About Us
Contact Community Services is a Syracuse-based nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health of individuals across the lifespan. Through a variety of programs and partnerships, we help meet the evolving needs of our community with compassion, professionalism, and care.
Internship Overview
Interns play a vital role in supporting Contact’s mission. Through hands-on experience and structured mentorship, interns contribute meaningfully to our programs while developing core helping skills.
Most interns begin their work with TeleCare, a free telephone reassurance program offering regular check-ins to isolated or vulnerable members of our community. Interns make outbound calls to enrolled clients, offering:
-Social support and friendly conversation
-Medication reminders
-Wellness and safety check-ins
Once trained on TeleCare, interns may opt to cross-train on The Contact Hotline — a free, confidential, 24/7 emotional support line for anyone experiencing distress, crisis, or simply in need of a listening ear. While some calls involve suicide risk, the majority are from people managing life stressors, relationship concerns, or emotional overwhelm.
All training and service is conducted on-site at our East Syracuse office.
Our intern program is widely respected, with former interns noting its positive impact on their graduate school applications, employment prospects, and personal growth.
Why Intern at Contact?
-Earn college credit
-Receive free, high-quality training and mentorship
-Obtain letters of recommendation and/or professional references
-Explore your capacity to work in the helping professions
-Build confidence and learn the importance of boundaries and self-care
-Network with professionals and learn about local job opportunities
-Make a real difference in people’s lives
Essential Responsibilities:
-Use strong active listening skills to support clients
-Maintain strict confidentiality at all times
-Attend required training sessions
-Participate in continuing education as offered
Eligibility & Requirements:
-Age 18+
-Reliable and sincerely interested in helping others
-Demonstrates respect and compassion for those affected by mental health or life challenges
-Comfortable using a computer and telephone
-Willing to commit to a minimum of 100 hours of service
-No specific education prerequisites, though coursework in Human Services, -Counseling, Social Work, Psychology, Health Sciences, or Gerontology is helpful
Additional Expectations:
-Successfully complete a background check
-Provide personal/professional references if requested
-Submit class schedule, syllabus, and internship advisor contact
-Be punctual and responsive to communications
-Exhibit professional conduct at all times
-Come prepared to meetings with materials and calendar
-Accurately log hours for training, meetings, and service shifts
Intern Training
TeleCare Training:
Interns complete a 4-hour training session, which can be completed in a single day. This includes shadowing, one-on-one instruction in active listening and technology use, and supervised practice calls. Ongoing staff support is provided throughout all shifts.
Hotline Training (Optional Cross-Training):
After gaining experience with TeleCare, interns may opt to complete our 40-hour Hotline training curriculum. This comprehensive training equips interns with the knowledge and confidence to support callers facing a wide range of emotional and mental health challenges.
Hotline Training Components Include:
-Orientation to hotline work and expectations
-Call observation and debriefing
-Self-paced training modules
-Small-group or individual instruction with role plays
-Apprenticing (supervised call-taking before independent shifts)