Internships & Scholarships
Internship Program with Paid Stipend
Undergraduate & Graduate Internship Program
Get hands on experience and structured feedback to prepare you for your human service career. Help families as you learn!
Apply your academic studies to real life experiences with Key’s undergraduate and graduate Internship Program. Our staff will support you and mentor you as you experience how the latest modalities, treatments, and programs can make a positive impact on children, youth and families.
- Undergraduate level interns will be placed in either a Key Program residential group home or at a community-based outreach program
- Graduate-level interns will be placed in either one of Key’s residential group homes, a community-based outreach program, or an outpatient mental health clinic
- All interns will serve children/youth involved with Massachusetts Department of Children & Families (DCF) or the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF)
Your intern experience will include:
The Key Program, Inc. has established affiliation agreements and partnerships with many colleges and universities throughout New England and many online colleges throughout the country. Internship opportunities are available in the fields of counseling, mental health counseling, human services, psychology, social work, and related disciplines.
During this internship:
- Participating in actual case studies to learn population, case management and professional documentation
- Assisting youth with educational and vocational needs
- Planning and co-facilitating recreational activities and basic life skill groups
- Participating in programming activities, staff meetings and training
- Observing the collaboration of many human services professionals from the Child Welfare, Mental Health and Educational Systems
- Participating in special projects where necessary for educational or course requirements
Graduate-level interns have additional opportunities
In addition to the regular internship activities, graduate-level interns will also have additional clinical experience, under the direct supervision of a clinically licensed internship placement supervisor.
- Provide family counseling or therapy
- Conducting psycho-social assessments
- Conducting educational assessments
- Preparing client documentation
- Networking and collaborating with other professionals and service providers in the client's network
Key’s internship field placement supervisors determine the scope and responsibilities of the internship in accordance with school requirements and the student’s career track. Throughout the internship, supervisors closely guide, monitor, and evaluate the student’s assignment and provide mentorship, support, and professional supervision.
Internship Stipends
Although student interns are not employees and are not paid for time performing their internships, Key affords students an internship stipend. A stipend is a fixed amount of money provided by Key on a fixed schedule to help students defray costs associated with their college and living expenses. A stipend is not an hourly wage nor compensation for time spent attending an internship, nor is it associated with the hours a student is present at the placement site, their productivity, or any metrics a student achieves. Stipends are not considered wages; therefore, state and federal taxes, Medicare, and Social Security tax are not withheld for stipend payments. Undergraduate interns receive a $1,500 stipend per semester and graduate and doctoral-level interns receive a $3,000 stipend per semester.
“Dear Key Program Staff,
I wanted to express my appreciation for the wonderful experience I’ve had working alongside such dedicated and knowledgeable caseworkers and supervisors. The guidance and support from this internship has not only made my time here enjoyable but also opened my eyes to this line of work and the importance of it. The work is inspiring and I’m grateful for this opportunity to learn from everyone.... Thank you for making this experience interesting, informative, and eye- opening.”
- Former Intern
Internship Placement Requirements:
At Key Program, Inc., we’re proud to provide a rich and supportive internship experience as part of their formal training. To participate our internship program, students must meet the following requirements:
- The student must be receiving college credits for the internship
- The student must have an internship advisor or professor from his/her college to sponsor and supervise the student's internship placement
- The internship advisor or professor must outline the specific internship requirements on a written internship agreement or letter from his/her college/university
- The student must be at least 20 years of age
- The student must serve a minimum of eight (8) hours per week at the internship placement site for undergraduate level, or sixteen (16) hours per week at the graduate level. Doctorate level students are required to serve a minimum of twenty four (24) hours per week.
Internship Field Placement Locations
Throughout its Massachusetts, So. New Hampshire and Providence, RI locations, Key offers undergraduate and graduate-level internships at residential programs and community-based outreach and family support programs. The variety of settings allows Key to match field placements that align with the student’s career track, professional development, and academic requirements.
In Waltham, MA Key’s Children’s Charter Outpatient Mental Health Clinic provides field placement internships only to graduate-level, second-year social work students and doctoral-level psychology students. Internships at Children’s Charter require a minimum of 24 hours per week.
Field placements range from one semester to the entire academic year. Available internship opportunities are determined prior to each semester.
Internship Application Process:
Click below to complete Key's "Pre-Application Form for a Request for an Internship Placement" and upload your current resume. Select an internship location from the dropdown box and electronically submit the documents.
If selected for an interview, the student will be contacted and will then be forwarded an official "Key Internship Placement Application" to complete and bring to the scheduled interview. For the interview, the undergraduate-level student is to be prepared to present two (2) letters of recommendation, and the graduate-level student will be prepared to present three (3) letters of recommendation.
Full-Time Employment and Award Opportunities
As your internship comes to a close, we welcome our interns to apply for a position at Key Program, Inc. to continue their important work in supporting these children and families in need. Key interns who successfully complete their internship programs and accept a full-time position at Key may be eligible for professional financial awards.
William G. Lyttle Human Service Professional Award
The William G. Lyttle Human Service Professional Award proudly recognizes those special individuals whose passion is to make a difference in the world around them. Eligible recipients of the William G. Lyttle Human Service Professional Award are Bachelor-level or Master-level graduates who have successfully completed an internship or co-op placement at Key and, upon their graduation, are offered and accept a full-time position at Key. The award of $2,500 is received upon successful completion of a three-month orientation period.
Commemorative Deborah Feldstein Bartfeld Social Work and Mental Health Professional Award
The Commemorative Deborah Feldstein Bartfeld (DBT) Social Work and Mental Health Professional Award proudly recognizes individuals dedicated to impacting lives by providing vital social work and mental health services to those in need. The Award honors the memory of Deborah Feldstein Bartfeld, whose passion for social work included an internship with Key.
Eligible recipients of the DFB Social Work and Mental Health Professional Award are Masters-level or Doctoral-level Social Work, Counseling Psychology, Psychology or Mental Health Counseling students who successfully complete an internship with Key and, upon graduation, are offered and accepted a full-time position at Key. The award of $5,000 is received upon successful completion of a three-month, new hire orientation period.
This award also recognizes the value of having supervisory-level staff with MSWs or degrees in Clinical Psychology. Current employees who complete an internship with Key and, upon graduation, continue employment in a full-time supervisory or clinical role are eligible for the award.
Employees who receive the award and leave employment with Key within one year of receiving it will be required to repay a pro-rated amount.
Apply your academic studies to real life experiences
With Key’s undergraduate and graduate Internship Program you will experience how the latest modalities, treatments, and programs can make a positive impact on children, youth and families.