NJ Center for the Healing Arts
Overview
NJ Center for the Healing Arts is a non-profit Integrative mental health center located minutes from the Red Bank downtown center. The center provides a variety of mental health and wellness services to adults, adolescents, and children. In an effort to increase community awareness of Integrative mental health services, we are offering multiple open house events at which we will offer sample counseling experiences for those curious or interested in learning more about therapy, holistic wellness services such as massage, reiki, and yoga, therapeutic and creative workshops, local craft and wellness vendors, and activities for family and friends to enjoy all throughout the day.
Duties
Opportunities available to volunteers and interns:
* Creative planning and development
* Develop marketing materials
* Social media marketing
* Web design and development
* Coordinate with local craft/wellness vendor
* Prepare materials for events
* Business photography/videography
* Event day assistance
* Learn about Integrative mental health care and work collaboratively with a team of experienced, highly-skilled clinicians
.... and more!
Requirements
None listed
How to Apply
Contact the center at 732-747-2944 or email at njchagroup@njcha.org
Contact Information
Program Coordinator: Parker Hilton
ParkerHilton@njcha.org
NJ Center for the Healing Arts
[Phone] 732-747-2944
[Email] NJCHAgroup@gmail.com
Student Feedback
For the most part, when I was at the NJ Center for the Healing Arts, I would spend my time helping out in the office. Typically, I would answer phones and take messages, communicate any upcoming events with the clients as they signed in, take their payments, and helping out wherever else I was needed. When I wasn’t doing this, I would work on the specific tasks that I was given by my supervisor for that day. This ranged from researching mass texting/emailing services to communicate with clients or event submission sites to help promote programs and events, to promoting and advertising events to local guidance counselors and other professionals. I also created flyers and workshops for their Spring Break program. You don’t get to sit in on sessions but, I was able to participate in their new Academic Youth Mentoring Program. Through this program, I got the opportunity to work with kids for a little while before their normally scheduled sessions. I helped them with their homework, engaged in educational activities with them, and talked to them about any problems they may have at school.
Overall, the responsibilities at this site are heavily related to researching and marketing. Despite being a little boring at times, I still found this to be a good experience. Although you don’t get to be involved in sessions, it’s still a good starting point to gain experience if you are someone who is interested in the clinical setting. You can learn a lot from the staff, as they are so willing to provide advice and guidance, as well as answering any questions you may have about the job. It’s also a good opportunity to learn more about the various forms of therapies they offer. They are currently trying to implement new opportunities for interns the gain more hands-on experience. If you are willing to spend some time researching promoting events, you will find the rest of your experience to be very pleasant and beneficial.
~Amanda Tyrkala, Spring '19
I chose the NJ Center for Healing Arts as my internship due to an interest in their alternative approach to counseling and overall healing. Their holistic techniques, along with a focus on the enhancement of health in the most natural way possible conveyed a positive foundation for bettering the well-being of patients. Although unconventional in some circles, I found this to be an equally remarkable and refreshing methodology in regards to promoting a positive mental health approach to the general public.
During my time at the facility, I have been responsible for a number of office duties which include interacting with clients, scheduling, updating client and employee information, data collection, charging appointments, and making sure the session rooms were organized. Additionally, I was responsible for seeking out grants that the facility may potentially be eligible for, as they do not receive state or federal funding, and rely on a donation basis. I have also had the pleasure of aiding in the promotion of our children’s workshops developed by my internship supervisor, Kristy Matthews.
In terms of skills I was able to utilize at my site, I was able to gain a better understanding of adolescent development, which I strive to apply to a future career in counseling. Skills for mentoring children, improving on interpersonal skills, time management, and demonstrating a strong work ethic and initiative were exceptionally important as well. Additionally, improving upon organizational skills and becoming more well-versed with problem solving were significant to build upon during my time at the facility.
The NJ Center for Healing Arts provided me with an environment from which I have been able to thrive in. The staff has been extremely helpful, inspiring, and considerate, contributing to an overall teamwork culture. My internship supervisor particularly has been a source of encouragement. If you are a student who wishes to immerse themselves in this type of environment, I highly recommend this site!
~anonymous student, spring '19
My daily activities included assisting my supervisor with event planning duties which included contacting local professionals, and vendors inviting them to be a part of the events. There was a strong marketing aspect to the internship, therefore someone who is interested in that discipline could benefit greatly from this opportunity. But, even though there wasn’t much hands on experience with the clinical side of the site, being able to be a part of conversations between the staff and learning about their clientele, and how they help them can provide you a scope of the center that is extremely beneficial to your knowledge. There was a good amount of clerical work involved here, but nothing you wouldn’t expect in terms of being an intern.
Overall, this would be better for someone who is interested in marketing, but you can still pick up some knowledge on the clinical side of psychology through your experience. But if you are someone who loves to be creative and have an itch to share your ideas, this would be a perfect place for you. There are so many opportunities to do so, and the staff is very open and receptive to hearing these ideas which makes for a very cool environment.
~Lauren Bursado, Fall '18
A typical day at the NJ Center for the Healing Arts definitely varies depending on the events taking place at the center. For example, you may be creating flyers, sending emails promoting events to other professionals, or signing in clients and working with the Office Manager. You could be doing crafts for the walls in the waiting room, or you can be filing client records. It all depends on the day, and what is the center’s main priority at the time. I thoroughly enjoyed doing the crafts, like painting a tree for the waiting room’s wall, or spending time on software to organize and design a brochure for an event. Something that was not so enjoyable was the lack of communication, and how boring it may be when they do not have you doing anything other than sending out mass emails to hundreds of individuals for an event, and having not a single one of them respond.
There were no psychology-specific skills I was able to use, however creative skills were a large aspect of interning at the center. Additionally, it is recommended that one is very organized and punctual, because there are very specific deadlines some things need to be completed by. Individuals looking to get experience in a mental health related private practice would benefit from being at this site, because you do get to learn a decent amount of office-related responsibilities. Many of the staff members have also been with the site since its creation, therefore they are very well versed in their careers, and can answer any questions one may have regarding mental health care. Be advised that you are unable to sit in with clients, and will not get to learn too much about the actual therapeutic techniques used. You do not get much one on one time with your supervisor, as you are working more as an assistant for the center’s advertisement to the public.
~Danielle Dirmeitis, Fall '18
Have you interned here? Add your feedback to help other students by emailing [Goodwin].