Licensure and/or certification to offer substance use and addiction services often require an internship or practicum to be completed. For example, Addiction Counselors can be licensed or certified, and both options require an internship.
Some education programs also require an internship to receive a certificate or degree, and in some cases those internships can count toward initial professional credentialling.
Often service providers which offer internships can also offer documented supervision and work experience required to advance to higher levels of licensure or certification. In addition, some organizations have a formal Apprenticeship program. An Apprenticeship can fill most or all of the requirements for licensure or certification for some professions, such as addiction counselor or licensed mental health clinician.
Frequently Asked Questions
For Everyone
An internship or practicum is a supervised, hands-on experience required for training or educational program completion or for a certificate, certification or licensure. They are usually, but not always, offered by a service provider, and coordinated with an educational program or licensure/certification body to meet requirements.
Work experience may be required in addition to an internship or practicum, in order to achieve certain levels of licensure or certification.
An apprenticeship is a formalized engagement with specific employers who make a commitment to hire apprentices at the end of a practical onsite and educational experience, if they have performed successfully. Apprenticeships may or may not be structured to meet certification and licensure requirements. Many apprenticeships are governed by the MA Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s Division of Apprenticeship Standards.
Each education program has different schedules for their interns, each service provider has different needs for coverage. Some education programs have 9-month internships, some have semester/term/quarter long ones; some have certain days on which students must be in class versus doing internship activities. With sufficient supervisory capacity, service providers can build a schedule which covers the whole week by partnering with multiple education programs.
For Students
There is a list of service providers offering internships on Careers of Substance. In addition, some internships are posted on the Jobs & Internships page. Your education or training program may have a field placement process which can assist you. You also can reach out directly to service provider internship directors.
A growing number of internships are paid, but it is still common to find unpaid internships.
For Employers
Interns who are ready to begin working at the end of their internship period may be easier and cost less to hire because they have already gone through screening and orientation. Interns are familiar with the services and populations served; staff/supervisors know how the quality and style of the intern's work fits the needs of the organization.
Sometimes state or foundation grants support paid internships for a defined time period. However, even when a grant is not available, providers have found that fronting the money to support paid internships pays off in the long run through decreased recruitment costs and better staff retention. Providers and educators find that the quality of an intern's work and the interns' experience are both improved by receiving payment. See the results of Massachusetts BSAS 2023-25 Paid Internship Experience grants, for example.
The cost of providing supervision for interns (for the supervisor and for the intern) is sometimes supported under grants, or through some formal apprenticeship programs.