Type:
Government
Location:
Concord, NC
Phone:
(919) 807-4400
Major(s)
Psychology, Social Work, Criminal Justice, Behavioral Science, Sociology, Human Services or any Human Service related major
Project Objective
Stonewall Jackson Youth Development Center is one of the state's newest facilities for confined 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. Under this model, staff teach youth pro-social skills throughout the day using structured role plays, while also addressing other psychosocial factors (e.g., educational and vocational deficits, family problems, poor problem solving skills, criminal values and beliefs) know to increase the risk for continued involvement in criminal activity. The aim is to broaden each youth's repertoire of pro-social skills so that by the time of release, he has an enhanced likelihood of success. Two new programs will be in operation designed to meet the clinical needs of male offenders in two specialized populations; youth who have been sexually abusive and youth who have not been successful in reintegrating into the community after completing a treatment program within our departments. Both programs aim to promote self-management and decreased rates of criminal reoffending in the context of a treatment programming approach specialized for the target population.
Major Tasks
The intern will work closely with a treatment provider (psychotherapist) in addressing the treatment, rehabilitative, and educational needs for the youth participating in the program. The intern will assist with planning service and aftercare planning, therapeutic services, case management, as well as weekly clinical staffing and monthly multidisciplinary service planning meetings, wherein youth's progress is monitored, and through which treatment goals and strategies are adjusted. The intern will also co-lead psychoeducational groups.
Final Product or Outcome
The intern will develop an understanding of the comprehensive strategy used by the Department in its efforts to reduce the risk of criminal activity among juvenile offenders, including which risk factors should be targeted, the evidence-based interventions found most effective with the population, and the ways in which these interventions are managed within juvenile correctional facilities. The intern will participate in cognitive-behavioral training in how to conduct structure role plays with at-risk youth, as well as treatment programs for youth with special needs.