Type:
Government
Location:
Siler City, NC
Phone:
(919) 807-4400
Major(s)
Social Work, Psychology, Criminal Justice, Behavioral Science, Sociology, and any other major falling within Human Services
Project Objective
Chatham Youth Development Center is the state's only Youth Development Center (YDC) that houses female juvenile offenders. The facility operates under a therapeutic model of care that was piloted for three years in The Jackson Project with the assistance of two prior summer interns. The majority of girls confined at the YDC have histories of exposure to a variety of traumatic childhood experiences, and many continue to experience problems in self-management, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and relationships as a result. With assistance from the National Center for Trauma-Informed Care, management, staff and the girls (generally aged 14-18) who are confined at the facility have worked together to launch an initiative to change practices and operations so that they are more consistent with principles of trauma-informed care. Work is underway to revise behavior management practices, and to implement environmental changes as well.
Major Tasks
The intern will work closely with a treatment coordinator/social worker who coordinates the care and services addressing the treatment, rehabilitative, and educational needs for the girls confined at the facility. Interns will assist with case management, including service and aftercare planning and will also assist with leading monthly multidisciplinary service planning meetings and weekly clinical staffing wherein youth's progress in monitored, and through which treatment goals and strategies are adjusted. In addition, the intern will assist in research in the realm of emotional trauma, and will be invited to work closely with a program development team to develop innovative ways to introduce changes to the environment, staff training practices, and programming that are consistent with the principles of trauma-informed care.
Final Product or Outcome
By the completion of the 10-week internship, interns will have a better understanding of the complex psychosocial issues involved in the rehabilitation of female adjudicated delinquents with complex trauma histories (including both abuse and neglect), improved case management skills, and an improved understanding of program development, implementation, and organizational change.