What are the responsibilities and job description for the Home and Community Support Services Counseling Intern position at CFS?
Position Title: HCSS Intern
Program: Home Community Support Services
Reports To: Manager of HCSS
Hours: 15 hours per week or school requirements
Academic Year: 2025/2026
HCSS Internship
As a HCSS Intern at, you will have the opportunity to develop skills, knowledge, and an understanding of providing counseling and mental health services to a diverse population, including children, adults, and families. Throughout the internship, you will work closely with licensed mental health professionals, including counselors and psychiatric providers, to gain valuable field experience.
Interns will receive weekly individual supervision from an assigned supervisor and have the opportunity to participate in group supervision, specialty consultations, in-house training, and monthly clinic meetings. You will gain insight and hands-on experience working in a team approach, obtaining the support and resources needed to confidently enter the community mental health field.
Minimum Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree and current enrollment in an accredited master's level program (Social Work, Mental Health Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy) that will qualify you for a NYS Education Department license to practice counseling upon graduation.
- Must have a valid NYS Drivers License and reliable personal vehicle
- Must be comfortable going to client homes and providing services in the community
- Ability to demonstrate cultural competence in working with disadvantaged/minority populations in community-based programs in both urban and suburban settings.
- The schedule should be flexible to accommodate client needs, including evening availability, and ideally align with your assigned supervisor’s schedule.
- Computer literacy with excellent written and oral communication skills.
- This is an unpaid internship.
Internship Details:
Interns will first observe client services and then begin to provide interventions under the supervision of agency clinicians and clinical supervisors. As the internship progresses, interns will start to independently provide mental health assessments, diagnoses, treatment planning, and psychotherapy services to a small caseload of clients.
Interns will also gain experience in client advocacy, linkage, and referral services to community resources. Interns will be exposed to regulatory oversight, best practices in quality assurance, and more.
C FS offers a wide variety of programs, and as an intern, you may have the opportunity to shadow other clinical programs and gain experience in settings such as in-home services. This is a valuable chance to build positive working relationships with other professionals and community agencies.
