Director of Student Services Internships
Director of student services internships give university students, recent graduates, and early-career switchers hands-on project experience coordinating student programs, mentorship from working directors of student services, and, at many employers, a path toward a full-time offer. Openings are concentrated across {{top_industries_phrase}}, with H2M architects + engineers, Management & Training Corporation, and Four Rivers Behavioral Health among the employers posting roles now.
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- Position Overview:
This position is part-time, temporary, goal focused (rather than duty-based), and must be educationally-related. Clinical Interns are expected to work no less than 24 hours per academic week, but is negotiable based on the needs of the student or requirements of the academic institute. Clinical Interns are expected to learn how to and then provide direct services to clients of FRBH as permitted under the policies and procedures of the graduate school with which they are affiliated, as well as the parameters set by FRBH and the related regulatory and funding entities. Also, Clinical Interns learn how to and then provide community services and other miscellaneous duties to meet the goals of their learning experience with FRBH. Clinical and administrative supervision of the services delivered by a Clinical Intern is conducted as required by the policies and procedures of the relevant graduate school and as further specified in the Clinical Intern’s Appointment Letter.
- Goals and Responsibilities
- Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the common and uniform professional ethics for behavioral health professionals.
- Demonstrate a professionally acceptable level of judgment skills that maximize protections for consumers, colleagues, and behavioral health entities; especially related to duties to warn and protect, along with how to appropriately navigate a chain of command.
- Demonstrate the ability to conduct a “point in time” assessment for the presence or absence of clinically significant behavioral health issues.
- Demonstrate the ability to construct a global assessment of strengths and needs (i.e. psychosocial assessment) with the appropriate recommendations for modality, frequency, goals and objectives for intervention.
- Demonstrate the ability to recognize the importance of and methods for creating, maintaining and accessing relationships with community resources to assist in serving consumers.
- Demonstrate the ability to conceptualize, construct, and initiate an individualized treatment plan within the context and resources of a community behavioral health setting.
- Demonstrate the ability to adhere to or modify treatment plans as appropriate to achieve treatment goals.
- Demonstrate a robust understanding of the professional responsibilities and liabilities in documentation of encounters with behavioral health consumers.
- Demonstrate the ability to capture the salient content of sessions through well-crafted, narrative documentation.
- Demonstrate the ability to plan and manage a typical daily schedule of a practitioner in a community behavioral health setting.
- Demonstrate the ability to recognize when a consumer’s needs exceed the skills or abilities of a practitioner and how to manage those circumstances.
- Demonstrate the ability to recognize when treatment is no longer necessary, for either positive and/or negative reasons, and the ability to construct and implement an appropriate termination process including after-care planning.
- Demonstrate the ability to globally review treatment provided to a consumer by all internal providers and construct a termination summary that can be useful to future internal or external providers.
- Demonstrate global competence as a behavioral health professional by receiving a passing score on the FRBH Structured Clinical Practitioner Interview.
- Perform any other duties or learning experiences as deemed appropriate by FRBH and the relevant graduate program
Minimum Qualifications
- Must be a student in a behavioral health graduate program of an accredited university.
- Must have successfully completed all sufficient course work in his/her graduate program that relates to principles of behavioral health assessment, diagnostics, professional ethics, and treatment theory.
- Must have the endorsement of an Interview Team, which supports the opinion that there is reason to believe the individual can develop into a competent Clinical Practitioner within the resources and time span of the internship.
- Must have a valid driver’s license and insurable driving record.
- Must pass all required background checks.
- Position Overview:
This position is part-time, temporary, goal focused (rather than duty-based), and must be educationally-related. Clinical Interns are expected to work no less than 24 hours per academic week, but is negotiable based on the needs of the student or requirements of the academic institute. Clinical Interns are expected to learn how to and then provide direct services to clients of FRBH as permitted under the policies and procedures of the graduate school with which they are affiliated, as well as the parameters set by FRBH and the related regulatory and funding entities. Also, Clinical Interns learn how to and then provide community services and other miscellaneous duties to meet the goals of their learning experience with FRBH. Clinical and administrative supervision of the services delivered by a Clinical Intern is conducted as required by the policies and procedures of the relevant graduate school and as further specified in the Clinical Intern’s Appointment Letter.
- Goals and Responsibilities
- Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the common and uniform professional ethics for behavioral health professionals.
- Demonstrate a professionally acceptable level of judgment skills that maximize protections for consumers, colleagues, and behavioral health entities; especially related to duties to warn and protect, along with how to appropriately navigate a chain of command.
- Demonstrate the ability to conduct a “point in time” assessment for the presence or absence of clinically significant behavioral health issues.
- Demonstrate the ability to construct a global assessment of strengths and needs (i.e. psychosocial assessment) with the appropriate recommendations for modality, frequency, goals and objectives for intervention.
- Demonstrate the ability to recognize the importance of and methods for creating, maintaining and accessing relationships with community resources to assist in serving consumers.
- Demonstrate the ability to conceptualize, construct, and initiate an individualized treatment plan within the context and resources of a community behavioral health setting.
- Demonstrate the ability to adhere to or modify treatment plans as appropriate to achieve treatment goals.
- Demonstrate a robust understanding of the professional responsibilities and liabilities in documentation of encounters with behavioral health consumers.
- Demonstrate the ability to capture the salient content of sessions through well-crafted, narrative documentation.
- Demonstrate the ability to plan and manage a typical daily schedule of a practitioner in a community behavioral health setting.
- Demonstrate the ability to recognize when a consumer’s needs exceed the skills or abilities of a practitioner and how to manage those circumstances.
- Demonstrate the ability to recognize when treatment is no longer necessary, for either positive and/or negative reasons, and the ability to construct and implement an appropriate termination process including after-care planning.
- Demonstrate the ability to globally review treatment provided to a consumer by all internal providers and construct a termination summary that can be useful to future internal or external providers.
- Demonstrate global competence as a behavioral health professional by receiving a passing score on the FRBH Structured Clinical Practitioner Interview.
- Perform any other duties or learning experiences as deemed appropriate by FRBH and the relevant graduate program
Minimum Qualifications
- Must be a student in a behavioral health graduate program of an accredited university.
- Must have successfully completed all sufficient course work in his/her graduate program that relates to principles of behavioral health assessment, diagnostics, professional ethics, and treatment theory.
- Must have the endorsement of an Interview Team, which supports the opinion that there is reason to believe the individual can develop into a competent Clinical Practitioner within the resources and time span of the internship.
- Must have a valid driver’s license and insurable driving record.
- Must pass all required background checks.
Director of Student Services Internship Market
Who's Hiring
Tips for Your Director of Student Services Internship Search
Apply earlier than you think necessary
Large universities and higher education organizations recruit summer director of student services interns the preceding fall, and structured cohorts fill before most students start searching. Smaller nonprofits and community colleges post closer to their start dates, so check listings across the full year rather than waiting for a single hiring season.
Build a portfolio before you apply
Hiring teams for director of student services internships expect limited work history and weigh projects instead. Document a program proposal, student outreach plan, or event you organized, and include the tools you used, the audience you targeted, and what the outcome was. A concrete artifact gives reviewers something to assess beyond your coursework list.
Work your campus network alongside direct applications
Campus career fairs surface structured director of student services programs tied directly to your university, and recruiters there often move faster for students they meet in person. Professors in higher education, counseling, or student affairs programs frequently know which employers recruit from your school before roles post publicly. Apply directly to organizations running smaller cohorts at the same time to widen your reach.
Practice your interview format out loud before applying
Director of student services intern screens typically involve scenario or situational questions, asking how you would handle a student crisis, coordinate a program with limited resources, or mediate a conflict. Practice answering these out loud and walk through your reasoning, since interviewers weigh how you think through the problem as much as the conclusion you reach.
Director of Student Services Internships: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a director of student services internship?
Lead with coursework and projects rather than work history, since hiring teams expect limited experience at the intern level. A documented case study, program proposal, or event-coordination portfolio gives recruiters something concrete to assess for director of student services candidates. Pair direct applications with campus career fairs, where recruiters often move faster for students they meet in person.
Can a director of student services internship turn into a full-time job?
Many employers extend return offers to strong interns, but conversion is never guaranteed. For director of student services interns, what drives it most is performance on real work, available headcount on the team, and how early you signal interest in returning. Position for an offer by contributing visibly and asking about the timeline, without counting on it.
When should I apply for director of student services internships?
Earlier than most expect. Large employers recruit summer cohorts the preceding fall, so roles in student affairs and higher education administration often close months before the start date. Smaller organizations and co-op programs post closer to their actual start dates, which means openings appear year-round and checking regularly is worthwhile.
Are director of student services internships paid?
Most professional director of student services internships in the U.S. are paid. Compensation varies by company size, industry, and location, and listings show it where the employer discloses it. Unpaid internships exist but are less common at larger institutions and organizations, so read each listing carefully before applying.
What should a director of student services internship resume include?
Lead with two or three complete, documented projects rather than work history. For director of student services candidates, that means program proposals, event plans, or student outreach initiatives you can describe with specific tools used and clear outcomes. Add relevant coursework in higher education, counseling, or student development, and keep the resume to one page.
Can international students get director of student services internships?
Yes. F-1 students can intern through CPT while enrolled or through OPT work authorization after finishing a degree, and the employer does not have to file anything for either, so many companies are open to international interns. Confirm your eligibility and timing with your university's international student office before accepting an offer.
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