the Brave Buddies Program. All activities are educational in nature, and licensed staff maintain responsibility for clinical services.

In addition to two hours of online trainings completed at home, Program Interns must be available in person for 15 hours each week starting September 8, 2026 through August 31, 2027. Program Interns are required to be available Thursdays from 1:00pm-6:30pm, as well as additional times arranged more flexibly with supervisors.

Participation in Brave Buddies, our group-based intensive treatment program for children with selective mutism, is a mandatory component of the internship. Below are the tentative 2026-2027 Brave Buddies Program dates. Interns are expected to attend the entirety of each program, except for those who have a religious observance exemption.

• November 2026 One-Day Brave Buddies: November 11th, 11AM-6PM
• February 2027 Four-Day Brave Buddies:
  • February 11th: 11AM-6PM
  • February 12th: 11AM-5PM
  • February 13th-February 16th: 8AM-3PM
• April 2027 One-Day Brave Buddies: April 9th, 11AM-6PM
• June 2027 One-Day Brave Buddies: June 5th, 8AM-3PM
• August 2027 Five-Day Brave Buddies:
  • July 29th: 11AM-6PM
  • July 30th: 11AM-5PM
  • August 2nd-August 6th: 8AM-3PM

Learning Opportunities

• Gain exposure to evidence-based behavioral treatment for selective mutism in both individual and group program models
• Observe licensed clinicians implementing Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for Selective Mutism (PCIT-SM)
• Implement foundational behavioral techniques with clients in a supervised, educational setting
• Receive structured training focused on PCIT-SM principles and group adaptation

Responsibilities

• Attend and actively participate in all required training, preparation, and program sessions
• Engage fully in educational and training activities and demonstrate openness to feedback
• Apply skills learned in training during supervised program activities for educational purposes

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree (completed or in progress) in psychology, education, human services or related field
• Prior experience working with children and young adults and/or in a clinical setting
• Passion for the Child Mind Institute's mission
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to handle conflict and sensitive information with discretion and integrity
• Professional demeanor with the ability to work collaboratively with families, clinicians, senior leadership, and staff
• Strong organizational skills, with the ability to manage tasks efficiently and adapt to patient needs
• Positive, energetic attitude
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment

This is a highly competitive unpaid, part-time internship position located at our NYC headquarters. We strongly encourage applicants to investigate stipend programs through their college placement offices and to pursue independent college study credits for this experience. We can provide any requested documentation to assist students in getting stipends and college credit.