The Golden Opportunity Center
The Golden Opportunity Center, the internship program at Jefferson Center, offers unpaid internships to graduate students in their second year of counseling, social work, or psychology programs, as well as a limited number of internships for someone with a bachelor’s degree, or graduate students in their first year of a master’s program.
About Our Internships
Please note: Jefferson Center is unable to offer internships for Spring/Summer 2023. We are now accepting applications for the 2023 Fall Training year.
Internship start dates begin in September, January, and June, with some flexibility to adjust according to different school program schedules. Internships are offered in various departments at Jefferson Center, based upon supervisor availability. We require a commitment of at least two semesters (30 weeks), with a minimum of 15-20 hours per week. Typical internships will last between 9 months to 1 year, and most will include a weekly workload averaging 20 hours.
Requirements include:
- Final appointment of applicants to the internship at Jefferson Center is contingent on applicants passing a criminal background check. A pre-employment background check is completed on all applicants that are offered an internship. Felony assault convictions will be considered a failed background check. Federal misdemeanors and misdemeanors are handled on a case-by-case basis.
- COVID-19 vaccination is required as per Colorado Department of Health mandate.
- If not a US Citizen, you will be required to provide documentation to verify eligibility upon an offer of internship and before employment.
- Jefferson Center for Mental Health is committed to a safe, healthy, and productive work environment for all employees free from the effects of substance abuse. Abuse of alcohol, drugs, and controlled substances impairs employee judgment, resulting in increased safety risks, injuries, and faulty decision-making. Jefferson Center for Mental Health follows Federal Law regarding cannabis and other drugs. We do not do a pre-employment drug test, but all employees may be asked to submit a random urine drug screen should there be indications that substances may be affecting job performance.
Questions regarding internships should be directed to: internships@jcmh.org
What past interns have said about their experience:
“My experience interning at Jefferson Center has been overwhelmingly rewarding! Everyone on the team has been incredibly supportive and willing to help. Interning for Jefferson Center offers incredible benefits and resources to better serve clients within the community, as well as providing a rich platform for professional growth.”
“I am currently on the Adult Outpatient (AOP) team as a Master of Arts in Counseling intern and the entire team has been supportive of me since the first day I stepped into the building. I can ask anyone on my team questions and everyone is willing to help. Other clinicians pop into my office on a regular basis to check-in and see if I have any questions and to see how my day is going. I’ve also had the opportunity to sit-in with several of the clinicians in my department and in other departments to get various perspectives on therapy in addition to that of my supervisor. In addition to this, I have been able to shadow and meet with clinicians at other locations to learn what The Center has to offer so I can relay the information to my clients. I cannot say enough good things about JCMH, the support that I’ve received and how much I have learned from being here in the past four months.”