May is Mental Health Awareness Month—a nationwide effort since 1949 to break the stigma, spark conversations, and highlight the importance of mental well-being. While we’ve made progress, mental health symptoms are still too often overlooked, especially in communities already navigating adversity.
At Thomas House Family Shelter, we believe mental health is not a luxury—it’s a foundation. The families we serve have experienced trauma, instability, and the painful uncertainty of homelessness. These experiences don’t just affect a person’s situation—they shape how they see the world and their place in it.
That’s why our approach to healing is rooted in compassion, dignity, and trauma-informed care.
A New Era of Support: The Thomas House Clinical Intern Training Program
In January 2024, we launched a major milestone in our mental health commitment: the Clinical Intern Training Program.
In partnership with local colleges and universities, this program brings Master of Social Work (MSW) and Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) students directly into our shelter and prevention programs to offer on-site, trauma-informed mental health care to children, adults, and families.
These clinical interns are more than just students—they’re critical members of our care team. Through a structured curriculum, they receive hands-on training in:
- Mental health assessments
- Treatment planning and goal setting
- Trauma-informed therapeutic interventions
- Safety planning and mandated reporting
- Group facilitation for Parenting and Life Skills classes
- Clinical documentation and ethical best practices
Healing Happens Here
With this program, we’re doing more than providing mental health support—we’re investing in the future of the field. By training compassionate professionals who understand the unique challenges of housing insecurity, we’re expanding access to empathetic, culturally competent care for families who need it most.
And in doing so, we’re living out our mission: to empower unhoused families with the tools they need to heal, grow, and achieve long-term independence.
Join Us: Be Part of the Change
Are you a graduate student in social work or therapy looking to make a difference? Thomas House is actively recruiting clinical interns for our 2024–2025 cohort. If you’re passionate about supporting families through trauma-informed, community-based mental health work, we want to hear from you.
📧 Email your resume and a short statement of interest to Rebekah@thomashouseshelter.org to learn more.
Together, we can break the stigma. Together, we can build a stronger, healthier future—one family at a time.