TreeHouse is a Christian ministry to troubled youth and their families located in the western suburbs of Minneapolis. Since 1979, this aggressive youth outreach has grown to offer services at several locations and serves hundreds of youth and families at any given time.
TreeHouse staff includes both gifted youth workers and family specialists who have advanced degrees and are trained in family systems. Participants include sixth to twelfth graders and parents of adolescents.
TreeHouse is currently accepting applications for part-time and full-time internships. The internship may begin at various times throughout the year to be determined by the needs of the agency, school and applicant. The various options include:
1. Part-time internships for college, seminary, or graduate school credit.
2. Full-time summer internship (paid).
3. Full-time, nine-month to one-year internship (paid).
All applicants must love kids, care deeply about hurting families, and have a personal faith which is compatible with TreeHouse's statement of faith and philosophy of ministry.
Student applicants must be advanced in their social work, psychology, education, youth ministry or related programs and be in good standing with their institutions. Year-long interns will have completed all prerequisites for their respective programs including all required courses and exams before beginning their internship.
TreeHouse's distinctive approach to issues that youth and families struggle with today will be emphasized. Youth face various struggles, including depression, loneliness, family strife, and chemical dependency, while parents search for support and education.
The internship experience will provide a wide variety of opportunities to learn and develop ministry skills, addressing these particular concerns. It is a time to apply acquired knowledge and concepts to real life problems experienced by youth, parents and families of today. Interns will be encouraged through instruction, observation and supervision to employ different ministry tools and approaches to the resolution of these problems. In addition, interns will participate in conferences, in-house training, and workshops, while networking with other agencies.
The population of individuals served at TreeHouse is primarily adolescents and adults of all ages. The intern's specific assignment will be based on the intern's interests and skills and the agency's need.
3-Month (summer) interns will learn:
- To assess needs of
teens.
- To use reflective listening
skills in a support group setting.
- To design and implement
Going Deeper lesson plans.
- To develop appropriate
and meaningful one-to-one relationships.
- To manage time effectively, develop professionalism and set and maintain boundaries.
- To plan and implement youth trips and activities.
- To plan and implement
youth trips and activities.
- To use conflict resolution
skills.
- To manage crowds and set
boundaries for participants.
- To integrate spirituality
into programs that include many non-Christians and unchurched teens.
9-12 month interns will learn (in addition to the objectives listed above):
- To design and facilitate
support groups.
- To network with other
community agencies and churches.
- To work with youth from
a family systems perspective within the TreeHouse model of outreach.
- To implement personal support-raising principles and techniques.
- To bridge gaps between
teens and parents, having learned a "systems" approach
to teens and their problems.
Interns will be appointed as youth and family specialists-in-training at TreeHouse and will carry a careload of program participants. In addition, Area Directors will assign other program responsibilities on the basis of interest and need. Year-long interns will receive two weeks vacation and most federal holidays off.
Staff and 9- to 12-month interns at TreeHouse raise a portion of their personal support and ministry expenses from various sources such as individuals, businesses, churches, family and friends. Competitive salaries have been set for this type of ministry. The salary for year-long interns will be $22,000 for full time. In addition, interns are expected to raise $175/month for ministry expenses. Support must be in place before the internship begins.
Summer interns do not raise support. Each summer intern will earn $3,000 for 12 weeks of full-time work and will have a ministry reimbursement allowance as well.
Experienced Area Directors will do on-site supervision. Brian Houts, (BA, M.Div), provides overall supervision for all staff and interns, and he will work with the intern in determining the placement, structure and scope of the internship experience.
For further information
contact:
Holly Dressel
TreeHouse Recruiting & Training Coordinator
TreeHouse
5666 Lincoln Dr Suite 201
Edina, MN 55436
952.238.1010
