"The intern experience at OTTP-SF is unique, allowing for incredible freedom and ongoing opportunities for new experiences to develop clinical skills. Now as an employee, I continue to feel supported by my colleagues so I can grow as a clinician and find new ways to engage our youth!" - Lily Nichols, OTR/L

MSW, MFT Track, and LPCC Internships at OTTP

At OTTP we offer 1st and 2nd year internships to students who are working towards their MSW, MFT or LPCC. We are able to work with any College within California and currently work with about 5 different Universities.  

Description of Internships

‍Majority of the internship opportunities are within our Out-Patient Mental Health Services Programs. These programs serve low income clients between the ages of 5-21. The services provided within these programs are psychotherapy, group therapy, clinical case management and occupational therapy (occupational therapy is only provided by OT staff however). All interns are supervised by either an LCSW or an MFT.

 Interns gain experience in the following areas:

• Diagnosis
• Assessment
• Care Planning
• Psychotherapy
• Group therapy
• Case management
• School base services
• Progress note writing
• Quality Assurance and Improvement work
• Multi-disciplinary team experience
• Exposure to SF community partners
• Exposure to diverse populations
• Access to trainings offered by DPH’s Community Behavioral Health Services (many of which focus on treatment modalities)
• In-house trainings on topics such as Cultural Competence, Suicide Prevention, Child abuse prevention, Trauma Focused services, Occupational therapy interventions, Documentation, and more

Interns gain experience in the above areas at a pace that fits in with their own previous experience level and readiness. Interns are provided a minimum of 1 hour of supervision a week, however, their field instructor is available to answer their questions any time during business hours and they often meet several times a week in order to provide the training and supervision an intern needs. The internship hours are flexible but typically are 2-3 days a week.

 Process and Timing for Applying for an Internship

Interns and/or their field liaisons should reach out to  Erika Moore, LCSW to inquire about an internship. She can be reached at:

• Erika.moore@ottp-sf.org
• 415-551-0975

Once contact is made, the intern will be asked to send their resume to Erika Moore. She will follow-up with the intern and set up an interview (at least one interview, sometimes two). A decision will follow shortly after on whether OTTP is a good fit for the intern. 

OTTP can accept interns at any time during the year, however, typically intern placement runs from September through May.