Social Work Internship at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY
Kaiser Permanente, Santa Clara
200 Hacienda Ave.
Campbell, CA 95008
Contact: Caryl Polk, L.C.S.W.
408-871-5813 E-Mail: caryl.polk@kp.org
SOCIAL WORK INTERNSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM
We offer positions for students entering the second year of their post-graduate training (Masters in Social Work). Two positions are in Adult Psychiatry and two positions are in Child Psychiatry. All positions include the satellite clinics of Campbell and Mountain View. In addition, one position is located at our Milpitas Clinic.
THE SETTING
Santa Clara and Its Satellite Clinics
Santa Clara is located in Northern California, approximately 35 miles south of San Francisco, in the heart of Silicon Valley. The region has a near-perfect climate that is temperate year around. It is considered one of the most desirable places in the United States to live not only because of its climate but also because of its scenic attractiveness, economic diversity, as well as exciting research, development, and academic opportunities. In addition, it is rich in history, cultural diversity, sports, and the arts.
Patient Population
The patient population consists of Kaiser Health Plan members having prepaid psychiatric benefits and covering a broad ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic spectrum. All age groups and virtually all psychiatric categories are represented in this outpatient population. The Santa Clara Clinic and its satellite clinics draw clients of virtually all ethnic groups from Santa Clara County, from Palo Alto to Santa Cruz. The Psychiatry Department is comprised of a larger clinic housed in Cupertino and smaller satellite clinics in Campbell, Mountain View, and Milpitas. Our clients include monolingual families who speak languages such as Spanish and Tagalog.
The Staff
The Santa Clara Department of Psychiatry is large, consisting of 17 social workers, 8 marital family therapists, 14 psychologists, 13 psychiatrists, 3 nurses, 1 full-time medical assistant, and other part-time staff. It also houses a regional Chemical Dependency Treatment Program with 2 social workers, 8 marriage family therapists, 3 psychologists, 1 psychiatrist, 5 nurse practitioners, and 11 chemical dependency counselors. In addition, there are support staff at each clinic to aid in the daily functioning of the clinic and efficient phone accessibility.
Services
The Department of Psychiatry provides individual, group, and family services as well as an Intensive Outpatient Day Treatment Program for those who have been recently hospitalized or are at high risk. The members of the staff represent a variety of theoretical orientations but the emphasis is on brief interventions using primarily cognitive and behavioral methods. Interns are offered the opportunity to do initial intake evaluations, provide short and longer-term therapeutic treatment, and family therapy, as well as co-lead groups. They receive training and supervision in both individual and group settings a number of hours per week.
THE TRAINING PROGRAM
General Principles
At its core, the aim of the internship training program is to provide the intern with a foundation of clinical competence needed to begin their professional career as a social worker. An important ingredient in this foundation is the work environment. We believe the development of an ability to collaborate with other professionals is paramount in helping establish a well-founded professional identity. We are dedicated not only to stressing the acquisition and practice of traditional techniques of intake assessment and psychotherapy, but also to continually assess, modify, and enrich these practices to fit new clinical realities that arise. It is our hope that interns will be introduced to a broad spectrum of ideas and practices in our program. Furthermore, it is our hope that interns will benefit from the richness of the multi-cultural community in which our program is embedded – both in terms of staff diversity as well as the community we serve.
Supervision
Interns receive at least two (2) hours of regularly scheduled individual supervision and two (2) hours of group supervision per week. In addition, they are supervised on cases in the weekly seminars. Selection of cases and size of caseload is carefully adjusted to the intern’s readiness and training needs as determined by his/her supervisor.
Seminars
Interns attend local and regional seminars. The seminars cover a broad range of theoretical and applied clinical principles. Once each month, residents attend a four-hour seminar with other interns from the regional mental health training program for Kaiser Permanente Northern California. These seminars focus on Best Practice Guidelines and include topics such as ethical principles, California laws governing the practice of social work, interviewing and assessment, depression and anxiety, substance abuse, and diversity.
Evaluations
The primary supervisors are responsible for completing the intern’s evaluation in collaboration with the entire training staff. There are two evaluations of the interns; one at mid-year and one at the end of the year. Every effort is made to provide ongoing feedback. Interns also have an opportunity to evaluate the training program each year.
Grievances
Any problems that arise are addressed beginning with the intern’s primary supervisor. If the matter cannot be resolved informally, it is then referred to the Director of Training.
Duration and Hours
The training year starts the first Tuesday after Labor Day and ends according to the student’s academic calendar. Internships are available for 24 and 30 hours. Although interns have input into their schedules, schedules are primarily determined by clinic needs.
Application Process
Send a cover letter, curriculum vitae and two letters of recommendation to:
Caryl Polk, LCSW
Director of Internship Training
Department of Psychiatry
200 East Hacienda Avenue
Campbell, California 95008
e-mail: caryl.polk@kp.org
Phone: 408-871-5813
Fax: 408-871-5825