Unique Internship Position: Clinical Lead Intern
For those seeking greater opportunities in leadership and responsibility, the Clinical Lead Intern position provides involvement with program evaluation, running, and oversight of the camp experience, along with direct client contact and training with kids with selective mutism.

This position requires one to lead from within by creating and assisting in clinical and administrative responsibilities for Brave Explorers Camp. This position would be a leadership role among the internship team and this individual would work closely with the treatment program director and Brave Seattle’s administrative team.

The person in this position would gain the same experiences as those on the internship team, but would also begin working with the team in Spring 2023, for approximately 5-10 hours a week. This role begins with virtual opportunities and for those in the Seattle area, has clinical training prior to summer camp operations.

An ideal candidate for this leadership position: is an upper-year college student or a graduate-school applicant; is highly organized, able to juggle multiple responsibilities across different tasks; possesses high interpersonal effectiveness, communicating with patients and their families as a "front-facing" entity of Brave Explorers Camp; strong verbal communication skills; comfortable leading peers, while also receptive to others' needs; strong sense of initiative; flexible and adaptive.

Overview and Responsibilities

What you will experience during the internship:

• Receive professional development seminars, including sessions covering note-writing and program development, informational interviews from professionals in the field of psychology, speech-language pathology, and ABA therapy

• Participate in clinical meetings during the provision of therapeutic services

• Serve as a “case manager” in therapy sessions and/or intensive treatment setting for children with selective mutism and/or social anxiety

• Assist Brave Seattle with clinic duties, treatment planning, and preparation

• Participate in weekend training on selective mutism, treatment of the disorder, and practice clinical skills targeting selective mutism

• Serve as clinical assistants during the Brave Explorers Camp for children with selective mutism and social anxiety

• Complete your internship by gaining hands-on clinical experience working with the Brave Explorers Camp!

Unique to Clinical Lead Position:

• Communicate closely with camp directors in an administrative support role, including reaching out to families with programmatic updates and camp preparation

• Work alongside camp directors to oversee the creation of lead-in schedules and their management, between all parties (families, counselors, interns, directors) of BEC

• Be in a leadership position with interns, operating as a point-person for communication and task management

As the preparation for camp includes several stages, there are requirements that change with the given phase of treatment. As such, we have tried to outline responsibilities and time commitments together.

Unique to Clinical and Administrative Lead Position: June 1, with an expectation of 5-10 hours per week

July 1st to August: Lead-in preparation and support, camp creation and support, ongoing training.

• Attend and support 8-hour, 2-day training on virtual and in-person. Complete online training course (3-5 hours; at your pace).

• Attend weekly, virtual team meetings (1 hour) and individual supervision meetings with administrative team (1/2 hour, depending on the task you are working on).

• Self guided virtual seminars will be provided along with in-person didactic workshops in the field of clinical psychology, social work, education and related fields to present the interrelationship of care across settings for children suffering from selective mutism, social phobias, and other anxiety disorders

• Oversee and complete individual tasks/assignments for camp (approximately 7-10 hours). These commitments include being present at our Seattle office space, for specific tasks.

• These months include “lead-ins”, in which interns play a critical role in supporting and coordinating clinical care

• Lead-ins are full-days at the clinic (9:00-4:00); offered in shifts, dependent upon availability of psychologists, counselors, and campers.

• There are approximately 12 days of intensive lead-ins, however, this is dependent upon patient need and counselor availability, which requires flexibility and teamwork in coordination.

Camp Week:

• The weekend before camp, there is a full day of decorating and creating the camp space and a full day of prep which may include some weekend work.

• This is camp week! It is a 5-day, 8:00 to 4:30, all-hands-on-deck experience.

Outline of Important Dates:

1. July 7th and 8th. Training on evidence-based treatment for selective mutism held in Seattle with in-person requirements and mock clinical work.

2. July 17 to August 12th: In-person clinical lead-in sessions with campers to prepare for camp week (to be scheduled separately based on clinical trainee and client availability).

3. August 14 - August 18th, 8:00 to 4:30: CAMP WEEK!

Background

Brave Explorers Camp is the primary program of Dr. Tracey Ward. Founded by Dr. Ward and Dr. Patton in Seattle, Dr. Ward is Brave Seattle’s program director and currently organizes the operation of Brave Explorers Camp. Drs. Ward and Patton joined together to create Brave Explorers Camp, focusing on the treatment of children with selective mutism.

Dr. Patton operates her own individual practice in Southern California. Our team is forever grateful for the lasting contribution that Dr. Patton has created–from the creation of camp to developing our training program. We appreciate her willingness to serve future campers and their families through consulting with our team.

Our program is founded upon the standard of excellence and care that was set by clinicians specializing in selective mutism who first held intensive treatment camps in the United States and have aided us in our clinical training; namely, Dr. Steven Kurtz, the founder of PCIT-SM and director of Mighty Mouth Camp, and, Dr. Carmen Lynas, the director of Adventure Camp in Chicago, IL, and a consultant to Brave Explorers Camp.