Alaska Behavioral Health provides practicum placement and supervised clinical training internships for approximately 15 graduate and undergraduate students each year.
Our structured graduate level internship program is designed for students training to become master’s or doctoral level behavioral health clinicians. We prioritize Bachelor of Social Work students for our undergraduate internships. The core component of our graduate intern program is our Core Competencies Learning Community. The Learning Community offers students the opportunity to meet weekly with senior clinical and medical staff to learn the core competencies of clinical behavioral health services.
Past interns report that they get a lot of support and supervision from staff, and opportunities to learn and grow as clinicians.
Graduate Level Internships
- Graduate -level internship applicants must be enrolled students in good standing at an accredited graduate program in psychology, social work, marriage and family therapy, clinical counseling nursing or medicine or closely related field.  The graduate program must be one that prepares the applicant for a career in behavioral health and eventual licensure as an LPC, LPA, LCSW, LMFT, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Licensed Occupational Therapist, Licensed Speech and Language Therapist, Behavioral Analyst, Nurse, Physician Assistant or Medical Doctor. 
- Because this is a clinical training experience, students in programs that have a generalist field placement in the first year of graduate training (i.e. social work) are eligible for the AKBH Clinical Internship Program only in their second year (clinical internship) or as an Advanced Placement Intern. 
- Clinical interns are paired with an AKBH clinical field instructor who acts as their mentor during their internship. AKBH field instructors are experienced licensed master’s or doctoral-level behavioral health professionals who have had several years of clinical experience and are trained and nationally rostered in multiple evidence-based practices.  Interns at AKBH frequently express that the training, mentorship, and guidance that they receive from their field instructor is the most rewarding component of their internship. 
- Graduate-level clinical interns will participate in our weekly Intern Learning Community, led by senior AKBH staff. These weekly didactic trainings are targeted to core clinical competencies, including assessment, client engagement, implementation of evidence-based treatments, trauma-focused treatments, crisis stabilization and interventions, safety planning and risk assessment, and cultural competency for Alaska. Interns will be exposed to other disciplines within the behavioral health field so they can more effectively collaborate in team settings.
- To ensure a well-rounded experience, graduate-level interns will gain experience in more than one clinic or with more than one specialty population.
Bachelor’s Level Internship
Alaska Behavioral Health hires those with a bachelor’s degree in social work and other relevant fields as clinical associates who provide skill development services in close coordination with each client’s clinical team.
Bachelor’s level internships are designed to give students the opportunity to practice the skills needed to support clients in skill development and work in a clinical setting. Students will work closely with clinical associates in group or individual settings, and under the supervision of a manager. Interns will have the opportunity to participate in our Learning Community and attend Lunch & Learns and relevant trainings.
How to Apply
Step 1:Â Explore the clinical program information.
Explore the program information on this website to determine if we provide services that fit with your interests and academic goals.
Step 2: Check for eligibility.Â
We are only able to place students enrolled in a program that has a signed Memorandum of Agreement with AKBH (or ACMHS, our corporate identity). If your institution does not currently have a student placement agreement with AKBH, please still submit an application.  We may be able to add your program to this list!   If you are enrolled in another school, and are interested in pursuing an internship, please have your school’s internship coordinator contact our Human Resources Director, Cheryl Mounts at cmounts@akbh.org or 907-261-5323.
- University of Alaska Anchorage School of Social Work
- University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Education
- Alaska Pacific University Counseling Psychology Program
- Boise State University College of Health Sciences
- Boston University School of Social Work
- University of Colorado College of Nursing
- University of the Cumberlands Department of Counseling
- University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work
- Duke University School of Nursing
- Florida State University School of Social Work
- John Hopkins University School of Nursing
- University of Kentucky College of Social Work
- Liberty University Counselor Education & Family Studies
- Louisiana State University School of Social Work
- Naropa University
- North Dakota State University and the University of North Dakota Master of Public Health Program
- Northern Vermont University Clinical Mental Health Counseling
- Northwestern University – The Family Institute
- Palo Alto University – MA Counseling Program
- Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology
- The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology
- University of South Alabama College of Nursing
- Southern New Hampshire University – Clinical Mental Health Counseling
- Walden University
Step 3: Make sure you can meet the requirements
- AKBH trainings are scheduled during normal business hours and are required as part of the placement.
- If an offer for placement has been made, a fingerprint background check is required.
Step 4: Timing and Placement
- Please apply early (as soon as you know your school’s requirements/processes.)
- Due to limited availability of appropriate internship opportunities within AKBH, internship placement is not guaranteed.
- Applicants with a greater number of completed clinical courses in graduate programs with a significant clinical focus are more competitive for our clinical internships.
Step 5: Application
To apply, students complete the AKBH on-line application (a resume and official transcript must be attached). Our intern coordinator will follow up with next steps.
Click here for current postings (type “intern” in the search bar.)
Non-credit seeking students
If you are interested in an internship in a non-clinical area, please contact Director of Community Relations & Communications, Jessica Cochran at jcochran@akbh.org.
